04/25/09 01:11 - 74ºF - ID#48501

My gardens are blooming

The nice weather got me out of the house in to my gardens. Here are a couple pictures.

Honeysuckle that I planted last year. I hope it blooms this year, it should be a beautiful reddish orange flower. This is part of my butterfly and hummingbird garden area.

This is our small Azalea in my front garden. It's already blooming and should be at full color in the next week. It doesn't last long at all.

Permalink: My_gardens_are_blooming.html
Words: 80
Location: Buffalo, NY

03/30/09 01:39 - 33ºF - ID#48239

City Chickens

I know there are people who don't like Buffalo Rising but this article is about someone I have met and who is a co-worker of a good friend of mine.

She and her husband also founded Urban Roots.

Short Story: Someone called 911 on her because she keeps chickens in her backyard on the west side.

I never knew chickens in backyard warranted a 911 call...

I am from the west side, it has worse problems than a chicken coop. The city is crazy if they think she is the only one with chickens on the west side.

If you are so inclined, please call the Mayor's Resolution Center at 851-4890 or 311 to complain about the demand that she surrender her chickens to Buffalo Animal Control.

You may also want to call your councilperson.

If I had room to build a proper coop, I'd have city chickens too.

tinypliny writes at 08:32:43 03/31/09 - Comment #47183: If people can have pet birds, they can have hens as well because hens are birds.

Bureaucracy is always brainless.

libertad writes at 08:37:30 03/30/09 - Comment #47160: I just want to say from the pictures it doesn't look like the chickens were loud or smelly. I'm just saying if their coops did smell or the hens got loud and it was right outside somebody's window then it could be a problem. I feel bad that these people's chickens might be taken away. I don't have much experience with chickens so it is possible that maybe their coops don't smell and they don't make all that much noise. Maybe limits are the solution I'm not really sure. It would be interesting to hear from the neighbors to see if the chickens bothered them for some reason. Does anyone know about any other "farm" animals and what city code says about them? What about pigs, goats or even cows?

metalpeter writes at 07:50:23 03/30/09 - Comment #47158: I didn't read the story. But that being said there is one thing you have to remember that could have been a factor. I have heard (never seen it my self) that there is Cock Fighting on the west side. I wouldn't even know where to find it, but I have heard that there is some underground cock fighting. I'm not saying this person has anything to do with it. I'm not saying that it is going on over that way. But it could factor into that. It has been a few years but every so often when I would wait for the bus in the morning I would here a rooster. When it is that silent a rooster sounds loud even from a long way a way.

pmrk writes at 04:27:57 03/30/09 - Comment #47154: Maybe they will change code and you'll be able to have a couple chickens. I'm sure you would take care of them properly and keep their coop clean.

I can see setting limits as to how many chickens you can raise in your urban backyard. I hope Buffalo does the make sense thing in this case.

matthew writes at 03:27:01 03/30/09 - Comment #47150: I was just trying to convince Paul that we should raise 2 or 3 hens in our backyard after listening to Martha Stewart talk about hers on her show. I was sad to find this article. If raised properly chickens are clean and quiet and make great food and good pets.

If the city has banned chickens then I think it needs to ban dogs as well. I mean, those animals are always barking and they shit all over the place! Backyards, frontyards, sidewalk, or city parks it doesn't matter. At least my chicken would crap in a coop! :)

pmrk writes at 02:36:42 03/30/09 - Comment #47149: My parents still reside on the west side and they have some crappy neighbors these days. I'd bet they would take smelly chickens over the slumlords who are just leaving the houses to rot or the squatters who have started more than one accidental fire in the nearby houses.

james writes at 02:31:22 03/30/09 - Comment #47148: I looked into the code today. Apparently, you could have chickens up until 2005 when we had the avian flu scare. Though, really, if you have ten chickens in a coop in your back yard that is very different than a hundred chicken coop.

janelle writes at 02:28:42 03/30/09 - Comment #47147: I was a little sad to read about this as well. I read the updates in the comments section and it seems like David Rivera's office is getting involved which makes me happy.

I would like to see a change in code to allow it. Like urban gardening, raising chickens in the city might provide an interesting way of using abandoned lots and promoting entreprenuership.

If the codes change, it might be something I look into.

libertad writes at 02:13:11 03/30/09 - Comment #47144: I looked up the article and those are some cute chickens. I'm not so sure I would appreciate my neighbors having a chicken coop if it was loud or smelly. Not sure if that was the reason somebody called in this case or not. I feel for these people just not sure I want a change in code as I think it probably has its purpose.

Permalink: City_Chickens.html
Words: 152
Location: Buffalo, NY

03/24/09 03:42 - 44ºF - ID#48180

Local Restuarant Week

This week, all week.

Loads of local places with special menus at $20.09 per person plus tax and tip.

Permalink: Local_Restuarant_Week.html
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Location: Buffalo, NY

03/22/09 12:14 - 36ºF - ID#48152

A rare sunday post

The party last night was great fun. Thank you (e:Matthew) for inviting us.

My gardens are starting to bloom and Mother Nature is persistent.

I went out this morning and cut open the landscaping fabric to let the bulbs through. The landscaping fabric was necessary to try to combat the Bishop's Weed that has been overrunning the garden, but I didn't know where all the bulbs were planted but I'm finding out now.

(e:Matthew) let me know what flowers or plants or veggies you're looking for. I'm always working in my gardens in the summer. If I can ever figure out how to split my poppies, I'd be happy to share them with you.

Permalink: A_rare_sunday_post.html
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Location: Buffalo, NY

03/18/09 11:48 - 45ºF - ID#48101

Lost Dog - FOUND!!! :-)

A personal friend of mine has a friend who lost her dog yesterday. Please keep a look out for him. The owners name is Carima and her contact information is listed in this post.

His name is "Copper" and he was rescued a few months ago from out of state.

He was seen yesterday at Forest Lawn Cemetery in the morning and then near Sheridan and Parker in Tonawanda in the afternoon. He may have kept heading toward Lockport or other suburbs.

Copper is a Basenji. This breed of dog doesn't have a typical bark, it is more like a funny sounding yodel.

The link is to wikipedi showing a picture of the breed.

Carima's email is Carima@p22.com and she has a blackberry with her all the time. If you hear of anyone seeing him, PLEASE let her know. Her boys are heartbroken without Copper.

All the police and shelter's have been contacted and there hasn't been any site of him yet today.

Permalink: Lost_Dog_FOUND_.html
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Location: Buffalo, NY

03/16/09 05:40 - 57ºF - ID#48073

Weekend

This nice weather has finally drawn me out of my house!

Friday night, myself and the Mr. walked down to visit with our neighbors and have a couple drinks and just socialize a bit.

Saturday afternoon I walked over to the newly opened visitors center at the Darwin Martin House. It's a nice space.

Saturday night I met up with some friends and we went to Buffalo Gay Bingo. As usual I did not win but I had a lot of fun.

While standing in line to get in, the oddest woman decides to talk to us. She tells us all about how her son has the super hot new bf and she wants him to send her pics of the hot new bf and that her granddaughter doesn't like to wear underpants because she gets wedgies since she doesn't have a booty.

whoa TMI lady! Yes, all of that information came out in one long sentence.

Guessing my freak magnet is super strong for 2009.

Sunday night I made homemade poptarts. This really comes down to me taking Wegmans pie crusts and rolling them out a bit and then cutting rectangular pieces and filling those pieces with frozen blueberries mixed with sugar.

Next time, I am going to use some of my homemade jam as the blueberries were big and kinda lumpy and at least one pie suffered a a bit of a filling explosion.

Permalink: Weekend.html
Words: 235
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: gardening

03/11/09 02:06 - 38ºF - ID#48018

A bit of Spring

I have it!

I'm sorry to say I cannot share it yet since it is in the form of a couple sprouted seeds that are carefully being tended to in our spare bedroom aka the plant nursery.

Much to my surprise when I checked on my "babies" last night, a few of my Cosmos seeds had sprouted already.

Permalink: A_bit_of_Spring.html
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Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: gardening

03/10/09 03:06 - 39ºF - ID#48007

Seeds

The nicer weather prompted me to go to Urban Roots to buy my seed starting supplies.

I planted a few flowers and veggies and have everything setup in our spare bedroom. It's the warmest room in our house and once the weather is a little better I can move the seedlings (I hope they sprout) out to our covered front porch which is like a greenhouse.

(e:tinypliny) I downloaded an app for my iPod touch that helps me keep track if my shopping lists and costs. It's not exactly what I want but it's a start and better than manually entering everything in to Excel.

Permalink: Seeds.html
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Location: Buffalo, NY

02/17/09 01:34 - 31ºF - ID#47780

First signs of spring

I saw the first small signs of my spring flowers in my gardens today.

How I cannot wait for spring.

Permalink: First_signs_of_spring.html
Words: 20
Location: Buffalo, NY

02/04/09 12:14 - 15ºF - ID#47633

The groundhog outcome is predetermined

weeks in advance too. So much for even having false hope of an early spring, it's already decided well in advance of the groundhog coming out of his burrow.

blah.so sick of winter!!