turning a trampoline into a chicken run

Confession: my once-given status of "crazy chicken lady" has been significantly reduced to "woman that once bought chickens and eventually left it to her husband to be the one who remembers to feed and water them" (clearly that's a conceptual reduction and not one of title, yeesh).

But let's not talk about that.

I built a run for the chickens over a year ago out of some pretty crude materials. I've been amazed it's lasted as long as it has and how sufficient is has been, but two nights ago we had insanely strong winds whipping about our spot on the map. When Ava and I went out yesterday to play in the back yard I discovered that the run had completely collapsed on one side, likely from those strong winds and just being past its prime. Moreover, there was a gaping open space at the top of it so that if the unclaimed treasures pooled their collective brain power they could possibly figure out that one good hop straight up would be their path to freedom and danger. I realized all of this at about 1:45 yesterday afternoon. I'm headed out of town for the weekend today, but I knew the chickens couldn't stay exposed and vulnerable until Monday - and I couldn't leave my husband and kids with the potential of having to chase errant chickens around the back yard - so a quick plan had to be devised.

Here's what we did. The kids had a trampoline that the previous homeowners generously left. We got a lot of mileage out of it, but it has really seen its last day, at least by way of safety measures. I got the idea that if I took the mat off, I could move the frame over to the chicken coop, cover the entire area in chicken wire, and the girls would have a new, sturdier, very weather-proof, bigger run.

Here's how Anthony decided to finish off the destruction of the trampoline mat . . .

This is what had happened to the existing run. It looks like a pile of trash.

"Hey, what the flock is going on here?" - chickens

The only materials I needed to purchase for this project was two new rolls of metal chicken wire. On this previous run I used a combination of metal and plastic wire. What I learned from the experience was that within a year the plastic wire becomes completely brittle and just tears apart if you look at it cross-wise. So again, I purchased only the metal fencing and one spool of cuttable wire so that I could affix all of it together and knit up any gaps. All total it cost me $50.00 and three to four hours of time spread out over yesterday afternoon, evening, and this morning.

Here's the finished product.

I may have been demoted from crazy chicken lady, having lost a little fervor. But this work was so cathartic and a reminder of how much I love being outside, working with my hands...and those silly birds.

Because Being A Responsible Adult Dictates NOT Filing Everything In File Thirteen

Well, that pretty much sums it up, don't you think?

No? Okay. Then here's a post.

I hate paper. Not really. I mean, I actually love paper - stationary, paper with designs, pages of books, toilet paper (arguably THE best kind of paper). But I do hate the stacks of paper that have accumulated around Quaint Cottage because nobody knows quite what to do with them (what's the statute of limitations on banes of one's existence?). Since I truly can't trash it all (dagnabit) there has to be, once again, a winnowing and a system implemented. So here we go again.

I tend to not want to conform (read: stubborn streak) to any particular system(s) of someone else's for pretty much anything. I guess I subscribe, at least in part, to the idea that I need to try to custom-make ideas and systems so they best suit my personhood and those of the FabFive. Sometimes that's peachy. Other times it's nothing more than reinventing the wheel and, truthfully, a bit sanctimonious. I realize there are times when I need to bump custom-making and choose customizing...taking someone else's already-thought-through, very good idea and tweak it only enough to fit our lives and purposes. This realization is serving me quite well in accomplishing the annihilation of paper piles (I.like.alliteration).

Having fought this paperwork battle for long days, a couple of years ago I worked hard on setting up a two-drawer filing cabinet. I was very thoughtful in what I made a file folder for in an attempt to keep the filing system from being overwhelming (custom-made). Everything does not need a file folder (read: movie stubs from every movie seen in 1993). In addition to the file cabinet each family member has a mementos box for things that don't necessarily need to be filed, but want to be held on to for sentimental reasons (read: movie stubs from every movie seen in 1993).

This part of the system, the resting place for all of the papers, is well intact and really set up nicely. But guess what (chicken butt)? Nothing ever gets to the filing cabinet. Guess why (chicken thigh)? Because there's no system at the entry level of the paperwork process other than to stack it all until it falls over and somebody gets angry enough to, well, usually, just stack it up again. Angrily. Grrr. Hmph. Argh. Sigh. (That's the sound of the poor sap who's addition to the precarious paper pile finally made it tumble, and is therefore responsible for picking it up...in case you were wondering.)

Clearly, if I knew how to custom-make a workable step at the front end of the paperwork system I would have done it by now. But I don't, and I haven't. So I did what all self-respecting persons needing some sound advice do in times of need: I googled it. Here's what I found, this awesome six file fix. In a nutshell, here's how it breaks down (STOP! Hammertime!):
Comprised of six files labeled as follows -
-Bills (for only unpaid bills)
-To Be Filed (for papers that have a folder in the file cabinet)
-Dated Information (for anything that is time-sensitive)
-To Be Read (for those letters or articles or newsletters that you intend to read at a later time)
-To Be Given Away (for letters or articles or newsletters that you intend to pass along to someone else)
-Unsure (for those papers that you aren't sure you need to keep, but aren't sure you can throw away)

Here's what I did. I created these folders and put them in a small, portable file box.




The file box lives under the computer, bottom left, which is now in the corner of the kitchen (instead of the laundry room).


I also reworked the recycling system so that there were smaller bins by the trash can for our recyclable paper and plastic (the additional, oh, I don't know, 12 steps it takes to throw the recycling in the bins in the laundry room were apparently too much). The contents of the smaller recycle bins are transferred to the large recycle bins when they are full. In addition, I put the paper shredder at this trash/recycle station (out of Little Big Man's reach, I assure you).


With these changes made I can now IMMEDIATELY throw away unwanted paper(s) into recycling, shred sensitive documents (doesn't that sound mysterious?), and then use the six file fix for everything else. And remember, if there are any papers being saved simply because of sentimentality (cards, letters, awards from school, etc.) they get put into the Us's momentos box.

I took a stack of papers that I promise you was atleast twelve inches high, and was able to completely winnow and properly file it in less than thirty minutes (that's why the picture of the six-file box looks full already). Since "unsure" is the label we could've stuck on over half the papers in the stack, I didn't let myself use the Unsure folder. If I was unsure I made myself get sure because enough is enough. That was liberating!

A couple of special notes...If the system is going to work, the To Be Filed Folder has to make it to the file cabinet to BE filed. There needs to be some sort of regular reminder to check the Dated Information file so things are not overlooked, forgotten, or neglected. And if anything is filed in the Unsure folder, you are to date it and THROW IT OUT if nothing has been done with it after three months.

I took it one step further and applied the six file fix to my email, too.


Bills became Blogs, Bills, Passwords
To Be Filed became To Be Printed and Filed
To Be Given Away became To Forward
...and I eliminated Unsure from the choices (only on email).

To additionally cut down on paper, I signed up for e-billing on everything I possibly could.

So there you go. A customization of someone else's really good idea. Afterall, sometimes my efforts to try to come up with solutions someone else has already found is a lot like chaff. And we don't want that now, do we? It's also nice to be reminded sometimes that I can be full of garbage, full of it; that I could use some help; that I don't have the best way or all the answers; that somebody else's good idea may be the best idea.

Hence, hats off (or trash can lids) to the six file fix! Quite a fix, indeed.

Happy sifting, homeskillets.

WinnowingWoman's Weekend Wrap-up

I tend to shy away from bullet-point posts, but sometimes it just shouldn't take thirty-two bazillion words to say what needs to be said. Hmm, word winnowing, perhaps?

Here's a recap of this week's efforts around Quaint Cottage and among our FabFive...

-Laundry has seen a major transformation around here since "the system" sort of rose like a phoenix from the ashes of stinky clothes (ashes might've been all that was left if some sort of order hadn't been found). It's not completely caught up because I still haven't convinced anyone to go around au naturale as to prevent further laundry buildup (Little Big Man is the closest to being on board with this idea), but I am consistent everyday with washing, drying, AND folding. Hurrah! And I don't hate it.

-I started the winnowing process full-throttle in the kitchen. What an undertaking. I am taking pictures each step of the way and will get them up here this coming week. I'm never surprised but always thrilled to experience the catharsis of ridding my world of unused, underused, and superfluous stuffs, and doing this within the kitchen has been a whammy of a job. Details are on the way...

-Ma Luffin' Mayun made our first recycling drop today, dumping our collection of paper and plastic. Nice. We certainly haven't mastered the task of recycling, but we have gone from a household that recycled nothing to sending two huge plastic containers of recyclables, reducing our bags of trash and wastefulness. And, as usual, kitchen scraps are feeding the compost pile that will hopefully feed future garden beds.

-Cloth diapering is everything I thought it would be (including the poo). I love it (insert eye-rolling, sneering, and smirking here, possible nay-sayers). This week's development can be described in two words: Bosak's Buttsacks. People, this development is a thing of beauty and deserves it's own post this week. Too, too awesome!

-In the age-old tradition of saving the best for last, I am pleased to report I am no longer blogging from a Blackberry Curve (it's nothing personal, Blackberry. I just realized you're really not my type). Instead, I am pleased as punch to report that I am typing this on a brand-spanking-new HP Mini netbook which, after the mail-in rebate, set us back a whopping $100.00. In addition, I fired my cellphone carrier, got a wireless 5GB/month data plan for $50.00 LESS per month than I was paying for my Blackberry, got a new, no-contract cell plan with unlimited talk-text-web, and fired my home phone company. So the combination of all these changes take us from being a family with no internet access, over-priced cell service, and a landline we rarely used to having a new computer with embedded wireless internet access, an inexpensive, unlimited cell plan, and no more wasted payments for a phone we're not using. All these changes will save us $50.00 every month. Ahh, feel the love.

So, there's my winnowing week in a nutshell. Just under thirty-two bazillion words. Not too shabby.

And now, I leave you with self-portraits of Brilliant Beauty upon her discovering the fun of a webcam. Enjoy.