As you’ve probably noticed, there’s a lot going on around here. The inside of the barn was stained this week. Now it has a light gray wash so it doesn’t look so yellow and raw. The fence for the new chicken run is going in. Not an easy job, as we’ll be burying part of it 6 inches to keep out predators, and since this is New England, you don’t dig through loose soil- you make a trench in a mix of packed dirt and granite gravel. Also, I’ve got some non-standard porch doors from a salvage yard going in. And a new vegetable garden being installed on a slope, so we’ll have to put in a stone retaining wall. That’s the royal we. I don’t do any of this. For close to 15 years, I’ve relied on Mark from Rudy’s Tree and Landscaping.

The outside of the barn will be stained tomorrow. Amazing what some friends will do when you offer BBQ!

And then it’s time to divide the flock. Seven hens – the ones that will be photographed for the children’s book, will go in the new barn. Snowball, of course, will be one of that flock. Who else? Tell me which is your favorite hen.

Lastly, I’m sure you’ve spied the two new, pretty as can be, Bantam White Leghorns. I bought them from breeder (and poultry judge) Don Nelson. I know some of you out there say, “I don’t have room for a flock.” Well, go to a local breeder and buy two hens for your backyard! You can buy gorgeous pullets of just the breed your heart desires. Check the American Poultry Association for a list of shows near you. Go, look at the birds, and connect with a breeder.