My Egg Customers Are the Sweetest of Peeps

My egg customers are the sweetest of peeps.  Just look at the sweet gifts I have been given recently when folks came to purchase their fresh eggs from me & my 'girls'.

This beautiful ceramic tile with a colorful Rooster designed with a cowboy & bandana theme and the words "Western Omlete" came from Louise, a sweet lady who always slips me an extra dollar when she pays me for my eggs.   I keep telling her that she gave me too much money, but she refuses to take the money back, saying that the eggs are so delicious that its worth that much and more.  Last time she picked up her eggs she gave me this lovely gift.

Another super sweet lady, named Helen, always returns her empty cartons, but they are never empty...she always puts jelly beans in the carton.  Today she handed me the carton but there was no familiar rattling noise, and I noticed the carton was not completely closed.  Inside I discovered this cute little Chicken...that was hand made my someone from clay, then hand painted.  It is so cute, and because it is a cone shape I am calling it my 'ChickCone' and I'm proudly displaying it with my other fun Chicken knick-knacks.

When you have chickens...you meet the sweetest peeps!

Keeper of 1 husband, 3 dogs,

3 cats, and 16 Chickens!

 

 .

Agressive Javelina's Charging At My Dogs Through the Fence -Video

Here in Arizona you are familiar with the nasty critters to watch out for and avoid such as rattle snakes and scorpions.  Another critter that we try to avoid is the Javelina, but in all my years of living here I didn't really consider them an extreme threat.  I have had them come right up to us to get a treat like a tossed strawberry (or stale cheerios in the case of my grandkids). I watch them each morning and evening as they make their way west then east in their daily travels.

Credit: Photo courtesy of the Arizona Daily Star

When I go out to my chicken run I sometimes find a group of Javelina's hanging out in the yard between the back door and the chicken run, but they will usually scatter as soon as they see and hear me coming.  The only time I hesitate approaching them is when they have new babies in their group.  They get very protective when they have little ones with them.  But even then, I have never had them get really aggressive with me, they just tend to stand their ground and expect me to give them extra time to disperse with their babies.

However this morning I was caught off guard by their aggression.  I looked through the window of the door before letting my dogs out into the fenced back patio and saw the Javelina's wondering around the backyard outside the fenced in area.  I opened the door and let the dogs out.  As is usual, the small dogs run to the fence barking frantically at the Javelina's and typically the Javelina's will scatter.  But today they did not.  They took a few steps away, then turned right around and came back towards the fence.  My puppy (8 mo old Rottweiler/SharPei) ran towards them but didn't bark, she wanted to play with them.  She jumped towards them and lowered her upper body like she does to instigate the dogs or cat to romp and play with her.  The Javelina's jumped towards her with their hock hair standing erect, huffing and snorting, clacking their sharp tusks in chomping motion as a threat to her.  Miss Hollywood was oblivious to any threat.

This was totally unusual behavior from what I have seen by Javelina's in my nearly 2 decades living here in Arizona.  I grabbed my video camera to record this because no one was home and I figured no one would believe they were acting so hostile this morning.  There were no babies in this group.  They all appeared to be full grown adults, perhaps they were all males so that sparked it. 

Watch (and listen to) the video below to see how they not only charged at Miss Hollywood, but also at my Boston Terrier Pickle as well.  One even tried to nip at Pickle through the fence (3/4 of the way through the video).  Note, Pickle only has one eye, so she has issues with depth perception...I don't think she thought the Javelina was that close.  There were about 5 or 6 of them circling around the fenced area.  They did not even seem to notice me, a human, standing right there video taping them.  -Scary! 

 

Keeper of 1 husband, 3 dogs,

3 cats, and 16 Chickens!

 

 .

Surprising Update On My Last Season Volunteer Tomato Plant

I told you recently about my little late season volunteer tomato I discovered just shy of one month ago.

Today I wanted to give you an update on his progress...because he continues to progress in spite of lots of things working against him.  The first thing working against him is the fact that it is now October -I would have already cleared the plants from this summers garden out by this time.  But this little guy is a survivor and really wants to continue to grow.

That was proven just last week when we had our last heavy rain of the summer monsoon season, and I made the mistake of sitting this Alaska Grow Bucket too near my rain water collection barrel.  I don't have an overflow system on this collection barrel, so when the heavy rains filled the barrel to the top, the rest poured over the edge and into the Alaska Grow Bucket with such force that it washed the soil out of the bucket, leaving the tomato plants completely uprooted.  I thought, "Well, that's it for this little guy." But I couldn't just let it die that easily, so I pulled some of the soil out of another bucket that wasn't used, and tried to gently place the soil around the roots of the tomato plant and filled the bucket back up to the top.

A few days later I checked on the tomato plant and it was doing just fine...it was standing tall, with strong stalk and stems, and no limpy leaves even.  And guess what?  It now had four little flowers.  Since it is way so late in the year there's was no hope of any bee's coming along to pollinate it, so I hand-pollinated it myself.  See instructions here on how to do that, it's really easy.

I wasn't optimistic that these flowers would actually become tomatoes, but this little plant wasn't giving up, so how could I?   Two days later I was checking its water level and look what I found?  Look closely there (see the pink arrow) and you will see a tiny little tomato bud right behind that drying flower...it is growing!!!

[Volunteer Tomato plant blooming, pollinated flower growing a tomato. Plant is now 27-30 days old.]

Here is what the whole plant looks like now.  He is just thriving so nicely!

[My volunteer tomato at 27-30 days old.]

Keeper of 1 husband, 3 dogs,

3 cats, and 16 Chickens!

 

 .

Molting Season...I'm Collecting More Feathers Then Eggs These Days

[Goldie (Buff Orpington) in molt, new feathers coming in and old ones falling out.]

With the days growing shorter and the girls all over 1 year old, its raining feathers around here.  I could seriously stuff some big pillows, but they would be a little pokey.  The girls look just awful...talk about your worst hair day!  This is our first molting since the girls are so young.  Thank goodness I've studied up on chicken keeping because I didn't remember it being this bad when I was a kid.  Of course as a kid I probably just had fun catching the feathers blowing all around.

Just look at these girls...awful!

[Barbara (Barred Rock in center), Buffy (Buff Orpington in back), Snowball's butt (White Rock)]

Talk about bad hair day...look at Barbara with feathers falling off of her everywhere. Her head is looking so much nicer as the new feathers come in.

[Barbara (Barred Rock). See the loose feathers everywhere?]

Buffy is nearing the end of molting with just her butt bare, but with new feathers sprouting there...

[Buffy's finally down to mostly just the butt area in full molt.]

If you look closely at Goldies butt...yeah I know you probably don't want to but look anyway...she has a bunch of new tiny feathers poking out all over.  

[Goldie has a bunch of new feathers poking out of her bare rear-end.]

My poor girls are still laying, but they have slowed way down.  I swear I find more feathers then eggs in the nest boxes every day.  I just keep picking them out when I collect their eggs.

[Egg production down, feather production up!]

To help the girls ease through this phase without completely depleting them nutritionally, I have upped their protein.  We are still getting about 6-8 eggs a day from my 16 girls, so I can't complain.  The neighbor down the hill from us isn't getting any, his chickens just stopped laying all together.

I've had to put a halt on selling eggs to anyone other than my long time regulars, because there aren't many left after we have our breakfast.  Just this morning I was short an egg for breakfast so I had to go out and steal one hot off the presses, the bloom was barely dry when I grabbed it.  Talk about Fresh!!

As I said, I've upped their protein by adding some dried split peas or wheat berries to their fermented feed.  They also get some dried meal worms in the afternoon, and of course they get to come out and hunt down whats left of the grasshoppers and other critters before they go to bed for the night.  How are you helping your girls make it through the molting season?

Keeper of 1 husband, 3 dogs,

3 cats, and 16 Chickens!

 

 .

Chicken Lady's Pick of FREE eBooks! (9/30/14)

Just a short list today...some days I find a goldmine of treasures, and some days not so much.  The first book in the list today is one that I previously featured, that was loved by its readers, so when the author let me know that it was going to be available for FREE for only one day on Wednesday, October 1st I thought I needed to include it again...just in case you missed it before, you now have a second chance to get it for FREE!  So here we go...today's list of the Chicken Lady's Pick of FREE eBooks, enjoy!

If you are new to this series, each Tuesday & Saturday I will be posting the Chicken Lady's Pick of FREE eBooks!  I will include books that I am personally purchasing, in my favorite genre's like non-fiction, books based on a true story, or fiction that seems non-fiction, self-help, autobiographies, true-crime, cook books sometimes, and children's books.  I will also be including some books that are not necessarily my kind of books, like sci-fi, romance novels, and books about sports, as long as they have very high reviews on Amazon.  Sometimes I will include books that are not free to all, but will be Free for you if you have a KindleUnlimited subscription. [Learn more about it & get a Free 30 day trial here.] Please leave me a comment if you like this series of posts as it will encourage me to continue bringing you a new list of FREE eBooks twice each week!

You don't have to have an Amazon Kindle to Read Kindle eBooks.

Here are today's 'Chicken Lady's Pick of FREE eBooks'

[*BEFORE PURCHASING* Please look at the price of the book before you purchase it.  These books were listed as $0.00 at the time of this post, but this is usually a short term promotion and then they go back to the full price.] 

This book will be available for FREE on Amazon for one day only, on Wednesday, October 1, 2104. 

This story is told from the perspective of Cheryl, the oldest of seven siblings.  There are glimpses into the heart and soul of each of the other children as they experienced unimaginable abuse and pain throughout their childhoods.

This book is a message of hope and unexpected joys as you experience the journey with Cheryl as she discovers the road to freedom through the Power of Forgiveness. Cheryl learned to forgive her abusers and her past, and it opened up opportunities for her life to change. In speaking and sharing all over the United States and in other countries, for so many years, her story has powerfully impacted thousands of other hurting people all over the world.

Cheryl's bold message that she so eloquently conveys to the reader is that they must not remain just victims, or survivors - they can become healers of themselves and others, just as she has done. The book resonates with the colors of triumph, courage and life-sustaining caring for others.

** This book is also available for Free with your Kindle Unlimited subscription. Learn more

~~~~~~~

Ex-cop Frank Harper doesn't want to get involved. Harper is visiting the small Ohio town of Cooper's Mill, trying to reconnect with his estranged daughter and a grandson he's never met. But he finds the town gripped in fear-two young girls have gone missing, taken in broad daylight from a busy street. And the police are coming up blank. But once Harper is drawn reluctantly into the investigation, he'll stop at nothing to find the girls. And he doesn't care who gets in the way.

** This book is also available for Free with your Kindle Unlimited subscription. Learn more

~~~~~~~

You will learn everything about Sprouting that will get you started and excited about creating your own Superfood that is super healthy for you and much cheaper and healthier than buying in the store.

Sprouts are crunchy and flavorful additions to any diet, rich in natural sources of proteins, vitamins, enzymes and minerals; they add a healthy punch to sandwiches, salads and stir-fry dishes. You can easily buy sprouts in many grocery stores and whole foods stores, but it is so easy to grow your own sprouts at home, plus you can control the amount you need and also experiment with different sprouting seeds and beans for a wider variety to choose from.

** This book is also available for Free with your Kindle Unlimited subscription. Learn more

NOTE ABOUT KINDLES & AMAZON: By the way, you do not need a Kindle device to read Kindle books, you can download the Kindle app to your Laptop, Desktop, Smartphone, iPad and just about any smart devices.  You will need an Amazon account to purchase the free books.  Sign-up is super easy if you don't already have one.  To get a Free book you have to go through the purchase process even though the price is $0.00.  You will need a method of payment on file with Amazon, but they will not charge your card to 'purchase' a free ebook. 

*This was an unpaid, unsolicited post about the products shown above that I have purchased myself.  Neither the authors nor the publishers have asked me to include their books in this post.  The first image in this post today is courtesy of adamr at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.  I have included Affiliate links in this post, please see my Full Disclosure here.

Keeper of 1 husband, 3 dogs, 
3 cats, and 17 Chickens!

 .

Discovery of a Volunteer Tomato Plant in my Empty Alaska Grow Bucket

For my 2014 growing season, the plan was to experiment with Alaska Grow Buckets as my garden.  I like trying different methods to see if one might work better than the one I am currently using.   But my timing was out of whack because I was scheduled to have hip surgery right about the time I would have been planting my seeds indoors.  So I wouldn't have my own seedlings this year, but I planned to buy some seedlings at the local nursery when the time came to plant outdoors.  I did prepared my Alaska Grow Buckets, mixed my soil-less soil and was about to set up my irrigation system when the doctor called to move my surgery date up -to just three days away!  So the garden was put on an indefinite hold while I started preparing for what I would need to do for the surgery, recovery, and physical therapy afterwards. 

After surgery I could see that I was not going to be physically able to manage a garden this year.  I couldn't empty my buckets back into the compost bins because they were too heavy for me to lift post-op and I didn't want to bother my husband with that chore either...so they just sat there on my patio. 

 

One of several Alaskan Grow Buckets I had 'planned' to grow in this year.

By the time I had recovered enough from my hip surgery to be off the crutches and finally moving about without my cane, it was just too late to even think about starting a garden.  I looked at my poor plant-less grow buckets sitting there each day as I went past them to tend to my chickens.  Then in early September, just one day before we were to leave on a trip to Colorado, I noticed something growing in one of my buckets.  I assumed it was some kind of weed, since it's monsoon season here and the weeds are having a hay-day.  But when I got closer I saw that it was a tomato plant!?!?  How the heck did that get in there?  It was not there just a few days ago, I know this because I had just moved that particular bucket to this new location to block my dog from sticking her head through the fence right there. 

It was a thick little plant that looked pretty hearty.   Things must really grow like crazy in these Alaska Grow Buckets with the awesome soil-less soil I mixed together.  This would have taken at least 4-6 weeks to grow to this size in my seedling pots.  Wow!

A 7" tall, very healthy looking volunteer tomato plant. Day 2 after discovery (not more than 5 days old).

The only problem with this volunteer tomato plant is that the season is pretty much over.  And how the heck did the seed get into my bucket in the first place?  I did not put any seeds in the buckets and the soil had never been used before.  I don't put seedy plants like tomatoes in my compost (so nothing starts growing in there)

The only thing I can think of is that the birds must have dropped it there and it grew!  Let me explain...Earlier in the spring, I threw out lots of sunflower seeds, wild bird seed, and some chicken scratch on a flat area in front of our property so it would grow and could be cultivated for my chickens to eat, but before I could get them covered and watered, the birds swooped in and carried them away.  Then a few weeks later we discovered corn growing wild near where I spread the seeds, and up the hill from our property.  I also found a sunflower growing in the middle of my raised planter on the back patio, but I did not plant it there or drop any seeds anywhere near that area.  (see the pick below)  So the birds must have dropped a seed while flying over our house. 

So that must be how this tomato seed got into one of my buckets.  What are the odds of that?  Pretty slim I would say. 

Surprise sunflower growing in my flower bed -birds dropped it there.

This excites me about the potential of using Alaska Grow Buckets and the soil-less soil mix because this little tomato plant looks healthier than any one I've ever grown before.  So, back to the discovery of this little tomato plant...as I said, the day after discovering this little guy, we were to leave for our 10 day trip to Colorado.  I wasn't sure how much water the monsoon rains would bring while we were gone and the irrigation system was not yet set up for the Alaska Grow Buckets, so I put the bucket into the middle of my mint bush and stuck the tiny irrigation line for the mint into the bottom wholes on the bucket.  This would keep plenty of water available for the tomato plant and the excess would run out the side holes and into the mint -so everyone would be happy. 

Volunteer Tomato in my Alaskan Grow Bucket sitting in the Mint Patch.

Visitor to the mint patch - a Tarantula Wasp. Scary but they are only interested in Tarantulas.

Upon returning 10 days later, this is what it looks like.  WOW, what a lot of growth.

Day 12 after discovery (not more than 15 days old).

Then 1 week after that, look at the growth!  And its not even been that warm here (compared to earlier in the summer).  I think it's time to build a cage for this tomato. 

Day 19 after discovery (not more than 22 days old).

I will bring this little survivor indoors (to my seedling growing room) once it gets too cool to grow outside, and see what it grows into.  It's such a mystery, I don't even know what kind of tomato it is.

Have you ever had the wild birds help you plant a garden? What did you get?

Chicken Lady's Pick of FREE eBooks! (9/27/14)

It's suppose to be a very stormy day here in Arizona today.  Heavy rains, thunderstorms, maybe even a couple of tornado's...wow, that would be something!  To me this translates into a fabulous day of staying in my jammies all day and reading a good book.  Take a look below to see if you can find a great book to curl up with on this stormy day (if its not storming where you live...just pretend you are here).  So here we go...today's list of the Chicken Lady's Pick of FREE eBooks, enjoy!

[Authors Note: I am always very open about the fact that links on my blog may be an affiliate link, (see my Full Disclosure here.) especially links to Amazon (because I am an Amazon affiliate), however I would never promote a product or service that I didn't think was a great value to myself and my readers.  To create even more transparency, (and to make my work just a little easier when putting these Free eBook posts together), I'm going to try using an Amazon-labeled image so you know for sure its an affiliate link.  You don't have to use my links to buy a product at Amazon, but if you do, you are supporting my blog with a teeny tiny commission.  And I will be ever so grateful!]

If you are new to this series, each Tuesday & Saturday I will be posting the Chicken Lady's Pick of FREE eBooks!  I will include books that I am personally purchasing, in my favorite genre's like non-fiction, books based on a true story, or fiction that seems non-fiction, self-help, autobiographies, true-crime, cook books sometimes, and children's books.  I will also be including some books that are not necessarily my kind of books, like sci-fi, romance novels, and books about sports, as long as they have very high reviews on Amazon.  Sometimes I will include books that are not free to all, but will be Free for you if you have a KindleUnlimited subscription. [Learn more about it & get a Free 30 day trial here.] Please leave me a comment if you like this series of posts as it will encourage me to continue bringing you a new list of FREE eBooks twice each week!

You don't have to have an Amazon Kindle to Read Kindle eBooks.

Here are today's 'Chicken Lady's Pick of FREE eBooks'

[*BEFORE PURCHASING* Please look at the price of the book before you purchase it.  These books were listed as $0.00 at the time of this post, but this is usually a short term promotion and then they go back to the full price.] 

Retired homicide detective Thomas Prescott is reluctant to read the best selling book Eight in October, a true-crime thriller based on a string of murders occurring throughout October of the past year. After all, it was his case, and he doesn t need to be reminded of the gruesome details. The book dubbed the serial killer, Tristen Grayer, The MAINEiac. Grayer is allegedly dead, but only Prescott knows the truth, Grayer is alive and lurking in the shadows. On October 1st, the anniversary of the first murder, Tristen resurfaces, killing someone special from Prescott's past. Suddenly, it s deja vu for Prescott except this time the women closest to him begin to fall victim at the hands of Grayer. With the help of former flame, medical examiner Dr. Caitlin Dodds, and Eight in October author, Alex Tooms, Prescott must race against the clock to stop Tristen from completing his encore.

~~~~~~~

[This Kindle eBook edition has been completely revised and updated with new content including recent interviews with James "Whitey" Bulger and a new chapter on Mickey Cohen.]

*NOTE: This book contains graphic depictions of crime and prison violence.

Alcatraz Island was home to some of the nation's most notorious criminals. Prisoners include Al Capone, Mickey Cohen, James "Whitey" Bulger, George "Machine Gun" Kelly, Robert Stroud- the Birdman of Alcatraz, Alvin Karpis, Henri Young, John and Clarence Anglin, and Roy Gardner. In Michael Esslinger's latest book, Letters From Alcatraz, the prisoners' stories come to life in their own words. With over twenty years of research, Esslinger, author of Alcatraz: Definitive History of the Penitentiary Years, has salvaged and compiled an extraordinary collection of inmates' letters, many never before published.

Letters from Alcatraz Includes:

• A foreword by former Alcatraz Officer: Larry Quilligan
• Over 280 photos depicting inmates and the prison workforce
• Over 125 letters and original correspondence from inmates both on-and-off the Rock

** This book is also available for Free with your Kindle Unlimited subscription. Learn more

~~~~~~~

THE ASTONISHING TRUE STORY of a group of thirty-two boys and leaders who accomplished an amazing feat in 1972, when they rode their bicycles from Wood Dale, Illinois to Jacksonville, Florida. It was a simpler time--a common sense two-pedal world with realistic adventures, and everyday heroes. An innocence was lost when twenty-six young boys in a small rural town set out to accomplish something bigger than themselves. 

   

Their journey of nearly 1,400 miles would take them through eight states, crossing over the Great Smoky Mountains. It was a tremendous achievement--one that would be hailed as the longest organized bike hike in the history of Scouting.

** This book is also available for Free with your Kindle Unlimited subscription. Learn more

~~~~~~~

Confidence is lacking in a plain little girl when she arrives in a new town alone. The townspeople are astonished, “My, she’s plain!” But, of course they were normal. They were colored folks like you’d find anywhere. They were blue. They were green. They were orange. They were red. They were spotted and dotted on their bodies, hair, and heads. They were striped and plaid and flowered and checked. They were abstract and camouflaged and arrowed and flecked.

Jane appealed to their kindness, hoping that there might be anyone who would take her in… someone who would not consider her plainness a sin.
They take her in all right, but decide to change her, fix her, make her bright.
There follows a debate over which one of their designs she should be. But at the big 4th of July celebration, she comes to a great revelation and decides, “The only way I can be special, the only way I can be unique, is to be me. That’s what I think… even if it’s as plain as plain can be.”

Great fun, adorable illustrations, and tongue-twisting rhymes add to the delight of this story.

** This book is also available for Free with your Kindle Unlimited subscription. Learn more

NOTE ABOUT KINDLES & AMAZON: By the way, you do not need a Kindle device to read Kindle books, you can download the Kindle app to your Laptop, Desktop, Smartphone, iPad and just about any smart devices.  You will need an Amazon account to purchase the free books.  Sign-up is super easy if you don't already have one.  To get a Free book you have to go through the purchase process even though the price is $0.00.  You will need a method of payment on file with Amazon, but they will not charge your card to 'purchase' a free ebook. 

*This was an unpaid, unsolicited post about the products shown above that I have purchased myself.  Neither the authors nor the publishers have asked me to include their books in this post.  The first image in this post today is courtesy of adamr at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.  I have included Affiliate links in this post, please see my Full Disclosure here.

Keeper of 1 husband, 3 dogs, 
3 cats, and 17 Chickens!

 .

Today's List of the Chicken Lady's Pick of FREE eBooks! (9/23/14)

Ok, I totally missed the Saturday post...I just got back from being in Colorado for 10 days and got my days totally mixed up.  I thought Saturday was Friday, then by the time I realized I was messed up was it was too late to post it.  So here we go...today's list of the Chicken Lady's Pick of FREE eBooks, enjoy!

[Authors Note: I am always very open about the fact that links on my blog may be an affiliate link, (see my Full Disclosure here.) especially links to Amazon (because I am an Amazon affiliate), however I would never promote a product or service that I didn't think was a great value to myself and my readers.  To create even more transparency, (and to make my work just a little easier when putting these Free eBook posts together), I'm going to try using an Amazon-labeled image so you know for sure its an affiliate link.  You don't have to use my links to buy a product at Amazon, but if you do, you are supporting my blog with a teeny tiny commission.  And I will be ever so grateful!]

If you are new to this series, each Tuesday & Saturday I will be posting the Chicken Lady's Pick of FREE eBooks!  I will include books that I am personally purchasing, in my favorite genre's like non-fiction, books based on a true story, or fiction that seems non-fiction, self-help, autobiographies, true-crime, cook books sometimes, and children's books.  I will also be including some books that are not necessarily my kind of books, like sci-fi, romance novels, and books about sports, as long as they have very high reviews on Amazon.  Sometimes I will include books that are not free to all, but will be Free for you if you have a KindleUnlimited subscription. [Learn more about it & get a Free 30 day trial here.] Please leave me a comment if you like this series of posts as it will encourage me to continue bringing you a new list of FREE eBooks twice each week!

You don't have to have an Amazon Kindle to Read Kindle eBooks.

Here are today's 'Chicken Lady's Pick of FREE eBooks'

[*BEFORE PURCHASING* Please look at the price of the book before you purchase it.  These books were listed as $0.00 at the time of this post, but this is usually a short term promotion and then they go back to the full price.] 

Blind Descent: 
Alone and blind at 29,000 feet!
Former Navy rescue swimmer Brian Dickinson was roughly 1,000 feet from the summit of Mount Everest—also known as “the death zone”—when his Sherpa became ill and had to turn back, leaving Brian with a difficult decision: should he continue to push for the summit, or head back down the mountain? After carefully weighing the options, Brian decided to continue toward the summit—alone. Four hours later, Brian solo summited the highest peak in the world. But the celebration was short-lived. After taking a few pictures, Brian radioed his team to let them know he had summited safely, and got ready to begin his descent. Suddenly, his vision became blurry, his eyes started to burn, and within seconds, he was rendered almost completely blind. All alone at 29,035 feet, low on oxygen, and stricken with snow blindness, Brian was forced to inch his way back down the mountain relying only on his Navy survival training, his gut instinct, and his faith. In Blind Descent, Brian recounts—in fantastic detail—his extraordinary experience on Everest, demonstrating that no matter how dire our circumstances, there is no challenge too big for God.

~~~~~~~

Brian Meeks could write for The Onion, so sublime is his snark. Those who profess to love, and disdain, social media will finally find common ground in "Underwood, Scotch and Wry." Finally, a social media satire for the rest of us!
     -Shonali Burke President & CEO of Shonali Burke Consulting

As someone who works in social media, Arthur entering the digital world is a great study on human behavior and the fear many have about the practicality of using the Internet. Though it's fiction, Meeks provides a fun and fascinating read on how the social networking world truly works and the nuances that underline a friendship you make online. That and the Chicago Cubs make a few appearances, which makes me love the book even more. Join the world of a professor who is trying to figure out the online world before his students make him look bad.
     -Gini Dietrich, CEO of Arment Dietrich, author of Spin Sucks and co-author of Marketing in the Round

~~~~~~~

"Moving at a fast clip…the narrative explores many weighty issues…which Sharry covers with insight and finesse. …the tale becomes quite gripping as the details of past mysteries unfold. A nostalgic romance, rich with Portuguese culture and a few surprising twists at the end." KIRKUS REVIEWS.

Renata Raposo is struggling to make a new life on Cape Ann when stranger Mark Valente appears with a journal kept by his uncle, Peter Ahearn, almost forty years ago. It chronicles Peter's isolated life as keeper of a nearby lighthouse, his passionate and dangerous love affair with the young Renata…and an astonishing confession.

But Mark is stunned when the Portuguese beauty denies everything, dismissing the writings as merely the fantasies of a lonely, broken man. Now Mark is left to question whether anything his uncle wrote...including the confession...is true. He must connect past to present, and piece together a picture of what really happened decades before. And he must grapple with his own burgeoning infatuation with the now middle-aged, mysterious Renata.

~~~~~~~

What's It Like to Be Married to Me? is about knowing the difference between having a desire for a better marriage and setting the goal of a better marriage—as readers look in the mirror to see how they can change.

Bestselling author Linda Dillow understands that most women want more from their marriage but don't know how to get it. In What's It Like to Be Married to Me?, Dillow challenges readers to ask the riskiest questions: What is is like to be married to me? What is it like to make love with me? Why do I want to stay mad at you? 

Extremely intimate and honest, What's It Like to Be Married to Me? is not a book about marriage at all. It is a book about how to live out marriage, day-by-day and year-by-year, and watch who you become as a wife impact the intimacy in your marriage!

~~~~~~~

You won’t believe how fast and easy it is to create delicious, decadent, single-serve desserts!

As it turns out, your microwave is great for more than just heating up leftovers. Inside Desserts From Your Microwave, you’ll find dozens of recipes for baking your favorite desserts using your kitchen’s ultimate quick-cooking tool. In minutes, whip up:
• Cakes in mugs
• Cheesecakes in mason jars
• Single-serve and full-size pies and tarts
• Delicious homemade fudge
• Cookies for one
• And much more!

Hosting a get-together? Create an individual dessert for each of your guests—they’ll love it! Microwave baking is much faster and more energy-efficient than conventional baking and gives you the freedom to experiment without waste. Enjoy!

NOTE ABOUT KINDLES & AMAZON: Buy the way, you do not need a Kindle device to read Kindle books, you can download the Kindle app to your Laptop, Desktop, Smartphone, iPad and just about any smart devices.  You will need an Amazon account to purchase the free books.  Sign-up is super easy if you don't already have one.  To get a Free book you have to go through the purchase process even though the price is $0.00.  You will need a method of payment on file with Amazon, but they will not charge your card to 'purchase' a free ebook. 

*This was an unpaid, unsolicited post about the products shown above that I have purchased myself.  Neither the authors nor the publishers have asked me to include their books in this post.  The first image in this post today is courtesy of adamr at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.  I have included Affiliate links in this post, please see my Full Disclosure here.

Keeper of 1 husband, 3 dogs, 
3 cats, and 17 Chickens!

 .

Miss Hollywood Graduated Puppy Obedience Training Class! Yay!

Yes! My baby has graduated from Puppy Basic Home Manners Obedience Class!  And she was even voted 'the most improved'...you automatically win that honor when the first class goes something like this:

Dog is over stressed walking through the downtown city area, because she lives in a very rural community and see's maybe 3 cars a week, and never saw a bicyclist before in her life -until one sped past her just as she is entering the first class.

Dog is so distracted by all these new dogs and their people that she has never seen before.

Dog gets so excited about said people that she pee's all over the floor -that mommy has to clean up.

Dog (repeatedly) tears down the barrier that the instructor puts up to hopefully block out said distractions.

Dog mommy gets upset that dog is acting like she was rescued from a cave the day before.

Dog gets so upset because mommy is upset that she develops the screaming diarrhea -that again mommy has to clean up.

Dog has to be removed out the back door to finish 'squirting'.

Dog comes back in 20 minutes later, still stressed, but calmer -or at least with an empty bowel.  Mommy is now so upset she is crying.  Dog and mommy sit out the last 15 minutes of the class because..."whats the use?"

So, after a one-on-one with the instructor before class number 2, dog and mommy are ready to start again.

Hollywood did very well with her lessons after that first horrific class, and went on to graduate from the class by performing a few tasks combined into real life activities...and doing them well.

I was so proud of her!

And I'm so thankful for the Awesome instructor Kathy -for her patients, understanding, and guidance.

Me & Hollywood (left), Kathy (center), my daughter & Bear (right)

Yay Miss Hollywood!  We will take a few months break for the holiday months, while honing our skills, then I think we may just take some additional classes to build on what she has learned so far.

Keeper of 1 husband, 3 dogs, 
3 cats, and 17 Chickens!

The Chicken Lady's Pick of FREE eBooks! (09/16/14)

If you are new to this series, each Tuesday & Saturday I will be posting the Chicken Lady's Pick of FREE eBooks!  I will include books that I am personally purchasing, in my favorite genre's like non-fiction, books based on a true story, or fiction that seems non-fiction, self-help, autobiographies, true-crime, cook books sometimes, and children's books.  I will also be including some books that are not necessarily my kind of books, like sci-fi, romance novels, and books about sports, as long as they have very high reviews on Amazon.  Sometimes I will include books that are not free to all, but will be Free for you if you have a KindleUnlimited subscription. [Learn more about it & get a Free 30 day trial here.] Please leave me a comment if you like this series of posts as it will encourage me to continue bringing you a new list of FREE eBooks twice each week!

[Authors Note: I am always very open about the fact that links on my blog may be an affiliate link, (see my Full Disclosure here.) especially links to Amazon (because I am an Amazon affiliate), however I would never promote a product or service that I didn't think was a great value to myself and my readers.  To create even more transparency, (and to make my work just a little easier when putting these Free eBook posts together), I'm going to try using an Amazon-labeled image so you know for sure its an affiliate link.  You don't have to use my links to buy a product at Amazon, but if you do, you are supporting my blog with a teeny tiny commission.  And I will be ever so grateful!]

You don't have to have an Amazon Kindle to Read Kindle eBooks.

Here are today's 'Chicken Lady's Pick of FREE eBooks'

[*BEFORE PURCHASING* Please look at the price of the book before you purchase it.  These books were listed as $0.00 at the time of this post, but as I mentioned earlier, this is usually a short term promotion and then they go back to the full price.] 

70-something Oreny “Big” Johnson has a problem. Actually, he has two. Or maybe three. The first is that he’ll be dead from cancer, less than a year, which doesn’t particularly concern him: “The things I’ve been through, dying is just one more page in a long bad book.” But spending his last living days, taking his last living breath, behind steel bars does. That’s the second problem: Inmate #78903 in the notorious level-four Washington State prison known as Horseneck Bay.

Then there’s the money. Two million dollars of stolen military payroll, supposedly buried in some remote and mysterious south-Texas mountain range called Los Despoblados, or The Uninhabited, which sounds to Oreny like one of those places his mama Maybell always told him to avoid. But he’ll worry about that later. He has to get there first. Problem number three.

That’s when he brings those two smoldering dynamite sticks he’s attached himself to—his Luke-boy and Jaime—on board to help his tired old body break out of Horseneck and go dig up that money and then hightail it across the border into Mexico. And when they do break out, and Luke decides to bring his girlfriend Lauren along, and her enraged ex comes after them, and then the manhunt starts multiplying faster around them than those cancer cells inside him, Oreny still thinks he can control them. The problems, that is. At least, until Cade arrives.

Cade, the prison investigator Oreny knows is dangerous and unpredictable as a six-foot-two wolverine on eight gallons of adrenalin gone bad. And who won’t stop until he catches them and does to them what Cade does best. Cade, Oreny knows better than anything else, is their biggest problem of all.

** This book is also available for Free with your KindleUnlimited subscription. Learn more

~~~~~~~

Warning: This children's book may instigate lots of laughter. And help your child to learn to use that wonderful thing they all possess, their imagination. And who knows, it may even grab the attention of reluctant readers too.

Whitney Wallace loves her family but she thinks they're all soooooo boring. Then one snowy day something happens and Whitney is left to go off on adventures all her own - all by herself.  What will she discover that wonderful snowy day? And even more importantly, will she learn that her family is not quite as boring as she originally thought? Read on to find out what happens next. 

** This book is also available for Free with your KindleUnlimited subscription. Learn more

~~~~~~~

Detour from Normal is the gut-wrenching true story of a respected engineer and devoted family man who, due to complications from life-saving surgery and medications, is driven to insanity. After he tragically loses touch with reality, a whirlwind of visits to hospital emergency rooms and behavioral health facilities ensues. His loving wife is ultimately forced to make the unthinkable decision to commit him to a high-security psychiatric ward. There, he is branded “persistently and acutely disabled” and “a danger to himself and others.” That man is author Ken Dickson, and this is the fascinating story of his journey into and out of madness.

Detour from Normal is more than a sharing of the pitfalls of our medical and mental health systems. It is a story of two people deeply in love, but torn apart by fate. It is an eye opening introduction to the stigma of mental illness. It is a personal run-in with the poor, broken souls trapped in our mental health system that at one moment provokes shock, and the next, laughter. It is a rich and varied exploration of our humanity.
** This book is also available for Free with your KindleUnlimited subscription. Learn more

~~~~~~~

When Leigh Benoit returns home to Louisiana for the funeral of her brother and his wife, she becomes increasingly concerned about the welfare of her orphaned niece, Lyla. She is prompted by her grandmother, Clothilde, to move back to take care of her. Leigh has no desire to take on any responsibility, and being home again brings back painful memories. At the funeral, Leigh’s childhood friend, Detective Lucas Castille, tells her the mysterious details of the accident that killed her brother and his wife. Lucas’ young son has dreams of a Dark Man who wishes to harm Lyla. Leigh begins to have similar dreams. She struggles with her rational mind but vows to protect her niece. Soon, she finds out there is more to the story and more to her grandmother than she thought.

** This book is also available for Free with your KindleUnlimited subscription. Learn more


NOTE ABOUT KINDLES & AMAZON: Buy the way, you do not need a Kindle device to read Kindle books, you can download the Kindle app to your Laptop, Desktop, Smartphone, iPad and just about any smart devices.  You will need an Amazon account to purchase the free books.  Sign-up is super easy if you don't already have one.  To get a Free book you have to go through the purchase process even though the price is $0.00.  You will need a method of payment on file with Amazon, but they will not charge your card to 'purchase' a free ebook. 

*This was an unpaid, unsolicited post about the products shown above that I have purchased myself.  Neither the authors nor the publishers have asked me to include their books in this post.  The first image in this post today is courtesy of adamr at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.  I have included Affiliate links in this post, please see my Full Disclosure here.

Keeper of 1 husband, 3 dogs, 
3 cats, and 17 Chickens!

 .