Well that's one way to simplify

 

Well that was fun. Or not. I'm ok. The truck is not ok (at least we hope that's the insurance adjuster's opinion). I will forever be thankful for modern technology & engineering - the guardrail that didn't budge when a truck slammed into it at 55 mph & stopped me from going over the bridge, the truck built to absorb impact & decrease chance of injury, the air bags deploying like a gunshot & preventing my face from meeting the steering wheel, & the seat belt that harnessed me to the seat & stopped me from bouncing around like a rag doll.
To the three gentlemen camping down the hill that heard the crash, called it in, & stayed with me until HP showed up: thank you. To the gentleman that stopoed to make sure I was ok: thank you. To Kentz & Lindsey, for being there: thank you. Nothing I say or do will suffice in expressing my thanks & gratitude for all of you.

Lessons of the day: most trucks function in RWD when not in 4WD. And nothing is worth being in a hurry.

One of these is not like the others

Upon quick glance, this looks like a normal dozen of eggs:

 From our lovely, albeit sqwuak-y, hens.

Until you look at the bottom green egg, second in from the left.  No?  Can't see it?  Look a bit closer...

GIGANTOR EGG!

 (That's not a real world.  I made it up.  But it sounded way cooler.  Like "gigantic" but with "or" on the end.)

This is GIGANTOR EGG compared to two normal eggs:

Apparently Athena, our "Easter-egger" hen, grew into a giant chicken overnight & began laying eggs the size of my hand.  We now have a chicken the size of a toddler stomping around the backyard & eating small pets that get too close.

Not really.  But wouldn't that make a good story?  "The Story of Athena, the Monster Chicken!"  We haven't cracked the GIGANTOR EGG, but we're fairly certain it's a double-yoker.  We kept an eye on her after the epic egg-laying, as we were worried it might have caused some damage & potential ensuing infection (even I cringed when I saw that egg - there's no way it didn't hurt when it popped out).  However, other than being extra hungry the next morning, she seemed to survive the whole ordeal.

I promise to post pics when we crack the egg.

Well hello world

It's been awhile.  We've been busy & it's resulted in a lack of blogging.  Our sincerest apologies, we'll now return to regular programming.

We recently took a vacation to Napa Valley to run a race & explore the region (aka wine taste).  The area is definitely beautiful, but the constant rain made it slightly difficult to enjoy the beauty.  So we ran a race in the mud & then spent the rest of the vacation indoors, drinking wine & microbrews.  A perfect vacation, no?  The rain began the day we flew into Sacramento & did not stop until our last day in Napa.  Then the sun came out, the winds stopped, & the temps rose to 70 degrees.  Feeling slighted by Mother Nature was unavoidable.  But it was wonderful to be away from Sheridan, eat at many wonderful restaurants (I think food was one of my favorite parts of the trip - Napa Valley definitely has an abundance of amazing chefs), taste some delicious (& not-so-delicious) wines & beers, & relax.  Pictures to follow.

In the meantime, I'll leave you with our regularly featured feathered- & furred-friends.

A dog thoroughly enjoying his Sunday afternoon nap

Spring has sprung!  And our neighborhood squirrel friend has awoken from his winter hibernation.  He's also managed to find all the unharvested corn stalks from our garden & spread them over the entire neighborhood (as pictured).  If a neighbor asks why there are small corn stalks in their yard, I plan to play ignorant.

Don't watch me eat!

Heyyyyyyyy laaaaaaadies!

You'll have to excuse the two bare-bottomed chickens (on the right).  They are not diseased.  They are not dying.  They are not the rare varietal chicken known as "featherless butt" (no such chicken).  The white chicken on the left just happens to be a bully & has been caught pecking the feathers off the other two ladies' rear ends.  Poor things can't avoid her.  Imagine having to put your ass in the air every time you want to eat?  

(Despite their oddities, everyone should go out, find some scrap wood, build a chicken coop, & purchase a few small, peeping, cute, fluff ball chicks.  Other than a few months of no-laying in the winter, we're getting 2-4 eggs each day.  It's amazing.)

DEAD CHICKENS!

No, just kidding.  They certainly look dead.  One of our recent warm days (& probably last for the year), the chickens enjoyed the warm spot in their coop by having a group Dust Bathing Party.  Oh my, that sounds like chicken porn.  Girls!  Behave yourselves!

Dust bathing is a perfectly natural, albeit funny-looking, chicken activity.  Chickens don't have the capability to bathe but they need to occasionally "scrub" to keep mites & bugs at bay.  They're surprisingly clean birds & typically don't pick up bugs (we assist by keeping their roosting area clean & dry), but it's good for them to clean up every so often.  That's where dust bathing comes in.  They lay down in dry dirt & twitch around - it looks like a chicken seizure.  Chris & Sonja have a video of a chicken dust bathing here.

The black chicken is Fosters.  I think she might be developmentally disabled.  She doesn't quite "get it."  Poor thing.  But it's quite alright, we love her still the same.  And we think she finally started laying eggs...which helped her status immensely.