Chickens have cooties

Apparently, no one wants to drink after a chicken. I keep a generic, outdoor animal waterbowl by the rain barrels in back of the house. I clean it out and refill it regularly. The chickens and guineas frequent this water dish often. However, Foxy would rather drink out of the frog pond and Wilson will drink out of mud puddles and any murky old water that collects in random buckets and containers we leave sitting around. Both Wilson and Foxy will sometimes beg to come inside and drink from the indoor water bowl as if they haven't seen water in weeks. I don't get it. Do chickens have cooties? Are they notorious backwashers??

Mystery wildflower

I almost weedeated this flower in my yard the other day. I've never seen anything like it. I haven't been able to find it in any of my wildflower field guides. It looks very columbine-y, and I'm thinking it might be in the Ranunculaceae (buttercup) family. Anyone got any ideas?? I've scoured the internet for a similar photo, but no look yet. After it is done flowering I intend to transplant it to a safer, weedeater proof location.

My New Woodstove!!

Yesterday, with the help of three very generous and strong friends, Joe and I went and collected our new (to us) wood cookstove that will heat our yurt and cook our food this winter. I found this little beauty on Craigslist and couldn't pass it up. The stove is a Waterford Stanley, from Ireland, only about 10 years old and in excellent condition. It is currently sitting in the yurt, on a dolly that Joe made so we can scoot it around as necessary, awaiting its final installation in a few months. I'm really looking forward to learning how to cook on this thing!

This photo was taken in the kitchen of its former home, prior to being dismantled and loaded up for the journey to our place.

 

The guys all made their "heavy faces" but didn't even grunt when picking it up! We tried to take as much removable weight off of it first as we could.

In addition to the stove, we were able to dismantle and take the chimney as well, a very important component we will reinstall at the yurt. I missed the photo op of cousin Wesley up on the peak of the roof dismantling the very top of the chimney.