Chicks

With egg prices skyrocketing, I am actually running low.  I go out to check for eggs everyday.  When I look at the nests, I find a chicken.  If I try to take the eggs underneath, I get pecked.  It seems that the hens are brooding.  That is when they decide to be mothers.  They will sit on a nest of eggs for 20-30 days.  They stay on the nests without leaving.  I throw food out for them.  If they need water, they need to go to the water.  Eventually, we get chicks.  Even if we have a number of chicks, I do not really count them until they reach a certain size.  When they first hatch, it seems chickens can sense issues with the chicks.  Whether it is a health issues or some other issue, they will kill the chick.  Then, you have to worry about predators.  The mothers will defend the chicks, but I have found dead hens and missing chicks.  Now we are nearing an extra 30 to 40 chickens, if they survive.  That will lead to more egg layers, I hope.  I can't tell if they are all hens or some are roosters.  I really don't need more roosters.  One goes a long way.  

Havoc

 Havoc is finally coming out!  I have been waiting for this to be released for years.  It's from the director of The Raid and Raid 2.  If you have not seen these movies, watch them.  Especially if you like martial arts movies.  This director knows how to film action on a budget.  Havoc has Tom Hardy, Forest Whitaker,  and others.  It does look like it has a lot of action.  It will be coming to Netflix on April 25!  

Epic Universe

This year, Orlando is getting a new theme park from Universal Studios.  It is called Epic Universe.  It is made up of five portals that lead to lands.  If you go on YouTube, you can see visits by influencers.  Don't be fooled by them.  They were invited and did not pay for the visit.  All that amazement might not be as real as it looks.  Sometimes it looks weird for an adult to cry looking at a person dressed as a character.  I can understand kids, but adults?  Remember, it is a teen/young adult in a foam costume.  Some could even have issues.  I keep my eye on them with my children.  Getting to the visits.  It looks like they have found a lot of ways to make money.  They have also created long ques for waiting in line.  The rides look okay for children.  Some look like other rides Universal already have, they just change the characters.  Be warned if you come this summer.  It will sell out.  Not only that, but it is hot and humid in Florida in the summer.  I can imagine wait times starting at an hour and going up from there.  That would be a waste of money to spend 4 to 5 hours waiting in line for rides.  You might be tempted to go to Disney.  They are really expensive and have the same problems with wait times.  Unless you are rich.  All the parks have made it simple for those with money.  They even go out of their way to screw the disabled to cater to the rich.  If you are looking for something fun to do in the summer, go to a regional park.  They have more rides and shorter wait times.  

Storm Day

 I was in a meeting all day.  At the beginning, my boss said there was a tornado warning in the area.  Little did I know how close it was.  Later in the day, I was checking news headlines.  Sure enough, a tornado touched down a couple of miles from the office.  It tore up a couple of houses.  Trees were down.  As far as I know, no one was hurt!  

Comic Book Movies

 So comic book movies seem to be fading.  I can't say there is much coming out that I want to see.  Not only that, Disney has ruined Star Wars for me.  I stopped watching the shows.  For me the dialogue in these movies are going down hill.  Not only that, but they try to fit in too much, especially comic book movies.  The upcoming Superman looks like another bad example of how not to do a movie.  Too many heroes and no real villain.  Or, they put in a CG created mess as a villain.  I hope they would get better writers and directors.  One issue that is glaring in the last couple of movies is that it seems to take 10 to 20 writers to write the film.  Maybe the Endgame was the end of good comic book movies.  

Oscars

 So the Oscars were the other day.  Good to see independent movies doing well.  I saw some of them.  I will try to see some more.  Some do not interest me.  I did see Flow.  Great movie.  Here's a movie that cost less than the $100,000,000 animated films the big companies put out.  I heard it was created on an app.  They did not use stupid actor voices for the animals.  This is the kind of movie that Hollywood would buy and put in those wacky voices.  See it before Hollywood ruins it.  The Substance was a great movie.  I love Cronenberg.  It is great to see a director pick up the body horror mantle.  Her first movie Revenge is also a great movie.  When Anora comes on streaming, I will watch that.  Maybe the Culkin movie.  Check out the independent movies and really support those companies.  They are really hitting it out of the park.  

Chickens

 So, I'm back!  It has been a busy couple of months.  I would like to say things are slowing down, but as you get older, life seems to go by quicker.  Our farm is doing well.  We have lots of chickens and they are laying some eggs.  One issue we have is that the ones outside of chicken runs tend to lay where ever they want to.  Then, it is like Easter egg hunt.  When you find hidden eggs, you have a 50-50 chance of it being any good.  I found a nest of 10 eggs or so.  I tossed them to the chickens.  There were some that had a green color inside.  I built another run.  Soon, we will be able to catch a few more and have them in a secure spot.  With egg prices going crazy, I am glad we have the chickens.  I went to a farm store recently.  They had no chicks for sale.  They were all gone.  The price was 7.99 and you had to buy a minimum of 4.  One has to have a set up.  Chicks need heat until their feathers come in.  Then you have at worry about Pasty butt.  That is where a chick poops and it does not fully come off their body and dries up.  If it blocks their anus, it will kill them because they will not be able to poop.  Don't even try to introduce new chicks to older chickens.  I did that once.  I thought the mother chick would take it in.  She killed the chick.  The other thing people need to know is whether it is a rooster or a hen.  If you want eggs, you do not need a rooster.  You also have to depend on the store clerk to identify hen or rooster.  I guess there is a way to tell, but I have not looked it up.  I know when they are older.  They have their crow and if they jump on the back of a hen.  A lot of places do not want roosters.  They will crow all the time.  Not just at dawn.  If you decide to get into chickens do the research.  

Waiting on a Storm

 Florida is waiting on one of the scarier hurricanes I have been able to be present for.  Waiting can be really boring.  The news shows coverage 24 hours a day about the hurricane.  While waiting on damage to show, they bombard us with interviews from the police and politicians.  If you did care to see that kind of coverage, we have political commercials.  I'd rather be streaming to get away from the commercials.  Once the damage starts to come in, we will go to man/woman in the field stories.  Basically, they are in a raincoat being buffeted by the wind and rain.  Sometimes, if you are lucky, you see them dodge dangerous debris.  If you think you can get away and go out, you are wrong.  It usually rains in sheets.  I've had to walk a dog in a hurricane.  Not fun.  Our dog did not like being outside.  We did do the best to get the chickens put up in a safe place.  Easier said than done.  They will not stay put and let you pick them up.  Half are up and the other will have to find a safe place.  On top of all this, the hurricane is not supposed to make landfall until late in the night.  If we get a Tornado, we will not be able to see it.  We'll be crossing our fingers that we make it through the night and that our power is still on.  We've already had an internet outage.  They got it back up.  

Summer

 Summer is here.  Even if it is not, it has been hot in Florida with little rain.  It is coming.  Usually in June, we get afternoon showers.  Unlike other states, our showers are cool and then make it more humid and hot.  It's funny people flock here for the summer, especially at the parks.  The usual wait for rides is about an hour.  Some parks have ways to cool people down in lines, but it's not really that great.  The beaches?  Funny to see all the lobsters.  People who are not used to sun like ours and not really concerned with suntan lotions.  Then there is our waterways.  If the water is too warm, stay out of the water.  If you have cuts or just go under water and breath through your nose, you are risking Amoebas or other life threatening bacteria.   With our current government, you really don't know what you are swimming in.  Waste is really not their concern if their donors want to dump it.  Only when it affects tourism they throw some money to clean it up.  Forget about them going after the offenders.  They would lose campaign dollars.  I forgot about the gators.  If it is fresh water, you need to believe that there are gators and snakes in the water.  I'll stay indoors and enjoy our expensive air conditioning.  Electric companies in Florida owns the politicians.  

Upgrade

 I am a big fan on independent and original movies.  Seeing a good one is getting harder.  There are fewer companies making them.  The directors/storytellers are sticking to mind numbing unoriginal stories.  I was looking on Netflix.  I found Upgrade.  I knew a little, but not much.  I guess my main thought was that it was like Hardcore Harry.  You watch everything from his point of view like a video game.  It was not like that.  It had action and some humor.  I liked it.  Found out that the writer of Saw was the person who came up with this.  If you want something a little more original, check it out.  Also, no big name stars, so it makes it harder to tell what's going to happen.  Big name equals to happy ending.  

Feels Like Forever

It's been awhile.  Life is moving at a pace that is crazy.  My kids are growing up.  Two have left the nest and one of them is married.  Senior status is around the corner.  Yet, we still have three under 18.  Living with kids that have disabilities can be a challenge.  It also has many rewards.  My daughter's each have different personalities.  They love music.  We have even brought them to multiple concerts.  The latest being AJR.  If you have not heard of them, check them out on YouTube.  Their songs are really catchy.  One daughter can name their songs within a couple of notes.  She can even tell you the albums they come from.   

One issue that has arisen from our children's disabilities is insurance.  Florida is not big on covering children with disabilities.  If guess they think that if a child chooses to be disabled, they should have to pay for it.  Or its just our politicians just want to make it so expensive that we move to another state.  

Then there is Property insurance.  With hurricanes becoming more powerful and plentiful, we are bearing the brunt of this.  Rates are crazy in this state.  If they are not increasing to max levels, they are abandoning the state.  Our politicians are even concerned.  Guess as long as the rich can afford, then the rest can deal with it.  

Lake County Fair

 We came from North Carolina.  Every year, they do a state fair.  It is a big deal in October.  There were even sections I wish I had paid more attention to.  They had the food, the games, a big ride section, and then we have the agriculture.  They had the planters, the animals, etc.  Last night, we visited the Lake County Florida Fair.  It was like a small block at the NC Fair.  They had the food, rides, and some agriculture.  Really, there is not much space.  We did one stroll around time.  Food has really gone up in price.  The kids got to ride the Merry Go Round.  We would not let them go on any of the bigger rides.  Especially after the death of the 14 year old on the drop ride.    They did have cows, goats, rabbits, and chickens.  It was kind of pitiful.  I liked the chickens, but people were not around to answer questions.  They did not even list the kinds of chickens.  I did see some small chickens.  They were kind of neat.  It was kind of disappointing.  Guess I'll have to make my way back to NC during fair season.  

Duck Eggs

 We have had ducks for over a year.  There has been no activity.  I thought they were all males.  This weekend, we discovered there are some females.  One started laying eggs.  I saw a brown duck in a structure I set up for the chickens to lay.  Some use it, but not always.  I had my wife check the cubby the other day.  There were 4 eggs.  On top of that, we saw one duck trying to make baby ducks.  We can say we have at least 2 females.  

Don't Say Gay!

 From that title, you probably know I live in Florida, if you did not already know.  The other day, I found out that Hungary had a similar law in their country.  Wonder if our wannabe authoritarian used their law to fuel it.  Wouldn't surprise me.  Like all good authoritarians, he is punishing Disney for speaking out against his hateful law.  Also, he says you accept pedophile groomers if you do not like his law.  Only, he seems to have a bunch of people in his inner circle that have had issues with sex trafficking.  

Gym Etiquette

 During these days of  COVID, you'd think people would automatically give space.  Yesterday, I went to the gym.  I went to the treadmill.  I gave two machines between myself and another person.  Things were going great, then, I notice movement to my left.  I look and a person is on the treadmill next to the other person.  I had one between us.  Then, her male friend got on that one.  How rude!

It was like when I go to a movie theater, in the old days.  You would walk in and if the theater was empty, take a seat in the center.  For me, the next customer either sits in front of me or even close.  We have an empty theater.  There are plenty of seats.  Why do you need to sit near me?

I got of the treadmill and went to another piece of equipment.  Luckily I had already been walking for 15 minutes.  

Sourdough Bread

 I made 3 loaves this weekend.  It was great.  Who knew a bread that only takes flour and water would taste so good.  I did miss adding salt, but I do not miss it.  I have started using our chicken eggs and slices of sourdough bread to make breakfast sandwiches.  Right now, the hens are in a laying frenzy.  Eat them while you have them.  Now, with bird flu, we have to keep wild bird away from our birds.  

Old House Owner

 The other day, my wife got a call from the previous owner.  She's in her 90's and might have dementia.  She wants to come over and dig up a plant.  Thinking it was just a small section, she said okay.  Grant it that we have owned the house for about a year.  She comes over and digs up a big section out of our porch area.  My wife gets home and sees a big hole in the porch area.  I think we are going to put our foot down on any other plant gatherings.  We'll just have to remind her that she no longer owns the house.  

Sourdough Starter

 I finally made sourdough bread.  It took 2 weeks.  It is a process of mixing 1/4 cup of flour and 1/2 cup of water in a jar.  I am using a mason jar.  You mix it and cover it with plastic wrap.  You do this for 7 days.  A fermentation process will begin.  It is using the natural yeast in the flour.  On the first try, it worked for a couple of days and then nothing.  It even had a dark liquid form.  It is called hooch.  It can be poured off.  It smells.  At the end of 7 days, I tried and it did not work.  No rising and it was a block of cooked flour.  The pigs had no problem eating it.  The second time, I did not get the hooch.  The starter started to rise after a couple of days.  After 7 days, I looked up a recipe.  I found it is kind of a labor intensive process.  I waited another week.  I even had to split the starter in 2 jars.  Then I made the bread.  It takes a little starter, flour and water.  Mix and let sit for 1 hour.  Then work the dough and place it in a bowl.  Cover it with a damp cloth and let sit for 10+ hours.  Once done, work the dough into a ball and place it in your cooking pan.  I used a Dutch oven.  Let it sit for 1-2 hours.  Then it is time to cook.  It turned out.  Only problem is I used wax paper instead of parchment paper.  It ended up sticking to the bottom of the crust.  I will not make that mistake again.