egg blower

And with Easter coming up, you need to know about this: an Egg Blower, for hollowing out your eggs. This will be especially nice when my Americunas start laying.

Once more, I learned about this nifty item from my nifty cousin Jenny.

Teach Like a Champion: 49 Techniques that Put Students on the Path to College by Doug Lemov

If you are a teacher either at a school, college, or at your kitchen table, you will want to read this article "Building a Better Teacher"  and will probably want to order the book Teach Like a Champion: 49 Techniques that Put Students on the Path to College by Doug Lemov.

Mr. Lemov helped found UnCommon Schools, "a nonprofit organization that starts and manages outstanding urban charter public schools that close the achievement gap and prepare low-income students to graduate from college." UnCommon Schools is going to be even more wildly successful than ever before, as they had the good sense to hire our lovely niece Kara (or maybe it is Kara that is going to be more wildly successful than ever before, as she had the good sense to get hired: I don't rightly know).

Either way it is an interesting and informative article and I am looking forward to reading the book.

stuffed or deviled eggs for Easter

This is your friendly reminder that if you have your own hens and are planning to make stuffed or deviled eggs for Easter, you need to set aside eggs now so that they will peel properly on April 3rd.

Nespresso Citiz

This is a Nespresso CitiZ Automatic Espresso Maker and Milk Frother  and it is calling to me. Please, someone, talk me out of it.

Happy Birthday to Joy and Bliss, our geriatric house-bunnies

On March 9, 1997, these two were born and came to live at our house a few weeks later.  They turn 13 today and we will be enjoying a carrot cake in their honor.

They enjoy a small private room with a window and a view inside, and a gated netted bunny palace outside on pleasant days.  Apparently this suits them as they have far exceeded the expected life-span of house-rabbits.

Catawaba Chicken Coop Plans

Last spring, as some of you recall, my kids and I built a chicken coop using these plans.

It worked really well for us as the building plans included step-by-step instructions and we were really proud of the outcome.


Then our chickies grew and grew and outgrew their coop. This was my fault as I kept buying new baby chickies. So we retro-fitted the creamery and moved the hens into it. As winter storms blew in (well just one, back in November, but it was a doozy), we were glad that the hens weren't in the Catawaba Coop as it would not have sustained them during the arctic out-flows that we endure here. So, cautionary note #1: don't build this if you get significant windchill in your winters and if you are in an exposed area or open country. The plans are much more suited for urban use.

I spent the winter thinking that the coop was built for naught (though we had a great time and learned a lot about building). Then last week I bought off of Craigslist three grown hens and the Coop became useful again. I don't know what I would have done without it as it provides perfect housing for new birds. They spent several days inside of it and all the hens had henny sqaubbles through the fenced sides. When that died down, I let them out and they are slowly starting to integrate with the flock.

We also have 5 baby chicks in the chickery right now, and they too will use the Catawaba Coop when they are ready to move outside. I'll raise it up a bit on one end so that they can scoot in and out but the big bully hens cannot. This will allow the pullets the joy of yard-grazing and provide a safe haven.

If you are looking to build chicken housing, and if you can keep yourself from buying more than 4 chickies (good luck with that), you can't go wrong with the Catawaba Coop plans, with these caveats:

• buy 1 more length of 1x4 than called for.
• skip the whole angle iron business and simple get some 1x1 from the trim department.
• skip the difficult-to-cut and easily-split shims and find something to substitute in the trim department.
• if you live in the Pacific Northwest, make sure that any part that will touch the ground is cedar

I did notice that the current plans have been updated from when I bought them. These concerns may have been addressed in the update.

Nespresso

I need a Nespresso Machineand then I need the barrista (my first-cousin once-removed) to come live with me and make me one every morning because he is just so adorable.



Here is my lovely cousin's lovely blog: Walk Along the Way. She and her Swiss ski instructor and their 4 children and their poodle are moving to Switzerland.

Which reminds me, the last time we visited, when we arrived they were sitting around the dining room table making double helix DNA strands out of pipe cleaners and beads. For real. For science class at our house we make scones and eat them.