Lezlie's World

CHICKEN COOP REMODEL

2026-09-03T18:03:39.115-05:00

It has been a very hot summer here. We have had 22 days of triple digit temperatures. The coop is located under a pine tree and gets very little direct sun, but it still would get up to 100 degrees inside during the day. The girls would nearly have a stroke when they would go in to lay their egg. I cut out a 9x21 inch window on the East and West walls. I thought it would help move air and cool the inside. It did not.

I tried to find a small air conditioner that would cool the small space. I did buy one that I thought might help during the night when they were roosting. It was advertised as a "personal cooler". The air within six inches were slightly cooler, but that was all it could do.

Plan B was a box fan. It doesn't "cool", but it moves the hot air and gives a little comfort for the girls. It helps.

The coop originally had one nest box. After the new additions started to lay, at least one more box was needed. I made and installed one on the other side of the coop. Once they were all laying, everyone wanted to use the new box. And no one used the original. So I pulled out the original one and replaced it with two, side by side. They still prefer the other box, but when it is occupied, they will use the duplex.

The coop will be painted to match the house in the near future. It's way too hot to tackle that job now. When the weather is cool enough to remove the fan, that is when I plan to paint. The garage needs paint too.

Construction Inspectors

2026-06-12T17:23:33.277-05:00

The construction of a bracket for the new feeder, was thoroughly inspected by the future users. They wanted to insure the stability and safety of the new install.

Ruby, Gimp and Henrietta make sure it is up to code.

After signing off, they did have to stare it down for a few minutes before sampling the feed.

They each have their own personality, and are always close and ready to help with any improvement to the coop or run.

The little girls are 17 weeks old now, and should start laying soon.

KAYAK LOADING RACK

2026-05-14T09:34:40.478-05:00

I transport my kayak on top of my car. Me being built so close to the ground, it was impossible to load my kayak without a guide of some sort. I was using my kayak dolly to guide the kayak onto the roof of my car. It worked okay, but if there was any side wind, it was a little precarious once it got halfway up, and the dolly really wasn't wide enough to be safe. I decided I needed something better. So I built something better. After studying the kayak and the car, I came up with a solution.

A pattern was made out of cardboard to fit the shape of the kayak. Then I went to the scrap wood pile and selected a board. Simple was the design. Glue, epoxy, old hardware and the ties were constructed from used buckles and 1 inch webbing. I didn't spend much time on the finish, didn't think it needed to be perfect.

The only drawback to this design, you can't open the back with the rack in place. But that's not a big deal. I took the kayak out yesterday and it worked perfectly. Quick and easy!

A couple hours on the water calms the soul.

ADDING TO THE FLOCK

2026-04-10T10:24:00.001-05:00

Last year I purchased four peeps, hoping for pullets. I ending up with only two hens. Wanting more eggs, I purchased four more. These four are supposed to be pullets. However, they are seven weeks old now and I suspect one may turn out to be a rooster. We'll wait and see. Anyway, they are now seven weeks old and getting along with the big girls.

They came home in a box. About two days old.

Eliza at four weeks old.

Ruby at four weeks old.

They grow up so fast. At five weeks they had all their feathers and I was ready for them to be out of the house! The big girls tolerate them. They have been together for about ten days now and get along better than expected.

Six weeks old and very active.

I don't have a dog or cat... or even fish. My girls are my entertainment and companionship. They can be very entertaining at times... and give me eggs!

ANOTHER MOVE...

2026-04-08T10:02:00.004-05:00

Last year my brother moved and offered his home to me. At first I declined the offer because I was happy with the house I was living in. Several months later he asked me again if I wanted to move into his house. After a lot of consideration, I accepted the offer and started the moving process.

The chickens were the last to move over. The roof overhang made the coop too wide to fit through the gate to the backyard. Both the front and back overhang had to be removed. It will be reconstructed before I paint it again.

I put 4 inch wheels on the coop and my son helped me roll it on over. The move was only across the street, so not a long trip. My girls free-ranged until I could get the chicken run built. This run is a little bigger... because I had the room.

They love their daily dust bath.

During this time, my girls had the run of the backyard. They loved it and luckily they didn't tear up too many plants. They did not understand, and were a little frustrated when they were pinned up in the run again. But they are destructive and I have too many plants I don't want destroyed.

This winter, we had a week of very cold weather. The girls made it fine, but they did not like the snow and would not venture out in it.

The coop was originally painted to match the house I lived in. It will get repainted sometime in the near future.

Chicken Coop

2025-09-05T18:29:00.004-05:00

Someone had questions about the coop and I realized I did not mention the construction. I built the coop mostly out of repurposed wood. When I see a good piece of lumber, I drag it home and put it in my garage. I never know when I can use it on a project.

The chicken coop was started way before I got my chicks. I wanted no more than four hens, so I drew plans for this in mind. Each chicken needs about a 3-4 square feet area in the coop. My coop is 3'x5' with a nesting box built out on one end. I ended up with only two hens, so they have plenty of room.

My yard is mostly shaded and the coop is located under a big pecan tree. The sun only hits the west side of the coop for a short time at the end of the day, so the temperature inside is not a problem in the summer. There is a screened window on either end of the coop that can be opened for ventilation. It also has a window above the door. This window doesn't open, it is there for the winter months when the screened windows are closed.

The roost is close to this window and they usually get close to it at night to see out. When they were small, Henrietta would sit on the window seal. They are too big now, or she would probably do it today. I used metal bracket to hold the 2x4s I used for the roost. They just lift out to make cleaning easy.

The door was place next to the nesting box for easy access to gather eggs.

The coop is 24" off the ground. This gives a dry place to hang the feeder. The hens like to hang out there and take a nap, or run and hide when they hear strange noises. I am pleased with the design.

MY CHICKENS

2025-08-22T11:36:00.001-05:00

When my kids were young, we decided one Easter that we would get a few little chicks. They were adorable and the kids loved them. They grew to adulthood and started laying... at least the hens did. The roosters made it to a pot of chicken and dumplings. Well, all except one and his name was Homer. He was beautiful. My neighbors liked him, until he woke someone up at 4am with a few crows. It really wasn't his fault though. The dumpster lid woke him up and he was just trying to alert everyone of danger. Too late, the police knocked on my door and told me Homer had to find a home in the country.

About February, I was thinking about those hens and decided I wanted to have a few. I thought maybe 3 would satisfy my want of hens. I learned that Tractor Supply has Chick Days in late February. After work I would stop by TS, but there were none left by 5:30. This went on for over a month. Then one day, my mother said she would go and get chicks for me. I sent her with a list of breeds I wanted. She went down one Tuesday morning (that's when they got the shipment) and called to tell me that there were none of my preferred breed available. I asked what breeds they had. She went back inside and said they had the Amarucana. I didn't remember much about that breed, but told her to get four. They were so cute.

I had a big box from an online order. That was their home for the first six weeks. At about four weeks, their dander was more than I could take in the house. At six weeks the weather was warm enough to move them to the finished Chicken Coop.

I had started on the Chicken Coop long before I ever got the chicks. There was a perfect spot behind my garage for the coop and run. I calculated the size needed and drew up plans.... and then modified them many times. The materials used were mostly scrap lumber gathered from two boxsprings from the alley, furniture, plywood scraps and pallets.

R.I.P Abner

After 8 weeks, I suspected two were not going to be egg producers. And I was correct. Loco and Abner went to Freezer Camp. In the city limits of Lubbock, you cannot have a rooster. If it's due to the crowing, the dogs in my neighborhood are a lot louder than my roosters were. I did silence the roosters before the police were called with a complaint. Loco was... not right in the head, but Abner was so pretty.

At exactly 21 weeks, I received the first egg. It was what is called a Fairy Egg. The first few eggs are usually small, thus the name Fairy Egg. In the first five days, I received seven eggs. The last one was full size.

My hens do more than produce my breakfast, they are my entertainment. They run to the fence to greet me when I come in the backyard. I enjoy sitting with beverage in hand and watch them peck and scratch. They are fun.

Eleanor

Henrietta

TIE QUILT

2023-10-22T21:24:00.002-05:00

I love quilts. They are warm and cozy. I made this one from the T-shirts that I have collected through the years. It was a good way to get them out of the closet and out where I can enjoy them and re-live the memory of the shirt. They are places I worked, places I visited or shirts given to me. I love it.

This one is dear to me. When anyone else looks at it, it probably just looks dull and boring. But I see the little dresses I made my daughter, the maternity dresses I made for myself, the lining for the coat I made for a Christmas gift, and scraps from miscellaneous projects. And this kept me warm while crossing the Gulf on S/V Kairos in 2013. There are a lot of memories wrapped up in one quilt.

My father had quite a collection of ties. After he passed this summer, I wanted to make a quilt with them, for my mother. I invested many hours piecing and then hand quilting it. Today it was completed and delivered.

Now my sewing table is cleared and ready to start another project. I need to vacuum all those little pieces of thread that didn't quite make it to the trash can, and oil my machine.

My Paddle Buddy

2022-08-28T17:16:00.002-05:00

Ten years ago, my brother and I took a Brother/Sister trip to Belize. On the trip we kayaked down the Mopan River. It was just our guide and us in inflatable kayaks. My brother hadn't kayaked since then, but I bought another kayak so he could go paddling with me.

A few weeks ago we went to a small lake here in town. It was a very relaxed paddle, very little wind and the water was calm. Yesterday, we went to Lake Alan Henry. We had about a 15 mph South wind and there were quite a few boats on the water. The water was not calm and we did have to paddle quite a bit up wind. I tend to lose track of time when I'm on the water, but in my defense I did tell him to let me know when he was ready to head back.

Our route on Lake Alan Henry

He said he had fun, but I haven't talked to him today to see how sore his muscles are. Hopefully he will go with me again.

I have to at least put my feet in the water.

VACATION

2022-08-09T22:44:00.001-05:00

Finally, I took a week off and got out of town. A trip to Key West was just what I needed. Saw friends, former co-workers, and got out on the water. My friend, Bert, was very generous and let me stay at her house. We went out on a sunset sail aboard S/V Argo Navis. The drinks were flowing and we had a very relaxed sail.

A couple days, I rented a kayak and went out paddling for the afternoon. I saw baby nurse sharks, star fish and tourist. I tried to get away from the tourist as soon as possible. That clear blue water was just what I needed.

This is a canal I paddled a hundred times. It brought back fond memories of my time in Key West.

The old State Road 4A was abandoned in 1938 when the Overseas Highway was opened, connecting Key West to the mainland. There is a 3 mile stretch that I used to ride my bike. Through the years, storms and time has washed away most of the road. All that remains is a trail, though there are still areas where the asphalt remains.

Bert hosted a dinner and drinks at her house for Sheri and I. We three had a great time, lot of laughs. Bert is a good bartender!

Bert, Lezlie & Sheri

As the saying goes, "Nothing lasts forever", and my vacation week came to an end. It was a fun week, but now I'm back in the real world.

KAYAK

2022-06-26T20:14:00.000-05:00

I'd been without a kayak for far too long, and was having withdrawals. My main concern with purchasing a kayak, was how to transport it to and from the water. When I had my Explorer, I just threw the kayak in the back and tied the hatch down. Now I drive a RAV4. The only way to transport a kayak on this vehicle is on the roof. I stand 5 feet tall and I'm not very strong. There is no way I can pick up a kayak and hoist it onto the roof.

After doing a little research, I found a way to do it...so I bought a sit inside kayak. It took a little practice, but I can get it done pretty easy now.

I use the foam pads that attach to cross bars.

I then take the kayak cart and tie it to the back. It has to be tied tight so it doesn't move around.

An old rug is put under the nose of the kayak, so it doesn't get scuffed on a rough surface. A tether connects the back end of the kayak to the bumper, to keep the kayak from sliding when the free end is lifted to the vehicle. I made a rope the perfect length with a carabiner on each end, to make the process quick.

The free end is lifted up and laid on the cart. The wheels on the cart are going to guide the kayak in place as I pick up the tethered end and push the kayak up and it lays on the pads.

I secure the kayak with cam tie-down straps.

Remove the tether and kayak cart, and I'm ready to go. On my paddle today, I saw a beaver. Yes, you read that right. I saw a beaver in the waters of Lubbock, Texas. It was so quick, I could not get a picture. To some, that just means IT DIDN'T HAPPEN. I need to get my GoPro mounted before my next adventure!

SCARS

2022-02-16T20:29:00.000-06:00

Whether it's physical or emotional scars, they take us back to that time...that moment that created that scar. I can remember vividly that moment I got dumped. Or the moment my husband told me he was going to spend the night with another woman. Or when he told me my dependence on him was unattractive.

Or the time I was thrown from my horse and broke my arm. When I stepped over aluminum framing as my father raised it and it cut my foot. When this stupid kid ran into me on his bike. There are too many to list.

Scars can be a small thing, or can be caused from a cut so deep that it brings up hatred every time you think of it. We can learn from them and overcome, or they can eat at your soul. It's up to you. I have both outcomes. I'm not perfect. My scars have kept me single for many years, and I don't see that ever changing.

Just focus on the positive and try and keep those scars covered and bandaged with love of family.

ACORN SPREAD

2021-11-01T10:15:00.000-05:00

It definitely feels like fall, with the acorns falling from my big oak tree. I read where a mature oak tree can produce up to 10,000 acorns in a season. One day I was looking at them covering my back yard, and thinking there is surely a use for them, other than fall decorations. I went to Google and found recipes for this plentiful nut. I didn't want to go to the trouble of making them into flour, but I did find I could make a spread. I was intrigued, I must try it.

The process is length, but I gathered some acorns and went to work. They must be boiled, changing the water three or four times, to remove the tannin. Once this was done, I simmered in apple juice for 20 minutes. Acorns have very little oil, so I added vegetable oil and sugar. I tasted it... it needs something. A dollop of peanut butter and a squirt of chocolate syrup, then processed until it resembled something that was spreadable.

My brother, sister-in-law and mother were my taste testers. They didn't make a face when they tasted it. That's a good sign. It has a slight hazelnut taste. It's one of those foods that you have to acquire a taste for. My brother said he wanted a small container of it, and I have about a cup of the spread. I will have this on my toast for breakfast, but I doubt I will make more.

Does anyone have a recipe they like for acorns? Let me know.

MY SEWING ROOM

2021-10-19T23:06:00.002-05:00

I have always wanted a room designated for sewing. My dream has come true. My table is finished, and I've already put it to use. My brother wanted a cover for his patio chairs. I had enough WeatherMax to make his cover. It is two-toned, but it gets the job done.

The top is 8'x8', with a hole for my sewing machine and a cut out for me to sit behind the machine. The sewing cabinet with my smaller machine fits in a cut out at the far corner. The shelf underneath is 4'x8' and easily stores bolts of goods.

I love my table!

Capt. Eric Kellen

2021-06-22T09:39:00.004-05:00

In December 2007, I first stepped onto Capt. Eric Kellen's sailboat, s/v Escapades, and fell in love with sailing. I started sailing on his Irwin 41 ketch, with instruction from Eric. He was a very patient instructor. Dale and I crewed for him for about three years. There were many overnight trips and several three and four day weekend trips. They were so much fun. Those are some of my favorite memories.

Eric & I have kept in touch over the years, and I invited him to come sail on my boat, s/v Gdnuff. We went out to a small lake on the north side of Lubbock, and launched her. There wasn't a lot of wind and sometimes shaded by trees. But with a strong gust, she was up on plane a time or two. She's in a different class than Eric's Irwin, but he had a great time.

Capt. Eric always had good sailing stories. One day, he was telling us of a writer that overheard he and his friends talking about sailing, and she came over and joined in, asking questions, as she was doing research for her book. They were going out again the next day, so they invited her along. To pay Eric for his generosity, she said she would name one of the characters after him... and so she did. Of course I bought a copy, and have read it. While he was here, I asked him to sign my copy.

Thank you Eric for many, many wonderful memories.

Gdnuff Got Wet

2021-05-30T17:06:00.010-05:00

FINALLY! I splashed Gdnuff. She was built on the back porch of my mother's house, which sits next to a park with water. They call it a "lake", but really it's a big pond. Anyway, I splashed the boat there so my mother could see her sailing. The wind was about 13 mph this morning, but shadowed by the houses and trees nearby. Once I got out in the open, the wind was better. She was scooting right along, I was pleased with her. I do feel like I will be in the drink, if I don't pay close attention. My next outing will be a capsize test.

PROGRESS

2021-03-01T16:57:00.061-06:00

When I received the plans for the boat, I didn't pay much attention to the sail. And when it was time to build the sail, I just sent the sail page to Sailrite and they made a kit for me. This sail has a sleeve for the mast, and a zipper in the sleeve. I didn't pay must attention to that... until I had already sewn the sail. Not a problem, I ordered the 10 foot zipper and installed it.

NOW the sail is finished, complete with battens and telltales. And of course, the sail needs a proper bag!

I moved Gdnuff out from under the patio so I could step the mast. The mast is 16', and looks really tall, but it is light and I had no trouble holding it upright and sliding into the mast partner and down to the step. The boom has all the hardware attached now, and I attached it to the mast. The wind was too high to add the sail today.

Sail Loft

2020-10-26T16:50:00.000-05:00

The weather turned cold and wet, so I turned my living room into a sail loft. I wanted to use dacron for the sail. I sent Sailrite the sail plan and they made a kit for me. It's going together pretty easy.

This is the second sail kit I have ordered from them. The paradox I built flew a sail I made from a Sailrite kit. I recommend them.

The panels are well marked, and the instructions are easy to follow.

Gdnuff's Mast

2020-08-28T21:07:00.001-05:00

The plans for the Spindrift call for an aluminum mast. I have always liked the wooden mast and have made them for the other boats I have built. However, I decided to use an aluminum mast this time. On the B&B Yacht website, one can purchase a mast kit. This kit includes the three piece mast and starboard plugs for both ends. I took the easy way out and purchased the kit along with the mast step. Yes, instead of making the mast step... I bought their beautifully machined step.

I have added to my tools collection. That was kind of an expensive hole, but if I ever need another 2 inch hole cut... I have the tool to do it.

My brother got real excited when I told him I bought a table saw. Because I will store it at his house.

SHE HAS A NAME

2020-07-19T20:50:00.000-05:00

Every time I've worked on this boat, I heard myself say, "That's good enough." So, that's her name now... Gdnuff.

All the seams have fiberglass tape on the inside. Gunwales are on, and the temporary bulkhead is out. This week, I'll be working on the centerboard trunk, and shopping for aluminum for the mast.

3D

2020-07-06T19:48:00.003-05:00

My Spindrift went 3D this weekend. It feels good! I do have to say, the plans are not as easy as my previous builds. I am confident this is not for a newbie in the boat building world. My son was my extra pair of hands. He was a big help with the unfolding and getting that forward bulkhead in place. I think I may have cut that bulkhead wrong, but I made it work.

The cradle where she will live for a little bit.

With both sides and both bottoms stacked, you are able to have both side exactly the same.

This seemed backwards to me. Glass the sides to the bottoms for the first 8 inches, wire the bow and two bottom pieces together, and then open her up and work your way back wiring the sides to the bottom. It was very difficult getting that forward bulkhead in place.

Clamping the longitudinal bulkheads together, I was able to make sure they were the same for the seat.

And there she is. I do like her shape. All my other boats have had flat bottoms, so I'm sure this will sail a little different than I'm used to. But, I just had to share my progress! Yay!

LET THE BUILDING BEGIN

2020-06-30T21:17:00.000-05:00

Since I sold my Mayfly, I am now ready to start another boat. I did a lot of looking around, and decided the Spindrift was the perfect boat for my needs. The plans arrived and I have started making sawdust again. There are a lot of firsts for me with this boat. Spindrift is a stitch and glue, has a centerboard instead of a swing leeboard, and the sail is not a balanced lug.

All of the pieces have been cut out and, the bottom and side pieces have a couple coats of epoxy. If my plan works out right, she will be 3D this weekend. There will be another post with pictures when that happens.

HAPPY DAY

2020-03-08T14:54:00.001-05:00

As the saying goes, the two happiest days of a boater's life are the day they buy a boat and the day they sell it. Today was one of those days. Idris is on her way to Arizona. She will be happy with Scot, and hopefully join the Texas 200 group one summer.

I know she will get more time in the water with Scot, than I could in West Texas. She found a good home.

When the weather warms up, I will figure a plan to get out on the water. I'm thinking maybe start with a kayak, then think about building a small sailboat... Spindrift!

FOR SALE: MAYFLY 16

2020-01-25T14:14:00.000-06:00

Since moving from "saltwater at the end of my block" to a dry and dusty West Texas, I have decided to sell my Mayfly 16. The water in our area, is not great for sailing and I know I will not drive the hours it would take to get to better water. She's a great boat, splashed in 2016, per Michalak's plan. I made white vinyl cushions for a comfortable ride. She has a Sunbrella cover to keep rain and dirt out when stored, 2016 2.5 hp Tohatsu outboard, tan 100 sq ft 6 oz polytarp balance lug sail (building it now), 10 lb anchor, dock lines, fenders and a trailer. The trailer has new leaf springs, bearings replace 2000 miles ago and repacked a couple weeks ago.

Lezlie without a boat? Of course not silly, I plan to build a Spindrift 10.

If interested, or just have questions, shoot me an email. If you are seriously interested, make me an offer.

lezliehenson@gmail.com

LEZLIE'S BIG ADVENTURE: DAY 8 & 9

2019-12-13T19:25:00.000-06:00

"If it wasn't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all."

There was a heavy fog Sunday morning. I thought it best to wait until it lifted to pull out on the road. About 8:30 I said my goodbyes and continued my trip to Lubbock, Texas. The miles and hours past without incident. Just when I thought it would be smooth sailing the last four hours, I saw smoke bellowing from my right trailer tire. I pulled to the side of the road and got out to see what kind of damage I had. The fender was only about 1/2 inch from the top of the tire. A little of the tread was worn, but I couldn't immediately tell why. I creeped down the shoulder with my flashers on trying to reach the exit to the truck stop. When I was able to look closer, I could see the spring was not springing, and it appeared that the axel was not centered because the fender/tire location was not the same for both tires. It's 4:00 pm on a Sunday. What do I do? I call my brother. It was too late to do anything that day, so I spent the night in Cisco, TX.

Hanging over the red line.

DAY 9
Monday morning, the sun rose and it was beautiful.

My brother borrowed a trailer and headed to Cisco. He and a friend of his, got there about 3:00 Monday afternoon. The trailer he brought, was not quite wide enough to hold the boat and trailer. Plan B... do some Southern engineering to get it road worthy.
First we tried wood blocks to raise the frame, but my C clamps were not quite big enough. In the dumpster was a metal fence post. It was the perfect size to hold that shackle in the right position. We didn't have wire, but I had zip ties. Zip ties it is! That took care of the wheel on the right side, but the fender on the other side was too close to the tire and would rub if we hit a bump in the road. My brother pulled out a jack stand and used the saddle to elevate the left frame, providing more room between the fender and tire.

We filled our gas tanks and headed to Lubbock. When I was 38 miles from Lubbock, I looked at my gas gauge and it registered 1/4 full. I thought that would be plenty to get me there. Well, it did. However, the next morning when I was moving the boat into the drive, the Ford died and would not start. Turns out, my gas gauge isn't working right. I best not let it get below 1/4 tank full. But, I am here with all my stuff, and I am not going on any road trips for a long time!