lucky stars

This blog has somehow turned into a chick blog so let me move onto other topics. Although I loooove my chicks, I'll return to them at a later point.

I had a long summer vacation. Everyone thought I was so lucky. I didn't enjoy it at all. I couldn't concentrate, and I wasted everyday. I barely painted. I became a hermit. With the education budget cuts, I was sitting around all summer wondering whether I was going to survive each month. My savings were dwindling, and I was getting nervous. I had one Design & Color class scheduled for the fall semester, but one class wasn't much. To make things worse, I had to turn down two class offers because they conflicted with the schedule of this one class. Frustration led to resignation so I decided to turn my attention elsewhere. This led to my obsession with gardening, the chicken and exercise. (I am on Day 34 of P90X, by the way. I will write more about that later.) I was turning inward, focusing on myself and daily comforts. Some might describe it as a dying insect with curling limbs.

Finally a couple weeks ago, I got an email from the Assistant Dean - three Color Theory classes, yes! Things would be tight, but I could figure things out. Then, last week, I got a late night phone call from the department chair, one Painting class, do you want it? Thank you!

I'm one of the lucky few, and sometimes I'm amazed that I've been this lucky so far. The next few months will be busy and possibly cranky, but I'm stocking up for the long hard winter.

Coop

We finished building the coop with the help of Erica's dad, the most patient man in the world. The newspaper floor is temporary until we pick up some shavings.

Meet Potato

Here's the newest addition, Potato. She's a Light Brahma and has feathers all the way down to her feet. When she gets older, they'll look like feathery bellbottoms.

tragedy

I was upstairs getting ready to leave the house while the housekeepers were cleaning. I heard the sound of the lid snap and the chicks chirping frantically so I thought, Oh the housekeepers must've opened the lid to pet them (because the chicks freak out when that happens).

Five minutes later, I was walking past the chick brooder and I saw T-Rex, but Nugget was missing. Then I saw Nugget had trapped herself between the waterer and the side wall and was lying facedown in the water! It's so shallow that it's nearly impossible to drown, but Nugget did. Then I attempted to revive her by blowing air in her mouth (unsuccessfully). I found out later from the lady at Jamul Ranch & Feed Store, that it's possible to give CPR to a bird. It's also important to bring their body temperature back up slowly with a heating pad.

Nugget had such a sweet personality and would hop into your lap. I drove straight out to the ranch in Jamul to get another chick because they need to be in groups. T-Rex was been chirping all day until I put the new chick in the bin. She really doesn't like being alone. I chose a 1-week old Light Brahma chick, who I named Potato. Even though they're 2 weeks apart in age, T-Rex and Potato seem to be getting along. Potato follows T-Rex everywhere, but sometimes T-Rex "accidentally" steps on her.

Rest in peace Nugget.