Sears Update

Since my last posting, Why I Will Never Buy Another Appliance From Sears, I have been receiving 1-2 automated calls, then live person calls each day trying to reschedule the repairman to put in the non-existent dishwasher part. I grit my teeth each time they end the conversation with "thank you for choosing Sears!" During the past seventeen days of this I have felt very harassed by Sears.

They wouldn't even leave me alone for the Easter weekend, three people called to try to schedule the repairman. I told each live person that I will not accept a black control panel for my white dishwasher, and that I expected them to live up to the warranty to replace the entire unit. One of these people even told me they had no evidence I had a warranty!

The last person told me he would refer my case to the national replacement group and I should expect a call from them. This morning I received another call to reschedule the repairman. I told them to take me off their call list and to have the national replacement group call me. Unbelievable, they called. I now have a $500 credit toward the new dishwasher of my choice--only it has to be from Sears!

After this one breaks, that's it, no more Sears appliances! No more Sears warranties! I estimate I have spent 12 hours on the phone with Sears or the repairman over this issue trying to get my dishwasher fixed for 2 months. I still have to set the last three wrong parts on the doorstep for UPS to pick up. I predict with outsourced service, and incompetent parts department, and horrible communication, Sears will soon go out of business.

Calendar of Events:

Feb 16 Initial call for repair
Feb 20 Wrong part arrives
Feb 25 Repairman arrives, orders another part
Feb 27 Another wrong part arrives
March 4 Repairman arrives, orders another part
March 12 Third wrong part arrives, I am out of town
March 16 I call Sears and tell them it's the wrong part, they promise to expedite the part before the repairman shows up
March 17 I call Sears to ascertain the part has shipped, it has but they don't know when it will arrive
March 18 Repairman comes, but there is no part
March 19 Forth wrong part arrives! A manager is supposed to call me, doesn't.
March 23 A manager calls to tell me there is no white part, I will have to accept a black part! She says my warranty doesn't cover "cosmetic problems". I told her the problem was functional, that Sears was causing the cosmetic problem, and that if this wasn't taken care of I would seek legal action.
March 24-April 10 For seventeen days I receive 1-2 automated or live person calls each day trying to reschedule the repairman to install "the part".
April 13 I am issued an authorization number for $500 towards a new Sears dishwasher.

My advice to you: 1) Don't give in 2) Don't ever buy Sears appliances or warranties.

Cutting the Curves

First, we transposed the curve from the bottom to the top. This was accomplished by drawing a series of parallel lines on both the top and bottom of the plywood, measuring from the bottom and marking it on the top. I added a half inch just to make sure the saw didn't hit the metal panels.

Since I couldn't find my artist charcoal or chalk, I opted for a barbecue brickette and a curving yardstick that warped in the rain.

It was a matter of connecting the dots. Farmer Rick wanted me to make the cut, seeing as how the curve was my idea in the first place. It's important that chickens have good feng shui, you know.

This is my Dewalt reciprocating saw. It is often generically called a Sawzall, even though that's another brand (Milwaukee). I got it to demolish parts of my former flooded home. When I bought it a decade ago the salesman thought I should buy a smaller, more ladylike one. Even though this one is the biggest and heaviest, it is counter-weighted to balance it for a smoother cut.




Tools are a great investment. If I had to choose just one saw, it would be this one. You can buy blades to cut through whatever you want.

Here's the finished cut.

We had a little rain last night (imagine that!) so here we've tucked our floor under the sheet vinyl that will eventually cover it. That was after we did a little dance together on it, and got to thinking how the roof could incorporate a little deck into the oak, maybe with a staircase following that curve...

Here's a closeup of the vinyl. I think it's supposed to look like regal gold flecks, but it just looks like the chickens have already been there. Next task, building the walls.

Happy Easter!

From left to right: Silver Laced Polish, Buff Laced Polish, and Gold Laced Polish chicks, sprouting the poufs at 2-1/2 weeks.

Critter-Proofing the Coop Part Two

Once the panel was attached, chicken wire was added as the second layer of critter-proofing the underside of the coop. It was stapled to the back side of the joists, tied with brick ties to the front of the panel, and bent into an "L" below the ground and covered back over with the soil.


Finally, the flooring goes down! This is 3/4" plywood.

Here Farmer Rick is demonstrating "Measure Once, Cut Twice". He says he's working his way up to Carpenter Rick. There is less digging in carpentry.

If you ever keep chickens you will soon be looking for ways to make chores easier and your coop cleaner. We recommend using vinyl flooring. We hope to get to that tomorrow.

Meet Geno: Sicilian Buttercup Roo

Meet Geno, our Sicilian Buttercup rooster (at least I hope he's a he) chick. We have three lovely Buttercup hens already, and one of them--Georgia--is very attached to me (and vice-versa). Since we name all our roosters with names ending in "o" I decided to name him in memory of my late Italian friend Geno C.

Geno is already challenging the large, presumed Buff Orpington (I didn't order it!) chick nearly double his size.

These chickens are extremely rare. The American Standard of Perfection notes that 100% of the Buttercup stock in North America came from hatching eggs brought here in 1892. Supposedly they are not docile or broody, but I can tell you ours are very handle-able and one of them goes seriously broody (as in attacking your hand if you try to move her). They lay small white eggs.

We do have a Sicilian chef who runs the local Italian restaurant (but his name doesn't in in "o"), and he's the first to tell you the many ways Sicily is different from Italy. (For one, it is an island, and second, they add sugar to their spaghetti sauce.) I think their flag looks sort of Celtic. At least our chickens do not have three legs.

They are sprouting wing and tail feathers. Today they are two weeks old!

Cream Brabanter

Here's a Cream Brabanter chick. This rare breed originated in the historic region of Brabant which straddles the Netherlands and Belgium. Like the Spitzhauben it also has a crest, but additionally has a muff (beard). It is relatively unknown outside of Europe, and is not recognized by the American Standard of Perfection. They lay white eggs.

Return of the Crop Circle

You may have wondered what's happened to my crop circles project. Well, it's a little embarrassing. You see, the red clover I planted and watered didn't get very big. This is what five months produced. I've been told it grows waist high around here. I'm not sure what this says about our situation. Right now I'm supposed to be mowing and laying it down according to Fukuoka. Instead I'm just planting into it.

Fearing not much nitrogen got fixed by these miniscule plants, I decided to try the Three Sisters planting. We make lots of great compost from our chicken manure, so I built 18" mounds of it 5 feet apart. Don't rack your brain trying to follow my druid geometry. I attempted to line them up with the brutal afternoon sun for maximum shade.

Into each mound, I planted four Oaxacan Green Dent corn seeds. Dent corn, which is more starchy than sweet, is better suited to our dry climate so close to Mexico. We intend to grind it into cornmeal.

Yes, it's really green. It's beautiful stuff. I think Sam I Am would concur, and the Ameraucanas. And for fun, some digital manipulation.