July 2016 - View from the Front Porch

29 07, 2016

Free Range Chickens

By judythemorgan|2016-07-19T11:20:39-05:00July 29th, 2016|Miller Farm Friday|0 Comments

A blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara

Olivia’s chicks have grown up quite nicely. I went to close them up one night and Olivia was not with them. She had gone back to the big coop. I guess in the chicken world, it is the mom who flies the coop.

Anyway, they are spending more time out with the big chickens. That is when they are not next door. They are still small enough to fit through the fence and are often tempted by the grass in the neighbor’s yard. I see them all wandering around next door.

It reminds me of a commercial:

So far the chicks return to their home coop each night. I suppose they will eventually get too big to fit through the gate.

I just hope they are on our side when that happens. Our neighbors love watching the chickens, but I’m not sure they want to have any of their own.

27 07, 2016

Dirt and Growth

By judythemorgan|2016-06-30T11:51:51-05:00July 27th, 2016|Wednesday Words of Wisdom|0 Comments

Today I spotted the leaves of a sunflower popping up through the dirt. Where did the summer go that fall sunflowers are coming up?

I have no answer for that, but seeing the green sprouts, I was reminded of Holly Gerth‘s quote. It’s the pushing through dirt that produces the beautiful fall sunflowers that I enjoy.

Gives me a whole new perspective on dirt. How about you?

25 07, 2016

Are Naps a Waste of Time?

By judythemorgan|2021-07-17T10:55:17-05:00July 25th, 2016|Make Me Think Monday|0 Comments

Nappers are often labeled as lazy. But are nappers the smart ones?

As youngsters, we fought naps until we collapsed in total exhaustion. These days social media can produce FOMO and like our younger selves we push on.

Unfamiliar with FOMO? That’s anxiety that an exciting or interesting event may currently be happening elsewhere, often aroused by posts seen on a social media website.

We tend to power through our day, tired or not, because we feel compelled to get everything done that we think we need to do.

Interestingly, recent studies indicate the tendency to avoid naps or take breaks to relax during the day can actually reduce productivity and/or produce results that are less than our best.

Check out The New York Magazine video below. You may change your mind about napping. I did and now I’m off for a nap.

22 07, 2016

There’s a Chicken in my Bathroom

By judythemorgan|2016-07-19T10:35:21-05:00July 22nd, 2016|Miller Farm Friday|0 Comments

A blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara

While checking the chickens this week, I noticed one silkie hen squished between the coop and the fence. I gently unsquished her and set her down.

She was very unsteady on her feet and it looked like a wing was broken. I consulted chicken doctor Rachel who put her in a laundry basket in the bathroom while she did some research.

When my piano student arrived the next day and needed to use the restroom, I found myself saying “There is a chicken in my bathroom,” which reminded me of a song (which is a pretty standard occurrence around here).

The song is entitled “There’s a Hole in the Bucket.” I have a couple of different books illustrating this song which is basically a conversation between Henry and Liza revolving about how to fix the hole in the bucket.

As I went about my day, I thought of many verses to “There’s a chicken in my bathroom.” I would write it all out but I’m quite sure no one would understand.

It turns out that this particular breed of chicken has a soft spot in its skull much like a newborn baby. This soft spot does not close so if the hen gets pecked on the head, it can cause minor damage – like a concussion. This would cause her to be unsteady and want to hide from the others.

Our injured hen seems to be doing better now that she is separated from the danger of pecking hens. She is eating and drinking and can move around more securely. She even talks to us when we are in the room. We’ll try to incorporate her back into the flock later this week.

The bathroom will be lonely.

20 07, 2016

To be a Word Artist you have to…

By judythemorgan|2016-06-30T11:58:42-05:00July 20th, 2016|Wednesday Words of Wisdom|0 Comments

The last two Wednesday we’ve talked about writers as artist. We can’t paint words if we don’t just WRITE as this quote from Sandra Jensen via WritersWrite points out.

18 07, 2016

Five Ways to Attract Blog Readers

By judythemorgan|2016-07-14T13:14:13-05:00July 18th, 2016|Make Me Think Monday|0 Comments

Today’s blog world is highly competitive. A quick check at Blogging Statistics – Worldometers shows over 2 million posts (and counting) for July 14, 2016.

With numbers like that, our blogs can get lost sea of options.

So what can we do as bloggers do to attract readers?

I suggest these five things.

An Irresistible Title

Something catchy that piques interest. Try one of these ideas:

Ask an open-ended question
Include who, what, when where, or how to
Make ’em curious– tease, contradict, challenge a belief
Offer a solution or benefit in the content

Plenty of White Space

Keep paragraphs short – no more than four lines is the guideline. Many readers use their phones and tablets. Lines and lines of text are boring and hard to read.

Captivating Graphics

What’s the quote: “A picture is worth a thousand words”? Include visuals that pull the reader into the blog.

But, always be sure to use legal-to-copy images. Last thing, any blogger needs is a copyright troll targeting your image.

Keep Your Posts Short

People are busy. Even 500 words can push a reader’s attention. I suggest my guest bloggers keep their posts under 500.

If your topic requires more than a 1,000 words to communicate the idea, maybe cut it into two posts by ending on a hook that will make the reader return.

Write Succinct Posts

Write posts specific to your target audience. Miller Farm Friday is a great example. Chicken Wrangler Sara’s posts are all about life on their urban farm. And, they are short!

Will these suggestions guarantee of success? Unfortunately, no. There are too many variables for guarantees, but I do believe these five things are extremely important to gain a reader’s attention.

If you want more ideas just Google “How to build blog readership.” I did and in .80 seconds, 341,000 results appeared! Lots of ideas on things to try to find readers.

Do you have ideas of your own? If so, please share in the comments.

15 07, 2016

Meanwhile Back on the Farm

By judythemorgan|2016-07-13T21:19:31-05:00July 15th, 2016|Miller Farm Friday|0 Comments

A blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara

Beekeeper Brian and Chicken Wrangler Sara have been on their annual vacation in Colorado leaving Rachel in charge of Miller Farm which is no easy task.

In an effort to entertain the puppies, Rachel purchased new dog toys. Much to Max’s dismay, Tucker thought they were all for him.In the poultry department, Rachel has had to separate some of the roosters sending one to a new home. Apparently Kaboodle is at the bottom of the pecking order and an intervention was required. For the moment all is calm in the chicken yard.

In the house, however, the eggs in the incubator are starting to hatch causing all kinds of excitement. So far there are nine. She is sending pictures – like having newborn babies.

Here are two of my favorites.

As much as I enjoy being in Colorado, I kind of miss the excitement of Miller Farm.

If only we could carry the cool air with us to Texas.

13 07, 2016

Writers As Artist

By judythemorgan|2016-06-30T11:28:28-05:00July 13th, 2016|Wednesday Words of Wisdom|0 Comments

Another poignant quote from Edie Melson to remind writers that we are indeed artists with our words. Thanks, Edie.

11 07, 2016

What items work to regift and what doesn’t?

By judythemorgan|2016-07-02T14:11:55-05:00July 11th, 2016|Holidays, Make Me Think Monday|2 Comments

Christmas is officially six months away. It’s time to start thinking about gift giving. For me, that means checking my gift box supply for things to regift.

What’s in my gift box? Items I’ve received over the year(s) that really didn’t work for me. Things that might suit someone else that I can regift.

In case you’re not familiar with the term, regifting is the act of receiving a gift, and then after some time, wrapping it up and giving it to someone else.

It’s a way of recycling what you don’t want or can’t use.

The trick to regifting lies in knowing what’s acceptable to re-gift, what’s a definite no-no, and the cardinal rule of regifting:

Only regift NEW items not used items unless they classify as antiques.

Here are ten items considered acceptable to regift.

Candles – Designed to be used up and thrown away, are very easy to regift when unused and plastic remains.
Soaps, Lotions, and Bathroom Items -Soaps, hand creams, lotions, bubble baths are all fine to regift. Only if the items haven’t expired and haven’t been opened.
Games, Toys, and Puzzles -Perfectly okay to regift if intact. Do make a note of who gave what to whom, though. Last thing you’d want to do is give a game/toy/puzzle back to someone who gave it to you.
Some Clothing -Don’t risk a friendship or argument if you travel in the same circle of friends and the fact you never wear the gift will be obvious. Also, be sure all tags remain intact.
Wine and Spirits – Wine only gets better with age. Hard liquor does too. So if it’s sealed, you’re good to give.

Gift Cards – Make sure the balance never expires, or is still intact because some devious people out there operate gift card frauds.
Gift Baskets -As long as you haven’t removed half the contents, destroyed the packaging, or kept the basket so long the items have expired.
Fragrances -Perfumes, aftershaves, and eau de toilettes are all fair game for regifting provided they remain sealed in the original box.
Kitchen Items -Toasters. Blenders. Frying pans. Coffee makers. All very regiftable if in original packaging. Be careful not to offend anyone who might come to your home and cannot see what they gave you. Awkward situation you want to avoid.
Novelties and Gag Gifts -Perfect for those white elephant exchanges that abound in December or age-related parties. The fun of some white elephant exchanges is the same gifts appear year after year and become a running joke.

Now these four things should NEVER be regifted:

Personalized items even if you share initials
Anything with an inscription
Opened CDs, DVDs, and Blu-Rays
Anything universally awful unless used as a gag gift

What about you? Are you a regifter? What things do you pass along?

8 07, 2016

Richard the Frizzle

By judythemorgan|2016-07-02T21:15:49-05:00July 8th, 2016|Miller Farm Friday|3 Comments

A blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara

One of my favorite breeds of chickens is the frizzle. We started with one black bantam frizzle hen named Frizz.

She has always had quite an attitude. In fact when Rachel tried to include her in the color project by putting her into a separate coop, she refused to stay put. She would rather run with the big hens.

We now have a white bantam frizzle rooster named Richard.

He has his own personality. He is in a separate run with silky hen. Rachel is trying to produce a silky frizzle, otherwise known as a sizzle. It hasn’t happened yet.

Anyway, each evening when I go to close the chickens up in their coops, Richard is less than cooperative. In fact, he often protests so loudly, Rachel comes to make sure the chickens are not under attack. He may fly into the next coop or out into the yard.

Eventually I catch him, hold him tightly, stroke his frizzle feathers and explain that I am not going to hurt him. He just needs to spend the night safely in his coop.

Last week he actually let me put him up without the traditional squawking and loop around the chicken yard. Maybe he is calming down. But then is there really such a thing as a calm frizzle?