And the eggs hatch!

Midnight is the name of the Silkie cross we adopted last year from the Westside, along with her sister Lacy. They are broody little hens, meaning when there are eggs nearby, these ladies are quick to "bogart" them and sit on 'em like it's their job...cuz to them and the breed, apparently it is. Since last fall, Midnight has made several failed attempts to hatch a clutch. The weather was very cold and I suspect the few times she did leave to eat, that was just enough to chill the egss. Other times she took on more eggs than she could properly keep warm.

By May, she refused to leave her newest bundle of eggs for more than seconds. Her chest was nearly featherless (warmth conduction) and lord was she smellin' FUNKY. Hawaiians use a word called "kauna" (cow-nuh) and it's the perfect word to say, with emphasis on the first syllable. She was just plain Kauna. Last Saturday, heading out to feed the birds lettuce and rice scraps, David called to me to hurry and see Midnight in the coop run. She was off her eggs. Then, out from either wing were two fuzzy chicks to her sides. She had hatched four of six eggs (none of which were actually her own) and now we have two blonde and two reddish babies right in the thick of 20+ hens.

She's an excellent mama. She goes batshit crazy if the other hens get too close to her babies. She's shown them how to forage, where to get water, how to dirtbathe (not that they need it!), scratching, and she nuzzles with them in the yard and, at night, in the coop run where all are safely locked in. It's really nice to see how the assimilation goes down in nature versus hatching from the incubator. There's immediate acceptance into the flock, sans "hazing."
Just what we never planned on: four new beaks to feed. May the new babies all be pullets!

Dilworth H2O - Cold, crisp and lovely

Somewhere in that blue puddle off Vashon's east side, I took up an invitation to swim with two great ladies on a recent (effin' cold!) Friday. The sun was out so at least I could pretend it was warm. Besides, there was that recent steal-of-a-deal XTerra Vortex 3 wetsuit purchase that was screaming out for its maiden voyage. I peeled off the packaging and the smell of freshly molded neoprene filled my nostrils. We had a date with destiny.

Let me just say that there is a group of wonderfully crazy ladies on the island that makes a habit, rain or shine or sleet or icy weather, to swim Dilworth. There is another hardy lot that swims Burton - the Whulgers - which I've enjoyed swimming with this past year. Dilworth for me was first-time territory. There is a nice little inlet stretching north to Glen Acres that was a great introduction as I swam with the ladies. The shocker was the cold water on the face. Imagine walking straight to your freezer, pulling out the ice tray and pressing that to your skin. Katie said, "don't worry, it'll get numb." I asked, "WHEN?! When exactly is it going to get numb because it hurts." She was right. After 10 minutes my face numbed out.

I thought swimming without a wetsuit in the La Jolla Rough Water swim last year (56 at noon!) was torture enough. Or doing the Dockton to Burton in a sleeveless - bone chilled me into rational thought. Not so. For all the cold endured recently at Dilworth, looking at the sea floor - checkered with incredible periwinkle starfish, clouds of anemones, and mysterious, swaying plots of seaweed -- it was truly awesome. Sometimes your imagination takes you to dark places with those seaweed formations - so I love having a buddy nearby. Sort of like being afraid of monsters under the bed as a kid. It's always good to swim out doors with a buddy or get someone to paddle or kayak near you.

PS XTerra if you're snooping in on me, the Vortex 3 performed incredibly well for 46-degree water - especially since we're talking 3mm arms. I will say that the sizing could have been a tad less curvy. I'm 5'9" and 130-135 depending on the time of year, and those thighs were welled up with "lotsawatta. " Given the chance I'd have ignored the advice online and sized down. They need to come right out and say "Sir Mix-a-Lot prototypes or those with birthing hips - go large; lankier types do a men's small or women's med!" But then it's high water city. Ya can't win. LOL. Stepping off soapbox now.

Vashon 2011 Chicken Coop Tour

There are six coops at five addresses on this year's chicken coop tour, Mother's Day on Vashon.

Check it out this one - Merchant's Henhouse, whose core contents came from Seattle's oldest continuously running restaurant. Or heck, at least it was...nice that the old pieces get new life on Vashon. They've been mothballed for years since the Pioneer Square restaurant's last remodel.

Funds from the tour benefit the Interfaith Council to Prevent Homelessness. Get your tickets on the Island at Amiad and Associates and Books by the Way.

Busy sans 9-5

How is it that without a traditional work schedule I find myself busier than ever?

It seems there are emails to answer, volunteer tasks to attend, freelance opps to field, and 35 baby chicks in a brooder in my living room chirping away (in addition to the 14 out back, whose eggs I need to collect)!

And there's swimming. Yeah! For my health I continue building endurance in the pool at our wee local club with a 20 y pool. It keeps my twitches at bay--somehow those endorphins are better at fending them than any anti-spasmodic or anti-seizure med can perform. Yesterday I swam for about 45 mins, and I did a warm up with pulls (400 y), two broken out sets of slow-going side drills (400 y), backstroke (200 y) which also gets my heart going, and 4-200s of freestyle (800 y). I still really need to pump up the cardio, bit by bit. I find myself cruising and not turbo'ing.

Keep in mind in the grand scheme, I'm still "new" to lap swimming. This was only picked up in adulthood at age 40. I was not a swim team kid. I played on the beaches in Cali. I'd tread water and paddle to catch waves. That is all. So I got my ass handed to me a couple weeks ago doing 200s on the 4 min mark--I was working out with two awesome ladies who compete--after already having swam for 45 mins on my own. We first did a 600y warm up. Then the 200 sets. Halfway through a quicker-than-normal pace, I started getting "pins-and-needle hands," which I learned is classic hyperventilation. I guess I was shorting myself of oxygen by getting a little too aerobic. So the trick for me is getting the bod ramped up but not overworked. I'm close to doing a five-set of these on the 4s with comfort now. But it's still a good cardio fest. I swim for most of it and take a teensy break rather than swimming fast and taking a long break in between. TMI, but newer swimmers like me will appreciate it.

Closing a chapter

Today at work, half the staff worked their very last day. I was one of them. Although it was a layoff, it was well timed for me to pursue the things I've long wished. There were 2011 affirmations to freelance. As if the angels parted the clouds themselves, a pink slip descended from the ether and freed me to move on out to greener pastures and outta the concrete jungle at 7th and Stewart. Tethered to the secure paycheck, no time would ever have been a good time. Nearly seven years have passed since I jumped on the 9-5 at Wilson PR. Three years prior to that, the firm was my freelance client. This afternoon it's come full circle.

I have watched PR morph greatly. I have watched people morph greatly. I work with order, A-Z expectations, on deadlines and I expect the full attention of those on my team. If they are not present, they will fail, the whole team will fail. I have found/realized my threshhold for dysfunction. It is so exciting to me to go back and dive into work that is dependent strictly on my merits as the freelancer.

To stay relevant, one must be constantly soaking up new knowledge. I'm a soaker. Now I have a little more time to do just that. Right now, baby chicks are waiting for me at home to nurture.

Happy December

Soul band for New Year's Eve at O! We are so there!

Bee Management on Vashon

Vashon loves its bees. This is good. For such a little population, it seems like there are more beekeepers per capita than many communities. David has brought his savvy management of bees not only to our household but also to non beekeepers on the island who find themselves with honeybees or yellowjackets they didn't plan on having in or outside of their homes.

Throughout the late spring and summer, people have called for a hand, and David has answered the call several times, handling several scenarios:

-Housing a swarm high up in a tree, at the end of an extension ladder
-Housing swarms in general
-Removing yellow jackets (indoors), complete with paneling from the inside of a house for access
-Removing honeybees (indoors), similar scenario, and plugging holes/entranceways to the house
-Ditto for bumblebees inside one's house. By the way, all removals have been chemical-/pesticide-free (David says "anyone can come in there and spray, but it doesn't benefit anyone.")
-Splitting honeybee hives
-Inspecting for hive health
-Mentoring new beekeepers who need help with hive management

This is a man who has a day job (beekeeping is a hobby), but if you find yourself in need of bee help on the island, I'm just putting his phone number right here: 916-214-1889 so you can call him directly.

Check out this removal video here.

To Blake we paddle

On Memorial Day, David and I busted out the kayaks, packed some shovels, buckets and our fishing licenses (I know, as if WDFW officers would be there but STILL!) and shoved off from Vashon's North End to Blake Island. Of course, it wasn't before jinxing myself on the slimy boat ramp, where I fell square on my ass as the feet slipped off in front of me carrying the front end of the kayaks (the butt bruise is hummin' even five days later).

I always get motivated to move out because of the ferries--even when hugging the coastline. On this little cross channel extravaganza, our timing was great both ways, ferrywise. The paddle crossing to Blake was smooth--took about 45-50 mins.

As we neared the island, whole families of raccoons were feasting along the low tide line. When they spotted us, they ran up into the forested bluff, disappearing into a shady Madrona grove. This sequence continued as we rounded the south end to the southwest part of the island. It was like a Planet of the Apes episode I must have imprinted as a little one. A little creepy, but nice to know these critters can sustain themselves on shellfish.

Low tide was just hitting so we began digging for geoducks. What we kept encountering, however, were butterclams. Big ones. Lots of them. So eventually we realized the taunting water show of shoreline "squirts" were not the geoducks (probably not a low enough tide at -1.5) but were instead just butterclams. So that's what we maxed out on. And that was just fine with us! Sun parted the clouds and we soaked up a few rays before packing it in and rowing back.

The paddle back at about 3:30 ish felt like we were moving upstream. In small rapids! Chop shop waters, oncoming current. It was hard for me; David was just fine. I was +running up the "down" escalator. Just edging ahead. Fortunately, I focused on my oasis: La Playa! Si, si, si. There it was, slowly coming into focus. Soon, we'd be in there scarfing on tacos and I indulged in a little margarita. It was blissful.

The next day David endeavored on a clam cleaning mission that took hours. It was worth it. Now we have lots of meat for chowder, curries, seafood cocktail and more. We slurped them up in a wonderful lime infused broth already. Good eating. Easy picking! Gotta love island life.

Our Chicken Coop on vid tour

Amy Nelson's Prom Party

Everybody loves Amy, including me. How can you not?! She's friendly, cute, energetic, upbeat and works her ass off at The Hardware Store restaurant. She has many friends from her Island roots and teaching a spin class (which I hear is quite rigorous---my touche dares not go there!).

She turned 30 and her pops rented out The Sportman's Club for a prom themed party. She was decked in a magenta, sequin bodiced mini tutu style THING FROM THE 80s. David sported a tux and was the hottest thing there (in my completely biased opinion).

By midnight, the dancefloor was transformed into a disco roller rink when a fellow brought roller skates for all.

We had a blast!

Last of the ski season

Crystal Mountain on its sunny, slushy last day was a blast. Friends Sue and Jim hosted an overnight at Alta Crystal Resort and we hit the mountain Sunday. There were sales, there was a downhill bikini-n-boardshorts contest which culled huge crowds of oglers, and the sun blazed its wrath into Alex's cheeks. Oddly, both boys wore 48 spf and Zach remained unscathed but not so for Al. A trip down Spook Hill proved a little too challenging for Zach, where he tumbled and now is in a wrist brace for the next two weeks.

Pix!

We walked for MS

Trish and I started a team, Vashon Island People with MS. (VIP - MS) Trish jokes that it's Vashon Island PMS--those who get a monthly visit will appreciate this joke! Anyhow, the Monday prior to the Sunday walk I posed the question to Trish:

Me:
So, whadya think...wanna walk for MS?

Trish:
Sure, let's do it.

Me:
I'll go set up our team...

We were honored to have Valerie Manusov walking and fund raising like there was no tomororw. We had walker support from Trish's boys. My loving David. Kassie! When Leah tripped over her chihuahua and fractured her face--she had to bow out (I know, right?! Still has black eyes 2 wks later). One week later, we raised $4400!

Post edit: In July 2010, I woke up at Trish's house one night, and she didn't. Our dear friend left this earth on July 24, leaving behind two boys and many grieving friends. It's been months and I'm really still not over it. Maybe I never will be. Treasure each day. I'm so glad we did this walk.

Vashon C of C - seriously?

Wednesday, The Little House owner Bettie Edwards commented at a C of C board meeting that she'd been pigeonholed as a "micromanager" and "harrasser" because in recent emails, she tenaciously asked for a budget breakout of the Open House expenditures. What she got was a response that said $X for this, and $X for everything else." Not exactly a breakout right? So when she continued to ask for a REAL breakout, she was marginalized as a nitpicker. During the meeting, defensive replies ensued, and Bettie welcomed anyone to inquire about the email threads; she'd be happy to share.

Guess what? I just read them. Wow.
My summary: Transparency is trumped by arrogance.

I am so embarrassed for a business whose nonprofit tagline reads "For the Greater Good." Last time I checked, nonprofits represent underserved concerns that certainly fall through the cracks in the interest of the greater good. The greater good smacks of "you'll take it, and you'll like it." Kind of like saying "tough shit." So, I guess for Bettie, the email replies she got from this company rep really applied, because on behalf of her nonprofit membership (I'm talking C of C) she certainly didn't get answers, just namecalling.

I, too, am a member of the Chamber. I, too, have a question: since when are members not allowed to see where their money goes, all the way from soup to nuts? This is a nonprofit concern. Every penny must be accounted and categorized for the IRS, so why the heck don't members have the right to see that? Show me the money, baby. I want to know if we're in the red; I want to know if a certain budget is being blown, or is supporting a highly lucrative initiative, so that as member, we can make informed decisions on where to go next.

Bettie, thanks for sticking your neck out. If you'd let me publish the email thread, I do it in a hot second. I am mortified that you were treated that way, embarrassed that we have busybodies posing as professionals (and attempting to condescend with a thinly veiled job title), and that C of C members will never get the transparency they seek. Also, if you've established your own by-laws that say the budget will be done in December, the clock is ticking. Git 'er dun!

Woodpecker in the house!

Only on Vashon.
See the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSfpbIBhSgI

I've been slackin'!

So do you forgive me my bad bloggerette trespasses? I sure hope so! Before you know it, I'll have these log entries backdated so well you won't even know I was gone. Just you wait!

Camping in NW Washington

David and I discovered during our Sept vacation that we camp well together, and that all of our REI wedding registry gifts ROCKED. Thank you for those who know who you are. We ate like royalty, having culled delicacies from Hood Canal just prior to our departure; I've never seen so many clams, so easy to collect and so delicious. Those fishing licenses in Washington really pay off. Go get yourself one.

Our travels:
Mora campsite - foresty, lush, great foraging
Kalaloch campsite - a breezy beach bluff, nice beach walks
La Push - fun waves, surfing, the least desirable campsites but...a store nearby. Bring a foldout grill and all fire supplies. Even bring TP for the bathrooms behind the store. You'll need it (and the honeybucket closer to the camp, well, as Jim Carrey once said--"Do NOT go in there!").
Klahowya - it was mosquito city along the river, so we didn't even spend the night. The sites were very pretty on the high bank, though, immersed in a light forest.
Olympic Hot Springs - did you know there are REAL -free- (after park entrance fees) ones you can hike up to in Oly national park? They are no longer maintained but they're still bubbling up--sulphuric, hot, gritty and fun!
Heart of the Hills - pretty. Cozy, lush campsites. Lots of weekend warriors from suburbia camp out here in packs. They are loud. They love their trucks and cars and camping lite. Great hiking for wild mushrooms.
Hobuck by Neah Bay - a big, flat grass field where ya just set up. We got a killer spot in the trees off to the margin. The waves are fun. We watched a Surfrider gathering and lots of folks learning to surf. David was my personal surf coach. The white wash is a bitch to get through on a tank of a longboard. For me, anyway!

We had an amazing time. Can't wait to bring the kids for the next one.

Sound Foods - yum

Valerie's birthday, what a nice evening.
Pictured l-r: me, Beverly, Cynthia, Valerie, Karen, and Carrie. -h

STOV is on fiya!

Kathleen Fitch, m'lady, you have it dialed in with your passion to promote Sustainable Tourism on Vashon. It must have taken hundreds of hours to compile all of the information on your Web site. There are maybe a handful of for-profit businesses on the resource, but for the most part, this is a 100% nature-based site that maps out a lot of features even residents will enjoy.

A stay in the lighthouse keeper's old homes?
A moonlight paddle at Quartermaster?
Moutain biking in Island Center Forest?

I loved the family friendly day trip ideas. We forage with our kids on this island, and it is truly an amazing experience. Fall is all about mushrooms and huckleberries.
Best of all, it's free!

Bravo, Kathleen and STOV. May you get a big bag of money for web design upgrades. Until then, the message is still coming through loud and clear: you've been evangelizing "the mindful tourist" all along. Now I know who originated that term.

Props.

PS - I'm due some link updates on the right table, STOV included. Stay tuned.

Vashon v. Verizon: "Can you hear me now?"

The definition of ineffective: putting in a trouble call with Verizon Wireless.

Let's get something straight. I've been a Verizon customer for about 10 years. TEN! That's because the coverage has been strong and reliable everywhere I go with my evolving cell phones. Living on Vashon's Westside Highway was the first time the coverage was spotty, and even that improved over the past few years. So imagine my surprise when just a few weekends ago, living on the North End, it was nothing but a dropped call fest, call after consecutive call.

When you put in a trouble call, they aggregate your dropped calls over a 30 day cycle and compare that to the national average (but not a 100% drop rate over a 48-hour period!). Still the company deemed my -drops- worthy of a look. Even when I called in the trouble, the call got dropped, fittingly!

Here was the final resolution after patiently waiting. And I quote from my voice mail:

"Hello, Heidi. This is Shelly with Verizon Wireless calling on the trouble ticket that was opened on your behalf. Our network team did conclude their investigation and what they determined is that this is a known "trouble area" so unfortunately you will experience these issues. I do apologize for that. If you have any further questions you may call 1-800-922-0204 and reference ticket number 307929. Thank you for choosing Verizon Wireless and have a nice day."

Known trouble area? That's not what the salespeople tell you when you upgrade your phone (or set up a kid's line, and an aircard) to walk out with $250 in new upgrades. Even the trouble call people stated, upon complaint, this area is fully covered and not one for drop concerns. That is crap! The signal is topped out. I have lived in the same house for several years with nary a problem. My husband is getting the same dropped calls on the North End, he has a different phone AND a different Verizon account. They told me he'd have to call those in too.

Lame. That was a complete waste of my time. Can you hear me now, Verizon?

These are the people in your neighborhood

My friend Karen and I were musing over Wikipedia's Vashon Island people of note. Some of these folks were never on Vashon (cough cough Johnny Depp--since removed), some were, and some are now that I had no idea. The wacky Wikiness of it all is the credibility issue of many hands in the editing pot, and delayed accountability. So...

Here's the link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vashon,_Washington
and below posted verbatim:

Vashon Island has been home to many people of note.

Gene Amondson, 2004 Prohibition Party presidential nominee, carver of wooden humans, and Segway rider lived on Vashon.

Jeweler and bellmaker Gordon R. Barnett [1]

Gene "Bean" Baxter of the Kevin and Bean morning show on KROQ, an alternative rock-format radio station in Los Angeles, California, lives on Vashon Island.

Steve Berlin, of the Grammy Award winning band Los Lobos, lived on the island

Alex Borstein, actress noted especially for her work on Fox's MAD TV and as the voice of Family Guy's Lois Griffin, lives on Vashon Island.

Berkeley Breathed, author of the political satire comic strip Bloom County, resided on Vashon for some time. He wrote a children's book based on a bicycle in a tree. The real-life tree, growing around a bicycle, can be seen on the island.[4]

Michael Chabon, writer and 2001 Pulitzer winner lived on Vashon Island.

Karen Cushman, author, who produces fiction for mid-grade and young adult readers. One of her best known titles is the 1996 Newbery Award winning novel, THE MIDWIFE'S APPRENTICE.

Booth Gardner, former Washington state governor, lives on Vashon Island.

Eyvind Kang, modern composer, lives on Vashon Island.

Betty MacDonald once lived on Vashon and used the island as the setting of her book Onions in the Stew.

Zach Mann, reality TV star from MTV's hit show The Real World

T. Martino, Author/artist and wildlife rehabilitator The Wolf the Woman the Wilderness, Horse Nation, Learning from Eagle Living with Coyote, My Name is Cap, Coyote Physics.

Victor Bravo Monchego, Jr., writer, poet, satirist and provocateur lives in a yurt on Maury (Vashon) Island. Author of “The Human Terrain” and the recently declassified, “A CIA Field Guide to Foreign Undergarments: Recognizing the Enemy and Going Native.”

Danny O'Keefe, singer song-writer, known for his song "Good Time Charlie's Got the Blues", lives on Vashon Island.

Basil Poledouris, film composer, spent the last four years of his life on Vashon Island, prior to dying in Los Angeles due to complications from cancer.
Austin Post, aerial photographer and glaciologist, lives on Vashon Island.
Susan Powter,(formerly of Vashon) author, motivational speaker, and exercise professional.

John Ratzenberger, who played Clifford C. Clavin, Jr. on the television show Cheers, and also voiced a character in "Toy Story", once lived on and still owns land on connected Maury Island. He also helped to start a school on the island.
Daryl Redeker, guitarist and composer lives on Vashon Island.

Dan Savage, editor of The Stranger and the author of "Savage Love," a syndicated sex advice column, formerly lived on Vashon Island with his partner and adopted son. By his own account, he moved from Vashon because he was unsure that the local public schools would welcome the adopted son of gay partners.

Paul Seibert, author of books, white papers, and articles about strategic planning, growth, branching and architecture for financial institutions. Principle of EHS-Design, Partner in Momentum Construction Company and founding partner of CEO Advisory Group. Paul lives on Vashon.

Ned Sneed [2] Current sneedhaven caretaker and founder of Vashon-Maury Ministry of Cultural Integrity.

Tom Stewart, founder and chairman of Misty Isle Farms [3] and Food Services of America, once lived on the island and moved to Arizona in 2006. Stewart, a prominent regional Republican leader, rekindled the Quartermaster Harbor fireworks show in 1991 after it was discontinued as Vashon Island's traditional local Independence Day celebration in 1989. In 1998, Stewart pled guilty to misdemeanor federal and local election-finance money laundering charges. He had to pay a $5 million fine and serve two months under house arrest, with work release, wearing an electronic ankle bracelet.

J. Tillman, a singer songwriter and drummer of the band Fleet Foxes.
Edith Derby Williams, historian, granddaughter of former US President *Theodore Roosevelt, lived on Vashon Island from the 1960's until her death in 2008.

What's the Big Robot Penis deal?

I think Big Robot Penis on the Vashon Park District community marquee was enough to have it taken down after a very, very short duration of time. So sorry if you missed it! I had a good laugh. Welcome to Vashon, enjoy our Big Robot Penis and all the island has to offer. My "tourist" girlfriend Kassie graciously posed for this photo.

And you thought Urinetown was an attention-getter!

How to move a mini-clutch?

I posed this question on Vashon Poulty's Yahoo forum and only one reply so far--any other advice? We have a day ranger white leghorn who's decided to lay outside rather than the coop; and she's got a collection going and she'll ONLY lay in this flowerpot.

We'd like to move them to the coop. Any wisdom to impart? Is she going to freak out on us? In the morning when we "release the hens!" she books it turbo-style to her little (now revealed) spot. A ha! But now what? We believe all are fertilized by our lil feathered stud in the coop. So....

The teeny weeny egg

I think this was Darcy's first egg...or it was just a dudley....

My husband is a wonderful cook

You may have even enjoyed a meal or two of his already. :)

Off island, over to the aquarium

The Seattle Aquarium is chock full of eager docents. Get on down and check it out.

Kayaks

Kristine Dahms sold us her barely used kayaks, and we LOVE them so much!
David's mom Farah stayed with us for a week and she's here paddling at Dockton. They're super fun. So, does anyone know how long it'll take to paddle from the North End to Blake? I know there are tidal variables and such, but assuming it's a nice day what is that in paddle time?

Coon Trappin!

ahem! to be clear, it's the bucket-o-maggots we note are helping to feed the chickens and not a strung up carcass itself! Did we mention this tip came in the chicken husbandry class offered by Dana Ness, DVM and Cathy Fulton via a VIGA sponsorship? The thoughtful comment at the bottom has some great safety tips and thank you for looking out for us and our birdies! We're covered.<


The raccoons that once ate a handful of our free ranging chickens have lately experienced a bit of a role reversal, thanks to our island friends lending us raccoon traps. They work.

(the date stamp is incorrect on the pix; just took these)

Put one dead raccoon in a five gallon bucket, let flies visit, top it with a lid, drill lots of worm size holes in the bucket botton, let the heat fester the contents, string up that bucket in the coop run and voila...."It's raining worms! Hallelujah it's raining worms, amen...squirmy, white, gross you bet...rainin' til it's soaking weeeeeet!"

I jest with the song, but we seriously did use the concept and the chickens find it as recreational as they do nutritious. Oh, it smells fun-kay.

Chase - You're not MY neighborhood bank

Branding aside, CHASE, you are the lowest form of banking anonymity this side of the Pacific. Don't give me that "Seattle's newest 200-yr-old bank" BS. When I drove by the billboard on 99 today on the way to the office, I yelled out FUUUUUUUCK YOU! There may have also been a finger involved.

Know why? Cuz they dicked me and my credit report yesterday. And there's nobody to turn to, not even the good people working at my Vashon branch at 178th. Fresh from the mailbox was a letter from Chase saying based on information from Experian, they were closing my Chase credit card--which had a ZERO balance, people--and a puny ass $250 limit. Oh, and a f###ing astronomical interest rate...and they wonder why I didn't use it?

The letter cited too many new accounts in a 24-month period as a factor in their decision. I had TWO new accounts--a consumer loan with my credit union, and a Best Buy account for when my computer died. TWO...in two years! Any lates I have are of the "oh, gee, it's just after the mail by date ilk" and I (now) have two credit cards in good standing and the best buy account. So what the hell?

A creditor shutting down an account is often regarded as punitive.
This is the same bank that decided to dock my limit in half six months ago.
And then, just last week, they sent a new card for an account that THIS week they decided to close.
And in my case, it's bullshit.
What is happening to consumer credit?
Why don't you shut down people who don't pay their bills?
Or people who don't have the jobs to pay down their debts?
Or People who don't have money market accounts, checking, savings and more with CHASE...hellooooooo?

I called and pled my case to my local branch peeps as soon as I opened that letter. Their inability to respond leaves me with no choice; Chase, you've left them powerless. You don't even promise to help your consumers when calling that 1-888 number that says "your wait time will be more than 10 minutes" (and what the hell does that mean? an hour?).

So tell ya what, Chase. Since you really don't give a rat's rump, I'll take your $250 and see ya, ohhhh about ten grand. Let's see what happens when 100,000 more people decide to defect in disgust (like me), too. I will take my savings, my kids' savings, my personal checking, my joint checking, my money market account to the bank up the street and you can KEEP YOUR LAME ASS $250 closed mastercard account. And hubbie's coming too! Are ya happy now?

No amount of advertising will compensate for the crappy decision-making coming from Chase's scissor-happy bean counters in New York City. Here's the company's next ad tag line, with my compliments:

"Chase...away customers"

Hello, new bank!

I samba'd at Strawberry

Click the photo to expand this image. Dig the black skirt made by Dova Silks. It was great. Not too many mess-ups on our routine, either! We had a good time out there.

Behold, the WhizBang chicken plucker

Here's hoping my 10-yr-old son, Zach, doesn't read this anytime soon.

Chickens. We've had quite an eventful time with our birds in just our two month run.
Let's see if I can capture this:
May -
6 pullets from McMurray arrive: two buff x's, two R.I. red x starlings, and two white leghorns. They are awesome. The alpha is Lucy, a fiery redhead.

Early June -
3 chickens David traded an on island friend for bees join the flock. They are from a straight run so we don't know the sexes.

Last week of June -
One of the white leghorns (Heather Feather, the Beta bird in the pecking order) is found headless and mangled during the free-range-to-coop roundup. We suspect it was a cat as culprit since her headless body was left open but otherwise unscathed.I imagine a neighbor getting the trophy chicken head from their cat, and screaming in horror. I was bummed. Heather would let me pet her, she was very vocal and also a prolific layer.

We decide to get five more hens in Silverdale from a bird lover: Two silver laced Wyandottes, two Aracaunas, and a Rhode Island red. One night, just three days after adoption, four of the newbies dont come home to roost. With the exception of one, they survived overnight and straggled throughout the next day back to the coop one by one. The RI red was toast, we assume. We heard a raccoon party going on next door that night they went missing.

So now we're down to 12. And then July 5, David calls to tell me "Luke" has died (The kids named her, I know). Luke was from McMurray Hatcher, another red x, and she never was 100% healthy from the beginning. Probably congenital. The night of the fourth, David was nursing her with water and a bulb syringe to get her to drink and perk up to no avail. She died in a box in the living room and David slept next to her on the couch. So now we're down to 11.

Monday, July 6, our crazy gray aracauna goes all dingbatty when it's time to roost. She flees to into the bramble after several of my attempts to round her up. I figure, I'll try again after she's calmed down. Off I go to dance class, and then, poof--there's no chicken when I get back. The next morning, wee early...I see raccoons out my home office window near a shady border of maples and sure enough, we run out to find a litter of feathers and a solitary aracauna chicken foot/leg. So now we're down to 10. Darn. She was a great layer--green eggs, too!

And somewhere in there we'd discovered we had not ONE, but TWO roosters who decided to hit puberty on the same day and suddenly there's a big old humpfest on our back patio. Knowing full well we have just 8 hens, they'll get exhausted with just one rooster chasing them around, so one of these fellas had to go. We picked the one who showed less roosterism and kept "Prescott" a brown leghorn type gent who crows in the morning, and rounds up/dotes on the ladies, and is just a handsome dude.

Which brings us, finally, to yesterday. I'm on the YahooGroup Vashon Poultry and Cathy Fulton invited the gang to take advantage of the "WhizBang Plucker" for a mere donation if we wanted to bring any bird(s). She had quite the set up! There was a killing cone station, then a table for dressing/cleaning which Alex got in there like a biologist in took direction and systematically processed what was our extra rooster. He blew all of us away. The bird came home ready to cook (after 36 hours of refrigeration to let rigor mortis do its thing).

Zach objected to the whole slaughter, mainly because he had named the rooster. He was saying things like, "how would YOU like it if YOU were a pet and your family killed you for dinner?" I replied, "Welcome to the REAL WORLD, Zach!" Anyway, he knew it was imminent, he just doesn't know the deed is done.

Hello, Crockpot!