Eggs and Other Updates

Hello friends!

In my last post I noted that it would be a few months before our chickens started laying eggs. Well today we got our first egg. It was from Rose.  It is hopefully the first of many. The chickens have gotten quite big!

Rose up front. They think I'm their rooster.

So I'll lead with the good news, but here's a brief life synopsis since my last post. I'll hit the highlight of each month.

The firefighters had to put it out with my garden hose.

In June my beloved 1984 CJ7 Jeep caught fire. It was a total loss. But insurance did pay me more for my claim than I paid for the jeep. But it did not cover all the hours of labor and parts that I put into that wonderful vehicle. It's probably for the best though because Carly didn't like it and now we have more room in the garage. 

The Alamo

I also brought Carly along to a work trip in San Antonio.  That's a city that you can do everything there is to do in about 18 hours.

Tubing in Virginia near the West Virginia border

In July all of my cousins on my dad's side met up at my cousins house near Blacksburg, VA for a cousins weekend. We went to a hippie/folk festival called Floydfest. We also went tubing on the rivers of Appalacia. Early in July I went to Denver for a work conference, and really had a good time in Denver.

Friends from Seattle visiting San Diego

In August I took a work trip to Guam. In terms of minor US possessions, Guam has to be one of my favorites. It's like a more relaxed Hawaii. So many beaches and unmolested nature. I would have no problem living there even if it meant the main store I shop at is K-Mart.

At Andersen AFB on Guam

September also took me to a far-off locale. This time it was a week in Peru, again for work. I spent most of the time in Lima, but also went to Puerto Maldonado along with Iquitos.

On the Amazon

On the way back I stopped in Ann Arbor to hang out with the collegiate crew. It's too bad I was deathly ill the whole time.

It's always good to be back in the big house

Starting in October I scaled back the travel. The best think we did in October was take a little weekend trip to Palm Springs. Carly's boss warned us it is a gay Mecca, and he wasn't wrong. We had a delightfully relaxing time and at some food that a couple on the street recommended as being "super yummy!". It was.

Drinking a poolside beer in Palm Springs

The other excitement from October was finally getting rid of the Barbie collection (and other dolls) that Carly inherited. We decided to donate them to Toy-For-Tots. Hopefully the kids who get them won't be too confused as to why they are getting a 90210 Brenda and Dylan doll.

The Barbie Collection

We'll that's all the big news. Although in a week or so, I might have another small post announcing something. We'll see...

Brian Builds A Chicken Coop

As my followers are aware, back in 2008 I attempted to raise chickens in the backyard of my college house. I ultimately was stifled by the unfair chicken laws of Ann Arbor which favored the landed gentry.

But alas, I vowed to one day fulfill the promise I made to myself to build my own chicken coop. Friends, that day has come. I proudly present the greatest and most challenging project I have ever undertaken, and one for which I am exceedingly proud.

The Completed Coop

When we bought our house two years ago, one of the immediate plans I made was to construct a chicken coop. A few other projects took priority, but eventually this spring I just decided to go for it. I spend a few weeks researching coops, and then made a few sketches and started building. I didn't have a real design to go off of, so I just kind of designed it as I went. I think it worked out okay, but there were some things I would do differently if I could build it again.

Here are some pictures from the project.

The base - with clean out opening.

The walls framed and ready to be assembled.

The cupola in progress.

At this point the chicks arrived in the mail. They lived in the shower so the cat wouldn't eat them. I still had plenty of work to do, and their smell really added to the urgency of getting the rest of the coop finished.

The day old chicks.

The walls up and assembled. Probably more solid than needed for a chicken coop.

The roof and sheathing were done the next weekend.

Me roofing the coop.

At this point I had the roofing done, the access door on and the chicken wire around the base.

The chicks are a few weeks old and watching me build them a home.

The run structure is built and ready to be installed.

The run structure in, and ready for the chicken wire.

The inside of the coop, pre-chickens.

The nesting boxes inside the coop.

The hens exploring their new home. Their roost is behind them.

The hens looking outside the coop.

Finished Product! The extension cord is temporarily there for the heat lamp.

In case you're wondering, the hens are named Dorothy (Easter Egger), Blanche (Easter Egger), Sophia (Welsummer), Rose (Barred Plymouth Rock) and BONESAW MCGRAW (Australorp). It will be another few months before we start getting our eggs, but the hens seem happy in the back yard. When they start laying we'll be getting 20-25 eggs a week.

I really enjoyed the challenge of building the coop myself, but it took a lot longer, and a lot more trips to the home center than I anticipated. I really couldn't have built this without having a pretty big collection of tools. Carly doesn't understand why I need 5 types of saws, but I swear I used them all on this project.

I feel like after building this coop, I can pretty much build anything. I'm not sure if that's true, but I was able to imagine something and then build it in real life, and the sense of accomplishment is without compare.

I don't work hard for my money

This is the week I get some of that internet money. Yes my friends, by the end of this week I should be holding a check from The Google for 102.06 dollars. When I got AdSense almost a year ago my goal was to have enough money in a year to buy a forty of Colt45. I underestimated my earning potential (you guys) by about 330%. The question is what should I do with my new found wealth. Since I really don't feel I have done anything to earn this money, I figure that I should spend it on something cool. I am open to idea's, but I have a few in mind.

Blogging party
This could be one of two things; a party for myself and fellow blog readers paid for by my blogging earnings, or it could be just a party that I liveblog during. Either way it would be a celebration of my blogging prowess, in which everyone would be required to read some of my posts aloud and discuss my pure blogging genius. But I really want to make use this money for more than a keg of Keystone Light.

Low risk long term retirement savings account
Um, yeah you know in like a long time this money will be worth more and then I can like, do things with the money I got from when I blogged during college. This sounds lame.

Fight Ann Arbor's unfair chicken ordinance
I don't know how much money it takes to fight city hall. Especially when my lawyer fee's are covered in my tuition. If I have any money left over though I can use it to file a permit, build, and care for Elwood Blues.

Rent a midget
I wonder how long you can get a midget for $102.

Put it into the AR-15 fund
I still haven't bought my assault rifle, mostly because they cost more monies than the intertubes provides. This could start the fund. The other reason I haven't bought one is that if I move to Chicago next year, I would have to get rid of it because of their Assault Weapons Ban.

Give it to charity
ha.

Build the zipline
I have always wanted to make a zipline from the third story of our house up the street to Bell's pizza. That way I wouldn't have to walk all the way downstairs to go to Bell's.

Become a day trader
I could get an E-Trade account, and become a day trader. Then I could get enough money to do everything listed above. Except give it to charity of course. I really don't know much about the stock market or investing, but I do have a Stocks application on my iPhone. If I make money then wooo! or else I can enjoy the financial crises like all other Americans.

Brian Joins the Politcal Process

In high school I took alot of video classes to pass the time. Part of the classes involved assisting with the district TV stations coverage of everything from woman's softball to school plays. It's how I got my first sportscasting gig, doing the color commentary for woman's basketball. I also got to spend some time with the Shulkinator when we covered the school board meetings. I would usually sneak out of the broadcast booth to steal refreshments and to make public comments. I like making public comments because you can pretty much say anything you want until they cut your microphone.

Tonight I went to the Ann Arbor City Council meeting to voice my support for the development of 601 S. Forest. Unfortunately the developer caved under pressure and turned a great project into an average one. You should already know my opinion on the matter.

I got up and spoke about how it is a win-win-win for students, residents and the city. At the end I assured the council that despite MSA being against the project, students were in favor of improving off campus housing. It was at that point I stared down the MSA contingent. To be honest, why would MSA be against a project that would increase student off-campus housing? Wasn't part of your platform to improve off-campus housing? Do you honestly think that installing those 3 streetlights at East U. and Oakland counts as improving campus housing? A few minutes later the student body vice president came up and said "With no disrespect to Mr. Russell, no one has ever voted for him". He went on to talk about how MSA takes student input very seriously. Does that contradict itself?

I was quoted in an article in the Daily about it.

Anyways I better go back in two weeks to voice my concerns about the AA Chicken Ordinance being anti-student, pro-residents who don't live in the student ghetto.

News

The bad news:
I've been bested by the City of Ann Arbor again. For me to get a chicken permit, my landlord, and every one of my neighbor landlords would have to ok it. Also, all of my neighbor landlords would have to sign a waiver to build it within 40 feet of their houses. Also, the coop would have to be 10 feet from the property lines. I am greatly upset.

The good news:
With my employment put to a vote, the verdict was 3-2 to not fire me. When I first started driving buses one of my trainers said he would be surprised if I lasted 2 weeks. Well, I've made it 2 years. But they are actively looking for a reason to fire me. So that's the good news.

Chicken Names

Although I don't yet have any chickens yet, I have already thought of names for them. Here we go;

Elwood Blues
Garth Algar
Francis ("Frank") "Ponch" Poncherello
Bonesaw McGraw

I will decide which is which based on their personalities. Relating to TMNT:

Elwood - Leonardo
Garth - Michelangelo
Ponch - Donatello
Bonesaw - Raphael

Elwood is going to be my favorite.

I know I need more Chickens if I want to get Jake Blues, Wayne Campbell and John Baker.

Why? Because I Can.

Last week Ann Arbor's new Backyard Chicken Ordinance went into effect. It allows me to raise up to 4 hens behind the box house. Things I still have to do:

*Get neighbors permission. Basically, getting drunk with Chirs Orr.
*Apply for the $20 permit
*Build the Cooper Howell Honorary Chicken Coop
*Buy chickens

Then I can do all the cool things that come along with raising chickens, like eating a homemade chicken tender omelet.