Amanda is on OB call all weekend, and has been gone since noon. She had a least two laboring patients; I don’t know if any more showed up.

We picked up three pullets today at the Seattle Farm Cooperative warehouse in SODO. The people there (presumably all volunteer coop members) were very helpful. They sell a lot of bulk garden amendments, chicken and other livestock supplies, and seeds. Today they also had chicks and pullets and young roosters. I don’t know who is buying the roosters since they are illegal in the city. We got a brooder kit (plastic bin, chick feeders and waterers, and heat lamp), a couple of types of feed (one for chicks and one for later), wood shavings for bedding, and three young pullets.
Hopefully they are pullets, anyway. If any turn out to be roosters we can bring them back to be “placed” elsewhere, although there are no refunds.

The pullets are probably five weeks old. They were the leftover chicks from a previous sale last month. But I don’t mind not getting younger chicks. They were slightly more expensive (er, $3 more, but twice the price of chicks), but the sexing is more certain. Or at least that’s what they say.

We got three different breeds. I did not pay attention to what they were when we got them and later had to decipher the cryptic notations on the cardboard box they gave us to transport them. We have a Rhode Island Red, a Buff Orpington, and a Black Sex-Link. “Sex-Link” is a totally non-friendly name; they are hybrids between a Rhode Island Red rooster and a Barred Rock hen.
One of the coop members thought she knew me; of course, I had no idea. I’ll remember her now, though.

We set them up in our spare bedroom. It isn’t warm enough outside for the youngsters, but hopefully it will be in a couple of weeks, because the brooder box is a little small for them and will have to be cleaned out every day probably. The cats have not seen them yet.

I believe Amanda was intending to get bantams, but all of these will be full-sized hens, so we will probably need a bigger coop. Well, perhaps we don’t really need one, but I think the chickens may foul up the nesting boxes (yet to be constructed) since the doghouse is on the smallish side for three full-sized hens.
Since we got the chickens, I needed to actually finish the coop. Fortunately after days of heavy rain, today was relatively dry. I did manage to put the door on the run and almost attach the rest of the wire, but the Kai woke up from his nap and did not wish to be outside (“I’m going back in the house!”). Leaving inside the house by himself is unwise (Amanda had left for UW at this point).

The Kai and I just amused ourselves inside. I made a dinner of broccoli and tofu stir-fry. The evening was like any other. Hopefully Amanda will make it back home sometime tonight.

2010 SEP 11 : SATURDAY
AC/MC and progeny came over for bfast and to pick up their car. We had waffles. I managed to fix my original Xbox and we played a little DDR. We hadn’t played DDR in a long long time as it is very loud, but in the new place that does not matter.

Amanda had to go to work in the morning… in this case attend part of a medical conference in town. MC went home with LC for a nap, while AC&CC went to Mt. Baker Park with the Kai and myself. It was their annual “Day in the Park” with music, activities, blow up slides and obstacle cources, etc. It was fun.

In the afternoon, Amanda and I went to our former neighbors MM&BG’s wedding. Although since we still own the old place they actually are still our neighbors. We drop the Kai off at his grandmothers and drove out to Sahalie which is basically at Snoqualmie Pass about 52 miles from Seattle.

M and B had a private ceremony earlier, and we were just there for the reception. Another set of neighbors, GW&KV were also there. It was a good time. The lodge actually sleeps an outrageous number of people (120 according to their website), but we did not want to stay, and left relatively early in the festivities.

2010 SEP 12 : SUNDAY
We picked up Kai and his grandmother in the morning and headed out for bfast at Geraldine’s Counter. The Kai looked to be getting ill, so afterwards we stopped at Safeway to pick up medicinals.

We stopped by the old place and loaded up yet more stuff. Amanda and her mom also packed up the worm bin. Now, only Armando and Amanda’s bicycle remain at the old place.

After unpacking at the new house, Amanda had to go to more conference stuff. I played with the Kai until his nap and then started doing yet more cleaning and organizing and writing this weblog entry.

2010 JUL 23 : FRIDAY
We had put an offer on a house in Beacon Hill (but closer to Columbia City) earlier in the week, and had been going back-and-forth on price, but Jim our realtor called and said that they had accepted out last counter-offer. Crazy.

Amanda had been diagnosed with pneumonia last Tuesday, but she still had a fever today. Not good for her weeklong cruise to Alaska coming up.

We did some cleaning in preparation for Amanda’s mom, SDK, and SJ’s arrival. And we packed. I left to pick everyone up at the airport at 11pm.

I believe the airport is finally finished with all of its renovations with regards to the light rail. I still managed to get confused in the parking garage. They have finally moved all the rental cars offsite somewhere, so the entire garage is available for parking. It does cost more to park on level 4 which is where the bridges to the terminal are. I did not really know what airlines everyone was coming in on, so I just parked the car.

I did not have to wait long. SDK was already there, and the others arrived shortly. I had a mental short-circuit and had problems getting back to the car (to SJ’s amusement), but we eventually made it back home.

2010 JUL 24 : SATURDAY
We had bfast at Geraldine’s Counter. I bicycled there because our car was not big enough for everyone. Afterwards, I went home while everyone else took a look at our possible new house.

I had to take everyone down to the waterfront in two trips. Amanda and her mom and the Kai were in the first trip.

It was a little hard to find a place to drop them off, but I ended up just double parking right in the very small loading area. There wasn’t enough time for goodbyes as I was getting pressured by all the people behind me.

I returned for SDK and SJ. We stopped by Safeway for some medicinals and I believe SJ needed some stuff as well. I dropped them off and decided to stick around downtown for a while and perhaps see the cruise ship leave. I would have to kill many hours, though.

As usual, I parked in Pacific Place and wandered down to Pike Place Market. I got a soda (expensive!). The woman totally gave me the wrong amount of change… she thought I gave her a five and not a ten… but fortunately realized her error after opening the register.

I meandered around the Market and eventually made it down to the waterfront and sat around looking at the bay and people-watching. Eventually I decided to get something to eat at Anthony’s Fish Bar which was on Pier 66 right in front of the cruise ship. I picked up some food at the counter and not in the restaurant and sat outside in the sun. Amanda eventually called me; it had taken them forever to get on the ship because the cruise line’s computers were down. She was getting something to eat and could see me down below on the pier. I could not see her, though because of the frosted glass of the ship’s restaurant area.

I walked down to the aquarium, mainly just to use their restrooms, but I did look around a bit.

After leaving the aquarium, I decided not to stick around to watch the cruise ship depart (I was paying for parking after all), and made my way back up to the Market. I walked about the market more, then popped into random places while I made my way back to the car. I stopped at Nordstrom Rack, but nothing was really on sale. Of course, compared to normal Norstrom prices, perhaps everything was on sale, but not cheap anough for me. Daiso was more my style, but I didn’t get anything there either.

Eventually, I made it back to the car. I don’t know what I did for the rest of the weekend. I did do some research on home inspectors and set up one for Tuesday.