Random Observations of the Poultry Kind

What better way to spend an evening at the advanced fire academy, than to update my journal. Totally random stuff regarding my first year of chicken-keeping:

- Chickens get lonely if they are by themselves... but they will quickly learn to consider you and your dogs to be their family, and follow you everywhere.

- They will eat almost anything. They especially love berries and pomegranates. Ours even eat leftover pork. Because they are like dinosaurs - little velociraptors!

- Marsala, the Rhode Island Red, may have started laying at 5 months of age. We aren't certain, because by the time Tim realized she was laying eggs, there were already 16 eggs inside her nest box. I still don't know how he didn't notice all those freaking eggs, poor Momma hen!!

- They say that in the winter, egg production drops off. Well Marsala must not have gotten that memo. She started laying in October and laid an egg almost every single day ALL WINTER. She averages 6 out of 7 days or so. It's amazing.

- We have 3 nest boxes in the coop; Marsala will lay eggs randomly in either end nest box, but will not lay in the middle one for some silly reason.

- She does not lay an egg at the same time every day. Sometimes its like 9-10 am; other times it is in the afternoon.

- A freshly laid egg looks wet, but it dries magically within seconds.

- Marsala laid a completely shell-less egg! Apparently it just happens every once in a while. It had nothing to do with nutrition (she gets oyster shells for calcium, a good layer feed, etc) and she laid normal eggs before and after the freaky squishy egg. It was pretty weird looking, held together with that thin flexible membrane... I had to poke at it, because it was neat.

- The two younger chickens are finally "friends" with Marsala, and they all hang out together...but make no mistake, Marsala is still the Big Momma and nobody messes with her.

- The younger girls might start laying in the next couple weeks... wonder what color eggs our Easter Egger will lay! Could be green, or pinkish, or blue! 

- I'm a big fan of chickens.

- I still think they are like little dinosaurs.

Two sisters in the Sierras

Since I was on light duty all summer, I wasn't available to go out on fire assignments. Things just fell into place, I took some time off, and voila! One of my sisters came out for a visit earlier this month. It's very rare that I am able to have visitors in the summer - I work my butt off and try not to take much time off, since I don't work in the winter - but I had a pretty lame summer and needed a familiar face and some fun adventures to make up for months of not being able to hike or run.
Linda's visit was the prime time to do all the touristy things in the area that I had yet to do myself. And we only had five days to do everything. Needless to say, I kept her busy. :)

How to have fun in the central Sierra Nevada mountains, according to me:

On the first day, hike 5 miles around the South Grove in Big Trees State Park and show Linda the biggest trees she has ever seen in her life. We took a ridiculous amount of time taking ridiculous photos. Tree hugging was mandatory. Quote of the hike: " If I squat down, does it make the tree look bigger?" (The trunk is 30' around... I think it's gonna look big however you pose!)

Since we took so long acting like dorks in the sequoias, we got to downtown Murphy's for wine tasting a little late and only had half an hour. I took her to Lavender Ridge, where I am a member... so wine tasting was free. :) I wanted her to try the great wood-fired pizza at Firewood,which was delicious as always. The hike, pizza and wine were a good warm-up for our bigger adventure on day two...

Day two, Yosemite! 2 1/2 hour drive, plus some extra time for excessive photography. Our goal for the day was to hike the Mist Trail, and  - depending on how my ankle felt - make a smaller or bigger loop with the John Muir Trail. It was a steady uphill hike, but I was disappointed to find the first couple miles of our hike were PAVED. I guess when a park has millions of visitors a year, they must build trails to take the abuse... but still, I was very happy when the pavement began deteriorating and we were left with a more natural, rock-strewn trail. There were a lot of people on the trail despite the fact it was a Thursday, but I expected the crowds on this popular hike. Vernal Falls was the first stop, and I knew water levels were low so it wouldn't be at its full force, but looking at photos of the falls in the spring, it's pretty amazing how different it can be between the seasons. Since the falls weren't raging, we didn't get the "mist" that this trail is known for, but it was still beautiful. Instead of turning around right at the top of the falls, we continued uphill and eventually made it to the footbridge. From here, Nevada Falls were barely visible because obviously, these falls weren't raging either. But it was still a nice view of Liberty Cap and the falls next to it, and at that point I really wished I had fancy photo lenses so I could get the entire view in one photo!

And of course, we got thunderstormed on. Even though I hadn't seen a drop of rain since MAY, it just so happens to rain when we go on our hike. Linda and I have a history of being chased off mountains by lightning and thunder so we had to laugh a little about it. As a result, we did a shorter loop than I had hoped, and went down the John Muir Trail near the footbridge instead of continuing over the top of Nevada Falls. And FYI, the Muir trail is open to horses and, although it had less stone steps than the Mist trail, it was not as nice of a hike in that section. It was probably around 4 miles round trip. On our way home, her boss had urged us to find a place called Rainbow Falls off hwy 120 and jump off. It was cooling down and getting dark, but we found the pull off and checked it out. Ok, let's jump! It's only like 25 feet down! So Linda goes up to the top of this waterfall first. She goes to jump and then freaks out. I'm recording it all on my camera and egging her on, it was SO FUNNY to watch her freak out! Ok, let me show this pup how it's done! So I go up there. I was ready to jump, but she couldn't get my camera to record. I tried to talk her through it, and by the time she got it working, I lost my nerve! I couldn't do it! The water was so cold, I was convincing myself that if I jumped in my body would freeze LOL! We both chickened out, and we are still angry with ourselves. Next time, we will jump!!

That was an all day endeavor, so we played it low key on Friday. I made Trader Joe's beer bread (yum!) and we stayed lazy until the afternoon. I had never been in a "real" cave - you know, the kind with stalactites and stalagmites and is deep underground and stuff. The caves I have been in at Pinnacles National Monument are "talus" caves, formed by big jumbles of huge boulder... no stalac- or stalag- things, but lots of bats! The Motherlode has an abundance of caves to choose from! It sounded like the Moaning Cavern in Vallecito would be a great choice for the cheapest tour offered - ~$15 for a 50 minute walking tour. Other alternatives included much more awesome - but much more expensive - options to rappel into caves, crawl around with a headlamp and hard hat, swim through underground pools, etc... but we didn't have the $75-150 for those tours (depending on which cave you choose). ;)  I was worried it would be lame, since it was "family friendly" and so cheap. We were not disappointed! They offer the walking tour every hour without reservations; so it was just Linda and I, and our tour guide. The natural entrance to the cave is a small gaping hole in the earth, plummeting straight down into the main chamber (which bottoms out at 165 ft, our final destination). The visitor center was built around it, with a small, humidor-type room housing this hole. A few ropes and climbing gear showed us this is where the rappel tour would enter - it was the original way miners explored the cave for gold (none was found). A display next to the opening was full of very old human remains, artifacts, "neat old dead stuff". Apparently as long as 13,000, clumsy unfortunate souls had been falling into the hole and never coming out again; their bones piled up below!


Then begins our decent down 234 steps, to the "improved" entrance that was built after the miners figured out they wouldn't get rich from the fake gold and a vertical hole in the ground. Wooden steps through a narrow tunnel lead down to a metal spiral staircase and you go around and around and around and around! It follows down alongside the "Chocolate Waterfall", a seep of iron-rich water that has formed a blob of weird formations all the way down to the bottom. There's a couple huge stalactites and some big round white thing called the "igloo". It was so hard to get a feel for how huge everything was until a rappeller came down from above, to our platform at 165 feet below the ground. The "adventure" tour would continue down some smaller tunnels even further down; the deepest part of the cave is off limits though (415 feet below?) because apparently the carbon dioxide sinks to the bottom and, over time, has filled up the bottom depths! Weird huh?

The coolest crazy part was when they turn off all the lights in the cave. The "darkest dark" you will ever see. Yikes.

That was fun! We still had time after the cave tour to go wine tasting and swimming! Back to Murphys, this time to Milliaire and Twisted Oak. Yay free wine! Then I took her to Candy Rock, the awesome local swimming hole on the Stanislaus River. And we had an absolute blast! Even had brought Logan (he waited in the truck during the cave tour) and outfitted him in his hiking harness so I could have a good handle to help him over the boulder and onto the slippery rocks in the water. He did much better, but we did squeeze/push/pull/lift him into some surely uncomfortable situations and I felt kindof bad! We played in the waterslide and then did a "double rainbow guy" freak-out when a double rainbow appeared over us! OMG IT'S A DOUBLE RAINBOW! Linda made a spoof video, now if she'd only upload the darned thing!

The next day (Saturday), I had trouble planning. What I really really wanted to do was take a long whale-watching trip out of San Francisco to the Farallon Islands. However, to make the 8 am departure, we would have to leave around 4 am. Yuck. Plus, I wasn't sure if I had somebody to let the dog out. By the time I had gotten confirmation, the tour was sold out! The other companies out there are even more expensive ($125 vs $75) and we didn't want to spend that much. Instead we opted to whale watch out of Monterey, through the same company Tim and I had used back in March. This way, we could bring Logan!

It was a long drive, but we got there early enough to take a detour through the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which is always awesome. Linda got to see sea otters, and we took even more silly pictures. Once again, the crew and other passengers on the whale watching boat treated Logan like he was a celebrity. :)  We decided to stand in the back of the boat with the dog...this is where people go when they are getting sea sick. People were puking left and right! I don't know what it was, but I think at least 10 people got sick and we were trying to avoid being in the crossfire! But we finally made it out to the whales, and WOW - there were humpbacks EVERYWHERE! We were surrounded by them! We even had a few of them come within 30 feet of the boat, and then one rolled over, it's huge flippers coming out of the water. While everybody was distracted, Linda and I were looking off into the distance and then suddenly a huge whale breached completely out of the water! I am glad she saw it to, or I don't think anybody would believe me! It was incredible. Logan did not get as sea sick as last time, and a deckhand was taking his photo for being such a good sailor. :)

All that excitement, and we were pretty hungry. Fortunately, many restaurants on Fisherman's Wharf are dog friendly! Once again, Logan was a welcome guest and received a dish of water and a bowl of Old Mother Hubbard dog treats when we decided to eat at Isabella's. The food was good but the bottled beer was pricey. Then was the long drive back to my house; Linda's last night here! Made it back late at night and woke up relatively early to take her to the airport.

We never did make it to San Fran, or even the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival that I really really wanted to see... BUT, I don't think it would have fit into our already-crammed week of adventure, and we would have probably fallen asleep after all the driving. ;)

And that is one way to entertain a guest in California. I will add photos to this later, but for now it is time to go to bed!

Spinning wheels, going nowhere

This blog title pretty much sums it up. No news is good news?? I am spinning my wheels and going nowhere, but at least I've got NEW wheels! Yes, the old Toyota "Trucky Truck" was fading fast. Compression had been going down on the engine, but at least one of the cylinders wasn't even functioning anymore. Translation = gonna need a new engine. It didn't just like, catastrophically break down, but it was running hot on any extended up-hill stretch of road, almost over heating on a trip to S Lake Tahoe for the day... was gonna need new brakes and repack the wheel bearings; needed an alignment and 2 new tires pretty soon... So I started shopping. I was hoping the Yota would last until next summer but vehicles don't always behave. I did 100% of my shopping and research online, and ultimately found the Capital One Auto Buying Website that helped me get the best deal on my new truck.

I really wanted a "timberland mica" (aka dark green) truck; red was my 2nd choice. There were only two green, 2010 Toyota Tacoma Access Cab V6 with the convenience/towing package in the entire Northern Cali area. The price was somewhere above $27k. I was able to use that Capital One thing and get the truck for $25,400. I also got $1000 downpayment assistance for being a recent graduate through Toyota Financial.

In other words, I think I got a pretty good price on a sweet looking truck. :)  With the insane California taxes and "gap protection" (had never heard of it, seemed like a good idea...if your truck is totaled, it pays off the difference between the insurance value, and the amount you still owe)... It was slightly above what I wanted to pay. I'm making it work but barely. $420 a month for six freaking years! I wish they had better incentives, like 0% APR or something, but alas Toyota doesn't seem as desperate as the Big Three. For the record, I did look at Chevy Silverados and I do like those trucks, but a full sized 8 cylinder truck was beyond my price range.

Of course I already scratched the new Yota up while taking her on some overgrown 4x4 roads. I'm not one of those people who buys something and then is too afraid to break it in! I bought a freaking 4x4 truck to take the thing on 4x4 roads! The only things I do NOT like are: the rear side windows don't pop out (like on the old one) so Logan can't poke his nose out; the back of the cab has a center console which I like in theory, but it makes it very uncomfortable for the dog; and the fact that I can't afford to buy a topper! I had no idea they were so expensive, I definitely need one so I can be ready for "random adventures" at the drop of a dime but we're talking like $1400+ for a nice one!

I am still working on the achilles problem. My frustrations have been that the doctor's office was putting the wrong claim numbers and stuff, and not even submitting stuff to worker's comp; or, waiting for authorization for stuff that they didn't need authorization for. Hence, it took 6 weeks to see a physical therapist - because they didn't even NEED authorization! Anyway, I started PT, then got results of the MRI I had to convince them to let me get - my ankle wasn't healing and still hurt, why not see what's really going on? So I found out I have a fractured talus, an irritated other random tendon, and apparently not much wrong with my achilles.

I went to the specialist, and I made it a point to ask the dr's office if I needed to bring anything with me. They said NO. I assumed this meant they had sent my MRI images electronically, as they did between the hospital and clinic. It said MRIs on the form they gave me. So I drive the 80 miles to Stockton, only to be asked, "Where are the MRI films?" Damn that doctor's office!! The specialist still saw me anyway. Did I mention both my Dr. and the Orthopedic specialist are University of Michigan alumni?? Without the films, they wanted to take X-rays. Before even seeing the x-rays, the specialist said I wasn't in "enough pain" for the talus fracture to be the issue; it must be my achilles. Do you see the dilemma?? I have pain in achilles, but nothing showed up on MRI. I have a fractured talus on MRI, but apparently not "enough" pain. I left frustrated, with an order to "have more patience" and increase PT to 3x a week. Come back in 2 weeks with the MRI.

Today was the 2 week - with MRI - follow up. Very clearly, there is a "lesion" on my talus. Achilles looks mostly normal, but a little thicker than it should be where my pain is. He isn't quite sure how to proceed, still doesn't think the biggest issue is this talus. Give it another month of PT, 3x a week (which I have only been able to go 2x a week due to the approval process through worker's comp). Come back in a month, if it's not a lot better then we need a different approach. He says he does not see any reason why it shouldn't be getting better, though was a bit surprised that I haven't made much improvement. I'd say it's maybe 20% better than when I went to the Dr in July...but that's only 20% over 2 1/2 months. So I'm in PT until mid-Oct with another follow up on the 15th. Another month. Another boring ass month.


Sigh.

At least the stationary bike actually does seem to be making my legs stronger and look better. I'm eating healthy and doing p90x 3x a week as well, and can actually do more pull ups than I could at the academy (up to 5, almost 6)!

Been pretty broke so no road trips or anything exciting lately... Though I am totally pumped for Michigan's first two football games, and my two favorite teams play this weekend - Lions and Eagles! At least I can still cheer for sports without aggravating my ankle! :)

Bearing the weight of not bearing weight

On this ridiculously hot day, I couldn't do the things I wanted to, and did the only things I could do. The fact that I can't run, or can't hike, is like being on a diet... I can't have it, so I want it MORE! Except, running and hiking is GOOD for you, and I still can't do them! And no swimming, thanks to Logan's self-conducted removal of his stitches and the subsequent giant gaping hole in his side. With my physical limitations and the emotional crabbiness of a child who can't have her favorite candy, all I wanted to do was lie on the couch, lethargic from the heat, and watch TV and movies. Animal Hoarders. Daily Show. Alice in Wonderland (Johnny Depp) movie. Fortunately, for once Logan and I were on the same page about being lazy, and he didn't even beg me to throw his football.

We laid there, panting, licking (figuratively for me; literally for Logan) our wounds and carbo-loading on comfort foods. I had been eating healthy - more fruits, veggies, protein, and less grains/carbs - and although it wasn't exactly "low" carb, it was less than my body is used to. I binged and ate 3 pieces of garlic chicken pizza for lunch, bacon for a snack (yeah, weird snack), and an entire box (2.4 servings of glorious carbs and cheese) of Annie's white cheddar shells.

Am I going to be one of those people that come back from an injury, determined to do something dramatic, like run a marathon?? Today, the idea appealed to me. But I also binged on mac and cheese, so maybe it was just one of those "I've been deprived and now I'm gonna make up for it in a HUGE way" days. Realistically, I'm pretty sure my ADHD would ensure I would get bored and start chasing butterflies an hour into a marathon; maybe watching clouds or daydreaming... which would probably result in another broken ankle from not paying attention and running into a parked car or something. ;)

My first summer in the Sierras, and all I can do is watch from the sidelines. Trails to run, mountains to hike... I was in pretty good shape too, going into this summer. It will be so hard to stay motivated and not routinely drown my sorrows in Annie's mac and cheese...

Achilles?? How about, how to heal an entire FOOT!?

MRI results are in! Drum roll please.... The results were unexpected and I'm not sure how to react... But I have a fractured talus bone, and inflammation and fluid around the "flexor hallucis longus" tendon. And yet, there really wasn't much but a little inflammation on my achilles. ?!?! What does this MEAN?! I don't know. The fracture isn't an "old" injury and is still not healed, so probably within the past few months. I don't feel pain in my foot as I would guess a fracture would feel?? In fact, the only pain I feel is direct, pinpoint pain on either side of my achilles, close to the surface and not deep where this flexor tendon would be. I do know that the ultrasound and "massage" (torture) has left me quite sore, and every morning I can barely put weight because my achilles hurts so bad... This probably/hopefully explains why I'm still in pain after 6 weeks of not running or hiking, and barely walking. But was it broken before my achilles hurt? Or did this happen later? Although they have answered the "chicken or egg first" question, I don't currently have the answer to this riddle!

I am glad I pushed hard to get the MRI done. They don't always want to authorize such an expensive test, and it took some convincing... Now, I have a concrete diagnosis and have been authorized to see a foot specialist. Will I need a cast? How long will rehabilitation take NOW? When on earth can I get back to firefighting?!  I have a million questions on my mind, but just need to chill out and relax. It is what it is and stressing over it won't help me heal any quicker. I'm impatient by nature and this ordeal has certainly taken an emotional toll, not to mention the physical effects. But, I'm trying to keep my spirits high and take it day by day. A glass of wine or two never hurt either. ;)   Tonight though, Moose Drool is my comfort "food"!

I'm sure I will obsess over my injury and look up ridiculous amounts of stuff on the internet because, like GI Joe says, "Knowing is half the battle!" I'll probably post those on here.

Man, I really am gonna be bummed if I end up in a cast. And if I do, it better be off by the time my sister visits in October!!

Today's physical therapy once again included ultrasound, torture massage, foot exercises, and instead of taping my arch up (made my foot sore; my arches are pretty good anyway so was just trying it out to see if it helped), my PT Dennis taped me up with "Kinesio Tape". I don't know what it's supposed to do, but it really is water resistant and is perfect even after the shower! This was all before I got the MRI results, so we will see if therapy changes with this new information.