Autumn in Florida; a time when a man's fear of heat stroke wanes and thoughts turn to the construction of a moderately sized chicken coop. This is the update that few have been waiting for. The concrete block compost foundation has been laid and the framing is well underway. I hope that the future chickens will come to appreciate the asthetics and avian comfort I have created, alas, the fickle chicken.
Interestingly and slightly menacing is the sharp cry of two hawks that seem to be anticipating the arrival of fresh chickens. Luckily our resident crows have been harassing them. The migratory and not so migratory birds (tufted titmice, vireos, chickadees and mockingbirds) have been announcing their arrival at our feeder and bath.
Witness to the construction is Lula and her more-ever-present boyfriend, whom we refer to as "lula's boyfriend." They engage in mock civil war battles much to the delight of no one. Lula proudly represents the Union.
Due to a rather dry spring/summer our love bug explosion never really happened, but there was a small swarm that seemed attracted to NPR. Clearly, these are godless humanist insects with a penchant for Terry Gross.
The construction continues with post-workday framing and a considerable amount of self inflicted wounds. While building the trussing my antique circular saw finally died. I consider myself a preservationsist, but I am glad this beast is gone. It had two features that I will miss: it weighed about 40 lbs. and it provided random electric shocks. Now, I'm guided by lasers.
