NEWS FLASH: ups holds computer hostage.....

yup
apparently ups can't find us
never mind that LAST week they found us...................
they could NOT find us today
must have been the rain and ice

must have obscured the entire MOUNTAIN

but i'm not bitter..............

ok so first thing in the morning i gotta go to town
i should go to the lab fasting first
then to ups
then the doctor and then the bookstore
as i need my blood work report from the lyme tests
and a book that i got waiting on me at the bookstore ( hats on! is waiting waiting waiting)

i finished the gray and pink hat
i got it blocking but i am not sure i like it
we'll see
i can't seem to replicate my favorite black and gray hat
as much as i try
damn

now this computer thing has me in a funk.........

oh and the icy thing
forget it
even the ducks hung it up
they slide all over the place......poor babies
so i put them in falstaff's pen and they all took turns

i hope tomorroe will be more normal

ok that is my news

i wish i could go and get my computer
sniff
but i can't
so tomorrow

oh and for supper tonight is pork fillets with peach sauce
mmmmm

to town to town......

for inspection on my van
to the post office
( i got goodies waiting there)
and maybe to the craft store
depends on how i feel
i could use red wool
and some navy and light blue
for the next hat set i have to make

we are to get snow this afternoon
i informed the duckies
who decided................. since the ground will be covered for a while
they would take full grazing advantage
needless to say it took an hour to walk to the duck pen

oye

duckies!

in computer news (from UPS website!~)

woohoo it's getting closer!

Your package is on time with a scheduled delivery date of 01/09/2009.


Tracking Number: 1Z 6F8 871 03 XXXX XXX X
Type: Package
Status: In Transit - On Time
Your shipment is moving within the UPS network and should be delivered on the Scheduled Delivery Date. A shipment can remain in this status until it is delivered. Other than time-definite air deliveries, shipments are generally delivered anytime between the hours of 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. to residences*, and by close of business for commercial addresses. UPS cannot schedule a specific delivery time within that window.
* Due to heavy holiday volume, deliveries to residential addresses may be made after 7p.m. Thank you for your patience.


In Transit - On Time
Scheduled Delivery: 01/09/2009
Shipped To: vi's house, PA, US
Shipped/Billed On: 01/06/2009
Service: GROUND
Weight: 24.90 Lbs


HODGKINS,IN, US 01/06/2009 1:19 A.M. DEPARTURE SCAN
01/06/2009 12:48 A.M. ARRIVAL SCAN HODGKINS,IL, US
01/06/2009 12:01 A.M. DEPARTURE SCAN HODGKINS,IL, US
01/05/2009 8:06 P.M. ORIGIN SCAN US

i am starting to get used to this

it is 2:39 am according to the clock on the computer
i am of course up with the woodstove
i got a decent fire going..........sorta
i am just waiting until the stove has a big enough blaze and starts to heat the top so i can go back to bed
i still can't believe i got a new computer

a friend of mine this time LAST year said.......wait until after febuary
( that would have been feb 08)
and he was right
new chips came out and the (former) chip of my dreams came down to an almost throw away (for technology) price

i think next up we will ask ourselves
how fast is too fast
but not to worry
MICROSOFT will step in to suck up resources and fill that gap

i don't know if that is a good thing......or a bad thing
windows based systems hog resources ..........so hardware people have to come up with faster and larger capacities
and they have to make them SMALLER as well
so maybe windows.......... isn't all bad?

that said i am still thinking about linux

i am also getting ready for the new computer
as this was an 'unplanned baby'


*** ok so it was sorta planned for 4-5 years but i never thought i could afford it***

i have a lot to do
clean and excavate the computer desk...........
that isn't going to be easy
although i may just find amelia earhart on here, under the wool, books, knitting needles,
fiber, etc.........

i need to rearrange the shelf that i sit next to which has all the surge protectors, and peripherals

i need to figure all the software for the 'move'

and i also need to take my van for inspection
oye

all this on about 5 hours sleep a night


i am very conflicted about this new computer.....on one hand i am so looking forward to faster
and hopefully a bit more stable operation......this system i got now is very unstable

on the other hand.......... who wants to relearn an operating system?

but i guess that's what will keep all of us young
i think of it like a giant ongoing mish mash of jigsaw puzzle, crossword puzzle, and miniature golf......(cause sometimes it is just a lucky shot)


in duckie news.....it would appear that the girls are stopping laying for the winter
which is good as i worry about egg binding

in chicken news.....the baby chooks are jumping out of the brooder
one pullet stuck her head into marguerite's pen
oh man
i thought marguerite was going to take her head off
gees
and talk about SMALL
compared to my big girls
these chickens are SO SMALL

but they will grow
they are after all........buff ORPINGTONS......so big chicken is in their future

and after a good long discussion with the babies last night
we have decided
out of 7
we got three hens

that's ok
that gives us space for speckled sussex

now i need a good outdoor pen for them
cause i want them all OUT this spring
i need the space down there for storage

i will miss a friendly chicken in the basement though as i walk through to go to feed the animals and get out to the garden
maybe i should keep a house rooster?

til next time
when i will hopefully be more awake

cause right now
i am the typing dead...................

vi

WOW the biggest news i gots!!!!!!!!!!!!

i bought a new computer.......!
finally!!!!

ok
i got a systemax
it has a core 2 quad Q6600 cpu
4 G ram
500G hardrive

finally

and i purposely went with an american company with american tech support

i figured i needed to put money into america if i was going to spend it

i didn't spend a lot either on this
so i hope i did good

i know the cpu is outstanding...... not cutting edge but overclockable
and upgradeable

it will be here friday i understand

oh man
now i have to start moving stuff over and partitioning the harddrive

maybe i will just move the harddrive over?
and put a new hard drive in this before i turn it over to bernie
i am going to pull my cd/rw from here and put it in the new machine
i don't know about the floppy drive yet
if i need it i still have access to it through this computer

soooooooooooooo

everyone go and put this on the calender................
as i finally after 9 years..... upgraded!

it's 4am..... do you know where my pillow is?

i am thinking longingly of my beloved pillow
but i am with the woodstove
duty calls
i'm about to go up however as it's gotten nicely warm
i swear with the antibiotics for the lyme......... my life is upside down

and between that and the woodstove
i catch sleep in one to three hour blocks

i have to wait 1/2 after meds to lay down......and two hour after eatting to take meds

so that left me with an hour last night waiting......so i went to bed!
put the timer on.......
and got back UP to take my meds and wait the 1/2 hour

oye

but i did discover one thing.......if while stoking the stove i take meds....
i get a bit more sleep!

now
it's been cold again, but not too windy thank goodness
and the ducks are all in day pens packed with hay
at night they still are in the unheated basement crates
they seem to be doing ok
even cleo who has the worst adjustment to the cold
she isn't bathing quite as much either

later today.....( i can NOT believe i am saying this at 4am........isn't it like still NIGHT?)
we will finally get to the postoffice
and get the inspection done on my van
since i got new tires and all
and a HORN even
and HEAT
oh my......he spoils me

i know i got a LOT of packages coming
books all on sale......(B&N ......1.99 a book and free shipping )

and clothes on an even bigger sale
LONG johns!!!!!!!!........( 11 each)
microfleece tunics..............(8.97 each!)
and a way too big for me goosedown coat that i will add 4 sweatshirts under
and three ducks
it will seem like christmas

ok
the stove is warm
i rambled on unintelligently
(is that a word?)
now i am off to my pillow and 2 feet of blankets.........and bernie

night all

vi

in fiber doings

i am knitting a new 'town' hat
i can't find my favorite gray and black one
so i am making a new one
it's light gray, charcoal gray and rose pink
i am going to do mittens and i think a cowl to match

i am also going to do a set ( totally different though) in blues and red

then i have to do barn boot liners and a balaclava with a dickey and hat attached
maybe i should do the balaclava thing fast?

i swear i wish i knit faster
i used to but not anymore

anyway the new hat is three color knitting
which i thought would be a nightmare but now i realize it isn't too bad

maybe i will try four color knitting next?


it continues cold here, but not as windy thank goodness
all but one duck stopped laying which is fine with me
as i worry about egg binding in the cold

i keep adding hay to the pens

i got enough hay in there for a barn now

i also got a lot of the major open run areas covered with plastic of one sort of another
but it's funny looking
some is black plastic that i use for mulch
some clear
some translucent
some blue tarps some brown and some green

well the pen is colorful i suppose

i can't wait until the other pen is done

apparently the lyme meds are working
i can move my neck again and my back doesn't hurt as bad
!
i was having real trouble turning my head to the right
so much so that it was affecting my driving
i can tell you now that i can turn my head
i realized it at 4am this morning, while getting back into bed for the third time after stoking the stove
( and yes the BOY did his thing to get me up again.........me and him gotta stop meeting like that)

but i didn't waste any of the time i was up and waiting for the woodstove to take
i folded laundry that had been drying on the line in the studio
so at least that was done

see that is the way to do any house work..................in your SLEEP

almost works for me

til next time

vi

good morning 2009

you came in very windy and extremely cold

naturally at the ACTUAL stroke of midnight
i was asleep under about 2 feet of blankets and cats
but i did get up at 1am, 2:30 am, 4:30 am and 8:30am to stoke the wood stove
all because the BOY ( thaddeaus peabody) tapped me on the head

i would say the cats have me well trained........

first fawn come up to my face
stuffing her nose into my nose......right AFTER she's washed her ass.......
cause you know.....she LOVES ME

( gee thanks fawnie)
'mom, the fire is low'


i pet her and mumble incoherently
and pull the covers over my head

(notice how they never bother bernie.................. why is that?)

then when the slight suggestion didn't work
they send in the next line of defence

CALPURRINA

she climbs over me like she's just conquered everest
purring extremely LOUDLY

'MOM, hey the fire's out...........so since it's getting cold there ......i will sleep on your chest and you won't be able to breath........or sleep over my loud purring........, but i love you mom'


i will stick an arm out and pat her head then try to move her so my lungs can expand again

a few minutes later it must be dire down in the studio
as the BOY goes into action


"MOM GET YOUR FAT ASS UP AND DOWNSTAIRS TO MAKE THE FIRE GO.....I AM GETTING COLD HERE'

if i ignore him.....he'll hook my nose.....or pat my eye.....
his toes are non too clean either
and he isn't exactly gentle about it..........

the king will not be denied his fire

at this point i am up and staggering to the studio
bumbling around in the dark
dropping logs on my shins
and praying that whatever makes it into the wood stove will fire up IMMEDIATELY
so i can stagger back to bed
hopefully without burning the house down

and people wonder why i can't remember shit........
or

why i can't seem to get going during the winter

i am the walking dead is why


happy new year to you all

and i hope you get to stay under the 2 feet of covers ALL NIGHT without one disturbance

if you do get to stay where it is snug and warm

give a thought to me
staggering around in the dark and the cold
all for the love of a few curly headed cats

vi

and the snow keeps coming down down down

and as i watch it

i wonder if bernie will be getting home tonight
or will he be staying with the fleet

it's sticking

and it is steady and heavy
and i can't see the woods out back


the duckies were slightly apprehensive about crossing the expanse of the frozen snow covered driveway......

after all there could be killer WHALES under that thar snow
just waiting for little tender duckies to walk across it

there weren't............ what a relief

and the duckies are safely in their day pen
which is almost draft proof
but well ventilated........go figure

meanwhile in baby chicken news........
chooks run wild......

actually they are outgrowing this brooder pretty fast now
and they are trying to get out
i keep finding one or another of them perched on the edge...............

they are still not sure but they are getting closer!!!!

chooks are getting BIG now
hahahaha
3 roos definately
3 hens definately

and one that hasn't declared itself yet
could go either way

i suspect it is a roo though

so that is my little snowy world today

happy new year everyone

vi

And while we’re at it…………..

(this was typed last night in 'word' which accounts for the capitalization.....no i still can't reach the shift key well......word does the capitals automatically)

How about life paths?

I kinda figure folks are where they are supposed to be at any given moment…….
This isn’t a predestined thing by any means
I do feel there is a plan to it all, in spite of the evidence that the universe is being run by chickens……….MY chickens apparently, Larry, Moe and Curly the roosters

( watch now…we got a NEW generation of roosters coming up …..but they are going in the freezer)

I also figure that if you follow along with that sort of reasoning……
There is no reason to envy anyone anything
And also there is no reason for jealousy

( although I will occasionally confess to produce envy……when I can’t get sweet peppers cheap and the garden ones are a bust)

I suppose this all goes along with reflecting and assessing where you are in your life RIGHT NOW.
And trying to pick up the threads and follow them to see if there is an overall theme

It does seem like the time of year for it doesn’t it
And in light of a poor economy, more then just me will be thinking this deeply

I still desperately want my farm and my animals home
I am so worried about them, I wake up at night thinking of them

I am, - I would imagine a hair closer,
as we are paying down the mortgage here…….and finally fixing the house up

I realized that I could use this property as a microcosm of a farm
Work out some of the details here on a small scale
Which is what I have been doing
It’s fun most of the time…..except the ticks and the mosquitoes
(which brought me to lyme disease…..or would that be brought TO me?)

I know so much better when we do move what I need to do to get the results I want

( see this sort of all goes along with the other philosophical writings I been doing lately)

however I don’t believe that staying in this house is good for us as we age
I don’t think it is a good house to grow old in
Nor do I think that this area is safe anymore
But back to life paths
I think that your life path is just that …….YOUR life path
And that sometimes if there are constraints, well maybe that helps narrow the choices down to a amount that isn’t overwhelming?

I know in art school we were taught to give the client THREE choices
Because if we gave them to many……they couldn’t make up their minds
It was too much
Too overwhelming
I think that is the same with life

I also think that it takes a very lot of personal knowledge to survive a place of unlimited and overwhelming choice

Sort of like a kid in the candy shop………..too much candy will get them sick

Or
I could be wrong


vi

Now as of this morning ( I wrote the above last night)
I dreamt of a person that I used to know…….. a LONG time ago
Three times this morning I woke up from a dream only to fall back asleep into that same dream
I dreamt of Lucy Depadova, she is the mother of a boy I went out with in high school.
I loved her dearly
I hope nothing happened to her as the world would surely be a much poorer place withOUT her light in it

(*** thank you so much sjanova for finding that typo, i was still asleep)

traditional times of reflection

there are certain times in our lives
and points during the year
where it is traditional to look back and reflect on what has passed
to assess the validity of actions and choices
on one level, life does simply seem to be a series of choices
with some random events thrown in for variety

i do believe there is a point to it all though

and part of the point i am beginning to suspect, is in the choices we make
ultimately most of these choices won't matter,
such as .............. 'do i have water with this supper, or tea'

'do i have time for a nap'

'should i send for this magazine'

some of course are totally life altering........

'do i move to brazil?'

'do i have a child'


i can't help but think that all our choices are strung together and that after our earthly life is over,
we get to assess them on another level

i also wonder why so many 'change your life' and self help books abound
aren't we making changes daily?
with every single choice we make?

now in my life
i have lost numerous friends this year
some to death
some to 'their season or reason' was over in our lives

i have had new friends come into my life

i have raised yet MORE baby animals
(seems to be a yearly thing now)
and indeed currently have baby chickens that i am raising........at arms length
( 4 roosters in this batch it looks like)

the ducks were a LOT of work
and absorbed me totally but i am very pleased with how that worked out
for the most part

i adore the girls i kept
they are a source of wonder to me daily
and i love watching them waddle in and out from the house to their little day pen, they have such purpose in their walk

i am also learning that i can and DO make excellent decisions for us
carefully weighed
so far the majority have worked out to our benefit
the thing that is continuously amazing to me is that i can actually think something up
and have it happen

as an aside, that would be represented by the tarot card 'the magician'
***making physical that which was only thought- or taking from above to bring to below***

this time of reflection also traditionally involves resolutions
which i don't really think work for most people

i think a resolution should be more like an evolution
but what do i know

i don't do resolutions
however i do have lists of things i think may be important to accomplish this coming year

but the list is not set in stone
some things drop off and some things make it on there
and some things vary in importance

a rough list for me now is

get a new mattress for us ( 28 years is way too long even for a sterns and foster)
put in fruit bushes, elderberry, blueberry, cranberry, blackberry
get the duck pen finished
and add a chicken coop
finally get the kitchen done
now......if the economy turns around......MOVE
if not
replace the studio windows and reside afterwards
make a nice cold frame......maybe not a hoop house as i have been hearing of collapses
but a nice LONG ( possibly down the north line of the property) cold frame

reorganize not only the studio
but the basement
get more bookcases

get my flour mill and more grain storage

on my list is also a trip to lancaster for bulk canning jars again
this time i want jellies, 10 oz, 12 oz and gallons......
( the gallons are for juice and grain storage)

now i also have some 'i would really like to..................if i get the time'
i would really like to sew more
i would really like to go back to making dolls
i would really like to get back to illustration
i would really like to read more
( ok so that last one is sorta not a point.....as i do read a LOT..... but suddenly after 20 years of almost total non fiction, i find myself wanting to read some fiction and reread literature.... i do love my dickens)

i think at this point in my life
my overal goal is
a quiet peaceful life
with home grown food
and home made entertainments

a hands on, handcrafted life
where i am involved in all aspects

there is nothing wrong with a consumer driven life
but it isn't the life for me

happy new year everyone

vi

on being well read and a bibliophiliac

i was given a wonderful christmas present by a friend of mine,
a gift certificate to a bookstore!

she said when she gave it to me, 'you are a voracious reader, and extremely well read, what else would be perfect for you?'

that got me thinking.....
what DOES it mean to be well read?

does it mean a LOT of books
a lot of diversity in your reading?
or a reading list of books from all the ages of man and writing?

from the greeks down to present?

and the books themselves, there is NOTHING like the feel of a finely bound book
the sound of the paper and the smell of it all
the weight in your hand
how the pages turn, if they are easy to read
it begs you to sit in a comfortable chair with a good light, a purring cat, and a beverage........
alone but filled with the heady excitement of an unread book
you have no idea yet what delights will unfold between the covers
what worlds you will travel to
what inroads this book will make on your mind, or soul
an insight into another's mind and world
a way to touch someone else intimately without even knowing them on a level that is at it's purest



some collectors only collect finely bound hardcover editions
i can see why, as the CRAFT of a finely bound book is extraordinary
the perfect weight of paper, so that the text is easily read and no bleed through of text from the backing of that page
the type face, a serif face, that is easily and rapidly read
the open air at the margins, for a breather
hand marbled endpapers, hand sewn signatures
all things about a finely bound book is a feast for the soul as well as the mind

some rare books
and i will soooooooooooooooooo admit for a lust for rare knitting books
that any edition of some of the ones on my list would be more then welcome.....

some, like me are much more interested in contents for the most part, i need to READ THEM
and WILL buy used reading copies just because of the need to read
i am not a snob when it comes to my books
hardcovers sit next to soft covers next to 'reading copies'
***a 'reading copy' is a batter old book but you can read it and after all isn't that the REAL point of being well read?***

i know some of you will suggest using the public library
and i have at times
but
if it is 3am
and you simply MUST reread a certain passage from a CERTAIN BOOK or be denied sleep for the night............
libraries don't quite do it then

i have often however done inter-library loans when i am trying to track down some obscure stuff that i can't find anywhere
hints and references to other books

the references of books to other books always intrigued me and i realize that before there was 'the WEB' there were the books

so now
on my shelves you will find some of the greeks, more then a smattering of history, classic literature, science, the natural world
modern fiction and science fiction, horror, philosophy, as well as cookbooks, craft books, (and various how to books) gardening, animals, new age, ghosts, holidays, books on collecting books even!
and in defiance to purists, you will find plato happily co-exhisting in the same bookcases as harry potter, and charles addams

I wonder if the authors are somehow aware that they live together on my shelves in a relationship that makes sense to me, if not others?

i do tend to feel a bit guilty about the amount of books i have, and the amount of MONEY invested in what for the most part, will never return the investment in funds
but i can't help myself
it is an addiction
an obsession
the need to read
to devour a book
some people need other things
i need books

and i have learned
if you TRULY wish to know a person's soul
browse their library, the breadth of their titles i think
shows the secrets that they don't even realize themselves

vi
who has now got some new books to read!!

did you all have a merry?

i hope so
we went to see a friend of mine a bit south/west of us
we had a blast
i hope they had as good a time

we did get home late
i took yet another fall out back on the way to the duck pen
the alien ice patch from hell is back

today i am going to clean the kitchen
and maybe go to the feed an grain
and possibly borders since they are having a huge sale

happy holidays everyone

i wish you all the merriest of holidays

i am in the kitchen, ( so what else is new)
baking cookies
and such
we are going to a friend's house and i am so looking forward to it

bernie put a small tree up in the living room
very simple....NO ORNAMENTS for thaddeaus to get into

and the halloween tree up in the studio
for me

we got through the ice storm and it's warm out
so i imagine that tomorrow the ducks will enjoy their day as well

(although cleo is a bit broody and stole everyone else's eggs.........-ever hear a duck say MINE MINE MINE................. let me tell you)


i hope santa brings you all that you deserve
i wish you happiness and health for now and the future
take good care everyone


vi

it's that special time of year

seed catalogs ARRIVAL!!!!!!!!!!
the new one from baker creek rare seeds is full color and HUGE
i kinda miss their old one but this one is really nice, more like a magazine then a catalog

as always seeds from italy leaves with a VERY LONG list and wishing for a LOT more garden

fedco is on the must order list as well, after all they have my long pie pumpkin seeds

my tenative plans for this year
expand the 'greens' deck garden
put more of the eggplant, peppers and tomatoes in containers i can move around, and possibly in a hoop house

grow the butternuts on trellis, that sorta worked well last year

MORE green beans (merchant of venice, white seeded is my very favorite, and it is a yellow bean...sorta tastes like vanilla to me)

more cucumbers for pickling ( national pickling and boston pickling.....although i did enjoy the booth bay blonds i got last year.....i don't remember planting them though

sand bed for carrots and other root veggies
i want to put it in a very raised bed...... like 18 inches if i can, i may have to container this

move the pumpkins to the front lawn, after i start them inside
i think i am going to start several pumpkins and just plant them around all over
when the mice plant them they do very well!
the deer don't bother them either so that is part of my plan

so far i have been glancing through the catalogs
sort of making notes in them

i want to start the leeks in the basement window soon and get as much growth on them as i can before they go out in very early spring

due to not feeling as up to par as i should......the fall garden never got properly cleaned up this year
so early early spring it is

however as i clean the duck night crates i think i am going to just put that directly on the beds
and add the leaf mold in the spring when i cultivate them

as for now
my little garden is neatly tucked in under a blanket of snow
and seem that spring is a LONG way off

vi

ah.....2am, we meet again

tonights middle of the night visit is brought to you by

heartburn


in a moment of insanity ( that has to be it)
i gave into bernie's plea for junk food
(commerical odds and ends...... shrimp and some other stuff)
they were on sale at sam's club
FIRST mistake

he wanted to have some tonight ( lastnight?)

SECOND mistake

i said yes and i had a few tastes

THIRD mistake
i started my doxycycline tonight

soooooooooo
here i am with heartburn

i can't take anything even if i had it in the house
as i am on the lyme meds
so i am sitting up
laying down makes it much worse

i already stoked the stove
i am pretty tired

but here i am

oh well

bernie got home from work around noon
he made sure the lot was cleared and the fleet rolled

i asked him why not let his crew do it
he said he didn't want to replace a clutch in the plow truck

when he got home he used the snowblower and cleared the driveway
i had shoveled out to the day pen
he made it wider

i tried to shovel the driveway but it's pretty big and i didn't get too far

a shear pin went on the snowblower
we need to get it NOW
cause this winter is going to be bad
and if we don't have one we will be screwed with all this snow

cleo put herself in the night crate
why?
she dropped TWO EGGS
i was wondering where yesterday's egg was
well that answered me
i know there was NO eggs in that crate
i picked that duck up and she was NOT hiding an egg under her wing
when she came out of that crate i nabbed two duck eggs

that duck worries me

as does the weather
and the day pens

i had gone looking for the clear plastic to act as a wind screen in the day pens
couldn't find it
i need three rolls of it
i also need about a dozen hay bales at this moment
hay is now over 7.00 a bale
i am hoping to find it cheaper but i don't think so
maybe out at the farms if i can get out there
i wished

if i could find it for around 3.00 a bale i would take the dozen or so i need

cleo would like her day pen again


later

vi

white stuff all around EVERYWHERE

and deer tracks in the yard

i called bernie and woke him up
poor guy is exhausted
he just crashed
well sure he's exhausted he was on the go so early yesterday
i feel so bad i woke him
he was totally out of it
and i could tell he was sound asleep
i spoke to him a few minutes and he's awake now

meanwhile
my eyes are swollen!
trying to keep them open and keep glasses on them is very 'interesting'

and i have to go out and shovel this way?

ok
i am trying to figure out a way to shovel a duck path
and get everyone out
i have to put the girls in the back pen
that's the only way they can lay their eggs
and i can GET THE eggs
i have that temporary day pen for falstaff.....i kept it mostly clear of snow on the lattice/tarp roof
and now with the snow it's totally draft proof!
i'll be trying to get them out in a few minutes
i should make coffee huh?

i should do that
i came down
stoked the stove and called bernie

i forgot me!
i got to get a pot of coffee on
if we lose electric
i won't be able to have coffee
so maybe i need to get a perculator or something......

the woodstove is such a blessing
i love it so much
it not only keeps us warm
but it's got a cheerful fire
it's winter security
even though the wood brings in ticks
one of which GAVE me this nasty illness
but it's still a wonderful thing to have a woodstove

ok
i got to get coffee now and get out in the snow

til later

vi

and the storm begins

i came down at 3 again
cold and pain got me up
so i am stoking the stove
bernie came down after me
sure enough
light freezing rain
he's leaving now for work
and will probably not be back until saturday
( i know....i wish he'd stay home too but he is very aware of his fleet must roll, since it is the only neonatal as well as the 911 fleet, i guess if you were waiting for 911 or if it was your premie.....you'd want the fleet to roll too)

i of course will worry until he's back home again
which probably will be tomorrow
although i hope it would be tonight but i would rather he stay there and be safe


i had a few days reprieve from pain..... but it's started up again
so i start the antibotics today
everyone told me that they are going to get me really sick
that's ok......there is an end to that

ok i want to talk to bernie

and then she hit a wall

well i been waiting for the western blot lyme test to come back

the doc called
the lab screwed up
did the wrong test
they will now do the western blot
sooooooo
while we are waiting she is going to treat me
i pick up the meds tomorrow
meanwhile she is leaving for vacation
so i won't have the results back until after the holidays

i had a good two days
yesterday was really good
today not so much
i woke up tired with muscle pain again

and right now i could sooooooooooo just go to sleep
i have to wait for bernie though

in duckie doings

one duckie is either holding out on me
or really really good at hide and seek

she is hiding eggies
i found one in each of the preferred nests
but i have THREE DUCKS
so someone ain't giving it up for momma

bad duckies

cleo is still telling me off every morning
today was of course from her nest while waiting for her egg
i swear that duck cracks me up
everyone needs chickens and ducks
they are such funny little birds
i got cleo tonight as we were going to 'bed'
and put her on her back laying in my arms like a baby.......
AND she just laid there like a baby
for all her complaining........she is still a sweetie
all of them are

in chicken news
marguerite crouched today so i am hoping for the start of chicken eggs
i miss my brown eggies
poached on sunday morning
my baby chooks are doing well
i am going to start tapering off the brooder light
they are looking like real live chickens now
hahahahaha

and since they are buff orpingtons
they are golden!
who wouldn't love golden chickens?

vi

storm coming

or so i hear from bernie
as i am practically amish i don't know!
( no tv, no radio, no kidding)
so i am going to pack his emergency bag today for him to take down tomorrow
he said he is going to come home early....( yeah right)
and bring in wood and get milk
meanwhile i will trim my lamps
add more oil
get some bricks to warm for the chooks brooder just in case.......

here's my list for his emergency bag:
underwear, 2prs
socks 2prs
teeshirt 2
sweatshirt 1
long john pants
long john shirt
snow boots
soap ( our soap, since he can't use commercial and we don't use shampoo just our soap)
razors
shave cream
tooth brush and paste
cookies
hotties ( disposable hand/foot warmers)
jar of chicken ( home canned just in case)
blanket
book ( he's reading a ww2 book at the moment)

i really hope that it isn't necessary but he spent two overnights last year due to weather
one he didn't listen to me
so he spent it very uncomfortably
no clean clothing, no toothbrush etc
and NO FOOD........
although they put him up in a hotel for the night

poor guy was miserable when he finally got home

now i insist he take his bag, and he listens now

he is getting smarter as he ages

ok now the house preps
well we will just make sure we have enough wood inside and the deck stack is full
actually it warms UP when it snows so that is enough
i am more worried about getting the ducks to the day pen and back
last winter it wasn't an issue because serafina and falstaff actually lived in that pen
but now since a predator got serafina i won't leave anyone in there overnight
and the temporary pen here next to the house is not big enough for 4 ducks nor is it tall enough for me to get in there and gather eggs
i will find out if it is sturdy enough to survive the snow

if not then i don't know what i am going to do
probably move falstaff in and out of the day pen
and put the girls in something in the house
taking them out for grazing daily
i don't think the winter pen is going to be finished in time
and even if i put up a dog kennel out side
i still have the snow load/roof problem

the thing that really sucks is, the day pen is now very well insulated,
it's got enough extra bedding that rain water won't flood it
it's supported and tarped enough that the run is also dry
but it isn't secure enough against predation

and even if we put in a secure coop
i would still have to get out there to let the ducks in and out of the coop
and change the water daily
add food and treats and take them for walks

i am hoping that at our next house
we have a bigger deck.......cause then i can put temporary pens under that without worry
here our cess pool is under our deck so no day pens there

later...........


vi

I had to edit this to add
we got more then enough food etc in the house
so shopping for a 'storm' isn't something we do
about the only extra i would need is milk and or icecream
bernie will pick up the milk

as to the snowblower
well............................

he's got that in the basement so i can't get it out
it's a troybilt from when you could only get them from the company......all metal
and i can't move it out to start it
once started it's self propelled so i can use it
i think we need a tool shed huh?

Things I have learned to be true

• You never have the yarn you need for a project, no matter how big your stash is, there is always one that you NEED for the next project and don’t have. ( and right now that is fluffy white angora for a brim and lining on a winter hat)
  
• Ducks can and do tell you off, and it is as funny as hell when they do it
  
• So do chickens and it is equally funny
  
• Any sentence that includes a chicken is just inherently funny, but the really FUNNY thing about chickens is their LEGS-cracks me up every time
  
• No matter how many cookies you bake…… you always find out that you should have baked just one more batch/kind
  
• It takes me about 10 days to properly appreciate an event
  
• Hanging laundry on the line is a very satisfying thing to do….just not my underwear
  
• The night you have the WONDERFUL amazing dinner ready by 7pm, the husband will arrive at 8, tired and hungry but just wanting to eat and go to sleep
  
• Dishes will multiply if you leave even ONE in the sink at night……don’t do that, trust me they will breed, and in the morning you can’t even FIND the sink…let alone the faucet to draw water to make the coffee
  
• If the phlebotomist tells you ‘you are going to get a hemotoma’ believe her, and don’t USE THE ARM.
  
• Remember, this too like corn and diarrhea shall pass, some things don’t pass soon enough, and some too quickly but all things do change
  
• Laughing really IS all it’s cracked up to be…… do it often and with your whole heart
  
• The only difference between and experienced knitter and a newbie is, the experienced knitter knows how to fix their mistakes, they still make them
  
• The knitter thing can go for a metaphor for life as well
  
• Squirrels may be pests at the bird feeder but they sure are funny to watch