Monday, January 30, 2012
Heat wave!
It's 45 F (7 C) outside and I can imagine how much fun the chickens are having outside right now. I wish I could be there too.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Wood!
I found a firewood source not too far away and my son picked up a load yesterday. I'm going to have him get one more load soon and that will pretty much fill up the space available in the garage. Knowing my tendency to obsess, I can only imagine how much I'll have ready for next winter!
I've got the quote for the stove installation, now I just need the W2 from work so I can get my tax return filed.
Today wasn't very productive as I started off with a nasty headache. By late afternoon I did get out and install an awning on the side of my chicken coop. I've been having trouble with snowmelt dripping off the roof of the coop onto the pop-hole ramp and icing up so I couldn't close it. The awning will divert any drips away plus give them a little extra shelter when it rains.
I've got the quote for the stove installation, now I just need the W2 from work so I can get my tax return filed.
Today wasn't very productive as I started off with a nasty headache. By late afternoon I did get out and install an awning on the side of my chicken coop. I've been having trouble with snowmelt dripping off the roof of the coop onto the pop-hole ramp and icing up so I couldn't close it. The awning will divert any drips away plus give them a little extra shelter when it rains.
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Wood burner of choice
My next big purchase is going to be a wood burning stove and this is the one I've decided on:
I expect this to be the only stove I buy so I'm definitely going with the model I liked best. Sweet feature: the top swings open revealing a cooktop.
The stove will be my last major planned purchase. After this I'll be saving up for likely future issues such as car or furnace replacement, tuition or emergencies. Of course, if I had to borrow or charge this I wouldn't be buying it in the first place. I don't think I could handle the stress of going back into debt!
I expect this to be the only stove I buy so I'm definitely going with the model I liked best. Sweet feature: the top swings open revealing a cooktop.
The stove will be my last major planned purchase. After this I'll be saving up for likely future issues such as car or furnace replacement, tuition or emergencies. Of course, if I had to borrow or charge this I wouldn't be buying it in the first place. I don't think I could handle the stress of going back into debt!
Monday, January 9, 2012
Update
The beef has been picked up and now fills the freezer. I made a Sunday roast yesterday and it is very good.
The chickens have all filled out nicely after the fall moulting and are looking good.
This has been a strange morning as I woke early and couldn't go back to sleep; instead I got up and rode the stationary bike for a time. That's the first time it's been used for anything other than a coat rack for months! I fear it will be a very long day though.
The weather continues clear and cool. Very unlike a normal January. The big question is how this dry winter will affect the summer growing season. As there is nothing to be done about it, we will just have to suffer through jacket weather. :)
This past weekend I watched a show from around 2003 called "That'll Teach 'Em" where they took 30 volunteer 16 year olds and put them in a 1960s boarding school for a month. This was series 2 of the show and it was fascinating to watch these modern day, below average students blossom in a disciplined setting. I would love to see a follow-up done on where they are now and if the experience had any lasting benefits.
After watching that I looked up series 3 which was with above average students in a 1950s school. Curiously, they were much less adaptable to the discipline and caused a lot more trouble. They seemed to suffer from the 'I'm a special snowflake' syndrome and didn't make the most of the opportunity. Funnily enough, while most of them failed dismally at the 50s exams, they all scored very high on modern tests. So, there are today's doctors and lawyers; lazy, never having to do anything they don't want to and expecting someone to give them the answers. I think what shocked me the most was that not one of them could do a long division problem without a calculator. Pitiful.
The chickens have all filled out nicely after the fall moulting and are looking good.
This has been a strange morning as I woke early and couldn't go back to sleep; instead I got up and rode the stationary bike for a time. That's the first time it's been used for anything other than a coat rack for months! I fear it will be a very long day though.
The weather continues clear and cool. Very unlike a normal January. The big question is how this dry winter will affect the summer growing season. As there is nothing to be done about it, we will just have to suffer through jacket weather. :)
This past weekend I watched a show from around 2003 called "That'll Teach 'Em" where they took 30 volunteer 16 year olds and put them in a 1960s boarding school for a month. This was series 2 of the show and it was fascinating to watch these modern day, below average students blossom in a disciplined setting. I would love to see a follow-up done on where they are now and if the experience had any lasting benefits.
After watching that I looked up series 3 which was with above average students in a 1950s school. Curiously, they were much less adaptable to the discipline and caused a lot more trouble. They seemed to suffer from the 'I'm a special snowflake' syndrome and didn't make the most of the opportunity. Funnily enough, while most of them failed dismally at the 50s exams, they all scored very high on modern tests. So, there are today's doctors and lawyers; lazy, never having to do anything they don't want to and expecting someone to give them the answers. I think what shocked me the most was that not one of them could do a long division problem without a calculator. Pitiful.
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