Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Chilly

Got a little dusting of snow last night. Just enough to re-apply what melted yesterday when the outside temp rose to a sweltering 42 F or so. My suet bird feeder is empty, and now I can't find the mould to make another suet cake! Fooey. I guess I should clean my kitchen, then it will magically appear.

Bev brought over her big baby shire Honor yesterday to get him under saddle a bit. He's just four years and I think yesterday was maybe his third time with a rider. Nobody died. This was a distinct possibility considering that the ground is frozen right now, and coming off a 17+ hand horse could be ugly.

There is a lot of ice down by the drainage ditch/creek right now. In fact, there are huge sheets of thick ice where there has been seepage from all the rain we had. When Gordon went to retrieve Jaran and Woody from the back pasture, they were slipping all over the place: a giant wreck did NOT occur, miraculously.
Also of note: Natalie layed her first egg this weekend! It was actually a pretty decent one for a first egg, and (drum roll please)...she's a greenie! Yay! I'm on the way back to tutti frutti egg cartons! She layed her second this morning. I'm just positive that Americauna/Auracanas can lay blue eggs, too. I must find a blue girl somewhere...

At any rate, after a few months of maybe one or two eggs a week (from Ophelia, my die-hard Cochin fluff ball), we're back to business. Keridwen is almost grown back from her molt and should start laying again soon, especially since the days are getting longer. Lobelia should start pitching in, too (she's so lazy). Emma, little Seabright bird, will lay again when she darn well feels like it, because she marches to a different drummer.

Let's see. How much more prosaic can I be? I know...a cat picture!

Gimli loves his snuggly bed.

Friday, January 12, 2007

Second Life update

Well, my love affair with the Star Trek afficianadoes of Second Life has cooled considerably. I'm just weary of the barely socialized geek factor. Trying to engage most of them in conversation is an excercise in futility, and the tactical events I tried were giant clusters. Can we say "no military training"? Gack. I'm still maintaining my "membership" in the group, but I've discovered a much happier place...Caledon.
Yes, I'm back in the 19th century, where my serious historical re-enacting began, anyway. What a joy this place is. People with social skills! People who dress like civilized ladies and gentlemen! People who can string polysyllabic words together in a coherent fashion! Beautiful architecture and actual zoning!
It's not strictly "19th c", but a kind of steampunk Jules Verne-y sort of place. Fine by me!

Colder than last time

OK, it's officially really cold. It was 37F in my kitchen this morning, 20F outside. To you folks in the Dakotas, I realise this is shirtsleeve weather, but it's really unusual for, say, sea-level in the Puget Sound region! I made the chickens a mash of lard and flax seeds to eat today, and now they can burn calories and be happy.

The upside? No rain!!!