Testing. . .
'Tis an electric dawn. Literally. The thunderstorm rolled in during the bewitching hours and it was a bit odd that it woke me. I normally fall deeper into sleep during thunderstorms. Many critters, including humans, have tried to wake me during thunderstorms. Many have failed. Nobody home. I'm out stormwalking. I wake with much restored energy after a good storm walk.
But this morning's thunderstorm is a test of the chicken condo. I am especially curious about the floor. Building the coop created a shallow bowl in the soil. In deep snow country soils, the shallow bowl would barely be noticable through the high organic content. The soil here is more mineral than organic. The mineral rich soil softens just enough to create deep mud pockets and they hold that water for a very long time. By the time I had the coop built far enough for habitation, I had churned up quite the mud pie in there. That small basin was a shoe in for a post rain puddle. Chckens arenae great lovers of getting their feet wet.
My solution - -testing, one, two, three -- was wood shavings from the pet aisle. The leftovers from the small bag I bought with GS's chicks was barely noticeable. The muddy goo swallowed it without noticing. The mid sized bag was noticeable, but thin. Half of the big bag I bought with new chicks might have been a bit overboard. Maybe. Awaiting morning report.
Cloud covered sunrises are intriguing to my senses. I don't get to see the action, but somehow the daylight still arrives.
Replies
I like thunderstorms. I also like the smell in the air just before the rain comes in.
I am utterly addicted to the sensory shifts of an approaching storm. I really do fantasize about riding a tornado to my own ever after.
Unfortunately, them suckers ain't anywhere near as easy to catch as the doomsayers claim.
Here Torny, Torny, Torny. . .
I too love good thunderstorms, unfortunately my head doesn’t appreciate the pressure build up just before they hit, but the rain..., I love the rain, the booming, the flashes of light when it breaks.
Best of luck to the new coop and I have faith in your engineering to make a storm proof condo for the chicks.
Hugs & love
Hey, tanto tiempo, arfie, it's been a while. The school year finally ended and I'm off to Mexico 3 weeks from now for the whole summer so it made me think of you. Hope you've been well. I've been on the open DS PTSD board every day but not so much with the journals.
I love thunderstorms, too, especially the winter ones that stir up the ocean front along the seawall of my hometown of Montevideo. Storms there come from Antarctica (like migrating penguins come there, too) so when winter gales come huge waves bang against that wall so hard that the spray shoots up in the air the height of a second story building. Then the ocean spray comes crashing down on cars cruising the waterfront Rambla avenue. It's something to behold, really thrilling.
https://fr.tripadvisor.be/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g294323-d2233045-i205435722-Rambla_de_Montevideo-Montevideo_Montevideo_Department.html
Buena suerte cuidando a esos pollitos!
What a pleasant surprise. I've missed you, Muji, but the PTSD board remains too fashionably problem focused for my current yaddahs. PTSD therapy has changed radically since PTSD became a household acronym. It has been quite medicinal to shift the focus to solutions more than problems. Strictly personal. Healing hopes for all.
How ironic is it that I can daydream about riding tornadoes, but shudder fearfully at facing seawater gales? The saltwater allergy which has kept me inland for most of my wandering waves has made the ocean a whelming mystery to me. My loss, but fortunately there are enough inland wonders to keep me busy and I find some consolation in the documentaries, et al which offer me peeks into my forbidden zones.
Los chicquititos estan bien animados. !Que divertido!