The Season

The SB and I enjoyed our nice quiet holiday with the family on Christmas Eve. My family has a way of overlapping gifts. It is nice to all be on the same page. There was much exchange of food and food related items. Many donations to our local causes. Many of those also food related.

Christmas Day, the SB installed our dishwasher. We have always had a dishwasher in this house (except during the first 18 months we were living here and working on the house and we didn't have water in the "kitchen" at all, which made a dishwasher somewhat obsolete). He INSTALLED it yesterday, meaning the bottom panel was attached and the thing got screwed to the floor. Which now means that when you pull out the slides, the whole thing no longer tips forward. It really is amazing what small changes like that do to make you feel just a teeny bit more civilized. Mostly, it made me realize that I haven't cleaned around the edges of the dishwasher in a really long time, so that has to be on the list for the holiday week. This was one of my Christmas presents from the SB. The other, a book called Charcuterie. This is definitely going to have to contribute to the goals list.

I was inspired to do a list of goals by Kate's list. More on that soon. I have been compiling a list. Starting a fig is on my list too. I am still looking for a place to grow it, but I think it can safely be started in a pot.

I am hoping over the next day or so to get out and dig out the garden. I am hoping there are some delightful green greens in there, just waiting for a big pot of beans and bacon (one of the SB's gifts from the Cho fam, and totally spot on. I mean, how can you go wrong with bacon?)

The duck egg production has gone WAY down. 3-4 eggs a day, and today, only one, though I may fine another one or two if I go out later. Slackers. We have been letting them out for long periods despite the snow. They have found the waterways in the yard and spend lots of time making mud pies and eating anything green or that may have at one time in the past been green. They are very happy to get out. When it started raining yesterday, I had the irrational urge to put them back in their pen. But, of course, they LOVE the rain. It was just me that would have been miserable with the 38 degree downpour. More power to 'em....

And to ward off the cold and damp of winter, I started a tiny sun dress for one of my tiny friends. It rocks.

Restless

The U was closed today. The roads a total mess. I stayed home and did business from here. The SB and I lit out to our local neighborhood bar for lunch and tried to shop at our local vegetable store, but they were closed. I had the grand idea of asking them for their wilted and unsellable greens for the ducks.

The ducks are getting restless. They have been in for days now, and the two small spots of grass that were showing through the snow just outside their cage thanks to the SB's shoveling, have been reduced to mud patties. They are going to be in need of some greens before they get scurvy or something. I think I read that you can give them alfalfa pellets for some variety. But I will have to do some research... I would hate to screw that up and have their gizzards impacted or something. Yeesh.

They seem unmoved by the cold and continue to stand in their water bowls with ice chunks floating around their feet.

I started a recipe from Cooks Illustrated - cajun beans and rice. Of course, I didn't have much of the specific ingredients (small red beans, sub black) or andouille sausage (sub italian) but I am using the method and it smells pretty good. Though I reduced the liquid by several cups. It didn't look like it was going to fit in the dutch oven otherwise, and I am glad I did. It is about right with 7 cups of liquid instead of 9 (!). They simmer for a long time but it was super easy to put together.

The cat is slowly driving me insane. He hasn't been out in days. He is cranky. I am cranky. But I am not currently as cranky as I will be as I walk to the mall before the crack of dawn to catch a trolly to the university. City still isn't running all the buses tomorrow. Bastards.

Recovery

We seem to have weathered the storm despite having lost power for several hours and losing several ducks in the creek. We left the pen door open for them yesterday and when they got up enough nerve to leave the cage they went straight for the creek and jumped in. No small feat as it was 2 feet of additional drop from the top of the snow banks. Of course, they didn't plan on how they would get out... ducks being notoriously poor climbers given their lack of arms. Some of them did manage to get out. The others we had to dig an exit for... After that adventure they decided to stay in the pen for the rest of they day.

This morning I pulled some of the old straw out of the house and spread it around the duck run, but I think they prefer to sit in the snow. No accounting for tastes.

I have been working on some projects. Going through the bales of recipe clippings I have stowed away. I figure if I eat something new every meal for the next 18 or 20 years, I should be able to get through them.

I was making some new years resolutions (more on that later) and sorting out some of my unfinished projects both knitted and sewn.

I was trying to clean up the sewing room. Oi. Pick something up, put it down in another pile. Clear one pile into three other piles. Repeat for several house, throw up your hands and have a drink.

I watched our neighbor bring one of his twin sons down to see the ducks. That is about 100 yards in 2 feet of snow, carrying a toddler. It must be getting a little crazy over there with everyone snowed in. The snow is about shoulder level on the children. They seem to be enjoying being toted and pulled around in it though. It is pretty cute.

The SB spent the big part of his day shoveling snow. He did our front walk, a path to the duck yard, the creek escape route, then the front walks of two neighbors. When his is good, he is very, very good. Etc.


We walked up to Beer Run last night which was open. Lots of folks hanging out and drinking beer. Just sorry we missed the nachos, but they were low on supplies with the snow. Except beer. They had plenty of that. This may be a new hang out for us. So walkable.

I am currently scanning seed sources and dreaming of planting. The fall garden is under 2 feet of snow and I have no idea what that means for the fate of our produce. I guess we find out after then next warm snap.

16 hours and counting

It has been snowing hard for 16 hours and if anything it is snowing harder than before with no signs of letting up. In a rare show of common sense, the ducks decided to go back into their house this morning. Only after I had shoveled 20 inches of snow out of their entire pen though. Shoveling out ducks made me very glad that I wasn't shoveling out a cow.

White stuff

The snow is coming down in droves and piling up like icing on a grocery store cake. It started around 4PM and by 5:30 on the way home my bus was spinning out at the stop sign down the road. That was hours ago, and there are fools still out there driving around. We have over 5 inches now for sure, maybe more, and the weather says the heavy snow hasn't hit yet. The SB and I went out earlier and put up the ducks. They will be snug in their little house for the night with lots of straw and each other to stay warm. So far there isn't a wind at all, so they should even be relatively draft-less. It'll be interesting to see how it goes tomorrow. I am going to have to dig out the entire pen to give them someplace to stand. What do you do when your are 24 inches tall and there is 18 (or more) inches of snow? My guess is that you head for the creek, but I don't know how well ducks can tunnel... I suspect it will be a long day for ducks tomorrow and Sunday...

I am planning on sledding tomorrow. Maybe just in a box down a hill, but I am going. It has been far far too long.

The garden is tucked under straw and Remay, and I have high hopes for some greens when things thaw off a bit. Surely there will be more carrots. I need a weekend that is relatively free of frost to dive in and see what we have out there under all those blankets....

Hopefully adorable pictures of ducks in the snow tomorrow.

Favorite

Growing up, one of my favorite things was my Nutshell Library by Maurice Sendak. Although it is jumping the gun a bit, this verse fits the day very well....

In January
it's so nice
while slipping
on the sliding ice
to sip hot chicken soup
with rice.
Sipping once
sipping twice
sipping chicken soup
with rice.

Chicken stock with leeks, celery, carrots, potato, bay and parsley with some chicken and white beans. And of course, rice. If I am feeling really fancy, we'll top it with a mixture of very finely chopped lemon zest, garlic and parsley. Maybe some drop biscuits as an excuse to keep the oven on all day....

Not

All the things I am not doing....

Not getting ready for Christmas
Not keeping the house even remotely clean-ish (my pre New Year's resolution)
Not sewing
Not cooking
Not gardening
Not blogging.

If things change, you'll be the first to know.