Luna Moth

We found this Luna Moth under an outside light which we inadvertently left on overnight. This fellow is male, evidenced by his big antennae which are designed for detecting female pheromones. Adult Luna Moths have no mouth parts or digestive system so are solely in the business of mating. They live only a week or so.

I have never actually seen one before and in fact, they are not commonly seen because they fly only during the night and usually spend their days away from human eyes. I love the fact that I can reach 40 something years old and still have completely new experiences without leaving home.

Stepping out

The chicks had their first free range experience the other day. They met Meg, who was promptly pecked on the nose and now avoids chickens, and ventured out for a little walk outside the coop. 

Puppy class

Back in March when Meg first came to live with us, we knew that having a puppy would add an element of chaos to our lives. I think we were preparing ourselves to minimize the disruption by maintaining strict control over the situation. What I didn't anticipate was how much we actually enjoy having an out-of-control furball in residence. Meg is messier, faster, less obedient, goofier, smarter and loves us way more than any of us expected. She jumps on company, unravels yarn, catches birds, leaps on furniture and fails to demonstrate her tricks to visitors. She cries outside the bathroom door and wags her entire body when you emerge.

I've learned a lot from Meg. I've learned that nothing terrible happens when you relinquish a little control in your life. Meg's the perfect demonstration that you might as well enjoy the moment. And you can get away with almost anything as long as you convince folks that the best thing that ever happened to you was seeing them just now.

Chicks!

This was the scene at the feed store yesterday. The hatchery delivered this week's orders and everyone received a phone call advising them their chicks had arrived. The smallest box contains our little gang.

We've got six different varieties of chicken making it easy for us to keep track of who's who. They've been christened Edna, Marge, Patty, Selma, Lisa and Maggie.

Meg was pretty interested in the new chicks. She promised not to catch any, but we don't believe her so she'll be supervised closely around chickens for a loooong time.

The coop scoop

Construction on the portable chicken coop started last week. The project began a few weeks ago with ordering the plans and buying the materials. As is customary with this kind of thing, the initial measurements and cuts took a while as the builders settled into the groove.

The floor of the coop had lots of fiddly cutouts.

As a result of the cautious start and tricky cuts, this was the progress by late afternoon of day 1.

The construction crew at work on day 2. Progress went faster as the apprentice mastered her tools.

Another helper was never far away. Meg supervised and comfort tested.

The sides of the coop are removable for cleaning. This picture shows the finished coop with one side removed to show the interior. There is a nest box at each end, a roost in the middle and a ramp (shown in the up position) which is operated by a pulley arrangement from outside.

This is the completed coop with the sides on and ramp down. There are doors on each end to access the nest boxes on top and the run on the bottom.

The doors and sides are secured in place with carabiners and slide latches. The idea is to foil the local raccoons without foiling ourselves. We tested our security measures last night by leaving an empty but unwashed can of puppy food inside. So far so good.

Meg recruited another quality control tester to assist in the final inspection. Passed.

Today is hatch day for our six chicks. Tomorrow we'll wait for a call from the feed store to tell us they've arrived and we'll go and pick them up. We've got a brooder all set up in the basement (a cardboard box filled with pine shavings with a heat lamp suspended over top) where they'll spend the first few weeks of their lives. On nice days once they're a bit older we'll bring them out to free range in the safety of the coop's run. Once they've fully feathered out and the outside temperatures are consistently warm they'll move into the coop full time.

No wonder the puppy is nervous outside at night

I found this lovely artifact of a coyote meal not far from our driveway. Given the sheer volume of deer in the area and the frequency with which we hear coyotes yipping or howling or see their scat, it's not surprising that we'd find something like this close to the house eventually.

I have to say that although I find amputated limbs to be not particularly pleasant, I'm definitely on the side of the coyotes in this life and death struggle. The deer are so numerous they're destroying the forest by eating every green thing they can reach and not allowing regeneration.

There is a local rumour that the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources released 5 cougars in the area a few years ago to help control the deer population. The rumour is that this was done secretly to avoid the inevitable public outcry such a thing would cause. Almost everyone around here knows someone who claims to know someone who has seen a cougar.

For my own sanity while standing outside with Meg while she does her thing outside after dark, I'm going to assume that the cougar rumour is false. And I'm going to assume that any coyotes would find me to be sufficiently imposing that they wouldn't want to mess with my puppy.

Anyone up for bringing down the economy?

The Mountain Equipment Coop catalogue arrived this week. MEC is a member owned Canadian cooperative and they do all the right things for sourcing ethical suppliers, reducing waste and being all round good corporate citizens. But their catalogue is, of course, filled with stuff. I often get excited about something I see in the catalogue. Usually it's some kind of kayaking gear or high tech clothing, but this year it was a sidebar article that really caught my attention.

On page 79, in the outdoor athletic clothing section, is an article about a couple who have pledged not to buy any stuff for a year. They aren't buying clothing, DVDs, running shoes, duct tape, saran wrap or anything other than food and beverages and basic personal hygiene products, and only in recyclable containers. They call it the Clean Bin Project and they have a blog where they're documenting the whole thing.

Their project has a lot of appeal to me as someone who rails on about overconsumption while consuming at a pretty normal rate. I know the enthusiasm for this kind of project would be pretty low at my house, but perhaps there is someone out there who would take on a challenge like this with me? For a month if not a year? The Clean Bin folks state that they're "not unemployed hippies trying to collapse the North American economy..." but that's taking all the fun out of it. I'd like to call my challenge The Collapsing the North American Economy Because the Planet Can't Take It Anymore Project, but I'm open to suggestions.

Does this spark anyone else's imagination? If so, why not leave a comment and we can hash out the details. If not, I think there may be a vacancy in the marketing department over at MEC.