Cross-Training

Didn't swim, bike or run this weekend. Not a bit.

Still lost a pound.

Woke up this morning and went to work on the chicken coop with a vengeance. Strung netting over the top, swept out the coop, filled the feeders, built a close-able gangplank from the indoor coop outside and swept out some hay. Then I got the chickens out of the bathroom.

They were freaked out, to put it mildly.

One screamed like a banshee. Another keeled over and was dead a few hours later. After about an hour, though, they settled in and foraged in the weeds. We had to put them inside the coop after a bit because it was getting windy and they were kind of fluffy.

The dogs also were a bit freaked out.

Stink spent the better part of an hour circling the coop. You could see the thought-bubble:

"I would kill for opposable thumbs right now ..."

Pepper was a bit more circumspect. And Cleo, the Great Pyr, looked through the window at the chickens in the coop and took up a guard position. Bless her.

I started some seven-grain bread -- no hand-ground wheat, I was in a bit of a hurry -- and planted four blueberry bushes. Then I got serious. Dug out about 150 square feet of dirt and started hoeing. Will came out and helped. Bless him.

By the time we were finished, I was pretty filthy and sore. Took a shower which helped a little. Finished my bread, which helped some more. And made some twice-baked potatoes with cheese and salmon stuffing, which really helped.

I'll work out tomorrow, at some point. I'll also plant seeds. My tomatoes are looking pretty dead, but there may be hope yet. We'll see. I've still got corn, cucumber, potato, green bean, carrot and onion seed.

Outrages, we got outrages:

*** Not a lot of doubt in my mind that there's a link between vaccines and autism. The thimerosal link in particular is pretty intriguing. But the people recommending drugs used for chemical castration as a cure? Sounds pretty nuts to me. The case goes to federal court tomorrow, and I'm worried that it could kill research for a long, long time because the plaintiffs would appear to be -- excuse my French -- such fucking loons.

*** Good Salon story on the bee die-off. I've been thinking about getting a hive, but it's probably too late in the season.

*** Has anyone looked at Google Hot Trends? Scary stuff:

1.	world music awards
2.	marquise hill
3.	valerie vaughn
4.	bolder boulder
5.	miss universe pagean...
6.	cindy sheehan
7.	james arness
8.	thelot.com
9.	adrianna costa
10.	monitor lizard
11.	prospero s books
12.	lake pontchartrain
13.	vanessa simmons
14.	bolder boulder 2007 ...
15.	bolderboulder
16.	charles nelson riley
17.	rachel smith
18.	memorial day firewor...
19.	deelishis
20.	ncaa baseball tourna...

Kinda makes me feel like the guy who discovered porn in the French cave drawings ...

Much work to do tomorrow, including fetching eight Muscovy ducks tomorrow night. Woman's moving and doesn't want to haul them with her.