Laine Bell
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lainebell.bsky.social
Laine Bell
@lainebell.bsky.social
Writer, baker, chicken tender. Also love animals, nature, grilling, roller skating. Viable Paradise 2018 grad (VP22).
She/her.
Blog at lainebell.wordpress.com
I WAS NOT JOKING THO!
November 22, 2025 at 2:42 AM
This week in “definitely not an AI account” this military-loving lad is advising me to brush my chicken’s fur.
November 21, 2025 at 3:48 PM
Cookiedough, surviving against all odds despite now recognizing the bits of antibiotic pill mixed in with the treats and then eating around them. 🙃 also she’s moulting so she looks extra scraggly.
November 15, 2025 at 9:44 PM
IT IS SO NICE OUT TODAY.
November 15, 2025 at 8:31 PM
IT’S CAMPER WINTERIZATION DAY!

It’s just a pop up camper and we don’t use plumbing so it’s mostly setting out rodent repellent, disconnecting the battery, and putting a cover on it. But it’s also one last chance to hang out in the camper on a pretty decent-temperature day. 😎
November 15, 2025 at 8:10 PM
Northern lights in central Ohio. I could just see a tint of red to the black sky with the naked eye; the colors only really showed up in the camera.
November 12, 2025 at 3:59 AM
The fig I picked off the fig tree (bush) yesterday. I don’t think this is really their zone so it takes forever for them to show up and ripen. This one is SO CLOSE to being ripe!! There’s maybe 2 dozen others that are still hard and probably won’t make it. Maybe next year.
November 9, 2025 at 3:17 PM
Last weekend and the past week were extremely busy, so today is when I get to catch up on things. On the list: wash winter-weight duvets for bed deployment, winterize the pop-up camper, mulch the front flowerbed, put up bird feeder, make chicken broth, put away Halloween decor.
November 8, 2025 at 6:49 PM
Trouble Chicken. (They don’t really treat chickens here so everyone loves seeing her. I don’t love the vet bill but willing to do what we can for her within reason.)
October 31, 2025 at 5:56 PM
Part 2, complete! (Paint still drying.) it’s amazing how much the face stripes make a difference in how the character looks.

I might add more stripes to the back of the costume later but need to let the front paint dry first.
October 30, 2025 at 1:07 PM
Part 1, complete! Hat is a little wobbly so more glue may be required, we’ll see how he holds up tomorrow night.
October 29, 2025 at 11:55 PM
Part 2, more progress! Smaller eyes are better but still a little funky. The ears look like piggy ears? 😂 I think they need to be smaller and more triangular. Maybe move the fangs inward…
October 29, 2025 at 12:56 PM
Crafting Halloween costume shenanigans part 2, in-progress. Still needs a nose and an ear adjustment. Debating: smaller eyes, bigger fangs?
October 28, 2025 at 2:32 AM
Hope everyone’s weekend was good! Mine was busy, but on the homestead the teen chickens were moved to the main coop and we planted a birch tree. Still covering the fig bush overnight in a vain attempt to let the fruit finish ripening before they freeze. 😞

Barbossa is extra snuggly in cold weather.
October 27, 2025 at 12:25 AM
Put the teen chickens in the run (with the adult chickens elsewhere) for some exploration time at lunch. Didn’t realize until 4:30 none of them figured out how to go up into the coop, so they hadn’t found the feed and were very hungry. 🙃
October 24, 2025 at 8:53 PM
Crafting Halloween-costume shenanigans, part 1, still in-progress.
October 20, 2025 at 12:38 AM
Photo break! Met a friendly forest giant and a lurking pumpkinhead in an adventure park today. Had a magnificent comfort food dinner. Drove thru horrible traffic for an hour and then up a mountain in the dark. This hot tub time has been earned.
October 5, 2025 at 12:42 AM
Photo break! Marie Curiosity sees the chicken cam light up. (Sorry for weird perspective, the lens is at the rounded cage corner.)
October 3, 2025 at 3:35 PM
Long weekend getaway. Guys are off to hike up and down a mountain. I’m enjoying this view and birdsong with some coffee before settling in to get some writing done. I don’t think despondent space opera will work in this setting, so need to figure out what to work on. 😎
October 3, 2025 at 12:56 PM
Photo break! Here’s Wednesday enjoying a dust bath in the favored dust bathing spot in the run. (We’ve had no rain for a month until yesterday, so the dust has been perfect.)
September 22, 2025 at 1:50 PM
Photo break! I think we have a name for one of the chicklets.

Meet Warbeak.
September 17, 2025 at 2:04 PM
IT IS HAPPENING. or will be in about 45 mins. 😱😎🥳
September 13, 2025 at 10:47 PM
Better shot of the frizzle Easter egger which we may name Miss Frizzle. But she’s also kinda goth, and she looks like a skeksis. 🙃

Also considering naming the second chick Curiosity because she is super bold and friendly. Wants to sit on my hand! Not afraid of the phone!
September 7, 2025 at 10:05 PM
PHOTO BREAK. Chickens can be ridiculously hard to photograph. Best one I could get of the very-active chicks. And the sun on the adult chickens shows off Wednesday’s iridescent feather colors.

Baby chicks are 4 weeks old tomorrow. ❤️
September 7, 2025 at 8:37 PM
DONE! I only use my sewing machine maybe once every 4-5 years (last time was sewing masks during the early pandemic) but it all comes back pretty quickly. It’s a great little machine.

I should prob do some maintenance on it or something. 😬
September 5, 2025 at 12:23 AM