Waking Up Late

  Thank goodness for the family dog.  Every day my silly little dog needs to go outside around 6:00 am ish.  She doesn't whine or scratch at the door.  She gets up.  Crawls out from under the covers.  Shakes her head.  I can hear her ears.  Today this saved me.  I came home from work last night at 11:00 set my alarm for 5am or so I thought and went to bed.  I didn't hear any alarm at 5am.  I slept right up until the dog ear sound.  omg .  I am late.  I promised a friend at work eggs.  I didn't have time to prepare them.  My husband said he will bring them to me at work.  I was not late.  Something told me to get my clothes ready before bed last night.  I got to work in plenty of time.  Just no time for washing eggs.

Egg washing.  Why you ask?  Chickens and Ducks are messy creatures.  I collect the eggs several times a day.  I do this in hopes of collecting a larger number of eggs and to keep them clean.  Yeah right.  No matter what I sometimes have the occasional egg breaker.  I can not catch her.  Perhaps this particular hen is just clumsy and accidentally cracks them, with her sharp pointy beak.  Maybe she falls head first onto my lovely egg.  Regardless of how it happens.  The deed is done.  It leaves a sticky substance to which the other eggs attract.  I have mentioned before that my lovely girls have a nice set of nesting boxes.  However they chose to lay their eggs under them on the ground.  I have been using the deep litter method to keep my coop clean.  On a weekly bases I rake out their coop and nesting boxes to add more hay material.  Then the hens have a week to scratch and upturn all the lovey morsels that they like.  You would think the eggs would be clean.  On no.  They must be washed before I give them out.  I do not mind the sticky mess on my eggs.  After all I am not eating the shell. I am most sure the people I sell my eggs to would not want another carton if they saw the outside of the eggs before washing.  Washing eggs is technically not a good practice.    It is said that each egg has a protective coating.  If washed this coating is washed away.  Leaving a chance for bacteria to enter the egg.  I usually wait until Delivery day to try to eliminate as much bacteria as possible.  I have asked my customers what they prefer.  They have said to wash them.  It does not take much time.  But as you know eggs are fragile.  You must handle them with care.  On delivery day our dogs get the broken eggs that my hands crack while washing.  I guess I don't know my own strength.  I take a wash cloth and wipe away any sticky substance.  Then run under water.  Let air dry.  Place in cartons.  And out the door.  I am worried about today's egg delivery.  I wish I hadn't set my clock to 5 pm. 

A promise is a promise.  My friend at work is a volunteer.  She basically runs the gift shop.  She works more hours than I do.  She and her husband have many health concerns.  Mostly regarding the heart.  She and I talk much about my little handicraft haven all the way from my first goat Abby.  She herself was raised on a farm.  She remembers many aspects of the trials and errors.  She also was a crafter by trade before she retired.  Anyway, about two weeks ago I promised her eggs.  This was before Easter.  I did not work Easter week.  So I did not bring her eggs. What a bad friend.  So today I must.  I must.  I must.

Today I posted the 4 doelings on craigslist add no# 2958650105.   They are ready for their new home.