The 3 B's visit the farm

To the bemusement of all, the chickens quickly went to work ridding Aunt Betty and Uncle Jimmy’s garden of bugs.

As we headed east on I-90 towards Montana with our two mini Aussies and 3 polish chickens my wife looked vaguely amused. At least that’s what I went with as twilight approached and we began to climb Snoqualmie Pass with a jeep load of animals. In 1910, my great grandfather homesteaded in Charlo, Montana, the heart of the Mission Mountain valley. Every August since I can remember, we traveled to "the ranch" for a family reunion with the Steindorf clan.

B Master B strikes a pose against the Mission Mountain Range.

Married, living in Seattle it became more and more difficult to make it over each August and before I knew it, almost 10 years had passed. As August neared, the family hinted strongly that we were long overdue for a visit. Point taken, we packed and headed east. The 3 B’s were 6 weeks old at this point and weren’t old enough to stay home. What better place to take them than to the family homestead? The urban chickens could see how their country counter parts live. As we arrived at the ranch and began to unload Uncle Jimmy (think George Bush Senior’s twin but ultra liberal) pointed out that the city folk had brought the only livestock on the ranch. Apparently, the homestead while a working farm was now without any farm animals.

Uncle Albert hypnotizes B Diddy at the family picnic. Uncle Albert is an expert Chicken hypnotist.

The urban chickens’ arrival was a big hit with the family Steindorf and I think we will go down forever in infamy. Now we aren’t just the city folk; we’re the incredibly ECCENTRIC city folk. Not sure what we’ll do for an encore.

Obama's In

'Lil B and B Master B were not moved during Obama's swearing in, they simply wanted to know when they'd get cheese. Sometimes they eat paper towels.

Urban Coop II

As anyone that has remodeled knows, things rarely go as planned and even more rare, finished on time. As I worked away on the B’s coop, I realized that this indeed was the case. This was one project that was going to take a while. In the meantime the 3 B’s were flourishing and had outgrown their plastic box, prompting a move into Blu’s kennel. Blu is one of our mini Aussies. He wasn’t impressed with the B’s living in his home and appeared to be joining ranks with my wife, giving me the occasional stink eye. As I continued to work away on the coop, things like Labor Day needed to be celebrated, taking time away from the completion. We packed the B’s up and took them down to the beach for the holiday weekend. I think they enjoyed themselves immensely, until they were spotted by one of our resident bald eagles. Quite amazing that they understood the urgency of cover as we frantically rounded them up. Instead of the typical game of chase, with lots of bob and weave, they bunched together and waited for the calvary. I like to think they are smart, but as their instincts have evolved over thousands of years, anything to do with life preservation took center stage. Sensing panic is one of them.

Finally, in late September the coop was complete minus the predator security screening. I announced to the wife that the B’s would soon be living in their new crib. I thought Darnell was going to do back flips. I think she may have shed a tear. Not so fast, I had to tell her. The B’s would be staying in until the predator security screening was put in place. As the end of September neared, the 3 B’s Crib was complete! Inside, they have a nest box made from a wine crate, perches to roost and their very own sectional sofa. The flooring is 12X12 tiles over plywood and the doors are barn style sliders made of plywood and steel. I’d like to see a rat chew through 3/16” steel plate! Nothing left to chance when it comes to the 3 B’s. A celebration was in order! The coop was done and the Ravenna farm house had offically turned 100 years old this year. So the grill was rolled out, the invites sent, and friends and family came to celebrate.