Alaskan's Journal

[Alaskan]

Drier had a squeak.

Kid #5 took the entire thing apart, cleaned it up, could not find ANY reason for the squeak, so put it all back together....

Many hours of work.

Yeah.. squeak is still there.. quite a bit louder... but, at least it still runs.

 

[farmerjan]

Did everyone finally go home after the wedding???
Belt on drier maybe???

 

[Alaskan]

Kid #3 went home right after the reception. (I pretty much kicked him out... worried about him driving all the way home too late).

Family of bride left about 3 or so days after the wedding. Along with my wedding crashing older Sis and her son.

Married kid and bride...for their honeymoon they house sat for a friend, only about 30 minutes from my house. They left last week for college... son's last year. They are now applying for grad schools. (Son is going to grad school, wife is helping him apply).

Eldest son left yesterday for Seminary.

Kid #4 took over the house sitting job when son #2 and new bride left for Anchorage. So... I am not seeing Kid #4 much. Also... this is his first year of college. He will stay home and take classes locally for this year.

My mom is the last hold out... and she leaves Thursday.

So... currently... I am down to only ONE child!!!!

 

[Alaskan]

And... NO idea on the drier! The belt looked good.

I thought it was a "something" stuck in the edge. Kid #1 had done a load of clothes where he scooped up a bunch of dirty clothes and just stuffed everything into the washer and then drier. So... lids, gloves, all pocket contents...

Kid #1 has a very difficult time remembering to do such important steps.

So.. hummm.

We have so many other things on the to do list.... I hesitate to have kid #5 take it apart again.

 

[Baymule]

Your kids are all growing up and going about starting their lives. It must feel awfully quiet around there.

 

[Alaskan]

Your kids are all growing up and going about starting their lives. It must feel awfully quiet around there.

Yes!!!!!

 

[Mini Horses]

Yeah.. squeak is still there.. quite a bit louder... but, at least it still runs.

Have you checked the level of the unit? I'm thinking something just rubbing together, light friction.

 

[farmerjan]

My washer will "walk" a little when spinning... especially if it is jeans that don't balance out as well.... and gets against the freezer... got a piece of styrofoam between now to keep it from rubbing but sometimes it will squeak a little...

 

[Alaskan]

Yeah.... the issue... is I can't figure out why the rubbing/squeaking, and I can't figure out where it is rubbing/squeaking.

Even kid, with fully functioning ears, had no idea.

 

[Alaskan]

I am trying to clean out and spruce up the chicken coop complex (greenhouse, shed, red coop, and run) .... so we can toss everyone in there...

Everyone being all chickens (old hens and new chicks, I have decided to slaughter all old cocks), AND all ducks! In the past I have had both ducks and chickens in there, winter only...

the ducks are right now in summer only tractors... and that can last maybe only 1 more month. I had wanted to make huge upgrades to my other coops this summer... but it just didn't happen. In my end of season scramble, other things are more important (as in chicken run, goose run, and my garden fence!!!), so ducks will get a better setup next year... and stay squashed in tractors for one more month.

Actually, the 5 ducks in the green tractor are set up pretty nicely as to space. The TEN ducklings in the white tractor, are cramped!!! Silly babies keep growing. I am not sure where else to put them though...... the pond coop has my old chickens, and the bantam coop still hasn't been repaired after the bear. Also... the bantam coop isnt the best setup for ducks.

the geese are in my old duck coop and orchard.

So.... After 2 days of work I have the shed part of the coop complex nice and shiny...

I do think it needs some more bottom edge trim to keep out predators... and I haven't tacked back up the plastic ripple board that the bear tore down.

The red coop section still needs more cleaning...

And I need more coop "furniture".

I need at least 1 more perch, 2 would be better.

The red coop at one point had 2 poop shelves with perches. But... it made it feel very cramped. The red coop interior is a bit smaller than 8x8. A 3 feet walk way between the 2 poop shelves wasn't nice. I like it with just the single poop shelf.

The shed is 16x8, and has one 8 foot poop shelf with perch, and then a 6 foot play shelf.

I am thinking of just tossing a perch up in the rafters of the shed, skip the poopshelf.


I want to comb through our dump piles for something that I can use as a temporary poopshelf/play shelf in the greenhouse.

More layers will give everyone more space, and let the chickens avoid the ducks.

Hummm... maybe I need an elevated, chicken only feeding station.

I also want to put "stuff" in the run.

Not sure why I am over thinking it... I have had way larger numbers in that space in the past... and ducks with chickens in that space...

It is just I want it cleaner, better, and easier to maintain.

I have counted... once I kill off the extra males.. it will be 26 chickens. I am not yet sure on the duck number... the older set of ducks are 3 female, 2 male. The males have been named Dopey and Peanut. Dopey is mean... so as soon as he is a bit bigger we will happily eat him. One of the girls isn't as nice as the others... I can't decide if I am willing to overwinter her.

Of the 10 younger ducks... I am not yet sure about the sexes.

I would like to keep 3 males over the winter, and whichever girls are friendly and not an issue behaviorally. So... maybe a duck flock of 8?


Kid #5 has been working on expanding the run. Close to done. Next will be the expanded goose run, and then the garden fence.