A Soggy, Soggy Day

Ugh, need I say more?

It was a good day for ducks, if we still had some.  They are calling for rain all day tomorrow, and temps of SIXTY!

It seems to me this happened two years ago - temperate temperatures, and then wham!  A blizzard on Christmas Eve.

That was the only time I have ever missed church on Christmas.

These guys didn't like it much either:

These guys mostly hung out inside

Except for one or two, and, I suspect, this little guy, Rooster One, is probably not getting along with Rambo.

That's either a ghost or a big ole water spot in the middle of the picture.

I did a lot of this:

Unfortunately, this experiment did not come out so well.  The candy cane kisses burned on their tips. It was also the first time I used parchment paper to line my cookie sheets, and I won't do that again.  One batch was in just a minute too long, and the other, just perfect, but, as I said, the tips of the kisses darkened.  I know they'll get eaten anyway.

I made a lot of chocolate covered pretzels, and will have to make a lot more before Saturday, since everyone loves them.

I made another batch of chevre, and it came out so very well this time.

I let it stay a little bit wetter than before, and packed it into plastic containers after I had salted and seasoned it.  I am using a garlic grinder and an onion and herb mixture I found at T.J. Maxx.  For those of you near one of their stores, they have a great gourmet food aisle with lots of unusual spices, etc.  This garlic is seasoned, and makes the cheese taste so good.  I made a container for Jill, who saw me start the cheese yesterday, and a container for our party (which I've gotten into three or four times this afternoon!). 

Friend Roxanne of Screamin' Oaks Dairy down our road tells me that she has only one doe milking at this point, and four mothers of newborns are buying her milk, so I may not have any more to use for several months. 

When I ran down to the thrift store/food bank this morning to take the eggs and some other things, I found this lovely tray downstairs with the regular china, not in the "Christmas Room".  It's perfect to use for the pretzels this weekend, and cost me a whole $1.25, what a bargain!

Stanley Steemer came this morning!  Now if we can just keep the carpets looking good til Saturday!

And here's the output from both henhouses today.  Roxanne told me Saturday that out of all her hens, large and small, she is getting only one or two eggs a day.  I'm glad to get these.

A Start to a Long Weekend

I took Friday off, so I could get a jump on the weekend.  On Saturday, son Jim will be out to weedeat and move some heavier things for us, to earn some extra money.  We're glad for his help, and would rather pay him than a stranger.  I'm going to stop at the dentist tomorrow to have a small filling replaced, and then we are going to have a pleasant weekend.  Yes, we'll work in the garden and yard a bit, but I did get started on the mowing tonight, and will finish tomorrow.  At some point, I'll need to get down in the pasture... but we are actively trying to find someone to come in and do a brush hog sweep before it gets too out of control.

Strange phenomenom .... in March we saw a big snake in the henhouse.  Two weeks ago I almost picked one up getting eggs.  None other has been seen.  Because of this, the mice are out of control, so starting this weekend, we are going to have to poison the mice again.  On Saturday we'll move Butch and his girls out to the a pen in the pasture, and then I'll commence to put poison in the feed room.  We are considering NOT feeding inside the henhouse, and leaving feed outside at all times except in inclement weather. 

Tuesday night I got my cheesemaking kit from New England Cheesemaking Supply.  I stopped at Roxanne's dairy and bought a gallon of goat's milk from her, and it is thawing in the refrigerator now.  I hope to make goat cheese on Saturday.  I will, of course,

take pictures of the adventure! 

If I can do this, or at least make it edible, then I think we will be on our way to someday having our own pair of milk goats. 

If I can get this Moondrop video to load (and I have tried once, and it did not) you can see it change colors at night, after the solar lens has loaded all day.  We love to look out the door and see it changing colors at night! It was a Mother's Day gift from son Jim, and have we ever enjoyed it!