Old habits are hard to change,

especially when you are a chicken. This picture may not seem remarkable, until you realize that Merry got into this part of the chicken coop...

...through this tiny hole. Daisy, (the larger white chicken) made it through that same hole the following evening.
So why are we so cruel to block off the ONE spot in the chicken coop that all of the chickens are so anxiously trying to get into? Both ends of the coop are set up so they can be nesting boxes. We blocked the nesting box on one end, because from what we've read, it's best if the chickens don't have access to it until they are ready to lay.

When I blocked off the nesting box, I didn't take into consideration that the one we would want them to use for eggs would be best if it was on the side closest to the house, and didn't require walking around to the other side--especially in the winter. That was a month ago when we first moved them outside. A few days ago, I made the switch. I didn't think it would be that big of a deal to open the side I had blocked off, and change it to the other end. Same square footage, right? The chickens respectfully disagree. There is something inherently better about the spot (identical to the one on the other side that is now accessible) that I just blocked off. Every night when they go into the coop, it's a game to see if they can get into the other side. We've filled it up with other stuff so they can't get in, so they all pile up against the board so they can at least be closest to their favorite spot. Crazy birds!

Granola Goodness

I found a recipe for granola that I tinkered with a bit. It's pretty darn tasty, if I do say so myself!

Granola

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees. You will need two large baking sheets.

Mix together dry ingredients:
8 cups of rolled oats
1 1/2 cup wheat germ
1 1/2 cup oat bran
1 cup chopped almonds
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup chopped walnuts

Optional add-ins/substitutions:
1 cup of uncooked millet
1 cup of chopped cashews or whatever other nuts you happen to have on hand

In a pan on medium heat, stir together:
2/3 cup oil
1/3 cup peanut butter (I just plop it in my measuring glass with the oil to make it easier to scrape it out and measure)
2/3 cup honey
1/3 cup molasses
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp vanilla extract

Allow the ingredients in your pan to come to a simmer. Once it starts to boil, remove from heat and stir into your dry ingredients. Pour the mixture into your two baking sheets, spreading so it's evenly distributed.

Bake at 300 degrees for about 35-40 minutes. Halfway through the cooking time, take the pans out, stir the granola and switch shelves in the oven. Keep an eye on it--especially close to the end so it doesn't get burnt.

When the granola is nice and toasty looking (it will harden a little more as it cools), pull it out of the oven. There are a few various add-ons you can do at this point:

Optional Add-ons:
1. Stir in raisins or craisins or both.
2. Stir in a handful of chocolate chips and let the melted chocolate-granola bits cool into lumps of chocolaty goodness.
3. Sprinkle a bit of flaxseed meal over the granola and stir it in. Flaxseed has a lot of nutritional benefits that don't necessarily make it through a lot of heat.

Let the granola cool completely, then put it in an airtight container. I don't know how long it is good for, because it never lasts long enough to find out. I like it with plain yogurt. If you live near me and would like a yogurt start that is super easy to use, I would be happy to share. All you need to make it is whole milk an a quart jar.

On an unrelated note, I was at the store today, and saw this lady with the most amazing hair I have ever seen. She seriously could have passed for the Bride of Frankenstein's sister. I couldn't stop looking at it, and wondering how on earth she got it to look like that. How does someone pick that particular doo? Do you just wake up one morning and think: Huh, maybe I will make my hair look like the Bride of Frankenstein? She was a very elegant looking woman in every other respect. It was just...odd.

Ponderings

After an eventful week in California (many thanks, Heidi, for organizing this) I'm at home now, browsing my pictures and pondering Life's Important Questions from the week.

Why is it that all of the Disneyland employees are adults? In any other amusement park, high school kids are the people manning the rides, telling people to get in line, etc.

Do the park employees ever wake up screaming in the middle of the night because they can't get "It's a Small World After All" out of their heads?

What continent do they serve donuts and fruit loops on? Would my nieces and nephews have been any more wound up that first morning if chocolate milk had been offered along with the donuts and fruit loops?

If Thomas got a 1 minute head start, and ran at 3 miles an hour, how long would it take Sabrina to catch up with him? If he started at the entrance, at which location in the park would Sabrina eventually find him?

What was the reaction of the lucky fellows in the Pixar parade when they found out that they got to wear shiny little wings as part of the "Bug's Life" float?

Would the ride "California Screaming" be any more interesting if I were to ride it again with my eyes open?

Corny jokes aside, here are a few pics from the week:

Can you tell things got a little out of control at breakfast? Thomas is all set to go with his leash (and he had it on for good reason). His cousins thought it was mighty fun, and turned it into a little train. Free entertainment for everyone in the hotel for breakfast.


You can rely on Jonathan to make sure the kids really are wired and fired. What are uncles for, anyway?

Ryan made us these cool yellow shirts that matched. If you are wondering why you would want to wear a yellow shirt when you go to Disneyland...

...it's because it makes it easier to spot other people from you group, like this. Hey, I recognize those people!

And them, too!



This is Kevin. It's kind of hard to tell the difference between him and kids...

My first chance to meet Andrew. Isn't he a treat?


Jonathan is always ready to strike a pose.

As part of the trip, we also went to the beach to play. It was a blast!