Thanks for the anniversary blessing! My wife originally was frome Fla, but moved to Washington State, then to me in Mississippi! Her Momma still lives there in Maple Valley, know where that is? Be Blessed!

Just remember if you give alot of cracked corn your really just adding fat and carbs to there diet and are gonna get some heavy breasted chicken with possible leg problems.A mixture of both is recommended for maximum egg production.Also cruched oyster shell at all times for calcium and grit.Without grit or stones chickens cant digest there food.Fresh water as wellI would start with Red sexlinks or barred rocks

Pretty well rested, tomorrow I will be getting my burn piles ready for wet weather. No worries about that until this east wind stops.Alot of news going on here now.They started the trial for those guys that beat the cross country skier at Dougan Falls winter last and left him for dead.

So are you now rested up enough so you can go out and over do it all over again? Yuk yuk. Today I was thinking how nice it is to be old enough to sometimes be smart enough to pace myself. Sometimes I put out more energy than I have available.

Hope you are all rested up. We are at Neskowin this weekend, just relaxing in the sunshine for once. We played with the fire steel with some oak. Got to impress my wife with the fire starting skill. Kinda fun.

Take care. Good of you to let your family help you, even though you want to do it all yourself, I'm sure.

I've kept over a hundred chickens at once, lots of different kinds.My fav kind is the red sex-link. (dont get the black sex-link) Reds are gentle, and lay jumbo-huge eggs, so big that sometimes they wont fit in the cartons. white store-bought eggs have no flavor to me. I used to sell 6 doz a week @ $3 a doz. Had a waiting list, too. Some hens will stop laying at 5 yrs. but mine are almost 7 yrs old and still laying! and I dont even give them laying pellets. just cracked corn & some table scraps. good luck

Your poor Mom! Sounds like "Saving Private Ryan."

Read up on Locust trees. Bet you have the Black Locust. Looks like trouble. I read they can be trouble for a long time because they keep growing and springing up even after logging them off.

Reminds me of a Cottonwood tree a neighbor had near our fence. I was constantly pulling out long sucker shoots all over my yard. And there was the constant danger of widow makers on these soft trees.

Going to the beach for the weekend.

Hey Mr Pat/Rick- Just a howdy from Portland. What a great few days we have had with the nice weather! These kind of days are why we endure the rain.

I was out above the Clackamas River today trying out fire steel on various tinders. Nice to be outside.

Just wanted to say hello, and I hope the tree felling is going along well and safely.

Yeah, we have a long time ago ancestor who lived in Stevenson while working to build the Cascade Locks. Apparently he used a rowboat to get to work every morning. Guess the river was a lot different then.

Several years ago I did a week with Greg Davenport and his survival school there in Stevenson. Calls it Simply Survival. He was with the
Air Force Survival School near Spokane. Good people.

Hello from Milwaukie,

I grew up here, so I have spent many happy hours in the gorge and local areas. Probably my favorite place is Trout Lake and the Mt. Adams area.

Thanks for the welcome!

Thats okay Willyboy.No worries. My mom is the last of her generation in my family. Naturally I'm glad to have her as well. Take care, Patrick