Chickens On The Porch

Chocolate Cake Upper

2012-01-26T23:32:00.000-08:00

This chocolate cake kept me awake all night.

Well, chocolate cake and Sees candy.

I didn't eat all that cake,

but enough that I couldn't sleep except that I slept a lot today.

It wasn't supposed to rain today, but it did

and stuff fell out of the tree on the clothes on the line.

I washed all the clothes again.

Overcast day,

but the trees against the dark sky

have their own kind of beauty.

This old oak is dropping a lot of dead branches.

Morgan starts antibiotics tomorrow.

No dog food recipes yet.

No eggs.

The chickens were locked up today

and got cabbage and steak scraps for treats.

~:>

Morgan Doesn't Have Diabetes!

2012-01-25T22:21:00.000-08:00

Morgan has an inflamed pancreas. Which means a change in diet is called for... no protein, meat, fat, cheese, etc. She can have crackers for treats and rice, noodles and potatoes. I'm supposed to cut back on the dog food and add the carbs to make up the difference. I don't know quite how all this is supposed to work... I'm going to call the vet again tomorrow and ask for clarification.

But... Morgan is feeling better! I changed around what she eats so her pancreas can calm down. She didn't drink much water today or lick her food dish like crazy so I hope she is feeling better.

She is acting perky when she is up and getting a lot of rest. She does need to take some antibiotics as a preventive and the vet will get the dog food recipes to me this week.

The strange white thing is a mushroom!

Click here for a Wiki page with info about the Hericium mushroom!

I don't know which Hericium this is... maybe Americanum?

The Buff Orpington hen was wobbly this morning,

but she made it out to the feed.

We bought a batch of chicks a few years back that had Marek's

and sometimes a hen comes down with the symptoms.

It seems the virus can stay in the environment for years,

She sat in the sun and then came up on the porch

with the other hens for carrot peel treats.

Some hens recover from Marek's, but there is no cure.

Marek's disease - click here for Wiki page and info,

We didn't know about Marek's disease in chickens when we got our first chicks, and that feed store didn't say anything about getting chicks with or without vaccinations. Ah, ignorance and trust... well, since then we have always ordered vaccinated chicks, but chickens can still get the disease.

~:>

2 eggs.

White Moss?...No! Mushroom! Yes! Homemade Dog Food?

2012-01-24T20:53:00.000-08:00

Update: Lynda commented and she was right.

Thank you, Lynda!

Click here for information and more photos of the

Hericium Mushroom

But Kristine said that no way

was she eating that mushroom for dinner.

----------

This morning Kristine spotted something white on an oak tree as she drove down the driveway.

She told me about it at the gate and sent me off to capture some photos for my blog.

I don't ever remember seeing this growth before on any of the trees or rocks around here.

In fact, it reminds me more of a sea anemone than something that belongs in a forest.

I almost expected to see the little wormy looking things to start waving at me.

Then I'm sure I would have yelled and run away. Boo!

I was already a little spooked because Kristine said that the white thing on the tree didn't look natural and not to get too close.

Ah, but I had to get close to get a half way decent picture.

Click on the bottom photo and it will enlarge and you can get a better look...

that is if you want to get a better look.

I have been searching around trying to identify this thing.

The sites I have found so far don't have any photos of any moss that look like this specimen.

Maybe it's a new find and I can name it after Kristine... she found it.

Morgan is going to see the vet today just to make sure she is OK.

The chickens have to stay locked up today because we don't leave them out when we are not here.

Bad things always seem to happen to the hens when we are gone and they are loose.

Morgan vet visit update:

5:00 pm - just got back from Morgan's appointment.
Morgan was checked over by the vet.
Blood was drawn for a comprehensive panel .
She may have diabetes?

We have to wait for the blood work to be completed before there can be a diagnosis. Waiting for a phone call.

But one good thing is that the vet is going to be giving me some recipes for making homemade dog food so I can stop buying dog food and make Morgan's meals!

7:00 pm - haven't heard from the vet, so I fed Morgan some warm rice with a 1/4 c. dog food. Hope to hear from the vet tomorrow.

I just remembered what the doberman breeder told me to feed my first dobe puppy for 6 months: cooked rice, cooked hamburger and scrambled eggs. I mixed it all up after cooking and rolled it into meat ball sized portions.

Can't remember the portion he got at each meal, but along with pet vitamins and oils he grew up big, strong and beautiful.

That recipe is maybe OK for a growing dog, but I think it is too rich for a mature dog like Morgan. I'm interested to see the recipes the vet copies for me to feed Morgan.

~:>

Puttin' On The Ritz

2012-01-23T22:56:00.000-08:00

Rainy day... good for reading

and watching movies.

I love this dance !

A pleasure to watch!

When I was growing up, I always thought that Fred Astaire

looked like my Father.

I never saw my dad tap dance

but he was the very best Father ever!

I love classic movies!

Morgan is still not feeling just right.

She hasn't been sick

but she keeps licking her food dish.

Tummy ache?

So, I gave her some warm rice to soothe her tummy.

She was supposed to visit the groomer today,

but I thought it would be too stressful for her and kept her home.

Cloudy days ahead

so I will be able to get out tomorrow and do stuff.

No eggs.

~:>

Rain, Snow And A Sick Dog

2012-01-22T22:16:00.000-08:00

Around the middle of the day it started snowing.

We weren't supposed to get any snow,

but we got enough to cover the ground and porch.

Snow is all gone now... rain forecast for tonight and tomorrow.

Morgan got Kristine up in the early hours

because she was upchucking all over the living room floor.

Morgan was sick.

Not Kristine.

Kristine said Morgan threw up hair and ?

I think we might take her to see a vet

to make sure she is ok.

Morgan had rice for dinner

and is sleeping now.

I've been enjoying doing the

"a Google a Day"

puzzels.

No eggs.

~:>

Falling Rain And Branches

2012-01-21T23:42:00.000-08:00

This morning the driveway was blocked

in several places by fallen branches.
I didn't see them until I started walking to the gate.
The branches were bulky, but not heavy.

Most of the branches were by the front gate.

This long branch was by the back fence.

Rainfall this year is up to 10.08.

Hope we get some more rain tomorrow and Monday.

Our average annual precipitation

is somewhere over 40 inches.

It was really wet last year.

Hope more rain and snow shows up.

I don't want to face a dry summer with high fire danger.

I checked to see if the

Buff Orpington

was still on the roost.

No.

The hen was out by the shed next to the Dark Brahmas

sunning herself.

She has a tin of lay that she shared.

I didn't see her eat any of it.

Later she joined the other hens on the porch

and ate up her share of cabbage.

There are three Buff Orpingtons in the photo.

Curly the Cochin is the buff colored hen at the bottom.

There are only 3 Buff Orpingtons

so that means that one of those Buffs is the

hen that is acting poorly.

Hope she is back to feeling ok.

No eggs.

~:>

Lovely Wet Sleepy Day

2012-01-20T23:29:00.000-08:00

As of now we are up to 8.61 inches of rain this year.

Morgan in her raincoat.

Hurray for rain!

The only bad part is the bad driving conditions.

Still, I'm very happy we are getting the much needed rainfall.

Rain and being tired and sleepy seem to go together for me and I slept away a lot of the day.

Rain... not snow - front gate.

This photo looks like it was taken at night

but it was only 3:30 p.m.

when I took Morgan

out for a walk

and to

check on the chickens.

2 Australorps - Buff Orpington

Some of the hens are not convinced that it is actually daytime

and that they

should get off their roosts.

One of the hens is sleeping in a nest box.

I really did try to take more photos

but I was afraid my camera

would get water damaged.

Morgan went sniffing around

in the coop looking for

the mysterious critters.

Australorp - 2 Dark Brahmas
Light Brahma

She could smell something interesting

but she didn't find anything.

Wish we could have found a clear tarp

to cover the pen like we did last year.

I'm sure the chickens

would be much happier

with some more light.

Well, they will only have to stay

in the pen for a day or two.

No scratch marks on the wooden egg.

I watched a lot of QI shows today.

Finished The Name Of The Rose.

I'm going to start reading

Inside Of A Dog

tonight.

No eggs.

~:>

Easy Way To Get Boots Off

2012-01-19T18:00:00.000-08:00

4:00 a.m.

No rain. It was supposed to start raining.

Dark cloudy day.

I stayed in and read.

Didn't want to go out in the rain.

The rain that didn't show up.

Besides I was tired from yesterday.

4:45 p.m.

There is finally some drizzly rain!

No photos of the drizzly rain because it is too dark.

At least the camera thinks it's too dark

and the photos come out... too dark.

I did take a picture of the Buff Orpington

that stayed on a roost all day.

She didn't come out this morning, when all the other hens ran outside.

Either she is not feeling well

or the day is dark enough that she wants to sleep.

Hope she is OK.

I took the photo of the Australorp

tonight when I went out to lock up the coop.

I don't think she likes having a flash go off in her face.

"Get out of my face woman can't you see its past my bedtime?"

~ diane b

Wish I was feeling brighter and I could come up with a brilliant caption.

I think she is thinking something witty.

Since nothing much happened today

I thought I would record my

secret for the easy way I get my boots off.

I wear plastic bags over my socks!

See... there was enough rain to get my boots wet.

Kristine came home with two new pillows last night

and asked if I wanted the plastic bags.

The bags are really big

but they'll work out very well

because I stuffed all the tall bits of the bag

in around the top

and that will keep leaves and debris

from falling in the boots

when I'm raking and hauling stuff around.

Beside, the plastic bag

makes it super easy to take off the boots!

No eggs.

Well, there could have been,

but I forgot to look when I locked up the coop

and it is cold and wet and

I don't want to put my boots back on and go look.

I just took them off.

I'll look later when I take Morgan out again.

I did look this afternoon.

Morgan is sleeping on Kristine's old pillows

while I type this.

I'd hate to wake her up just to go look for eggs

that most probably aren't there.

Sounds like a good excuse to me.

~:>

Critter Egg Whittling

2012-01-18T21:55:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I posted a photo of an egg

that was scratched up by a mystery critter.

Today, I found two wooden eggs that had been hidden

away in a critter nest

and one of them had been really scratched up.

Here is the scratched up egg next to what it should look like.

I think the critter that chewed up this wooden egg

might be a different critter

than the egg scratcher.

Oh dear, that would mean there are two critters.

This is the nest box cabinet that I tore out of the coop.

It had a critter nest in it.

The cabinet is laying out in hopes of receiving a wash

from the rain.

The rain

that never showed up today.

I moved a roost ladder

inside the coop

so the hens will have another place to roost.

There were several places where a little critter

dug through the floor.

I put some fine dirt down in hopes of finding some footprints tomorrow.

I put the good wooden egg in a nest box

in hopes of foiling the critter,

but instead I fooled an Australorp into sitting

on the wooden egg for 3 hours.

I raked 3 new paths.

Some of the paths still need to be leveled

out so I don't tip over on my trike

that I don't have yet.

Just planning ahead.

Kristine can ride her new bike!

No eggs

~:>

Sign Found Of Mysterious Egg Thief

2012-01-17T21:48:00.000-08:00

If you click on the photo of the egg,

I think you will be able to see the tiny scratch marks

made by the mysterious critter

that is living in the chicken coop

and eating the eggs.

This afternoon, I found this egg in the bottom nest box

before the critter had managed to scratch an opening

and break through the shell.

Wonder what the little critter is?

Such fine tiny scratch marks.

I still have work to do tomorrow to finish cleaning out the coop.

It is cold and getting colder.

Made stew soup for dinner on the wood stove.

I was really sleepy this morning and ended up going back to bed

after I fed Morgan and let the chicken out.

It is supposed to rain tomorrow afternoon

so I will have to finish the coop cleaning

tomorrow morning.

The chickens will be locked in the coop and pen

for a few days if it really does rain

and maybe snow.

It would be so great if the hens

take that opportunity to catch the thief.

1 scratched up egg

~:>

Coop Cleaning And Compost

2012-01-16T22:21:00.000-08:00

It is very strange...

There were definitely tunnels and some kind of critter nests

in the nest boxes

but there were no mouse or rat droppings.

Kristine thinks it might be a mole?

I hauled the straw bales out of the coop

and put them in the shed next to the bicycles.

I took all the old straw out of the next boxes

and put down a very thin layer of new straw.

I used all the old straw to line the new compost pile.

I put some straw on top to cover the soil

to help keep it from washing away in the rain.

I hope we get some rain!

The chickens had a good time

scratching up all the loose straw I dropped.

I'm only half way through cleaning out the coop.

Tomorrow, I'm going to move some things around, repair the floor,

and put up some new roosts.

I want to move out anything that a little critter can hide behind

so the chickens can see, find and catch them

for me... I don't want to set traps.

I'd much rather the chickens took care of the critter.

Kristine is right.

I had too much straw in the coop.

0 eggs

~:>

Mouse Eating Eggs

2012-01-15T09:32:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I accidentally dropped some cabbage

on the inside of the slider

and waited for the chickens to clean up my mess.

I watched Clara's video about peppers and eggs

and decided to try them out for breakfast.

Very good!

Mouse?

In the nest box?

The mouse tunnel in the straw is a bit hard to see

but I think there is a mouse

eating the eggs!

Today I'm going to clean the straw out of all the nest boxes,

take the straw bales out of the coop,

and check for more mouse nests.

I think the chickens will catch them

if they can see them.

0 eggs yesterday

Making Paths Wider

2012-01-14T12:51:00.000-08:00

The 3rd cement base post is in place.

Now I have to figure out how to nail it all together

so it won't fall apart

when I'm walking on it.

I'm making the paths wide enough

so that

I can peddle

an adult trike down them.

More paths to clear and widen.

Trimmed trees yesterday too until the trimmer came apart.

Need to hook it back together tomorrow.

I'm taking the day off today.

Tired.

I slept in until noon.

I looked at adult trikes online last night.

I want one with a basket.

Off to make brunch...

No eggs.

Or the chickens ate them.

Or a mouse?

Or?

~:>

Tree Trimming And Paths

2012-01-13T07:52:00.000-08:00

Screamer was supervising tree trimming.

Well, not really.

While I was trimming dead branches.

She was sneaking around.

So she could mess up the paths I just raked.

This sure doesn't seem like Winter.

Nice and warm in the sunshine.

I don't actually saw off that many dead branches.

I hook most of them, give them a yank and they pop off.

I just have to remember to get out of the way, look down

and hold my breathe

because all kinds of stuff comes falling down.

I must look pretty funny

standing under the trees waving that long pole around.

It is heavy and if it starts to fall

I can't balance it and it is a good thing it is metal

because I have to let it hit the ground.

I'm a dangerous tree trimmer to be around.

Screamer stays away.

Back to more tree trimming today and path making.

The naughty chicken got to the egg

before I did.

0 eggs

~:>

Clearing Paths

2012-01-12T00:30:00.000-08:00

Before I started raking today, I got the dolly and used it to haul

two cement post bases to the balance walk.

I found another base, but it was missing the wooden center piece.

I'll look around for another one tomorrow.

Some of Tom's old car parts were in the way of my path clearing

and had to go!

So, I got the dolly out again.

And used it to haul away the heavy car parts.

I dragged the long exhaust pipes away.

Rusty old things.

I put them in a pile by the garage to go to the dumps.

There are other things in the way of my paths

(dead cars) and those have to go too!

No photos of the dead cars.

The less I see of them the better.

Only I'm not hauling them away with the dolly.

Tom can move them!

Screamer kept me company again and kept messing up my paths.

I would like to think she is trying to help me

instead of just messing with the leaves I rake.

Screamer really is a pretty hen.

Kristine voted for pillows to be made out of the old project!

So, instead of a chair cover I'll make pillows.

But, first I need to get some pillow forms.

Good excuse to go to the quilt store.

Kristine brought me home some

delicious beef stew

from the

Cafe Vista!

~:>

1 egg

Broken and partly eaten

by a bratty chicken!

I checked the nests early but,

I'll have to check the nests more often tomorrow for eggs

and hopefully get to the egg/s first.

Old Project Found

2012-01-11T00:08:00.000-08:00

Today I started cleaning my sewing room.

A lot of stuff got put away in drawers.

But I did find and haul one thing out of the back of the closet.

It is a very old project I almost finished and then stopped

when I didn't like the results.

It was supposed to be a table cloth?

I think... I don't remember.

So... maybe I'll make pillows?

Or chair covers?

I was sitting in my chair last week and one of the arms fell on the floor!

Shock...

at least I wasn't leaning on it and I didn't fall out of the chair.

So... I took the other arm off.

I like the chair better without the arms.

And I think I will use the old project to make a slip cover.

At least it will be more colorful.

Kristine brought home pizza for dinner.

Good thing because I didn't cook dinner.

I sat down to read this afternoon and went to sleep.

Tricky trying to stay awake when I'm tired.

1 egg

~:>

Paths And Screamer

2012-01-09T20:19:00.000-08:00

Today I got outside and raked some more paths.

Screamer heard me raking and showed up.

She's a scream, but I named her Screamer because

she makes a terrible lot of noise when I take her eggs away.

I raked another space clear for a fitness station.
There is a low stump there I can use for toe raises.
I would like to build a bench there.

I raked down this path. No chickens in sight.

Met up with Screamer again by my balance walk.

She was busy messing up my path with leaves.

The chickens love to scratch the leaves back on the paths.

Still need to nail the boards together.

I stayed to rake the mess up while she wandered away.

I finished up this section of path.

There's still a long way to go to get around 3 acres.

Then I quit for the day, said goodby to Screamer
who had showed up again and went inside.

Kristine brought home lots of biscotti from Mary G.

I am so in love with biscotti and pizzelle!

Mary G. gave her a lovely certificate for completing training

at the G. School of Biscotti and other Sicilian Delights.

Kristine won't let me take a photo of the certificate.

1 egg

My breakfast tomorrow.

~:>

Nest Egg!

2012-01-08T23:17:00.000-08:00

Morgan is very envious of the chickens

and the cabbage treats I toss out on the porch.

She gets her cabbage treat in her food dish.

Maybe I should make her salads?

No.

I spent a lot of time today on that day bed

drinking hot ginger tea and

rereading one of Michelle Sagara's Fantasy "Cast" books.

The first one is "Cast In Shadow."

I love science fiction because I can give my imagination free rein.

A quiet day.

There was an egg in a nest today!

No egg in the nest on the hay bales.

But maybe the hens will start laying soon?

~:>

1 egg

Egg Sandwich - Out Of Bread

2012-01-07T21:11:00.000-08:00

We didn't want much of anything for dinner.

I snacked on popcorn and dried fruit and nuts.

But then, I got hungry for an egg sandwich.

Egg sandwiches bring with them memories

of when I was a little girl in the '40's.

I can remember my mother making them for me to take to kindergarten.

Or for breakfast... to eat on the way to school.

Oops!... there's no bread.

But, there are hot dog buns.

I can work with that...

Slice the cheese, melt butter in the pan.

Toast the buns.

When the butter sizzles add the egg.

Break the yolk when the whites are cooked, wait a bit,

Flip, turn off the heat, add the cheese.

When the cheese melts, flip onto the bread.

I don't advocate hot dog buns instead of bread,

but in a pinch they will do.

I made a big pot of hot ginger tea for Kristine

because she still has a terrible cough.

I like the hot tea too... helps keep me warm.

It's cold out, but no rain.

~:>

6 eggs

4 were old and floaters

2 were keepers

I found the spot where the Australorp

has been hiding her eggs.

She has a nest up on top of the hay bales.

Crafy little hen.

Lazy Day

2012-01-07T00:07:00.000-08:00

Today was a lazy day. I think I did too much lifting yesterday. Anyway, I rested up today and pretty much read the day away... doing laundry doesn't really count as work.

This morning the chickens

were waiting for me to come outside?

My fluffy chickens are so cute.

Kristine brought home

the Christmas snowmen

she made as samples for

the children's craft time.

These little snow people have names.

Cute. Everybody wanted to know where she bought them.

She made them!

~:>

No eggs.

Balance Walk In The Works

2012-01-05T18:37:00.000-08:00

This is heavy lumber to carry around!

I had to drag the widest one.
I thought I'd give myself a break and
have one of the boards easier to walk.

I still have to nail the boards together

so they don't flip over

and dump me on the ground.

I'm sure someone with more building skills

would drill holes and bolt everything together.

I'm a hammer and nail kind of person.

I can use it for toe raise too.

The old jungle gym will do for stretching and

standing push and pull ups... and ?

I haven't found any tires yet...
well, I did, but they're not empty.
They have metal centers.

Maybe I could put an old ladder down
and use it as a hand walk?

Most of the photos I took too late in the day

and were too dark to post.

I love working outside in the winter.

No mosquitos!

Screamer showed up all alone.

Not another chicken in sight.

~:>

No eggs.

My First DIY Fitness Station

2012-01-04T18:54:00.000-08:00

There is a path under all those leaves and there is going to be a cleared space where I can build some

fitness equipment.

Well, maybe not equipment exactly... more like pieces of scrap lumber I will put together that will resemble fitness equipment.

This will be the first area to clear, but the dead tree needs to go.

Anyway, the fitness stations will have things in them that I can use to "play" on

and have fun.

I like to use the snow shovel to move the big stuff and then rake up the rest of the leaves.

That is Screamer the largest Light Brahma off by herself looking for snacks.

Some of the hens are loners by choice... she is one of the boss chickens and goes off by herself because she wants to...

doesn't like to share?

Screamer has come over to check out what I'm doing

in the hopes that I've

raked up some goodies

for her tummy.

All the hens like to scratch away at the leaves

that pile up against the bottom of the fence.

There are chickens under the trees.

I think some of them are waiting for me to finish.

I left the area to find a board

that I can use for a

balance walk

and found that Screamer had some company.

I think I have room here for

a tire run (waddle)

and a toe raise

and some other toys.

I must admit I'm still recovering from losing my blog yesterday.

I didn't panic, but it was unsettling

and upsetting.

I think I really need to get serious about

having my blog printed

or at least put on a cd.

It could all go poof!

No eggs.

~:>

My Blog Was Removed, But Now It's Back!

2012-01-03T19:58:00.000-08:00

This has been a strange day blog wise.

Kristine's magic fingers!

She got my blog back!

It all started like this... I had been reading blogs and leaving comments

(I'm trying to catch up on all that)

When a window came up...

and asked me if I wanted to use my blogger profile

on g+ because I didn't have a g+ profile.

I went to check my g+ page and was signed out

and couldn't sign back in...

my blog had been removed!

EEEEEK!

Ok, ok, ok, I was calm, it was all a mistake...

I was sure...

from what I read blogs are getting removed

all the time by mistake...

but when I followed directions

I never got the phone call back...

I tried twice

then gave up and had some tea and read.

Then I watched movies.

I had planned to go out and work

on my first fitness station

but I felt a bit gloomy

and

didn't.

I read some more.

I didn't think I would miss my blog that much,

but it's a record of some of my life
and I wanted it back.

Then Kristine came home!

She got the phone call

with the verification code

in only a few minutes!

I waited hours.

Just thought I would make a record of this blog removal.

It can happen to anyone.

Scary!

I need cake!

Kristine brought cake home.

And she retrieved my blog!

Sweet, sweet daughter!

Thank you, Kristine!

No eggs!

~:>

High Points Of My Day

2012-01-02T18:56:00.000-08:00

Today was a quiet day.

We slept in.

Then:

I vacuumed.

I packed Christmas decorations.

Kristine brought home gifts...

Dinner.

Socks.

Light.

Pretty neat!!

Christmas decorations under the stairs.

In the back hall, the wreaths are in the black bag,

the small Christmas tree is in the white bag,

both ready to go out in the storage building.

Kristine brought home Chinese food for dinner.

No photos of that...

we ate it up with no thought to picture taking.

So good.

This is the book light that Kristine bought me to use

when the power is off this Winter.

It will also work great as an extra sewing light.

Turned sideways it lights up the whole area.

The socks are lovely and warm!

They have little grippers on the bottom

to help keep me from slipping.

Morgan loves them too/

Ahhhh...

No eggs.

~:>

Smiles

Beautiful 1st Day Of 2012

2012-01-01T15:46:00.000-08:00

I hope this beautiful day

is just a taste of wonderful things

to come in 2012!

It may be warm and sunny outside,

but it is still cold in the house.

The chickens were very glad to get out in the woods,

I started clearing this path.

A few fitness stations will fit along here.

Lovely warm sunshine!

Two Australorps and a Light Brahma.

The Australorps found something good

and the Light Brahma ran over to share the find.

No eggs...

well, there was part of an egg

that a hen had broken and eaten.

I left them locked in their coop and pen yesterday

to keep them safe

because we had to leave before we could

have locked them up for the night.

A bad girl repaid my vigilance on their behalf

by becoming an egg eater...

I'm going to get some fake eggs

to put in the nest boxes.

Hope the hen will be fooled

by the fake eggs and gives up.

Hope?

Happy 2012!

Everyday!

Smiles

~:>

Happy New Year 2012

2011-12-31T20:36:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

Kristine took us out for a delicious New Year's Dinner!

We each ordered a different meal.

Cafe Vista - Meadow Vista

We had reservations for 5:00
and were the first customers to be served.
We really don't like to be driving
the mountain roads late at night.
5:00 was a good time for us.

First we had some wonderful bread from,
The Baker And The Cakemaker,
an artisan bakery in Auburn.
soooo good!

I ordered curried butternut squash soup.
Very good...
I would have been happy
with just soup and the bread...

Kristine and Tom had mixed green salads with gorgonzola, candied walnuts, apples, and cranberries.

--- Then Dinner Arrived! ---

Tom had prime rib with garlic and rosemary,
au jus, horseradish creme fraiche,
and a twice baked potato and roasted vegetables.

Kristine had grilled halibut with a shallot white wine sauce served with zucchini, fresh tomatoes
and spinach on a bed of garlic mashed potatoes.

I had chicken breast stuffed with goat cheese and basil
topped with a white wine mushroom sauce,
served with garlic mashed potatoes and roasted vegetables.

We each shared a little bit of our dinner
with each other...
and everything was absolutely scrumptious!

Kristine and I had blueberry bread pudding for desert.
Tom had chocolate mousse.

There are no photos of desert
because they were soooo good that we ate them up
before I could even think about taking pictures.

Thank you, Kristine, for a lovely dinner!

We got home before
the fireworks and gunshots started.
Well, there was some gunfire before we left,
but it has been quiet since we got back.

We expect to hear a lot of gunfire
and fireworks at 12:00.

A Happy New Year 2012 To All!

A Little Rain Is A Good Thing

2011-12-30T19:50:00.000-08:00

More would be better!

It rained!

Kinda...

Car parking spot --- raked!

The porch got wet...

Except under the eaves.

And when I raked up leaves there was dry dirt underneath.

I think we need a decent rainstorm.

The moss on the trees wakes up when it gets wet.

The moss was green before, but now it turns a bright green.

And the moss gets fluffy!

I did some searches to find out what kind of moss it is and if it's edible.

There was way too much information

and I think I would need a microscope to identify the moss.

I haven't seen deer or the chickens eat the moss so it probably it isn't edible.

Chickens out in the drizzle.

I put the chickens 2nd breakfast inside the shed

just in case it actually started raining.

I did work on the gate.

I think I will need to straighten the gate post.

The added board may have pulled it over a bit.

After I messed with the gate and did some raking,

I came in the house, put more wood in the stove, had some tea and toast,

sat down on the daybed,

and the next thing I knew it was dusk.

Nice nap!

Kristine brought home a cup of tomato bisque (for me!)

from the restaurant where we are going to have dinner tomorrow.

(mmm... their soup is so good!

No eggs.

~:>

Cleaning Gutters And Raking Leaves

2011-12-29T23:43:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow I need to fix the gate...

It does drag.

I got sidetracked cleaning gutters and raking more of the driveway.

I like to use the tall ladder.

Yep, the gutter is full of leaves.

Clean rusty gutter.

Tomorrow, after I fix the gate, I need to use the hose

to wash out the downspouts.

I didn't take any photos of how messed up the deck was with wet leaves.

Poor deck needs replacing.

I didn't take any pictures of that either.

I bagged up three sacks full of leaves and dumped them in the chicken pen.

The driveway is almost cleared of leaves!

I raked all the way up to the shed.

Not too much farther to go and then I can start on raking around the house.

I save raking the paths for last.

They are a treat.

And I have a plan for the paths this year.

A fitness path!

I'm thinking up different stations.

I want to build a balance walk,

a toe raise,

stretching post,

a pull up bar,

some ???

and a tire run.

I won't be running the tire run, but stepping through it would be good.

I'll be sure to have a sit down and rest station at the finish of the "trail"

where I plan to leave a snack and thermos of tea

before I start down the path.

I like the reward system.

Little and Big (Buff Brahmas,) Tiny (Australorp) and Curly the Cochin.

The Brahmas and Curly have picked up a friend.

This little Australorp looks a bit bedraggled and missing tail feathers.

I'm calling her Tiny until she grows in all her feathers.

After that I will be hard pressed to tell her apart from her sister.

Either she is being picked on or she is still molting.

she is the newest member of the bottom of the pecking order party.

No eggs.

Smiles!

~:>

Gate Repair And Stew Making

2011-12-28T21:25:00.000-08:00

Today was fix the gate day.

I spent time rounding up nails, a measure, the hammer, wire and boards.

Amazing how much time it takes to get everything assembled to start work.

The board under the gate has rotted away.

The wooden fence pretty much needs to be replaced

so I'm just going to do patch up work and cover up the hole.

No major repair work.

I added another board to cover the hole.

I used thin wire to attach the board to the gate.
I looked for heavy wire and forgot about the barbed wire roll.

I also added a board to the post by the lock to close a gap.

Update:
Kristine just came home and reported that the gate
was hard to open because it dragged on the ground.
Soooo...
tomorrow I will cut some barbed wire and use it
to tighten up the board and snug it closer to the bottom of the gate.

I'm trying to cut down on the chances of a predator

sneaking in for a chicken dinner.

I don't want things to be too easy for them.

I then remembered I needed to make our dinner.

Something that will cook while I work outside.

(I collected more kindling and did a bit more leaf raking.)

Quick and easy beef stew soup.

Well, that's what I call it...

If I thickened the broth with corn starch or flour it would be stew.

But, I like the broth, so, it's stew soup.

Today the meat was frozen, so I did things the quick way.

I usually brown the meat when I remember to let it defrost.

But not today.

I put the cast iron pan on the stove on low heat.

And added the chunk of frozen stew meat.

I put garlic cloves, fresh rosemary and sage from the garden

on top of the frozen meat with salt and pepper.

A bay leaf.

I poured in a few cups of water.

Then I got all the cut up vegetables, onion, carrots, celery, potatoes, peppers,

and put them in the pot on top of the frozen stew meat.

More water and salt.

A vegetable bullion cube.

Put on the lid.

Put the pot on the wood stove and let it cook slowly for about six hours.

mmm... meat is very tender.

Tastes good.

I would have put the string beans in the pot too

but there wasn't enough room.

I pretty much add whatever is in the fridge.

I do thicken the broth sometimes.

Then we can have proper stew.

The chickens luck out when I make stew because they get the carrot peels.

These chickens are buddies.

Curly the Cochin and two Buff Brahmas, Little and Big.

These three hens are fairly low in the pecking order

and stick together most of the time.

Little is the brave one of the group.

When I walked over to where they were eating a mix of oyster shell and corn,

Curly and Big moved away,

but Little just stayed put and kept on eating.

Little is brave or very hungry...?

No eggs.

Smiles!

One Of Our Chickens May Have A Ring

2011-12-27T20:51:00.000-08:00

Spent most of the day finishing raking driveway leaves, raking paths,

and filling bags with leaves for the chicken pen.

I'm trying the deep litter method this winter.

The chickens get up and have their

1st breakfast in their pen.

Then I let them out for the day and they run to the shed.

They know that's where their feed is stored,

so...

2nd breakfast time...

The chickens are having their second breakfast.

After they finish, they come on the porch and they get cabbage

for their 3rd breakfast.

Then they free range all day eating what they can find until evening,

when they come back to the shed and fill up again before bedtime.

There might be a hen that can become invisible.

I'm always coming up one short when I count them

and have to recount several times.

I think they might be Hobbit chickens?

Feed sacks ready to be filled with leaves.

Sacks full, but still way too many leaves left to be raked.

Yea! The drive way is clear!

Well, this end of the driveway is clear.

I still have lots more driveway and places to rake.

Raking paths is my fun time raking.

Lots more paths to rake.

Raking paths is great exercise!

I took a break from driveway raking to play with the paths.

I really do enjoy raking up leaves.

I kind of feel the same way about ironing... there is something very satisfying about starting out with something that is a mess and ending up with something that looks nice and neat.

Although I do admit that I like raking way better than ironing. I love being outside enjoying the fresh air, sun and hearing the birds (chickens too.)

Sitting at an ironing board moving a hot iron around is not that much fun. Sitting is ok... in the 50's I ironed everything... sheets, underwear, if you could iron it, I ironed it... I'm a great ironer. But no sitting... all ironing was while standing.

I saw a very big black crow yesterday in a tree right over my head, who was making the loudest call I ever heard. It almost sounded like a dog up in the tree... well, that loud, cawing/calling not barking, but very loud. I wonder if he was upset because I was moving his leaves around?

No eggs.

2011 Christmas Photos Of Our Chickens

2011-12-26T18:39:00.000-08:00

I thought I would post a photo of each breed of chicken we have this year.

There used to be four of each breed

(except for the Cochin... we've only had one Cochin.)

Golden Lace Wyandotte

The Wyandottes are lovely, hardy and a bit skittish.

Light Brahma

The Light Brahmas are bigger than the Orpingtons so they are #1.

Buff Orpington

The Buff Orpingtons are beautiful big hens and like to be boss.

Australorp

The Australorps have a beautiful green sheen to their black feathers
and are great layers.

Buff Brahma

The Buff Brahmas and Curly like to pal around together.

Cochin

Curly the Cochin looks very much like a Buff Orpington

except she has feathers on her feet and her feathers are a little fluffy.

Here is the gang on the porch chowing down on chopped cabbage.

Well, most of the gang...

three of the hens have found something better to do.

Laying eggs?

I can dream.

They all look so much better now that they are almost finished molting

and most of them have all their new feathers.

I cut the cabbage up and scatter it around so the less dominate hens

have a chance of getting their share

Our chickens are around five years old.

Maybe six?

Maybe more?

Evidently we are not any good at chicken record keeping.

No eggs today.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-23T18:25:00.000-08:00

Update 2:

Hooray! Kristine feels better.

She actually woke up hungry.

So, I made pancakes.

She wanted pancakes.

This is a cute video - made me laugh.

I slept most of the day or read.

No eggs.

I added some more quotes.

I don't think I will post again until after Christmas.

Be happy!

Merry Christmas!

25 - One must be poor to know the luxury of giving.

~ George Eliot

24 - The greatest gift you can give

is the purity of your attention.

~ Richard Moss

23 - You must give some time to your fellow men.

Even if it's a little thing,

do something for others -

something for which you get no pay

but the privilege of doing it.

~ Albert Schweitzer

Happy Winter Solstice!

2011-12-22T00:14:00.000-08:00

Update:
Winter Solstice Chicken In A Pot
It's a store chicken.
Our chickens are fine and enjoying the sunshine.

Rice keeping warm on the top shelf.
Morgan's bowls below.

The barrel and wash tub
are full of paper kindling.

Want to see a Winter Solstice Sun Tunnel? Click here.
APOD
Astronomy Picture Of The Day

Want to see a Winter/Summer Solstice Photo. Click here.
Taken with a pinhole camera.

No eggs.

Earlier:...
Oh boy, I have something to post about.

December 22 is the Winter Solstice!

Shortest day of the year!

To find an interesting YouTube video I typed
Winter Solstice in the search box

and then just for fun I typed in chicken.

Since this is a somewhat chicken oriented blog

I sometimes add chicken stuff to searches.

You never know... there might be something interesting? Nope... So, I typed in Winter Solstice egg

... and who knew? ... not me, that's for sure, but

you are supposed to be able to balance an egg on its pointy end on the Winter Solstice.

Wow!

Balance an egg on its pointy end?

Well...

Yes and No

No: no because of what Snopes says here

and

Yes: because of this video.

Seems that you can balance an egg on its pointy end whenever you want.

The solstice doesn't have anything to do with the balance act.

The question now is... do I want to balance an egg on its pointy end?
Not tonight.

I'm going to take Morgan out and then go to bed.

The neighbor's burning rubbish has burned away.
No smoke outside tonight.
I really didn't like waking up last night
thinking the house was on fire.

Maybe there will be an egg in the morning?

Merry Christmas!

---

December Quotes

My Favorite Quotations On Giving

~~~

22 - I love the Christmas-tide, and yet, I notice this,

each year I live;

I always like the gift I get,

But how I love the gift I give!

~ Carolyn Wells

21 - Friendship is a precious gift.

To give at Christmas time.

A cherished gift, a treasured gift that lasts through all time.

~ unknown

Scroll down to posts below for more quotes.

Merry Christmas!

Favorite Christmas Movies

2011-12-21T22:33:00.000-08:00

I added some more quotations.

We are holding our own and slowly getting better.

I tried twice to write a new post today

and messed it up both times.

so...

Thought I would post the movie list again.

Before Christmas, I would like to watch Holiday Inn, The Nutcracker, The Thin Man and Moonstruck.

Maybe tomorrow?

I haven't done any sewing, but I did watch RED.

RED has a lot of what for me makes an enjoyable movie:

Interesting stuff happens.

The bad guys lose.

The boy gets the girl.

There is a happy ending.

I don't like movies that have sad endings or that jerk me around emotionally.

I watch movies for pleasure.

Life provides my feelings enough stimulation.

People are burning piles of leaves, trees, and?
making lots of smoke and last night
I woke up and thought the house was on fire.
That was scary!

Here are my favorite Christmas movies:

Warning: some of these links may not work.

1. An Affair To Remember YouTube - An Affair To Remember Trailer

White Christmas YouTube - White Christmas Theatrical Trailer

Miracle On 34th Street YouTube - Miracle on 34th Street (1947) Theatrical Trailer

It's A Wonderful Life YouTube - It's a Wonderful Life Part 1

(2)Scrooge YouTube - Scrooge the Musical (1970) Part 1 -- Scrooge 1951 YouTube - Scrooge (Alastair Sim) #1

Die Hard YouTube - Die Hard (1988) Part 1

A Christmas Story YouTube - A CHRISTMAS STORY trailer

The Bishop's Wife YouTube - - 1 - The Bishop's Wife (1947)

A Charlie Brown Christmas Trailer YouTube - A Charlie Brown Christmas Full Movie Trailer

Christmas In Connecticut YouTube - CHRISTMAS IN CONNECTICUT TRAILER 1945 BARBARA STANWYCK

(3) Desk Set YouTube - Desk Set 1957 Part 1 Gig Young, Joan Blondell, Katharine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy

(1) A Childs's Christmas in Wales YouTube - A Child's Christmases in Wales - In HD - Part 1 of 6 - From JK_Pro On PS3

The Bells Of St. Mary's YouTube - Trailer The Bells of St Mary's -1945- (Re issue trailer)

Meet Me In St Louis ? YouTube - Meet Me in St. Louis - (Re-issue Trailer)

March Of The Wooden Soldiers YouTube - March of the Wooden Soldiers (1)

Babes In Toyland YouTube - Laurel & Hardy - Babes In Toyland Theatrical Trailer (1934)

The Nutcracker --- YouTube - Rudolf Nureyev. The Nutcracker. 1/10 --- YouTube - Baryshnikov Nutcracker 1

Bachelor Mother YouTube - BACHELOR MOTHER [1939 TRAILER]

We're No Angels - 1955 - Bogart - We're No Angels - YouTube - We're No ANGELS 1989 (Part 1)

The Thin Man YouTube - The Thin Man Trailer (Powell, Loy)

Meet John Doe YouTube - "Meet John Doe" Part 1

Love Finds Andy Hardy YouTube - Love Finds Andy Hardy Part 1

Theft of the Royal Ruby YouTube - The Theft of the Royal Ruby {1/4} YouTube - The Blue Carbuncle

Tom and Jerry - The Night Before Christmas YouTube - Tom and Jerry - The Night before Christmas [HQ]

Home Alone YouTube - Home Alone Trailer

The Shop Around The Corner YouTube - The Shop Around The Corner (1940) - 1/10

Remember The Night YouTube - Remember the Night (1940) Pt.1

Holiday Inn (1942) YouTube - Holiday Inn 1942 part 1

Moonstruck YouTube - Moonstruck - The Movie [01/11]

Muppet Christmas Carol YouTube - A Muppet Christmas Carol Part 1

Holiday YouTube - Holiday - The Movie 1/13

RED (Retired Extremely Dangerous) YouTube - Trailer - 2010

This is my list from last year,

but I thought that since I'm not feeling that well it would have to do for a post...

it was this or nothing.

0 eggs today!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful,

very, very happy Christmas!

---

December Quotes

My Favorite Quotations On Giving

~~~

22 - I love the Christmas-tide, and yet, I notice this,

each year I live;

I always like the gift I get,

But how I love the gift I give!

~ Carolyn Wells

21 - Friendship is a precious gift.

To give at Christmas time.

A cherished gift, a treasured gift that lasts through all time.

~ unknown

20 - The only gift is a portion of thyself.

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

19 - No one has ever become poor by giving.

~ Anne Frank

18 - The heart of the giver makes the gift dear and precious.

~ Martin Luther

17 - People are very fond of giving away what they most need themselves.

It is what I call the depth of generosity.

~ Oscar Wilde

16 - A compliment is a gift, not to be thrown away carelessly,

unless you want to hurt the giver.

~Eleanor Hamilton

Favorite Christmas Movies

2011-12-20T18:27:00.000-08:00

Here are my favorite Christmas movies:

Warning: some of these links may not work.

1. An Affair To Remember YouTube - An Affair To Remember Trailer

White Christmas YouTube - White Christmas Theatrical Trailer

Miracle On 34th Street YouTube - Miracle on 34th Street (1947) Theatrical Trailer

It's A Wonderful Life YouTube - It's a Wonderful Life Part 1

(2)Scrooge YouTube - Scrooge the Musical (1970) Part 1 -- Scrooge 1951 YouTube - Scrooge (Alastair Sim) #1

Die Hard YouTube - Die Hard (1988) Part 1

A Christmas Story YouTube - A CHRISTMAS STORY trailer

The Bishop's Wife YouTube - - 1 - The Bishop's Wife (1947)

A Charlie Brown Christmas Trailer YouTube - A Charlie Brown Christmas Full Movie Trailer

Christmas In Connecticut YouTube - CHRISTMAS IN CONNECTICUT TRAILER 1945 BARBARA STANWYCK

(3) Desk Set YouTube - Desk Set 1957 Part 1 Gig Young, Joan Blondell, Katharine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy

(1) A Childs's Christmas in Wales YouTube - A Child's Christmases in Wales - In HD - Part 1 of 6 - From JK_Pro On PS3

The Bells Of St. Mary's YouTube - Trailer The Bells of St Mary's -1945- (Re issue trailer)

Meet Me In St Louis ? YouTube - Meet Me in St. Louis - (Re-issue Trailer)

March Of The Wooden Soldiers YouTube - March of the Wooden Soldiers (1)

Babes In Toyland YouTube - Laurel & Hardy - Babes In Toyland Theatrical Trailer (1934)

The Nutcracker --- YouTube - Rudolf Nureyev. The Nutcracker. 1/10 --- YouTube - Baryshnikov Nutcracker 1

Bachelor Mother YouTube - BACHELOR MOTHER [1939 TRAILER]

We're No Angels - 1955 - Bogart - We're No Angels - YouTube - We're No ANGELS 1989 (Part 1)

The Thin Man YouTube - The Thin Man Trailer (Powell, Loy)

Meet John Doe YouTube - "Meet John Doe" Part 1

Love Finds Andy Hardy YouTube - Love Finds Andy Hardy Part 1

Theft of the Royal Ruby YouTube - The Theft of the Royal Ruby {1/4} YouTube - The Blue Carbuncle

Tom and Jerry - The Night Before Christmas YouTube - Tom and Jerry - The Night before Christmas [HQ]

Home Alone YouTube - Home Alone Trailer

The Shop Around The Corner YouTube - The Shop Around The Corner (1940) - 1/10

Remember The Night YouTube - Remember the Night (1940) Pt.1

Holiday Inn (1942) YouTube - Holiday Inn 1942 part 1

Moonstruck YouTube - Moonstruck - The Movie [01/11]

Muppet Christmas Carol YouTube - A Muppet Christmas Carol Part 1

Holiday YouTube - Holiday - The Movie 1/13

RED (Retired Extremely Dangerous) YouTube - Trailer - 2010

This is my list from last year, but I thought that since I'm not feeling that well it would have to do for a post... it is this or nothing.

I'm watching RED again for the 4th or 5th time. I really like this movie. Kristine is still coughing... sounds bad. She went to work today... came home a bit early and I don't think will be going in tomorrow. I'm trying to talk her into going to the doctor. I'm taking good care of myself.

No sewing yet, but lots of planning.

Drinking lots of hot ginger tea.

I don't want to get as sick as Kristine.

1 egg today!

I had it for breakfast.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful,

very, very happy Christmas!

---

December Quotes

My Favorite Quotations On Giving

~~~

20 - The only gift is a portion of thyself.

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

19 - No one has ever become poor by giving.

~ Anne Frank

18 - The heart of the giver makes the gift dear and precious.

~ Martin Luther

17 - People are very fond of giving away what they most need themselves.

It is what I call the depth of generosity.

~ Oscar Wilde

16 - A compliment is a gift, not to be thrown away carelessly,

unless you want to hurt the giver.

~Eleanor Hamilton

15 - Give every man your ear, but few thy voice.

Take each man's censure, but reserve thy judgment.

~ William Shakespeare

14 - The great art of giving consists in this:

the gift should cost very little and yet be greatly coveted,

so that it may be the more highly appreciated.

~ Baltasar Gracian

Christmas Potholders In The Works

2011-12-16T19:38:00.000-08:00

This is how far my potholders have gotten.

The plan was to use up quilt scraps

and stash and make some gifts.

But, we aren't feeling too good and are fighting off colds or flu.

So, I didn't get very far with the sewing part

but I did look up a lot of potholder tutorials and along the way

found some very interesting history about

potholder Civil War quilts.

I never knew about Civil War pot holder quilts.

Who knew... not me.

1864 Civil War Potholder Quilt - click here

1863 Susannah Pullen's Civil War Quilt - click here

Ohio Star - potholder quilt

I'll be looking at my potholders with a lot more respect.

I was going to start raking leaves today

but I didn't feel well and there was a lot of wind

and I didn't want to catch a tree branch.

Yesterday, Kristine said, "Mom, take a picture of Morgan!"

Well, I've never seen her lick the wall before.

Maybe she wants me to wash the wall?

No eggs.

---

December Quotes

My Favorite Quotations On Giving

~~~

16 - A compliment is a gift, not to be thrown away carelessly,

unless you want to hurt the giver.

~Eleanor Hamilton

15 - Bive every man your ear, but few thy voice.

Take each man's censure, but reserve thy judgment.

~ William Shakespeare

14 - The great art of giving consists in this:

the gift should cost very little and yet be greatly coveted,

so that it may be the more highly appreciated.

~ Baltasar Gracian

13 - All who joy would win must share it.

Happiness was born a Twin.

~ Lord Byron

12 - Give what you have. To someone, it may be better than you dare to think.

~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

11 -You try to give away what you want yourself.

~ Lois McMaster Bujold

10 - To give and not expect return, that is what lies at the heart of love.

~ Oscar Wilde

9 - It is normal to give away a little of one's life

in order not to lose it all.

~ Albert Camus

8 - For somehow, not only at Christmas, but all the long year through,

The joy that you give to others is the joy

that comes back to you.

~ John Greenleaf Whittier

Quilt Top Almost Finished

2011-12-14T19:32:00.000-08:00

City Blocks Quilt Top

I spent today sewing the last sashing strips

around the blocks and

sewing the whole thing together.

Kristine is going to take the top

to the fabric store

and pick out some fabric

for the border strips.

I hand pieced this top because I like hand sewing,

but I find this kind of pattern boring.

I want to take this to the sewing machine.

I loved hand sewing the blocks that are next to the top.

But, I'm not looking forward to hand sewing

the sashing and borders.

Part of my dislike has to do with the thread I'm using.

I ran out of the YLI thread

and haven't found a brand I like as well.

I guess I will have to order some YLI online.

I can't find any locally.

Tom has gone off to a town meeting.

Seems that the local water department

is having problems.

I wish we had a well like we did when we lived

in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

We lucked out and had good well water.

Our neighbor had sulphur in their water.

Not pleasant.

A well has been dug once on this property,

but they had to stop because they never hit water.

Maybe a new well in a different spot?

---

December Quotes

My Favorite Quotations On Giving

~~~

14 - The great art of giving consists in this:

the gift should cost very little and yet be greatly coveted,

so that it may be the more highly appreciated.

~ Baltasar Gracian

13 - All who joy would win must share it.

Happiness was born a Twin.

~ Lord Byron

12 - Give what you have. To someone, it may be better than you dare to think.

~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

11 -You try to give away what you want yourself.

~ Lois McMaster Bujold

10 - To give and not expect return, that is what lies at the heart of love.

~ Oscar Wilde

9 - It is normal to give away a little of one's life

in order not to lose it all.

~ Albert Camus

8 - For somehow, not only at Christmas, but all the long year through,

The joy that you give to others is the joy

that comes back to you.

~ John Greenleaf Whittier

Lazy December Day

2011-12-13T20:42:00.000-08:00

Kristine went to Mary G's house
last week
and they made Christmas cookies.
I like the biscotti
but the cookies I love are the pizzelle.

They are really a very thin waffle...

but I think of them as a crunchy cookie.

There are lots of YouTube videos

about how to make pizzelle.

I'm putting a pizzelle iron

on my Christmas list.

Photo of Morgan,

my sister's feet

and her little dog, Bella.

Didn't do much today.

I tried to take a few photos.

This shot of the chickens was the best.

Kathleen went home today.
Miss her but her family will be very glad to have her home.

Did laundry.
I sewed a bit on Kristine's quilt.
Made some chicken soup.
Ate some candy.
Ate some pizzelle.
Ate some soup.
Locked up the chickens.
1 egg!
Took a nap.
Woke up.
Now I'm posting.

Waiting to get a phone call
from Kathleen.
I want to know she arrived home safely.

December Quotes

My Favorite Quotations On Giving

~~~

13 - All who joy would win must share it.
Happiness was born a Twin.
~ Lord Byron

12 - Give what you have. To someone, it may be better than you dare to think.

~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

11 -You try to give away what you want yourself.

~ Lois McMaster Bujold

10 - To give and not expect return, that is what lies at the heart of love.

~ Oscar Wilde

9 - It is normal to give away a little of one's life

in order not to lose it all.

~ Albert Camus

8 - For somehow, not only at Christmas, but all the long year through,

The joy that you give to others is the joy

that comes back to you.

~ John Greenleaf Whittier

2011-12-12T19:14:00.000-08:00

Long drive.
Home late.

Tired.

Kristine had dinner and treats ready.

Kristine didn't let the chickens out today

because there were three raccoons trying to get into the shed

and into the chicken feed.

She chased them away with the car.

I hope they were frightened enough to stay away.

Good thing I didn't let the hens out before I left.

---

December Quotes

My Favorite Quotations On Giving

~~~

12 - Give what you have. To someone, it may be better than you dare to think.

~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

11 -You try to give away what you want yourself.

~ Lois McMaster Bujold

10 - To give and not expect return, that is what lies at the heart of love.

~ Oscar Wilde

9 - It is normal to give away a little of one's life

in order not to lose it all.

~ Albert Camus

8 - For somehow, not only at Christmas, but all the long year through,

The joy that you give to others is the joy

that comes back to you.

~ John Greenleaf Whittier

Rocky Christmas Tree, Bella And The Ironing Board

2011-12-11T17:16:00.001-08:00

First I put the green pot in the larger pink pot.

Then I surrounded the green pot with rocks.

Next I placed rocks around the Christmas tree trunk.

Then I put water in the green pot.

Next I picked the whole thing up and carried it into the house.

That's when I hurt my back.

Why did I carry that heavy pot and tree?

I think I had rocks in my head.

The rocks do hold up the tree.

My back is much better.

We'll decorate the tree in a few days.

This is Bella,

my sister's little dog.

What's this?

I think, Bella, would like my sister to move

so she wouldn't have the ironing board in her face.

Can I do this?

Bella is adaptable.

Ahh... sweet sleep!

Bella is a sweet little dog

and she got along with Morgan very well.

------

December Quotes

My Favorite Quotations On Giving

~~~

11 -You try to give away what you want yourself.

~ Lois McMaster Bujold

10 - To give and not expect return, that is what lies at the heart of love.

~ Oscar Wilde

9 - It is normal to give away a little of one's life

in order not to lose it all.

~ Albert Camus

8 - For somehow, not only at Christmas, but all the long year through,

The joy that you give to others is the joy

that comes back to you.

~ John Greenleaf Whittier