Natural Pain Remedies For Injured Chickens, 'Prepper's Survival Retreats' Book Giveaway!

Natural Pain Remedies For Injured Chickens-
Poor Gwynne, she gets picked on, gets sick, and now appears to have either a fractured pelvis or hip issue. This week I saw her in the garden run limping terribly. I picked her up and checked her. No wounds that I could see, bleeding, etc. Dave said a night or so ago he saw her fall off the coop perch, probably pushed off by another hen.  I left her outside for another day, then realized how much pain she was in. She would walk around a little, then collapse on the cold, damp ground. With 32 in the forecast I brought her in. She was hungry and thirsty. I think she hadn't been going in the coop much to eat or drink. She warmed up and rested in the kitchen chicken hospital, large laundry basket-

She can stand up pretty comfortably but starts breathing hard when she sits down. I think she may have a fractured hip or pelvis? Best guess. After doing some research I bought some Boiron Arnica pellets-

                                                               

Very small-

 After doing some research it appeared I could give her a "dose", so I decided to just start with one pellet. I also put her in a larger space to observe, a tarp under our chick outdoor enclosure (thrifted) in the kitchen-

I dosed her twice with no seeming effect. She appears to be really hurting laying down, breathing hard. More comfortable standing up. So I mashed up a full dose of 5 pellets into applesauce, but she wouldn't eat it. I use the small amount of water in a cup and put in 10 pellets, a double dose. After dissolved I added a pinch of sugar and loaded that into a small pet's oral syringe. Dave had to hold her and I gave her 1 dose. Waiting to see how it goes, time will tell. I didn't see much effect, so gave  her a 2nd dose tonight. Here are some good resources to start with if interested in more chicken treatment ideas-   Arnica and Calendula For Poultry    Pain Meds for Chickens  Petremedycharts.com
Chat.allotment-garden.org  If you have any other suggestions, please post a comment! Sadly can't do a Vet visit.

Prepper's Survival Retreats Book Giveaway-
When I was approached by Molly at Ulysses's Press to review a book I was excited! What kind of info would it have? The title certainly sounded interesting. She sent me a copy and it's really pretty fascinating! One of the things I've learned about the Depression in the last century the people survived reasonably comfortably because they were prepared and have a certain skill set. They also had a home/property that was set up to grow, preserve foods and be more self-sufficient. I don't know, however, if those people were also concerned about security issues? I gave the book a look , lots of great info, and here are the chapter titles, in order-

A brief history of collapse, What do you need to survive, The big questions, Purchasing an existing home, Can you make it here? Building or renovating your survival retreat, Survival groups and your new retreat relocation, Whittling down a short list of properties. 

There are some graphics and photos scattered throughout the book and lots of interesting questions like- timing is everything, how soon do you want to make this happen? So if you're interested in winning this book all you need to do is leave a comment below and follow me on Facebook. It's that simple! I will do the drawing at the end of this next week, post the winner and then ask you to email me your shipping info. I've already seen lots of other great reviews, what I've seen so far I really like, is very relevant and very practical.

Giveaway Winner Is...., Super Simple Pot Roast, One Month Pantry Challenge

Giveaway Winner Is....
Lisa!!!! Lisa pleas email me your shipping address. Find the "contact me" tab on the right down near the bottom. Thanks to the small group who participated!

Anya chose the winner in her paws :)

Sorry for the blur

Super Simple Pot Roast-
Last weekend I wanted a nice, big roast beef. I saw this Katiebrownhomeworkshop.com and thought, hmm, huckleberry roast beef. Why not? Well, I got a pot roast instead thru a miscommunication :) So, change of plans. I wanted something really simple, with no veggies. I found this Beef Pot Roast (with onions) and it came out fab! Juicy, moist tender, lots of Au jus. I only added 1 TBL of Worcestershire to the recipe. I saved the onions for the next night, and made French Dips. First night I served it with buttery/pepper whole grain linguine, and salad. Night 2 dips. For the Au jus I added about 3 TBL of flour, thickened slightly, whisked a lot, then 3 cups of beef broth. Perfect, not a gravy, but slightly thicker broth. Next time I'll try Katie's recipe. They're all good! Love her show on PBS :)

One Month Pantry Challenge-
I knew I needed to work more on my freezer and pantry items. I used some home-grown, frozen nectarines, and leftover fresh cranberries and made crumb-topped dessert. Wonderful and tart! Then I read A Months Meal Plan For The Pantry Challenge  and had a "oh yes!" moment. I will have to do this a bit differently since there's only 2 of us, but it's a good starter plan. This weekend I'll go thru everything and make a list. I can save a lot of money, experiment, and save a lot of $$$. Great idea! I'll post more of my challenge!!! Feel free to join in :)

Thrifting/Sales Finds, Anya's New Spot, More New Year Deep Cleaning, 500th Post Giveaway!

Thrifting/Sales Finds-
I have been looking for a new summer quilt for two years. My search ended this week! It needed to be king size, even though our bed is a queen. It has a deep pockets mattress, I gave up on dust ruffles, so I just needed a longer one. I wanted something nice, soft cotton, durably made. I went thrifting lots of times, but could never find one. I went to Ross this last week and stumbled on to this-

New Quilt!

Nice, fine quilting, soft and reversible, with opposite stripes. I washed it and put it on over the comforter. I LOVE it! $35.00 well spent. I gifted my daughter with our old one :)

I went to Lowe's and found these babies, 75% off, just like the Scandinavian ones I had seen online but much cheaper. I wish I could knit and I could have made the red balls! Too cute to pass up, so I bought some for next year. I will get rid of some more things to make room for these. My kids love my leftovers!

Tomtens! (or gnomes) 

Little trees

For some generic winter decor I bought these nice, neutral burlap-wrapped snowflakes. Perfect on my old, chippy window! Good size, about 5" across. All of these packs were a buck or two each...

Anya's New Spot-

After I made a small pile of donations on the floor Anya decided it was her new "spot'-

More New Year Deep Cleaning-

I gave away a car full of donations this last week, deep cleaned both my linen hall closest, Dave wiped down all the kitchen cabinets, oven, baseboards and fridge. Now it's mopping and vacuuming! It's nice to have the extra time over break to deep clean. Nothing better than starting the New Year clean, tidy and more organized!!!

500th Post Giveaway!

Wow, it's hard to think I've done 500 posts since 2011! To celebrate I'm putting together a little giveaway. I'll put something together and put it up here. Anyone in the continental U.S. can join, and it comes with free shipping! Check back soon!

                                           500 POSTS, WOW!!!

Farm Animal Finger Puppets & Weather Station, 400th Post Giveaway!

From Farm Animal Finger Puppets

Farm Animal Finger Puppets & Weather Station-

I recently discovered the website above, MrPrintables.com and this guy is brilliant!!! He's a combination of a graphic artist/engineer. He makes the most amazing stuff! If you have a color printer and paper you can really go to town! A couple of weeks ago I made this for my library-

From My Weather Station

400th Post Giveaway!-

I didn't realize until after the fact that I had done my 400th blog post! So.... if you want to enter a drawing for some fun, environmentally-friendlyish gift pack stuff  (ship only to continental U.S.), leave a comment below answering this question-

What's your favorite theme or topic that I post about? Please leave your name and/or email, so I can contact you if you win!

I'll choose the winner next week, after I go shopping!!! :)

Low Cost Chair Re-Do, Recycled Coop Upgrade, Easy Global Veggie Wraps, My 400th Post Giveaway Coming Soon!!!

Low Cost Chair Re-Do-
I finished both chairs today, with my new slipcovers, Sure Fit Grain Sack Stripe Slip Cover  For a total of about $90.00 I did both chairs. I had thought about making my own but was afraid I'd make a mess of it. I started with these items- 2 slipcovers (sale), 2 bags of batting and 2 pre-cut cushions (all 1/2 price) from JoAnn's Fabrics. I only wound up needing 1 bag of batting!

Chair has batting in the top cushion, which unzipped easily. All filled out again, no more sagging on top.

Green cushion under chair cushion. I rotated the cushion backwards since it won't show. Stiffer that way.

I spent quite a while ironing both, as they arrived very wrinkled in the package. Draped and tied, pretty easy! Anya approved :)

I adjusted the back after this, and made it a bit longer. I like the color, and they're washable! This will work until we can get some new chairs farther down the line.

Recycled Coop Upgrade-
We cleaned the coop yesterday, and since we have some shower sheet rock leftover, and insulation, Dave and I decided to insulate the coop roof. I thought it would keep it cooler in the summer, and warmer in the winter. It's not pretty, but it works. I helped hold the batting in place while Dave stapled it, then he screwed in the screws for the sheet rock. It's water proof so it'll work.

The "before", no insulation.

Before shot, dirty litter

Coop emptied of the deep litter, we took a bit more out after this shot

                                                   
                                     Fresh pine shavings, and D.E.! 

Litter added to the garden area

Talk about a skinny egg!!!

Mine look something like this.. photos next time I make them 

Easy Global Veggie Wraps-
I copied this from years ago when Macheesmo Mouse was in business in Portland, Oregon. They're back in business there now! They had the first Mexican, healthy fast food place there, back in the 80's! When feeding 5 I would often make these easy "global wraps" for our family. Just cook brown rice, and while that's cooking grate a bunch of veggies- carrot, purple and green cabbage, red onion, set aside, toss with a little red wine vinegar, dried herbs like oregano, thyme. Then I'd add kalamata olives, then put that in BIG heated tortillas, top with crumbled feta and top with the hot rice, and roll them up. Quick, easy and healthy. My kids all loved them! Sorry no photos! I'll take some next time I make them...

My 400th Post Giveaway Coming!!!
I can't believe I'm almost to 400 posts! Where did the time go??? Well, I'll give away something to celebrate. Keep checking back...

                                           HAPPY EASTER!!!

I Won A Giveaway! Thanks Mama Pea!!!!

After seeing this Anyone Want This? I entered the giveaway. I knew it would look perfect in my school library where I work! And I won! Thanks Mama Pea! I'll give it a good home!!!

Cute pilgrim bears :)

Love the quilting!

And The Winner of My Giveaway Is......

And the winner of my giveaway is...

Susan from e-i-e-i-omg!  Susan please email me your home address so I can send some goodies your way!

Last Chance to Enter My Giveaway! Drawing This Sunday!

My 300th Blog Post Giveaway!-
Last chance!!! Drawing will be this Sunday! Winner to be randomly selected by my hubby. It's a gift pack that includes-
a blank journal, 2 new French vintage-style cloth shopping bags, some other fun goodies, including edible ones! Continental U.S. only, sorry. Here's all you have to do-
*Put a link back to this blog on your blog (if you have one) and post here that you did.
*Leave a comment about what you like best about my blog! 

New Danger From Fukushima- Steam & Contaminated Water, Facebook Reader Question, 300th Blog Post Giveaway!!!

I was reading this article Fukushima Contaminated Steam (text below) and it reminded me of my worries when this first happened. Nuclear accidents never happen in a vacuum. The article states-

On July 17 and 18 steam was observed rising from Fukushima Daiichi Reactor 3, raising concerns that the damaged reactor's nuclear reaction had started again. If this has happened, another large release of radioactive material from the planet is probable. Then, yesterday, Tokyo Electric Power admitted that radioactive groundwater had leaked from the plant into the sea. Levels of cancer-causing cesium 134 have increased by 110 percent in the past few days. So far, Tepco has not been able to explain this increase, but it would be consistent with new nuclear reactions taking place in the reactor's core.

Since 2011, low levels of cesium 134 have been found in blue fin tuna being caught off the California coast. In addition, seaweeds along the coast have been discovered to contain concentrations of radiation From Fukushima. Tokyo Electric Power has maintained a policy of informing the public as little as possible about the extent of the disaster. The Fukushima meltdowns took place after a massive tsunami swept the power plant complex in 2011. Tokyo Electric Power had received permission from planners to place its diesel backup generators at ground level instead of building them onto raised platforms, despite the fact that the area was a known risk for tsunamis. As a result of this, the plants lost backup power and went critical after the disaster. Since then, it has never been clear how much radiation has actually been leaked from them.

Are Californians at risk if they eat blue fin tuna? Unlike heavier radioactive elements, Cesium-134 does not quickly sink to the bottom of the sea, but remains in the water column almost indefinitely. Blue fin tuna spawn in Japanese waters, then swim across the Pacific. By the time they reach California waters, any radioactive elements they may contain will have been concentrated by the amount of time the fish have been in the water.

Facebook Reader Question-
Here's a question for my readers- would you like to see a Facebook page that is for Little Homestead? I have mixed views on the lack of privacy on FB, and their heavily automated system. Would you like to see that, or are you okay following the way you do? I'm always looking for better ways to bring more readers in!

300th Blog Post Giveaway!-
After a wait here's the new giveaway, to be randomly selected by my hubby. It's a gift pack that includes-
a blank journal, 2 new French vintage-style cloth shopping bags, some other fun goodies, including edible ones! Continental U.S. only, sorry. Here's all you have to do-
*Put a link back to this blog on your blog (if you have one) and post here that you did.
*Leave a comment about what you like best about my blog! I'll announce the winner in the next week. So check back!

                      My homesteady wreath I made with burlap and my Carhartt kerchief

Sounds Of Summer, Sweet Julia Child Tribute, Almost Time For a Giveaway!

Our giant maple tree

Sounds Of Summer-
We're heading towards record-breaking 100+ degree weather in another day or so. Since it was cooler yesterday, I went out in the back yard for an hour and read sitting in the sun. I decided my pasty white skin needed some color! I did wear a hat and shades, as I HATE a sunburned scalp. Being stuck inside with the recovery of my foot surgery has really been pretty much inside. Luckily I'm off my cart in 2 more days! Woohoo! Skin is finally healing up better in the small spot that was a problem. Then- just 1 crutch and I can finally drive myself, and do more here. Anyway, Thursday night I had Dave set out a couple of deck chairs- one by the deck to transfer off my cart to, and one out on the grass for me to roll over to. That went well, and I took out my hot weather supplies in my little cart basket- water bottle, book, phone, etc. It was so nice to be outside! I'm finishing up Making Home by Sharon Astyk. Excellent book! Sitting there for an hour I could hear bird sounds, a little hammering by a neighbor, cars off in the distance, kids laughing down the street. It was actually pretty quiet. It was a weekday with most of the neighbors off at work. Weekend summer sounds tend to be- lawnmowers, more hammering (neighbors got a project going), more birds, music, screaming babies, barking dogs, and the neighbor that has his pool vacuum going. Meanwhile the cat's running up and down the hall chasing a tiny wadded up ball of paper. Anya is so easily entertained!

                                                          I love the BISCUITERIE sign
Sweet Julia Child Tribute-
I recently watched a cooking show and discovered who Patricia Wells is. Patricia is a well-known American writer who lives in France. She has written lots of French restaurant reviews, guides and cook books. She was good friends with Julia Child, the famous American cook who brought French cooking to America. I was really charmed by this little corner remembrance Patricia made to her friend. When Julia was getting ready to close up her French home for good Patricia asked if she could have her cook stove. The full story is here Julia Child's 100th Birthday. When I first watched Julie And Julia I really became aware of what a wonderful, tough, and funny woman Julia was. Watch the movie if you haven't! Amy Adams and Meryl Streep were brilliant! And, of course, blogger Julie Powell turned her cook the entire Child's cookbook in one year into fame and fortune. Good for her!

Amy Adams as Julie, Child-type pearls and all. Wallpaper from ScenicReflections

Meryl Streep as Julia Child in her French kitchen

I already knew who Julia was from randomly watching her on PBS. She donated her entire American kitchen to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. It really shows a "working" kitchen set up for organization, use and simplicity. You can take an online tour Julia Child Exhibit. I wish my kitchen was that big, and I love the cabinets and colors. Talk about a lot of utensils, cooking collectibles, etc.! Here's a fun little article from Country Living magazine on How to Recreate Julia Child's Kitchen.

I remember watching SNL one year and almost dying from laughter at Dan Akroyd's imitation of her cutting up a chicken. He is sheer PERFECTION! BEWARE- if you're faint around blood, skip this! And try not to laugh yourself out of your chair!!!

Almost Time For a Giveaway!-
Two more posts to reach 300, then it's time! Keep checking back!