No excuses...(except the Heat, humidity, my back and my column)

I know it's been a long time since I've posted.  I could run down the usual list of excuses but I won't.   After all, the Bluff Country is certainly not the only part of the country dealing with un-Godly heat and humidity (with which I do NOT deal well) and seemingly never-ending rain.  My property is located on a hillside (the "foothill of a bluff", actually), so at least I don't have to worry about flooding.  My back going out certainly has not been conducive to me posting.  It's hard to be creative when one is in pain.  And I am, most definitely in pain.  It seems that my back does this once or twice a year.  I'm pretty much non-functional.  It hurts to walk.  It hurts to stand.  It hurts to sit.  It hurts to lie down.   Feeding the chickens is excruciating and I've pretty much ignored my beloved sheep...

I've tried to keep up with my Examiner.com column because I actually get paid to write that.   I am amazed at how much time is involved in researching a freelance column!  I am excited to say that I will be featuring a series of interviews with Rob Ludlow, the owner of BackyardChickens.com website and Forum, in upcoming columns!

I did also manage to snap a bunch of new chicken pictures, the day before my back went out.  It's fun to see the hens and chicks outside:

I've decided which of the cockerels from the Flock Improvement Group I'll be breeding back to the  F.I.G. hens:

I like this guy, a LOT

His sire is "CrackerJack" ~ my Calico rooster

His dam is my gorgeous, black, mottled hen, "Abby"

Hopefully, by crossing him back to my show quality hens (including his dam), it will lock in the type in this line of my Calico Cochin breeding program. 

The hens have started laying again. 

I can't wait to see the next generation of chicks!