The Payoff.....

That's right. My cute little chirping peeps have turned into floofy, waddling 4-month old chickens. And now my three little redheads have started making me breakfast every morning!

Top: first egg, Bottom: store bought

The golf ball is to help the chicks
learn where to lay

the haul from the first 2 days....

Nothing better......

Courtyard drainage.....

So half my front yard is absolutely gorgeous. Low water, no mowing, minimal weeding and blooming away like a champ. The OTHER half has been, well........ bleh.

Granted, the torn up driveway doesn't help, but my biggest issue has been trying to solve a drainage issue stemming from the first incompetent contractor who worked on the courtyard and poured the slab 4 inches lower than planned. Thus, the drainage for the courtyard is a little outlet that was just below level with the yard. doh.

SO. The long stretch of wall visible above at the right side presented some issues. How to incorporate drainage without it looking like a giant drainage ditch. oh good,  a puzzle.

First we re-route some of the courtyard plumbing....

Then we start building concrete molds for curbing.....

The general idea was to try and make the drainage look like a dry desert wash or creek bed to fit in with my general garden theme from the other side of the yard. How it turns out.... still unknown.

I did discover that it is not easy for one person to do concrete work solo. I mixed the first section myself... pressed some river rock into the top as it set....

 
and then I wised up and asked my neighbors for help with the second and third sections....  This allowed me to finish the back curb and start planting some succulents in the dirt strip along the courtyard wall. To soften the edge and because I like succulents. alot.

I still have one more section of curb to pour and then gravel and cobble to place. Should be able to finish it up by the weekend.

Top of the drainage. Run-off from the courtyard comes out a small hole at the top right of the gravel section.

The front closet conversion

 When I bought it, two closets in the front room. left one backs on to the bathroom and had tons of water damage in the back wall.

After 4 different people worked on it.... Finally! A wall! and no trace of the doorframe! That space now belongs to the master bathroom. Which is still in progress......

Coop Zen

Still putting the finishing touches on the run (like doors. those are finishing touches, right?). But life with chickens is good. My girls and I are hangout buddies and they are LOVING poking around the run, looking for bugs and good eats. They are total om-nom-nivores.

The Green Coop Roof.

Is on and almost done.....

prepping to frame

frame done and ready to set

Frame on and ready to start layering.

adding perlite mix

adding plants!

chicken wire for stability and plants installed!

Start of the Green Roof

Finally have the time and resources to get started on putting the green roof on the coop!

More Chickens.

Because, lets face it, everything else that needs done in the house is on hold until the chickens are completely sorted out. Bathroom? Still gutted.  Living room wall? Still disaster. Front yard? don't want to talk about it.

So. Chickens.