Urges

I've got a twitching in my fingers to start seeds for the summer garden. Lol. Jumping the gun by a couple months!

Dropping

Saturday evening and the temp is at 0F (-17C). The wind chill is much colder, but this is the last time we will see 0 until Tuesday. The next two days are going to be brutal with cold and wind. I've hauled in extra wood and kindling so I can make fewer trips outside and hung a second light in the coop. It's not much, but is the only source of heat they have besides each other. If the extended forecast is right, things should be much better by next weekend.

I tromped out to the propane tank today to check the level. Amazing that it's still over half full and this is the second winter using just one tank. I noticed that the delivery man doesn't even check mine anymore when he fills the neighbors. I have used the furnace a lot more this winter because it's much colder.

Yawn! I would love to go to bed now, but there is a loaf of cinnamon raisin bread in the bread machine.

Planning for the morrow

Friday should be a very busy day. I can open up the coop and let them out for the one 'warm' day; not that they are likely to venture out, but the option will be there. Then it's off to the dealership to get the car worked on, hoping that whatever killed the door power won't be horribly expensive. The first day working at the office since before the holidays began, including a Chinese lunch with my favorite coworker. Then, it's off to Costco for a stock up and, finally, a visit with my stylist to get the last haircut tweaked. I just can't get it to work and suspect that she was so distracted talking about her impending divorce that my hair paid the price.

During my time off I made use of Amazon Prime and checked out some of the free shows. Found a quirky/corny movie called Unicorn City that I liked. Watched a little Buffy, Primeval and Being Human. What finally hooked me was Star Trek: TNG. I skipped season 1 because it was dull (and I hated Tasha Yar) and am deep in season 2 now. It's so much fun to be reunited with the characters in episodes that I've completely forgotten over the years. It's been so captivating that I haven't even watched the new Sherlock episode yet!

Farewell 2013

I haven't posted much the last few months. In many ways it's been a frustrating year; trying to get a handle on health issues and not being overwhelmed by daily stuff has taken much of my energy. It's a bit of a relief that the year is over and I can hope for an easier one to come.

One good thing to happen today: the solar guy showed up with an electrician. Now, perhaps, there will finally be some progress made on getting the new system installed. It's been in limbo for forever!

Neither of us felt like going out tonight with the cold bearing down again. -7F (-21C) temp and a wind chill of -25F (-31C). Two more bitterly cold days then up into the 20s for Friday. Yay!

I hope everyone is safe tonight and that tomorrow brings in a bright, fine year.

Mycroft

Mycroft has learned much from his dad and has been performing many roosterly duties well. He has a fine crow and finds the ladies very attractive. He does have a tendency to announce the discovery of food where there isn't any, but should learn.

Sorry about the chicken clumping in the pictures, but nobody likes walking on snow. Frodo (dad) is on the left. I love how Mycroft's beard covers his wattle.

Some sunshine to accent his mixture of colors.

Sadly, our warm spell is over and the chickens won't be outside at all for the next few days as the temperatures plummet again.

The cold!

There is something about doing chores in -30F wind chills that tells me I must really love those chickens. :)

This has felt like the worst winter for cold that I remember. Of course, with my memory that isn't saying much. A fresh dusting of snow and a touch warmer makes it easier on all of us. My son's friends came over for a day of turkey on Tuesday which was great fun for all. Especially the cats as they took full advantage of the extra loving. I finally baked one of the apple crisps I made and froze early this fall. Delicious! Because of the time and energy sink that prepping all those apples turned out to be, I've now ordered an apple peeler/corer/slicer. If I had had one of these then I would have made much more than I did.

The chickens are doing great. We're getting between 8 to 12 eggs daily and they all look very healthy. Mycroft has grown into a handsome rooster with unusual coloring. I'll try to take a picture if he goes outside one sunny day.

Something interesting happened recently. While I was getting my hair done, my stylist was explaining why she is getting a divorce. So much of her husband's behavior reminded me of my last relationship that it nearly felt like I was having flashbacks, including the questions 'is it me?' and 'am I going mad?'. Ironically, I had been considering sending him a happy holidays wish. No chance of falling down that particular rabbit hole now. Oddly, I feel a sense of closure now knowing someone else has dealt with the same issues (and it is NOT our fault that the treatment we experienced effectively killed the love we felt for these men).

Changing the subject, recently I called my doctor's office and requested a three month supply of my prescriptions for emergencies. It was refused and the reasons given made it obvious that the why wasn't understood at all, so I wrote a letter explaining. Two days later they called back and said I could have the prescriptions. Yay for the clarity of the written word!

I hope everyone has had a safe, warm and happy holiday and stays that way for the rest of the winter.

Hurrah! The molt is over!

After weeks of 1 egg every other day, we just had four days of 3 eggs each and today...5 eggs! I never was able to catch the opossum that killed two hens though once it tripped the live trap. I've been diligent in locking the coop down after dark and all are doing well.

On a personal note: during this week famous for excesses of food and drink I've been living on diet 7-up, crackers and chicken noodle soup. It's been a rough time and though I'm still a bit weak and feeble, the stomach is finally settling. I noticed that comprehension was badly affected; either due to the fever or messed up blood sugars. Curiously, even my sense of smell was dampened. Anyway, if you hear of anybody out with illness - stay far away!

A dishwasher would be nice...but not enough to give up the cabinet space for. Maybe I'll wash them tomorrow.