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Losing It - My Balance That Is

Is it possible to have a mid-wardrobe crisis?  I'm still in the LOST version of closet life (no not that closet, the one that holds my stuff) and have thought more than once that maybe this is like a mid-life crisis only of the apparel kind.  Hmmmm.  The fog did lift temporarily when I heard the magic delivery man scream out early this morning, "UPS FRONT DOOR!".  I, in turn, screamed, "CHEF, UPS FRONT DOOR!!" in a zombie-like state from my bed.  What?!  It was early (read before 10am), and I have no business scaring anyone who is gainfully employed with the way I look prior to noon.  Halloween's on Sunday.

It all started when I saw her wearing them here.  Carey is probably my favorite blogger out there - she and her husband, Rob, have the most witty, entertaining posts with the best outfit and cat pictures evah!  And you know how I am about the cats, people!  When I saw her in these shoes it was a like the light bulb went on and whispered, "must-have" ever so softly.  Since then I have been fighting the ol' Jessica Simpson Dany's tooth and nail with excuses like, "but they're Jessica Simpson!" (so rude yes, I know), "I'll trip and kill myself in those mothers - no can do!", and "what if I crack my head open?? I'm pretty sure my insurance won't cover that."  Last week I found them on sale and must have purchased them in a white out (just like Dr. Drew says Amber on Teen Mom has when she beats Gary's a** and can't really remember it) because suddenly a UPS shipment notification showed up in my email and there was no turning back.  Thank heaven.

Eight Sixty Faux Fur Vest, Loomstate for Target Tunic, 
Gap Wideleg Denim, Jessica Simpson Dany Platforms
{Free People, PANYC, Motif 56 leather bracelets}
I wasn't kidding when I said hippie mania has taken over my thoughts.
Sadly you can barely see these huge platform babies, but I trust you've seen them
on everyone else and you will be seeing them again here.
  *quintessential late bloomer*

The wood veneers on the platform remind me of the wood paneled wall my grandparents (and then my parents) had on the length of their/our living room when I was growing up.  Suddenly I was 10 years old again.  It was Saturday afternoon and my mom was bringing pomegranates to me and my brother as we prepped for an hour of Stampede and WWF Wrestling where Davey Boy Smith and the Dynamite Kid flung themselves off ropes and beat everyone to a bloody pulp while Macho Man Randy Savage decided whether Elizabeth could be in his corner or not.  Those were the days.  Shoes - good for the memory and the soul.

Ternak burung kenari untuk pemula

 Dalam beternak kenari ada beberapa factor yang harus diperhatikan yaitu usia kenari, jenis kelamin, sarana penunjang ternak dan ilmu tentang ternak.

Usia Kenari
Usia menjadi factor penentu berhasil atau tidaknya dalam beternak kenari, usia yang terbaik dalam beternak adalah jangan terlalu muda atau jangan terlalu tua. Kenari siap ternak minimal 6 bulan untuk kenari betina dan 8 bulan untuk kenari jantan, tetapi untuk kenari besar seperti Yorkshire dan turunannya sedikit lambat birahi minimal usia 1 tahun.


Jenis kelamin
 Anda sebagai peternak harus menguasai ciri-ciri kenari jantan atau betina, dalam menentukan jenis kelamin kenari cukup sulit bagi pemula tetapi bagi hobis senior sangat mudah menentukannya mereka cukup melihat dari postur tubuh kenari walaupun dalam kasus tertentu Kadang-kadang ada kenari yang sangat sulit ditentukan jenis kelaminnya.
Adapun cirinya yaitu :
  • Kenari jantan diusia muda ± umur 1.5 keatas sudah mulai belajar bunyi / ngriwik.
  • Ukuan tubuh / bodi jantan cenderung ramping (memanjang), leher agak panjang, jika betina bodi kelihatan agak bulat.
  • Anus jantan bila dilihat ( dengan cara ditiup agar bulu disekitar tidak menghalangi) menonjol tegak lurus /vertikal, jika betina sebaliknya / horisontal.
  • Jantan dewasa berbunyi nyaring dan nge roll.


Sarana Penunjang dalam beternak.
Kadang-kadang kita dalam beternak tidak terlalu memperhatikan hal-hal kecil seperti posisi kandang ternak, lingkungan kandang ternak dan saran penunjangnya. Jika hal-hal tersebut kurang diperhatikan akan mengakibatkan kekesalan di kemudian hari. Contohnya pada saat penempatan kandang ternak kita tidak memperhatikan feng shui (he..he.. maaf becanda) lingkungan di sekitar kandang ternak. Penempatan yang terbaik yaitu sangkar atau kandang ternak menempel ke dinding disamping kiri dan kanan sangkar ditutup. Sangkar ternak di tempatkan di daerah yang bebas dari gangguan serangga atau binatang lainnya seperti tikus, cicak dll.

Untuk menghindari dari serangan serangga seperti semut daerah sekeliling sangkar yang menempek ke tembok di kelilingi dengan kapur bagus (kapur ajaib). Jika kandang ternak besar menggunakan kaki maka kaki-kakinya diolesi oli. Sedangkan pengganggu utama selain semut yaitu tikus, tikus sebetulnya hanya mengambil makanan kenari hanya kalau melihat kenari lengah ya di hajar juga dan kejadian ini sering sekali dialami oleh hobis. Dengan penempatan sangkar di dinding diharapkan bisa meminimalkan serangan tikus hanya kadang-kadang tikus juga pintar mencari celah untuk itu anda harus hati-hati dalam penempatan kandang yang terbaik menggunakan kandang aluminium. 

Proses penjodohan
 Jika anda sudah mempunyai sepasang kenari dengan usia siap ternak proses selanjutkan yaitu proses penjodohan. Proses penjodohan yaitu kenari jantan dan betina di tempatkan pada sangkar yang berbeda, dan kedua sangkar tersebut ditempatkan saling berdekatan. Dalam hal ini banyak new comer (peternak pemula) yang tidak sabar menjalani proses penjodohan mereka langsung masukan jantan dan betina kedalam satu kandang.

Dengan adanya proses penjodohan anda akan mengetahui kesiapan kenari tersebut, jika belum jodoh langsung dimasukan ke dalam satu sangkar akibatnya kedua kenari tersebut bisa berantem. Apabila terjadi perkelahian diantara keduanya dan salah satu kenari ada yang kalah maka waktu penjodohan akan lama lagi, terutama jika yang kalah kenari jantan proses penjodohan semakin lama karena anda harus mengkondisikan si jantan agar berani mendekati betinanya. Ada beberapa tip untuk meningkatkan birahi yaitu :
Kenari di beri makanan yang bergizi tinggi seperti telor puyuh, multivitamin dll, Dijemur setiap pagi. Pada saat menjemur dan proses penjodohan sangkar jantan dan betina digandengkan terus menerus, kalau ada jantan lain sekali-kali dipanas-panasin dengan menggunakan jantan lain. Disangkar tempat betina disediakan sangkar berikut isinya. Jangan lupa berdo’a agar kenari yang diternak bisa cepat jodoh dan menghasilkan anak yang berkualitas.

Proses Ternak.
Proses selanjutnya yaitu menyatukan kedua kenari tersebut. Adapun cirri-ciri kenari siap ternak (sudah jodoh) yaitu :
pada saat jantan didekatkan dengan betina sijantan akan mengejar/menabrak sangkar dengan bunyi yang kenceng dan betinanya menggelepar-geleparkan sayapnya tanda minta kawin.
Pada saat sore hari atau menjelang tidur kenari betina dan jantan tidur berdekatan.
Sewaktu-waktu antara kenari betina dan jantan saling meloloh makanan.
Jika didalam sangkar betina di dikasih sarang beserta isinya, kenari betina akan menyusun atau merapihkan isi sarang, jika isi sarang sudah disusun biasanya betina siap ternak.

Dalam menyatukan kedua kenari tidak ada aturan waktu yang baku anda boleh kapan saja menyatukannya, hanya pengalaman saya waktu yang terbaik yaitu sore hari. Dengan menyatukan sore hari diharapkan pada malam hari keduanya sudah rukun sehingga pagi harinya sudah jodoh. Karena sudah mengalami masa penjodohan maka pada saat penyatuan tidak terlalu riskan berantem tetapi kita harus terus memantau karena takutnya terjadi berantem.

Setelah keduanya rukun coba perhatikan isi sarang kalau isi sarang kotor maka ganti isi sarang tersebut dan sebagian isi sarang simpan di dasar sangkar biasanya isi sarang didasar sangkar akan dipindah ke dalam sarang. Untuk memperhalus sarang kenari betina biasanya suka mencabuti bulu halus jantannya atau bulu halus dari kenari betina, biasanya jika di dalam sarang sudah ada bulu-bulu halus tandanya tidak lama lagi induk betina akan bertelor. Untuk mempercepat proses bertelor dan mengurangi mencabuti bulu halus  kedalam sangkar bisa dimasukkan kapas secukupnya.

Caption Contest #17

Taking a temporary break from my series of Papua New Guinea posts, I thought we'd snuggly into another Bill of the Birds caption contest.

Please submit your clever caption for this photo (of my friend Dr. Steve Banner using his BWD bino harness in a Scandinavian hot spring) and if your entry is selected as the winner by our panel of judges, you'll receive an autographed copy of the currently out-of-print (and oh-so collectible) best-selling book "Bird Watching For Dummies."

Get it? Got it? Good!

Revelations From a Rooftop

I've got a confession to make:  I am absolutely uninspired by my wardrobe at present.  Whenever I think about an outfit post I enter the closet, become depressed, turn and walk out.  The solution is not buying more things to make an outfit.  Of that I am certain.  It doesn't take much to walk through Saks, Barneys or Bloomingdales (*or insert any retailer here*), buy a bunch of labels and put an outfit together - let's face it - it's label land.  It's just that, well, all of that has suddenly become very bland to me.  I think I'm having an existential closet crisis. 

Last week, after staring at Olivia Palermo's $1200 $895 (red alert friends!  I just got a note regarding price reduction!) Daryl K leather pants (Daryl K are you out there?  Carrie loves your pants and is a total hypocrite after her above statement, but still means every word) I decided that I, too, must find my way into something similar.  This led, of course, to a significantly less expensive pair at H&M - which I love nonetheless.  It took everything in me not to throw then on with a fave Tank Farm T, but I wasn't going to a metal concert or a biker bar.  Maybe next time. 
James Perse Cotton/Cashmere - Sweater Coat, T by Alexander Wang, H&M - Pants,
Elizabeth and James - Boss Haircalf Western Booties 
Suffice it to say this won't be the last you see of these booties.
I envision them with skinny denim and a plaid flannel - due to wardrobe block
I haven't gotten beyond that part.  sigh
James Perse really does have some of the finest craftsmanship out there.
This sweater coat is one of my favorite things.
Free People Necklace.  Perfect mixture of clunky and junky with a feminine touch.
See even though I do love this outfit, something in me is just missing a bit more pizazz - a bit more creativity and off-the-wallness.  I'm feeling rather labeled out these days.  It's actually making me tired...has someone slipped something into my tea?

I feel a hippie phase coming on.

Hershey's Peanut Butter Blossoms (Gluten-Free Version Included)

I had a completely different post planned for today, but then got the wise idea (last night after Project Runway at, oh, 10:30pm) that I neeeeded to bake some cookies.  Perfect.  They ended up turning out so well I decided to switch everything up and share them with you just in time for the weekend.

Right around the time I got diagnosed with Celiac a good friend gave me a dreamy little book entitled Hershey's Easy Baking.  I was so excited to try the recipes, but soon after realized I couldn't eat any of the things on the pages.  Every time I opened my recipe drawer and saw the book it pained me, but I still held onto it hoping one day things might change.  After much trial and error I figured out a good gluten-free flour blend that makes cookies taste just like regular flour ones...why I haven't tested out that blend on the recipes in this book before tonight I do not know, dear friends.  Things will be a changin' over here at Casa Carrie!  After tasting one of these cookies the Chef looked over and asked if I made them gluten-free.  And then he said I missed my calling and should be baking gf treats full-time for a living (mayjah compliment!).  Awww shucks, thanks Chef *blush*.

 The recipe  produced 52 amazing cookies!

Hershey's Peanut Butter Blossoms
Ingredients
  • 48 Hershey's Kisses Chocolates
  • 1/2 cup shortening
  • 3/4 cup Creamy Peanut Butter
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour (*I used my gluten-free flour blend found here*)
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • Granulated sugar
Method
Heat oven to 350°F. Remove wrappers from chocolates.

Beat shortening and peanut butter in large bowl until well blended. Add 1/3 cup granulated sugar and brown sugar; beat until fluffy. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to peanut butter mixture - mixing by hand.  Mix the flour in by hand especially if you are doing the gluten-free version because the flour is very sensitive and should not be over mixed.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls (approximately). Roll in granulated sugar; place on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately press a chocolate into center of each cookie; cookie will crack around edges. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

See why I changed the post?  Yum-my! (and no we did not wait for them to cool completely) It's the weekend - let's eat, sleep, and do whatever we feel like.  Any special plans?  TGIF everyone!

Winner of the Melinda Maria Giveaway is...

by Random Number Generator...Connie from SogniESorrisi


Connie - I'll send you an email to get your ring size, stone color preference and mailing address. 

A special thanks to everyone who entered!

Melinda's jewelry is wonderful and you can see it on full display at her site:  Melinda Maria - the pieces are incredibly unique and versatile.  It's candy for the eye!
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