I may be a fossil

I've been watching movies on VHS. Yes, I actually have one of those rare items, a working vcr. 

There are a number of movies I just held onto the tapes instead of replacing with dvds (or worse, digital). These are shows I enjoy, but can go 10+ years between viewing. Last night I watched Mr. Holland's Opus. Thoroughly enjoyable, but no need to see it frequently.

Regarding digital copies; I just like having something physical I own and can watch any time, even if my internet is down. I'm the same with books; if I really love it, I want a paper version in my library.

Side note: positive aspect of being an empty-nester is I can have a crabby day and not bother anyone else.

Not a genius chicken

There's a space between the back of my chicken pen and the pasture fence. Usually not a problem, but a hen was trapped there. Now I've noticed some chickens are amazing problem solvers and can work out their own rescues; then there are the others.

I made a makeshift ramp so she could get close to the top of the fence and hop over herself. She promptly went underneath and used it as a windbreak. Eventually, I took my net for catching chicks out and she dove headfirst in and kept trying to ram her way further in even though it was only big enough to hold half of her. At last, she is safely back inside the pen where she can tell the others about her grand adventure. Daft bird.

Today I learned...

Have you ever had to reassess your self-view? I've always thought of myself as quite bright, but maybe I'm really a bit dim in the practical aspects.

I was boiling eggs, forgot about them and the water spilled out onto the stove-top.  (This isn't a surprise, it's just normal and why I'm not a good cook.) What was a surprise was discovering that the knobs on the front of the stove come off. They literally pop off for easy cleaning!!! I'm in my 50s and had no idea; always assumed cleaning the front of the stove was a royal pain.

Now I'm wondering what other basic things are all around me that I have no idea about.

People can be strange

The other day I was parked at a store, waiting for my curbside order, and people-watching. It was interesting to watch the ebbing and waning of mask usage during the last few months; I didn't see any at all that day.

What I did see was a woman who parked at the neighboring store; presumably because it wasn't as crowded as the one I waited at. So, after shopping in my store, she pushed her cart over a curb and up an embankment of rock to reach her car. Of course she didn't return the cart. 

I still haven't figured out how that was easier than walking a bit farther in the other parking lot. 

The opposite of chicken thief

 A couple weeks ago I found a strange rooster in my chicken pen. Weird, but I do have a wild turkey so thought he might have been a runaway. Then I found another one. Then the hens started fighting and there are pullet eggs. It's become clear someone did a dump and run of their unwanted birds. 

Why this bothers me: bird flu is rearing its ugly head again and I know nothing about these chickens. Also, they've completely disrupted the peace of my flock. I already had two extra roosters I hadn't culled yet because they weren't causing problems. Adding two MORE roosters ended that tranquility and I had to do emergency butchering to protect my alpha rooster's life. Plus the hens had to reestablish the pecking order. It's a mess.