February 11, 2015 - National Don’t Cry Over Spilled Milk day

"Gratitude is the healthiest of all human emotions. The more you express gratitude for what you have, the more likely you will have even more to express gratitude for" - Zig Ziglar 

It's another beautiful day here in the Ozarks, and I am grateful for it… 

Big News here on the Homestead, I was looking over the local Craigslist this morning and saw a listing for laying hens so I emailed them and went on about my morning, it was just a few minutes later I was contacted and had a phone conversation with Charles about he what had and what I was looking for. As it turned out he lives about 45 miles away but he was meeting some people in Mountain Grove ( 18 miles away more or less ) in about an hour to deliver some chicks to them, so if I wanted to i could meet him there. COOL 

Put the dog crate back together, put some straw in the bottom and Herc and I headed off to Mountain Grove. 

I'll tell on myself a little here, I went down 137 to the main highway 60 and I saw that there was no entrance on to Highway 60 going East, well I'll just continue on as I'm sure the road will cross over highway 60 a mile or two farther east… Well that's what I thought, after driving several miles with out seeing any cross roads I started to wonder if I should turn around, but this is the general direction to Mountain Grove and I'm sure that there will be a cross road soon… I finally found a cross road, after several miles and a lot of time off the clock, that went into Cabool ( a town in between Willow Springs and Mountain Grove ) and I was able to get on to Highway 60 and into Mountain Grove. OK it may have taken me A LOT LONGER but I got there. 

Charles was waiting for me and I was afraid to ask how long they had been waiting. He had picked out six, six month old hens that are laying and a six month old rooster all Rock Island Reds, all good looking birds. Deal done! Yea!

Took Highway 60 straight back to Willow Springs, took a lot less time to get home. I moved the coop over in the yard, hung up the waterer and got feeder filled up and let the girls and guy into the coop. 

Herc thinks he has more toys to play with… I had to let him know that they are NOT for him… lol 

Several of the ladies have found the loft and have checked out the nest boxes, that’s encouraging. Even found the rooster in the loft but he was most likely following a hen around.

New project; a chicken tractor so I can more the chickens around to different spots in the yards, the coop is too heavy for that.

I have been working on my woodworking bench and It's coming along good. I have the tops just about done they still need to be cut to length and smoothed a bit more but the hard parts are done. Still a lot to do but I'm happy with the progress so far.

I was asked why I don't use power tools, as it would be easier. I know that it would be easier and faster and I do have enough money right now that I could buy the tools that I need to finish this project, BUT that isn't what this is about. I want to practice some of the skills that I use to have and use went I was learning about woodworking, first to see if I still have enough of these skills left and to reconnect with a dying art form, I want to make things with my own hands not machines. I find a real enjoyment working with wood and the hand tools. I do wish that I could find better lumber, the places that I have looked have really disappointed me, even #1 grade lumber is pretty sad but that's the world in which we live so I'll do the best I can and keep searching for better materials… 

As I sit here typing this Herc started barking as if there is a monster in the yard, he was very upset, I got up to see what was going on, Mazie and her Mom stopped to look at the chickens... lol  

That's my day here in the Ozarks…