Tuesday 22 May 2012

A Splendid Day!

Today has been a splendid day!  I woke up about 5 am this morning and enjoyed a hot drink and watched the day come.

This is my favorite time of day.  Early mornings.  The morning was a foggy one, but when I could see the sky it was a light powdery blue with gorgeous peach clouds for a few minutes.  I like watching the fog.  After I had my hot drink and read my book for a bit the kids got up and we got ready to take them to the bus.

Mornings like this morning makes up for all those rainy ones.  Beautiful.  The river still had fog on it and I can't help but feel very privileged to live my life style in which I must cross the river every morning aboard the little ferry.  I truly love it.

Looking down towards Kitselas Mountain, you can see the fog rising off the river as the sun kisses the mountain.

The sun rises over Bornite Mountain up river.

We cross in the morning as foot passengers.  I love the sound of the river.  Looking back across towards home.

There is something about the mist in the trees which makes one feel at peace.

The River isn't as high as it normally is this time of year.   This worries me, as it means that all that snow up there on our lovely mountain hasn't been doing the melting we would like to see.  The river is about 2 meters lower then it usually is most years.  I've been a little worried that the melt will hold off until we get a hot spell in June (that's what happened in 2007).  We had lots of snow last winter and it all has to come down.  I was just reading on the Rivers Forcast Center site that the snow pack for the Skeena/Nass region was at 158%, which is very high.

As a precaution, I've been emptying our basement.  Packing everything up to our upper story of our house.  Last time it flooded we had about 7 ft of water in our basement, so I don't dare leave anything in it.  My legs are sore today from all the packing I did yesterday, but I am getting closer to getting everything moved.  It may flood.  It may not flood.  Who knows what this spring will bring, but I feel it doesn't hurt to be prepared. 

Our lives out here depend a lot on what the river is doing.

This morning I sat outside and watched the mountain for a while.  This is my absolute favorite time of year.  The mountain comes alive from her slumber and you can hear little avalanches, and if you are lucky you can see the snow sliding off her faces.  I seen a few really nice slides, which look like long with water falls.  By the time I went in to get my camera the biggest had already finished coming down.  I did catch this little one.

We had a frost a few days ago, and when the sun rose, it turned to beautiful drops of water edging the Lady's Mantle.

Cherry Blossom are Blooming.

Of course, who could look at a delicate Forget Me Not and not appreciate it's beauty?

Even the cat loves a sunny day!

You can see some brown area's on the snow where there has been little avalanches come down.


Sunday 20 May 2012

Herbert The Snail Strikes A Pose

A few weeks back, while we were burning some brush, this little snail caught my eye.  Needless to say, I had to stop and watch him go.  They really are quite a pretty creature.

He brought to mind a little song that my Mom would sing to us when we were little and used to get impatient for things.  I can't remember all the words, but it went something like this:

When Herbert was a little Snail,
He often got in trouble.
Forgetting that he was a snail,
He did things on the double.

Crash through every spiders web,
With crickets he'd collide.
Then one day his Father took his speeding son aside.
He said:

Have patience.  
Have patience.
Don't be in such a hurry.
When you get impatient,
You only start to worry.  

Remember,
Remember,
That God is patient too,
And think of all the times
when others had to wait for you.












Saturday 19 May 2012

This Winters Avalanche Pictures ~ Sequence Shots

I've been meaning to post these pictures for quite a while now.  These were actually taken March 23rd, so I guess it was technically spring.   What a beautiful day it had turned out to be.  Just the kind of day that is perfect to watch them blast the snow off the mountain.  

I had my niece staying over and my girls and I all went out and stood near the tracks in front of the house to watch the show.  

The explosives were dropped off a helicopter onto the face of the mountain.  First you see a little plume of dark smoke, then seconds later the sound hits you and you could hear a huge BANG!  Then the snow starts to tumble down the mountain.  Of course this was all very exciting for the kids, and as they watched the cloud of snow grow they were a little worried it might reach us.  But of course we were at a very safe distance. 

Still, it is a wonderful sight to behold!  It's one of my favorite things about winters out here.











I took this picture before they started blasting.  

This is after they blasted.  You can see not as much of the cornus came off as they would have liked.

What a view!  


Culled All Our Poultry ~ Mycoplasma

It is my belief that I contacted this disease this spring when I brought in a bunch of chicks from else where.  After I had the chicks for about 10 days, I noticed a very sick little cochin chick who had very puffy gummy eyes.  I thought it was an eye infection so, I tried to clear it up with antibiotic eye drops.  Well, the eye drops did nothing to clear it up.  Soon I noticed the same symptoms in some of my other chicks.  Then chicks started dying.  I lost 11 of the shipped cochins first to this, and it also spread to my own chicks that I hatched which were very active and healthy until the shipped birds were added.  It also spread to my meat birds and to my turkey poults.

Their symptoms were:

Eye and Nasal Discharge
Sneezing
Coughing
Wet gurgly sounding breathing
Lack of appetite
Swelling of the sinuses and around the eyes.
And tissue swelling and red in the corners of the eyes.

I thought I would include some pictures to show what some of the chicks looked like.

In this chick you can see how the face is swollen.  It's all puffy about the eyes and sinuses.  In some cases the eyes are sticky and glued shut so that they can not see.

The chick stands all hunched up and ill looking.  Eyes only partially open.  Not showing much interest in eating or drinking.  Chicks cough and sneeze.


You can see this chick has been rubbing it's eyes on it's shoulders.  You could also see nasal discharge.

I'd been medicating this chick, but even so you can see that the corners of it's eyes are inflamed, red and visible.


The Turkeys had lots of swelling around the eyes and sinuses.  They eyes also were gummy with discharge around them.

In some of the eyes you can see how watery they are.  Also bubbles are present in the eyes.

You can see just how much they eyes are swollen under them.  Some of them had swelling in one or both eyes.  Because of the shine, wet looking discharge the turkeys pecked at it hence the wound above the beak. (probably spreading it further...)


After loosing several of the cochins, some of my own hatched and some turkeys, I sent in 2 turkeys and 3 chicks to be tested.  These birds had to be freshly culled and sent with icepacks to the Animal Health in Abottsford to have a postmortem and tests done on them.  To cull them I used the cervical dislocation method, which is fairly quick and bloodless, since they want the bodies intact.  So I culled, packed and sent off the birds.

A day or two after they received the birds I received a message that there was Mycoplasma present.  I spoke with the vet over the phone and he confirmed that Mycoplasma was indeed present in our Turkeys.  He hadn't gotten the test results back from my chicks that I sent in yet.  I had been medicating the chicks so he said that it would be hard to detect it in them since the symptoms had been cleared up.  It was agreed that since my turkeys had it for sure, and they had been in contact with my entire flock older chickens, chicks and guinea fowl that everything was exposed to it and it would be best to cull it all, clean house and start over in about a month or so (I decided to wait a year before starting again.)

Mycoplasma is a contagious respiratory disease that poultry can get.  It's a chronic' disease, and even though the birds can and most times do survive this, they remain carriers and can pass it on to other birds.  They can pass this on through coughing, sneezing, dust, eggs and semen.  Incubation period for it is 10 - 21.  This disease is fairly common apperently.  But as someone who breeds and sells poultry, I felt that it would be unfair of me to keep my birds and risk infecting anyone elses.  

You can read about Mycoplasma here:  

So last week I culled all my poultry.  This was an awful thing to do.  I still feel horrible when I think on it.  It's one thing to cull a badly injured or dying bird that you know is suffering horribly.  But it's an entirely differnt thing top pick up a bird bird that looks perfectly healthy and end it's life.  I know that even though they look healthy they could be carrying mycoplasma and pass it on to anyother poultry that I bring here.  But it doesn't make it any easier.  Many of these birds are ones I have raised since they were either eggs or day old chicks.  Most of the older ones were pets.  I was very attached.  

I also used Cervical dislocation to do this.  How I did it was to take the bird,  Hold it to calm it.  Grasp the feet in one hand, support the body in the other and lower the bird so that it is upside down with it's chest and neck laying on the ground before you.  Place a broom handle across the back of the neck behind the head, step on the broom handle quickly one foot on either side of the head and quickly and smoothy pull up on the feet.  Pull up until you feel the neck give.  This dislocates the neck, and ruptures the blood vessels in the neck.  It is supposed to be painless since it also severs the spinal cord (but who's to say just what the bird feels).  I couldn't bear to see the birds flop around so I held them as they passed.  After all these were my pets and it broke my heart to do each one.  (See, I still tear up when I think of it.)

After I finished culling, I made a big  pile of brush and dry fire wood and got the fire going good and hot, then burnt almost all of the chickens, except for my daughters 2 favorites.  My daughter wanted to bury them, so I felt that this would be a good way to perhaps bring her some closure too.  We dug a hole by a cedar tree, lined the grave in ferns, placed the little hen and rooster in and covered them in more ferns.  RIP little Millie and Little Peep.

After I thought I was pretty much done culling and burning, I was going to go into the house, but thought I would do one last egg check to see if any were missed earlier (and I guess just to go into the empty hen house and say a silent good bye).  While I was standing in there, I heard a cluck.  Yes, a cluck coming from outside in the pen.  I couldn't believe it and almost thought I was hearing things.  I went out to the pen, and out from behind some glass windows leaned up comes one last Blue Laced Red Wyandotte hen.  It was almost like one of those bad dreams when you think that it can't get any worse, and then it does.  She comes running over to me.  Oh my!  Here I was thinking that I was finished killing and the worst was done and over with and out comes this last bird.  So I picked her up. Sat on a bucket.  Held her and had a serious cry.  I never imagined in my life that I would have to kill anything.  Let alone chickens which I love.  It was so tempting to keep her, sitting there with my face buried in her soft feathers.   But it needed to be done.  I did it, and probably that one last one is what stands out most in my mind now.

Anyways, all of my birds are gone.  Chickens, Turkeys and Guinea Fowl.  The yard is strangely quiet when you go out side.  We've had a few neighbors stop by and comment on the lack of birds about.  When offered condolences, I really don't know what to say.  

I have shoveled out the coops and am working on scrapping them down, then I will disinfect them.  I need to pick up one those car wash brushes that you can attach to a garden hose to help me scrub down things, and garden sprayer to spay disinfectant.  And so now the clean up begins.

When I do start over, I will try and just bring in hatching eggs and treat them with an egg dip of Tylan, which is supposed to kill any mycoplasma present in the eggs.  I will  be very careful with any new chicks brought in, keeping them separate  for at least 4 weeks to be sure they are healthy.

I have also bought a copy of The Chicken Health Handbook by Gail Damerow so I can look things up if anything shows it's self.

If nothing else this spring I have done a lot of research and learned quite a bit about this disease and about bio-security.  

Millie pigging out on cookies 



Saturday 5 May 2012

Donair Recipe


Today, seems like the perfect day to stay inside and make Donairs!  So I thought I would share the recipe as well as the recipes for Halifax Sweet Sauce and Tzatziki Sauce... after all, what is a donair with out the saucy goodness?

There was a place not to long ago that made donairs in Terrace, but from what friends and family told me who tried them and mine, my recipe is better.  I used to work in a donair stop about 13 years ago.  I loved them and had to find some way to fulfill that craving when the shop closed.


Donair Meat
3 lbs Lean Hamburger 
3/4 cup bread crumbs
1 -2 tsp Cayenne pepper
1 1/2 Oregano
3 tsp Paprika
2 tsp Onion Powder
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Salt
*sometimes I add bit extra spice.

Combine all ingredients, and knead for 20 minutes (yes, I actually do this).  Shape into 2 tightly formed loaves.  I use wax paper to help form the loaves.  I guess they are more log shaped.  Try not to leave air pockets in the meat.  Bake on broiler pan for 2-2 1/2 hours at 300* until done.  Cool.  Slice thin and reheat.  I sometimes (ok, most of the time), cant resist and slice off a sample or 2 before it is cool.  Just try and resist the smell.

Donair meat made into loaves and on a broiler pan.

Donair meat cooked.  Depending on the fat content in your meat, it will shrink up some.  

Sweet Donair Sauce (aka Halifax Sweet Sauce)
2/3 cup Canned Milk
2/3 cup Sugar
2 tbsp vinegar
1/2 tsp garlic

Stir milk, sugar and garlic powder ;until sugar is dissolved.  Slowly add vinegar a tiny bit at a time, while stirring slowly, until thickened.  Let sit 1 hour in fridge before serving.

Tzatziki Sauce

1/2 long English Cucumber
salt for sprinkling
2 cups plain yogurt
2 tsp vinegar
2 small cloves garlic pressed (I sometimes add a bit extra depending on the clove size.)
1 tbsp minced Dill (you can use dried)
salt and pepper to taste

Grate cucumber.  Place in colander and sprinkle lightly with salt and let stand for 30 minutes to pull out excess water.  Rinse and press dry between paper towel.  Whisk yogurt until smooth.  Stir in vinegar, grated cuc, garlic and dill.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Serve chilled.  Makes 2 1/12 cups.  This is an awesome dip to go with garlic pita, or garlic cheese pita.  YUM.

*Save a bit of time by first heating the meat a bit in the micro wave or wrapping the sliced stuff in tinfoil and heating it in the oven ahead of time.

Ok, so now
Things to put on your Donairs.
Pita or those mini pizza shells, or I love Nann bread.
Mozza Cheese,
Feta Cheese
Tomatoes
Onions
Peppers
Cucumbers
Hot banana peppers... it could go on and on...

So usually I wet the pita with water so it doesn't dry out to much, put it on a cookie sheet with some meat and cheese (mozza and feta) heat in oven until the cheese is melted. Then toss on some veggies and sauce of your choice.  Wrap it sort of like a burrito in tinfoil to keep the stuffing's and sauce from making to big of a mess.  Close your eyes, take a big bite, spit out tinfoil and enjoy.  Ok, just don't bite the tin foil.  (I like to spoon my sauce on as I eat it.)

Donairs waiting to go into the oven for a few minutes to melt the cheese.

All wrapped up and ready to eat!

Donair with Tzatziki on the left and Halifax Sweet Sauce on the right.

It's usually a big deal when I make them, because most of the family wants some and of course I like to share with friends.  We have a donair day.

I just want to add that you can use other meats besides ground beef.  We use moose meat quite often and it is awesome.  It does tend to be a little lean though, so you may want to add a little oil to your meat.  Today I am trying a mixture of Moose and some of our own Pork.