My New Blog...

I would like to redirect everyone who still checks back now and then to see if anything has changed (hint Jan. M. K.) to my new blog Ozark Mountain Fiddler, please visit and follow.
http://ozarkmountainfiddler.blogspot.com/
This new blog is about my life on our new farm (since we moved) and about the musical activities that my family is involved in.
Since this new blog is part of my school project there will be many updates due to our families frequent activity in the fiddling world.
May the Lord bless and keep you, and thank you!

Incubating Chicken Eggs

On Christmas of 2010, my parents and Grandparents got me an egg-turner and incubator.  We had plenty of roosters with our hens, so I tried to hatch some eggs.

I put the none digital incubator to 99.5 degrees, that's what the owners manual said for chicken eggs.  I put the eggs in the egg turner for 18 days, then, took the egg turner out, and set the eggs in there for 3 more days, for a total of 21 days.  Also, I had to keep some water in the bottom of the incubator so the eggs didn't dehydrate.   Well, the chicks didn't hatch till about 24 days.  Out of 12 eggs, I had 1 chick with a crooked leg hatch, and he/she died at about 2 1/2 months old.  So I tried another batch, this time 24 eggs, and after 24 days again,  I had one hatch, then die, and one almost make it out of the egg, then die.  Then on the  Internet, I found the temperature should be 101.5 degrees, and I have to keep track of the humidity level.  It's been almost a whole year since I've tried at hatching, and if anyone has any tips I would be so  very grateful!

GOD BLESS!!!

Egg Bound Hen

About a month ago one of my White Black Tailed Japanese Bantam hens got egg bound, which means she can't lay her egg, because:
A: She hasn't gotten enough calcium so the eggshell is too soft to come out.
or
B: The rooster she is confined with has been too rough with her and has put her vent (where the egg comes out of) out of place.


The hens name is Henrieta, and I was(and still am) very attached to her, so I took her about 3 times a day, and soaked her, from vent down, in warm water for about 10 minutes, or until she started shivering, that means it's definitely time to take her out.  (Mind you, I soaked her in a small dark bucket with rubber gloves on, outside, not in the kitchen sink!)

Picture courtesy of the website 
Rhymes with Vanilla.
I also separated her from the other bantams, and put some straw in a small round tub with her own food and water.  By now her backside is extremely swollen and so there was a lump that came out of her backside, and it was red at first, then it got deeper after a couple days, and then started turning purple.  In that lump of skin I could see her vent hole, and her 'messing' hole.  Here's a link to google search of egg bound hens.

http://www.google.com/search?q=egg+bound+hen&hl=en&client=firefox&hs=Ib8&rls=com.yahoo:en-US:official&prmd=imvns&source=lnms&tbm=isch&ei=b7SqTuOSMcjksQLFh_2IDw&sa=X&oi=mode_link&ct=mode&cd=2&ved=0CBYQ_AUoAQ&biw=1024&bih=560&sei=%206bSqTsO2NcWesQKq27n2Dg

I covered Henrieta with a towel, so it would be dark and she could relax.  I also applied bag balm to her backside.  I gave her food and water, and put her where she wouldn't be to disturbed.

Soon, Henrieta layed 2 eggs.  The swelling on her backside started turning brighter and getting smaller.  Soon, she was a normal hen, so I put her back in with the other two bantams, a rooster and a hen.


Last night I found the rooster, Mr. Rooster, looking very sick, he was licking the inside of his mouth, closing his eyes and keeping them shut, and it seemed he was vomiting a little out of the left corner of his mouth.  I put him in a pet crate, and left him in the main chicken coop, this morning when I checked on him, it looked like he had had a stroke, flapped up his wings, and fell on his back and died.  I'm not sure why he died, he was only 1 year old when we got him, and I've had him for only about 2 or 3 years.
Also, one reason why I noticed Mr. Rooster, was because the only hen with him was Mrs. Rooster, Henrieta was nowhere to be found.  This morning there's still no sign.
It's strange, how a rooster dies after a hen disappears, me and my mother where wondering if he ate something, and she came over and ate it too (whatever 'it' is, I don't know) or something got a hold of Henrieta and Mr. Rooster tried to fight it(again: whatever 'it' is, I don't know).  Of course, there would be feathers somewhere if any of our chickens got picked of by a hawk or something.  There is a chicken hawk around our place that knows our chickens are loose.
That's a downfall of living on a farm, you see death at certain points, but it's all part of Gods plan, we're born, we live, and someday we'll die.  
I hope you have a wonderful fall season!

GOD BLESS!

The Rebelution Modesty Survey

 I found this book written by twin teenage boys about the rebellion of teens against low expectations, it's called  'Do Hard Things'.  I looked up their website www.therebelution.com (Rebelution is Revelution and Rebellion put together)  I found a link to a modesty survey, and I was so excited.  Now the twins have a new book 'Start Here'.

TheRebelution.com has also launched the results of their massive Modesty Survey.  Over 1,600 Christian guys have answered questions from girls on everything from glitter lotion and lip gloss to swimsuits and skirt slits.  
It's everything girls have ever wanted to ask guys about modesty, but were afraid to ask.  For guys, it's really interesting to see what other Christian guys think.
Most importantly, the survey is presented as a resource to help Christian girls (and guys), not a list of legalistic rules, and it is accompanied by the Modesty Survey Petition (which tons of guys have signed) which encourage young women to focus on the heart, not the hemline, to honor their parents, etc.

The results were released on St. Valentine's Day as a gift from 1,600 Christian guys to all Christian girls -- and I can't think of a better one! Now the survey is being endorsed by people like Shaunti Feldhahn ("For Women Only") Nancy Leigh DeMoss (Revive Our Hearts), CJ Mahaney (Sovereign Grace Ministries) and Shannon Ethridge ("Every Woman's Battle").
Go check it out: www.therebelution.com/modestysurvey

But also make sure you spread the word to all your friends. We want as many Christian girls (and guys) as possible to see this, so forward this email on!
Savannah

P.S. Guys, they are still accepting signatures for the Modesty Survey Petition, so this is an opportunity for you to still share your voice on the topic of modesty!

God Bless!

Finding Good Books to Read

This summer I entered the teen reading contest that is held by our local library.  Some people are bookworms...I'm one of them.  The hardest part of being in a reading contest is finding good books to read!  My mother pre-reads every book before I read it, and she can't keep up with me.  Some really good books I have read are these:

Title: The Hollow Tree;  Author: Janet Lunn; 
Title: Mercy Clifton Pilgrim Girl; Author: Peter Marshall; 
Title: The Chronicles of Narnia; Author: C. S. Lewis
The Mandie Series
Rachel Yoder-Always Trouble Somewhere; Author: Wanda E. Brunstetter
Title: Gratefully Yours; Author: Jane Buchanan
Title: Hank's Story; Author: Jane Buchanan
Title: Goodbye Charley; Author: Jane Buchanan (Slightly good)
The Cul-da-sac kids; Author: Beverly Lewis

These books were extremely good.  I looked up at the library the other books Janet Lunn made, because  The Hollow Tree is my favourite book!  The other books Janet Lunn made are on the next list, the books that aren't very good.

Title: Twin Spell; Author Janet Lunn
Title: The Root Cellar; Author: Janet Lunn
Title: Jip: His Story; Author: Katherine Paterson
The Wormling Books (they might be good for your brother, whom I'd advise to be 13 or up) Author: Jerry B. Jenkins
Red Rock Mysteries; Author: Jerry B. Jenkins
Left Behind: Kids Series; Author: Jerry B. Jenkins


Janet Lunn's book Twin Spell is very dark, if you search Greene County Library Reading Contest, and look on the second page of book reviews, you'll see the review on it.  
The Root Cellar is about an orphan girl who goes to be with family and is very snobby and sassy.  
Jip: His Story is about a Gypsy boy, and the book is quite dark.  
The Wormling books are about a boy finding out he's a lost prince and has to fight the head dragon, who is representing Satan, the way Jenkins describes the dragon is quite disgusting.  
Red Rock mysteries is about 13-year-old twins and they are quite sassy.  
Left Behind: Kids Series is where some children are left behind from the Rapture, and they are very sassy.  

I talked to a friend about the author Beverly Lewis, and she says she does not like the author.  Beverly Lewis has very 'mushy' teenage Amish books, makes the teenagers look like they make all the right decisions, and makes it look like the parents are the 'bad guys', by keeping them from courting outside of the community, and punishing them. 

My friend said that she doesn't want to fill her mind with those books, because when she get's to the age to make those decisions about who she wants to live the rest of her life with, and her parents start making decisions for her, she doesn't want to start thinking that they're the 'bad guys' like Beverly Lewis makes the parents in her teenage Amish books look like.  
Her children's series The Cul-da-sac Kids, are very good, but I wouldn't advise anyone to read the teenager books from Beverly Lewis.

The good books I put on the 'Good Book' list were extremely good (minus Goodbye Charley), they would be worth reading.

Hope this post was helpful to you!

God Bless!

Everyday Recycling

Today when I was feeding food pulp (fruit after all the juice has been squeezed out) I realized that chickens aren't just good for eggs, cleaning the bugs out of your yard, or eating plants you put hard work into,  They're one of the earths recyclers.  
Like the Tasmanian Devil (T. Devil for short (You should look at the link and see all the pictures(the last one is of the Loony Toons Tasmanian Devil))) that eats everything of a left over animal, including bones.  And vultures, especially the Turkey vulture.
When you feed a chicken fruit and vegetable pulp, the chicken digests it, and then it comes out the back end, or they create chicken manure.  
Then you collect the chicken manure, let it sit for a year where it's not in the rain, or where another animal can get to it.  
Then after that one year, you use the chicken manure on you fruit and vegetable plants, then you get more fruits and veggies, and you can take the juice out of the fruit, then you have fruit pulp again, and then you give it to the chickens!
So that's why I think chickens are another one of Gods recyclers, plus, they're not scary, most of them are beautiful and you can make them your pet, like the Black Austrolop.

God Bless

What's the Difference?

Last weekend, me and my Mom arrived in Kansas City Missouri and Kansas Thursday afternoon for Junior Bible Quiz Districts for the next two days.  I have always wanted to go to the big city and see the business on the streets, and see what it's like to be at the top of a big sky scraper (that wish was not granted).  But the church I was quizzing at was in downtown KC, where the restaurants have bullet proof glass, and a wall at the pick-up window at a fast-food place that goes over the top of the vehicle to the ground at the other side of the vehicle, giving the driver and other passengers safety from unwanted visitors.  My Mother has lived in Minneapolis, and all the people who would make a girls sixth sense says 'stay away from that person' is actually just a regular citizen of the big city says my Mother.  Here are some pictures I took of some buildings.

 This is the Sheraton Inn, which is 20 stories high!  

 Below is a video of the Sheraton Inn.

 Here's the National Bank of Kansas City.

Here's a building that's for lease, my Dad said it would make a good dog kennel!

My Junior Bible Quiz (JBQ) coach said that it was good we didn't come in Thursday night, because if we had stopped at a stop light, some street people might have come and taken the tires off our vehicle.  Usually here where we live, I barely see two people walking the street every week, but after KC, I saw more than enough people walking the street then I would care for, probably enough to last me for a month!  And my Mother said this is only a fraction of what it's like in New York City, Minneapolis (which is where JBQ Nationals will be) and other big city places.  But you have to remember what the Bible says, 'For man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the Heart.'  Don't rush to judgment when you see a gang that you don't want to even look at, but when you do, say a silent prayer that God would help guide them onto the righteous path.

Matthew 7:12

So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you.  (NIV)


So what's the difference between the city and the country?  The city is very busy and very noisy and distracting, the only refuge you have is your home.  The country, you can go for a walk on the road, or the woods, a field, and you can concentrate on talking with God.  "God is heard in the silence."  Is what my Mother always says.
(But I don't think you can concentrate when your 10 week old German Shepherd puppy is chewing on the computer chord!)

GOD BLESS!!!