One of my hens is working overtime

A couple days ago, I collected this monster of an egg. Truly "jumbo" sized! I have no idea who laid it, and I haven't gotten any more like it, but this was really a shocker when I peeked into the nest box.

Apparently, occasionally laying large eggs like this is normal, and not anything to be concerned about. When I researched the topic, I found that they usually contain either two yolks, or an egg within an egg (maybe where the idea of nesting eggs/dolls came from originally?). So, I cracked it open and voila, there were two yolks, just as suspected!

Hens are definitely an odd crowd, that is for sure...

Christmas morning

At least, it feels like it here today!

Trailbreakers Dryland Challenge

Byron and I spent last weekend at a local sled dog race, the Trailbreakers Dryland Challenge. We enjoyed seeing all the rigs, from high-tech racing setups, to homemade welded carts. And of course, it was fantastic to hang out with some of my mushing friends again.

A great variety of classes were available to suit any musher - everything from 6-dog rig, 4-dog rig, to 2-dog bikejor, 1-2 dog scooter, and even canicross!

The dogs in attendance ranged from purebred Sibes, to "mix and match" recreational teams, to Alaskan huskies, and even a few hounds. I spent the entire day asking questions, learning about different bloodlines and types of equipment. I also met lots of new friends in the mushing community.

My friends, Don and Phyllis of Husky Hobbies, were in attendance for the event. Here's Don, racing with his rig and 6 of his purebred Sibes.





These two hounds, driven by Johnn Molburg, were incredibly fast. Sinewy machines of muscle, they were off like dynamite out of the starting chute. I have to admit, I had never understood the appeal of hounds in the mushing circuit until I watched these amazing dogs run.



Another new friend, Robin Harrison, ran an amazing team of little racing-bred Sibes, mostly Seppala strain. They were extremely focused dogs, and well-meshed as a team - working like a unit. It was great to see.





Next year, I hope to attend Trailbreakers with my own dog team and rig in tow. It's a long way to go and many hours of training, but the atmosphere at this race was wonderfully casual, and charged with the excitement and energy of recreational and professional mushers all enjoying the fall together. It's something I definitely want to be a part of in the future.

Frosted garlic stalks

Honestly, when I read my post title, all I can think is that it sounds like a really bad idea for a cereal.

But, jokes aside, I'm happy to report that the garlic in my raised beds is sprouting! I don't remember how many cloves I planted, but I have a variety of Georgian Crystal, Lorz Italian, Georgian Fire, and generic store garlic in the blend. To my shock, right now the generic grocery garlic is outperforming the rest. And of course, garlic doesn't mind a little frost, so I'm not worried about the plants in the slightest. To them, this is all just a rehearsal for the main event next spring, when they'll really take off and develop into mature heads of garlic.



In other news, the hens spent yesterday night on lockdown in the barn. Around 5:00 pm, I was standing outside on my front porch chatting with my neighbor Lois. Suddenly she said to me, "Look at that huge bird! What is that, is that an owl?" She pointed in the direction of the pine trees separating our properties, and I saw the large Cooper's hawk perched there, eyeing the flock. As if on cue, he launched out of the tree and swept towards the ground, disappearing around the side of the barn. I could hear the chickens screeching and Lois and I both took off in their direction. I made quite a racket to scare the hawk off, but he just circled and doubled around to land back in the pine trees. The chickens were, thankfully, unharmed, but very anxious; they were all huddled underneath a dense bush in the woods.

When the hawk continued to hang around, I decided to lock the chickens in the barn for the evening. My thinking is, if he takes one hen, he'll keep coming back until he's eaten every last one of them. On the other hand, if I prevent him from taking any, and hide the chickens for an evening, he should move on to better hunting grounds.

This is the second time a hawk has eyed my chickens, and interestingly, the hawk was perched in the same exact location both times. In fact, I even wonder if it might be the same bird.

Other than keeping my eyes open, there's not much I can do; all birds of prey are federally protected. Not that I would, or could, hurt a raptor anyway. Regardless of their hunting habits, I absolutely love and admire raptors, and they are just doing what comes naturally to them.

Still, I'd rather not see any of my birds harmed. I let them back outside this morning, but time will tell if I waited long enough to turn them loose from the barn.

First frost of the season

When all the leaves have hit the ground, and the mornings arrive with a thin dusting of ice, in my mind, winter has arrived.

When the frost and the bare trees and that stark, cold light of winter greeted me this morning, about a dozen different Christmas songs ran through my head. I think that this is a more accurate measure of the seasons than any calendar.

If you give a wolf(dog) a frisbee...

He'll want to destroy it, and then he won't want to give it back.







So, you'll have to give him a cookie to trade for the frisbee. Then, he'll follow you around looking for more cookies.





If you know what I'm referencing in this post, a virtual cookie to you too. I know at least three of you out there will "get it". ;)