Finding My Medium

The chickens have successfully made it through their 3rd night outside in the coop.  They have some supplemental heat (a heating pad made for this purpose), but so far I don’t think they’ve needed it.  It’s as much for my peace of mind as for their benefit.  It’s a bit early for them to be outside, but I went against the rules of thumb for a few reasons.  The first being that I’ve watched them so closely.  I’ve watched them outside in their temporary run on overcast breezy days.  They don’t huddle together or stay near their heating pad.  At night I’d begun cracking the window and watching how they slept, and then cracking the window just a little bit more.  I also read content that indicated that hens that were (safely, smartly) exposed to lower temps when young seemed to handle cold better later.  These hens seemed better able to resist injury during cold temps and continued laying eggs into colder weather.  Lastly, we had some unseaso...

We’ve had chickens for 25 days now. They’ve quadrupled in size, at least. They live in a storage box in our guest room, and in the morning I can immediately tell when something is wrong based on the sounds they make. A loud high pitched peeping usually means that someone has found a way to tip over their water. It reminds me of an alarm clock’s beeping. Sometimes there’s a shrill startled cry from several chicks at once. It’s most likely cause is Malta or Bee testing out their skill in imitating a wrecking ball. They’ll zoom through the brooder, wings outstretched, directly into the rest of the group. Vin can cause the same reaction, but she doesn’t need speed or flight. She has her size and is best compared to a bulldozer. My favorite sounds are when I hear them scratching the ground, peeping frequently and quickly. It’s the sound of contentedness. It’s a neat little song they all sing together, in complete harmony with each other and the world. I was amazed at how young they were...

On April 1st we got the first of our flock. Over the next 10 days we named them all. Josh and I sat down and drafted a long list of women from fantasy and science fiction novels. I’d suggested naming them after herbs like lavender and chamomile, but Josh wasn’t as enthused about that. I love the names we decided on. Malta 1 Week Old Bee 1 Week Old Vin 1 Week Old Denna 1 Week Old Auri 1 Week Old Luna 1 Week Old I spent the weeks before getting our chicks frantically researching. It’s all I would talk about. I spoke to everyone I knew who had raised chickens before. I was scared something bad but preventable might happen. I carefully chose the breeds we would get. Buff Orpingtons are docile and friendly, but very productive layers of light brown eggs. Black Australorps are known for the cold hardiness, calm, and for laying roughly 250 eggs per year. Easter Eggers (Americauna/Aracauna) lay beautiful bluish eggs, are very frie...

The first time I wrote the title “Finding My Medium” it was more than a year ago. I remember the moment specifically. I was planning my garden thinking about colors and textures, and whether I would have points of interest in each part of the garden during all four seasons. I was thinking about which plants would add structure to the design and prevent the garden from looking too wild. How would I incorporate beauty into utility? In the weeks before that moment the idea of creativity had been on my mind. I hadn’t been feeling creative. I used to draw. I used to paint. Where was that part of me? I’d sat down with an old sketchbook several times and had found it entirely unsatisfying. I wasn’t good, but there was a time when the process was enough to fulfill me. It wasn’t that long ago. As I sat and planned my garden, I had a fortunate moment of familiarity. I recognized that feeling I had been longing for. It was how I used to feel sketching, painting, and c...