Well, yesterday and today, I'm regretting that choice. I've had to keep ahead of the pain, taking pain meds every 4-5 hours and keeping ice on my knee regularly. The pain, a dull ache and throbbing from thigh to ankle even woke me up a few times at night.
So, I am back to being bed-bound and taking it easy. Which was the perfect excuse to visit some of my favorite blogs and play with my camera, too.
I tell you. I am totally loving my camera's zoom!
Check this out......
I took a series of photos while laying in my bed and looking out the sliding glass doors.
Do you see the horse?
Do you see the horse now? (Feel free to click on the photo to make it larger)
How about now? (The camera focused on the luminaria, and the background landscape is blurry. I'll have to play with the camera a bit to figure out how to reverse that in Manual Mode).
You can see the horse now, right?
We've been caught! I think he knows he's being watched. (Click the photo to enlarge it) You can almost read the road sign!
Who needs 'Whoa!" when you've got a horse that knows what a stop sign means. hehehe
Is this great or what? Zoom, Zoom!!!
Oh. Ranchman John borrowed my camera so he could show me the state of the chicken house. It hasn't been cleaned for 2 weeks now. I had planned to clean it after my Dad and stepmom left, but as you know plans change.
Hubby will never be talked into scraping clean 2-3 weeks of poultry poop. He barely tolerates feeding them as it is, and he makes the kids gather the eggs. Ranchman John won't admit it, but he is a bit afraid of chickens, I think. He thinks they're creepy and disgusting. He doesn't mind the chickens, though, if I'm the one taking care of them. So, the next several months are going to be quite a challenge for him.
Does anyone know much about the 'Deep Litter' method? I think that's what it's called. Basically where, fresh new bedding is just placed over the top of soiled bedding for several months, usually in the winter, for warmth, and then at some point, all of the litter is shoveled out at one time?
I think this would work for my hubby, as all he'd have to do is pour fresh shavings and straw over the old bedding, without him having to get his hands dirty.
And then when I'm strong enough I can go out there and clean all the layers out.
Anyway, John took these photos of some of my chickens inside their house. I'm such an emotional goofball now. And when I saw their photos, it made me realize I'd not seen my chickens for over a week! It made me so sad, I cried.
Good 'ol handsome Sid. At least I can hear him crow up here in my lonely tower. lol!
From the Tower of,
33 comments :
Great zoom there. I think you're going to like your new camera. The picture quality also looks great. People talk about more pixels, but in reality, once you cross over 5 mega-pixels the extra pixels don't make that much difference (to the average eye) unless you plan to do big enlargements.
Take it easy. You need to heal.
Dan
Ah, it's good for a guy to clean up a bit of poop every now & then. Toughens 'em up. :o)
I'm not even a little bit surprised that you over did it yesterday. Take it easy, girl.
Oh, I LOVE your zoom! Hubby told me I'm getting a new camera for my birthday in February, since my Canon only has a 3x zoom on it! I nearly overdid it a couple of times with my leg and I regretted it the next WEEK! Don't do it, kiddo! Stay in bed!
Fantastic camera and what a better way to really learn the in's and out's of this little beauty other than in your bed....see there are good things that come out of bad :)
I agree with Carolynn its good for a guy to clean up a little poop every now and then :P
Your such a softy when it comes to your chickens but I love that handsome Sid.
Hurry up and get well :)
Lisa, take it easy girl!
I'm using the deep litter method in my coop and loving it. My Dad is so surprised when he comes to check on my chickens and it doesn't smell like "a chicken coop". I put in fresh bedding whenever I notice it getting stinky. I also sprinkle DE over the old litter before putting on the new. Then this Spring I will scoop it all out and start over.
Cool zoom! That is what I am missing on my camera. The one feature I wish I had!
Sorry to hear you are missin' your chicks! I'm sure they miss you, too!
I love the new signature, too perfect! :-) Hang in there, our fairy princess! We're just thankful it was not one of your arms....God forbid if you couldn't type up your blog posts, hee hee! We'd be lost without you!
Ahh, the joy of juggling pain and meds! I'll be glad when you and Max are out of pain.
That's one intelligent horse you have, stopping at the sign! :)
Get better!
I'm so happy you have your camera. Now...all of us are waiting for more pics!!
I have a question? Do you breed your llamas? I've thought about getting a llama but worried it would stomp my dog. Could you write to me about llama's .......? Thanks.....
Dear Rapunzel, I am so happy to see that you got your camera. Yay for hubby to finally see what it meant to you. But I am sorry you are stuck in your castle and that it will be so long for the recovery after surgery. Yikes! You are lucky to have your neighbor friend, Val. She seems like a great gal. Stay tucked up and enjoy it while you can. I should talk since I am a horrible patient. I just can't stand sitting around and seeing all the stuff that should be getting done. But I can't believe how weak and out of breath I am with this crap.
Here's to a better 2009 that it has begun! Cheers and I hope you recover sooner than expected.
Vonda
You sure were in good spirits the other night. I was wondering if you were really feeling that much better...
Take advantage of your down time and really learn that camera. I am still learning about mine 5 months later.
Take care, Rapunzel!
Fiona
Great Camera Lisa!! I loved the series of photographs - what a clever way to show it. I use the deep litter method too, and it works well for me and the chickens too. It's best when there is a dirt floor (because it helps the decomposition of the bottom layers with the soil microbes, and begins the composting process). It works on a non dirt floor too though.
Yellow Jacket Ridge - my llamas don't even stomp my chickens, or mini goats, or larger goats. They are great. I think it would only be a problem if your dog attacked a llama. They will fight back.
Lime is good for the inbetween layers. It seems to elminate the smell.
You must take it easy. I know it is hard but you could do more damage.
The deep litter method works great. Give it a try. So, which chicken is going to come visit you in the bathroom?
WoW...that zoom is incredible!!! You are going to have so much fun with that camera.
You better take it a lil' easier girlfriend...keep yourself at the "moderate" level instead of the "all or none" level ;~)
Ah my friend, you are learning the harsh realities of disabilities and pain management. Yes, you can DO more things, and sometimes it doesn't even seem a problem when you are doing it. But oh my, as 'they' say... "Paybacks are hell." Must. resist. tempatation! Rest, rest, rest! Enjoy your camera & try to look at this as a learning experience. Your family will learn how much they miss you being up and around doing things. You'll be reminded how great it is to be able to do stuff. & in the meantime you can surf the net or play with your camera. :-)
& gee whiz, what a smart horse. I never had one that could read!
Hang in friend!
Lisa,
Your camera is awesome! I am so happy that you finally got the camera you wanted.
You need info on chickens??? Deep litter method??? OMG anyone that has chickens or wants chickens must visit and join www.backyardchickens.com/forum
It's the most awesome and helpful forum!!! Over 20K members and growing like wildfire! Made Newsweek magazine in November and USA Today this week!
Enjoy! You'll find all the chicken related info and make TONS of friends over there!
To answer your question about the "deep litter" method....I have used that for years although I didn't know it was called that. I learned that way back when I was a little goatgirl in 4H. The heat rises from the bottom, nice clean stuff on top. I just know for the goats it works great and then in the spring you have gold for your garden. I also had to use it lately for the chickens while we had so much snow the chickens wouldn't leave their pen long enough for me to clean so I just threw clean bedding on top. Three weeks later I cleaned it all out.
You are going to love your new camera. Zoom Zoom.
you best take it easy there, sister !You don't need to make things worse. LOVE the zooming capabilites of your new camera...way cool!
Not too crzy about the layering method of hen house cleaning, so to speak. The poor bugger who gets to clean out those many layers down the line isn't like;y to be a happy camper..been there, sounded good, not gonna do it again!
I use the deep litter method. It just gets too darn cold and snowy here to do anything else. It works great for warmth, but be prepared to work extra hard when the weather warms up. 4 to 6 hours in one day is about right.
Take care.
Wow - great zoom! I only have 3X zoom - can't afford 10X which is what I lust for.
I lost my favorite hen and my rooster last week to some kind of varmint. :( Just a few bloody feathers remained. I'm thinking maybe the big owl that hangs out. If it was a dog there would have been a bigger mess. My chickens are loose in the yard, but since this happened, my hubby expanded our coop a little and now I need to collect my 10 chickies and their mom somehow. Any suggestions?
You lens is lovely. A friend of mine just got a new Canon with 20X optical zoom -- what is the world coming to? 4X was the best I could afford when I bought my camera.
And yes, take it easy! Would you overwork one of your horses under such conditions? No. So don't overwork yourself either.
Whoa, great camera! Mom just bought s new one, the Kodak EasyShare Z1285. Well, I doubt it's as good as your Camera, but it's better than the old one, which is mine now. Ok, seriously. If you don't stay off your knee, you could hurt it worse, and be in bed for longer. Or, it could never totally heal! Do you want that? no? I didn't think so. ;D
Hi neighbor! The weather is has been great. Today, 70!!! :) Baby goats love it. They are normally born in the cold so this is nice for them. We end up putting heat lamps up for them at night when it is real cold.
The zoom on your camera is great. The "can you find the horse" is funny!
On my jewelry, I dont always use the real stuff cause it can be so expensive but some necklaces I do. Just depends when I get it. I just did a belt buckle with a cabochan of real natural turquoise from the Hubei Mines in China. I'll list soon. I like the stabalized also.
Thanks for visiting my blog.
Lisa--So sorry to hear about your injury! I broke my shoulder in the first few months of having Jackson and it STILL hurts! Nothing as bad as you, I can only imagine how trapped and bored you must be!
Hang in there!
--Mindy
Way to zoom girl! I sympathize with your chicken crap conundrum. My hubs would be very reluctant to do it too, although the boys will--but not as thoroughly as I'd like. I think the deep litter method is intended for commercial operations and I've read that it can lead to parasite problems in smaller setups like yours and mine. I'd get the kids somehow motivated to do the dirty work until you're back on both hooves!
Oh yes, and take it easy will ya? No climbing around on the balcony!
Holy Great Zoom Batman!! That is great!! You are so going to love that camera!! And Sid is looking so handsome!! I love him.
And too funny about the horse not needing whoa when he can read stop!! LOL!! You are too funny!!
Maybe you could move your bed downstairs and then have the boys shovel a path in the snow to the chickens and you can wheel yourself out there?? Or Maybe you could rent one of those moble chairs, you know the one where they guy on the commercial is in the grand canyon??? That way you could still go out and see the chickens??? Just a crazy thought. I so need to go to bed!!
I am excited to hear what the Drs say next week!!
That is a fun way ro display the prowess of your camera zoom. I hope that you are more discerning during your rehabilitation. I have been away from the blogs for a while and do not want to return to this blog to see that you have been laid up again. My distraction has been the arrival of my first grandchild, Baby Grace, and i cant get enough of holding her.
Love the new camera! Your new signature is awesome too ! I am going to find me one like that soon.
Keep up the good healing juju !
Great photos with that new camera and zoom lens...=)
We have used the "deep litter" method since we started our chicken venture five years ago. It works very well. We use pine shavings in our houses...the chickens love the pine shavings, they are soft and make wonderful nesting material. I buy our pine shavings at Walmart in big brick shaped packages. I have also gotten shavings from the feedstore, but make sure you don't end up with cedar shavings....cedar is not good for chickens. Time for Hubby to get over his fear of chickens..=) I think the "deep litter" method is the way to go for you at this point....it will make things easier for all of you.
Stay off that leg!! Rest! ((((HUGS)))
hi there, thanks for sharing pics from your tower.
i thought of you today cuz i'm snowed in and bored to death. two days now.
and i have to realize i'm not waking up in pain at night, going thru scary dr. exams, and unable to clean my own home or visit chickens (danger, they'll peck your eyes out!).
so sorry you're stuck up there. (but it's wonderful that you can see your horse and study her behavior during your entrapment.)
~lytha in germany
So, it is your knee? Did you injure it? I am so sorry you are going through this!
Marie
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