Tonado Drill

Springtime--my favorite season! Trees bud, flowers bloom, and the terrain awakens from its winter slumber. I love this time of year--except for one "small" thing--the potential for tornadoes!

Yesterday, news reports of possible twister activities filled the local TV and radio stations. I took few minutes to prep the area where we and our grandsons would take cover should the need arise; then we rehearsed so they would know what to do if a "take cover" warning was issued.

"Tornado season" is generally in the spring with May and June being the peak months. Although I've lived in Arkansas for over 30 years, I've rarely seen tornado action--until last year! 2008 brought on more tornado activity in one season than I had seen in all my years in AR combined! The news revealed devastation just miles away as tornadoes hit parts of Arkansas relentlessly for months.

Everyone should know what to do if looking into the ugly face of a twister. Unlike storm chasers who caught amazing footage in last year's barrage of tornadoes in AR (Gilmore, AR, Northeast AR) I prefer to hunker down, take cover, and not chase monsters!

My grandsons spend every other weekend with us (the weeks that Cassie has chemo), so I wanted to ensure they knew exactly what to do if a warning was issued by the National Weather Service. We started by giving the tornado drill a two-word code called "Take Cover." At the "code words" the boys rehearsed exactly what to do. They practiced not "wasting time" or "asking questions" or "arguing" or "knocking each other over," but rather moving calmly but quickly toward the shelter. We even taught the dogs what to do if we say, "take cover."


Down the stairs they went from the upstairs den where they were hanging out toward the interior closet in the lower floor. They know to always move to the lowest level of a house.

Because most homes do not have basements here in NWA, an interior room or closet is the next best place to "take cover."












Boston led his younger brothers through the lower floor to the shelter.

The dogs naturally followed their "buddies" to the shelter. (Dogs and boys travel as a "pack" regularly anyway!)







Around the corner, past the kitchen and down the interior hall, the entourage marched in line to their assigned posts.

(They had fun "posing" for the pictures of their drill.)












Caden & Riley took their place in the closet under the stairs.

Because we knew earlier that the weather was threatening, we placed "sitting" and "head covering" pillows to await us in the closet if needed.

The dogs reluctantly took their place in a nook in this interior hall.




Boston took his place in the pantry closet right across from his brothers--just 4 feet away-- which left a place for Dennis and me in between them all.

During rehearsal, Boston ensured that there were pillows waiting for me and Papa as well. (So sweet!)







The closet always has flashlights, an emergency radio, bottled water, a first aid kit, and some "emergency snacks."

Even though I'm convinced that the chances of a tornado actually hitting our house is slim to none, I would never ignore or take any warning lightly. However, for entertainment and distraction during a "take cover" tornado warning, I keep healthy finger foods in the closet. I mean, why freak out when you can snack on nuts and dry fruit?

So now, we're prepared. Next time I say "take cover," the boys (and the dogs) know exactly what to do, where to go, and how to stay as safe as possible in the midst of a tornado.

Click here to learn about "myths" when taking cover.


Tornado Facts

• A tornado may be in close proximity to sunshine, or totally enshrouded in heavy rain.
• Sometimes the air before a twister has an eerie calm; sometimes strong, gusty winds are followed by a tornado.
• Large hail and tornadoes can be produced by the same thunderstorm although many times hailstorms are not accompanied by tornadoes.
• Often, tornadoes move from the SW direction, but they can travel from other directions too.
  
• Twisters can be many sizes or shapes: Wizard-of-Oz-like funnel, snake-like "multiple vortex" funnels, long rope-like shapes or wide, churning, "smoky"looking tornadoes
  
• It is said that a tornado sounds like a freight train or jet engine, but you may not hear these sounds until it is too late.

I'm sure Dorothy and Auntie Em would be proud of us for taking precautions against violent weather!

Moving Day

Building a Chicken House

Are you kidding me--a house for chickens?

We were inspired by the altered economy to attempt some self-sufficiency goals that had long been on the back burner. If we were going to start with a larger garden and some chickens for eggs this year and meat next year, then we felt that as good stewards of these animals, we needed to give them a home.

Only a few decent floor plans were available on the internet, so Dennis and I designed our own chicken house using the best ideas of all that we read.

Basing the size of the house on the number and type of chickens we planned to raise, we also allowed a little extra room for future growth or to add some Cornish meat birds next year. We selected a place away from the house but close to our tool shed.

Because lumber and plywood are generally in 8' lengths, we wanted little waste. We designed the dwelling to measure just under 8'X8' with a 2' slanted roof and constructed it with 6 nest boxes which we can access from outside the building. Several ventilation windows, a slide-down chicken door, a storm door to allow light but keep out rain and drafts were included in the plans.

Here is how we constructed our chicken house (can easily accommodate 22 Bantam chickens)

1) First, we created a “foundation” by laying and leveling 9 cinder blocks below the surface of the ground (one in each of the four corners and 1 in each of the 5 centers). We then constructed the footer out of 5 treated 4” X 4” X 8’ beams.

2) Using 5 treated 2” X 4” ‘s, we then nailed the floor joist across the footers.

3) Two additional 2 x 4's were cut to size and nailed between the joists for added floor support.

4) To finish the floor,we used two 4' X 8' sheets of treated plywood and nailed it to the prepared platform.

5) We built the frame of the first wall to include two 3' nesting boxes that would allow access to the nests from the outside. Forming the wall with a 2’ slant for rain drainage, the wall measured 8' in the front to 6' in the back. The nest wall took twelve 2 X 4's to construct.The back wall was then framed and measured 8'W X 6'H. We framed out 2 ventilation windows on this back wall (not shown in this photo) and used seven 2X4's to construct.

6) The 3^rd wall, of course, also had a 2’ slant that exactly mirrored the nest wall's outside measurements. We framed out a ventilation window on this wall as well and stapled heavy gauge mesh to all vent windows before hanging the plywood.

7) The final wall was measured to accommodate a 32” storm door. It is 8’ wide X 8’ high. After the four walls were up, we notched the studs out and inserted cross beams for added structural support. We also framed 2’ X 2’ ventilation windows on the back wall and another small ventilation window on the wall opposite the nest boxes.

8) After the walls were up and the nest access doors,ventilation windows, storm door, and chicken doors were framed out, we constructed the rafters for the roof, cut and hung the plywood and shingled the roof.

9) We planned the spacing between the shed and the chicken house to include a walk-in enclosed cage to keep young birds. The nest box wall has a small chicken door leading to this space. A second door option was built on the opposite wall to lead out to the 200' run; we’ll give them access to the “big boy” yard when they’re a little older and can stand up to small predators that might climb the fence (like our cats, Lucy & Ethel!)

10) The chicken dwelling is nestled in the small pine grove whose branches can, to some degree, conceal the birds from hawks and flying prey. A 4' high fence will hopefully deter other predators (like our and the neighbors' dogs) from entering the pen. If needed, we can consider adding a small line of electric wire 4" above ground level.

We didn't use treated plywood for the outside walls because we chose to prime and paint it instead. I know, I'm picky...I want my out-dwellings to match the shed and the house.

If the rain finally lets up, it will be "moving day" for our mid-sized chicks. As of today, they are still in the shed (in a refrigerator box); but the "natives" are getting restless, and it's time for them to fly the cardboard coop. Sadly, we'll do so knowing these egg laying feathered friends plan to decorate the interior with their droppings. Our work has only just begun!

(Maybe one will lay a golden egg!)

Bye Bye Birdies

Our twenty-two Bantam chicks are nearly 4 weeks old, and although they don't fully have their head feathers yet and still need to be in an environment of 70-75 degrees--off they went to the shed on Friday. Using a small space heater to ensure their warmth, we set them up in a refrigerator box in the shed. There's plenty of room--for now; however the chicks are growing at a rapid rate and will most certainly outgrow even this space within the next 2 weeks.

The "Red Old English Game" that Riley is holding has been his favorite since the beginning. She (at least we hope and think she's a pullet) started out looking like this: When fully grown, she will look like the sleek, colorful bird in this photo.

The chicks have been handled often since day one so that they will be used to people. This little beauty that Boston is holding is a "Buff Cochin" bantam. She is, so far, the friendliest of all the chicks and actually likes being handled. She started out looking like this and if we identified her correctly, she'll grow up to look like the plump, feathery-thighed hen pictured here.

Caden is the one who identified this curly feathered beauty. We know for certain that we have both a pullet and cockerel of this breed. They both started out looking like this, and each week their down became more reddish. As their feathers appeared, we discovered that they were incredibly curly! When they are full grown, they will look like the fluffy, frizzled feathered friends in this photo.

The boys and I are still trying to figure out how many pullets we have; I believe the pullets are outnumbering the cockerels by at least 6:1 (thank God!) We may be slow at knowing their gender, but my excellent "researchers" and have spent countless hours doing an amazing job at recognizing the varying breeds.


Early on, the boys identified the "Mottled Cochin" of which we definitely have a pullet and a cockerel. Just four weeks ago, the pair looked like this: From the start, they have been the bravest and most curious of all the chicks and will grow up to look like the fat, feather-footed speckled birds in this photo. Notice the beautiful green shiny feathers on them!

One of the most interesting and rare breeds of all is the "Sultan" bantam. I was really hoping that our "assorted pure breed" order would include at least one of these, as I have personally been most fascinated with them. To my delight, we've discovered that we have not one, but THREE! These little "feathered poodles" started out looking like this: and will grow up to look like the interesting, snow white birds in this photo. One of the most distinct ways that this bird can be accurately identified (as the boys' research taught us) is that this particular breed has five toes on each foot; their little faces have a vulture-like appearance, but they are very gentle and don't mind being handed at all. Quite honestly, I'm not certain if the Sultans are pullets or cockerels; they all look alike! I guess by July we'll know when each will either lay an egg or start to crow!

There are several other breeds we're still trying to identify. They resemble so many different breeds right now, that we're uncertain at this age. I've been really pleased with our vast assortment, and the boys and I are enjoying the journey. I loved hearing the new vocabulary of "chicken terminology" when Boston said "...we have a pullet and a cockerel mottled cochin..."

Dennis started building an 8' X 8' chicken house which will be completed soon if the weather allows. It'll have 8 nests which can hold 2-3 bantams each.
Before long, our once adorable little chicks will be crapping all over Dennis' hard work without so much as a thank you!

Pooping Little Peepers

I don't know why it's so darned fun to watch these little critters.

Every day after work, I sit on the floor outside the brooder and observe the chicks as they put on a show like they're on TV. The twenty-two fluff balls with wings try to fly; they run with all their might across the brooder; they practice "fighting;" they flick pine chips from one end of the box to the other; they stare at my camera with intense curiosity; they eat out of my hand.

You might think, "they're just dumb chickens!" Yet, believe it or not, each has a distinct and predictable personality.

Some are incredibly curious.

Some are quiet and reserved.

Some are clowns and are just fun to watch

Some are shy and reclusive.

All are pooping little peepers that I hope will grow up to give us an endless supply of fresh, healthy eggs. Until then, I'll be entertained.