Sooner Than I Thought - Thank You Snow Day!

I'm back much sooner than I would have anticipated...thanks to the snow storm that blew through and froze the Pacific Northwest over yesterday. My drive home from work was pretty dicey - thankfully the husband met me at work so I could follow him home. There are some hills on my route home that when they are covered in ice can be scary. Although I'd anticipated a 2-hour late start today because it was announced yesterday, I was a little suprised when it turned into a full snow day. So even though I've got a bit of anxiety about missing a day and having to re-plan, but on the other hand, I needed the chance to get caught up on housework and get ready to have my mom and brother visit for Thanksgiving. The husband and the pets were also a big part of my day, I loved having the extra bit of unexpected quality time with them....Bambino had a blast playing with us and chasing his frisbee in the snow. This was the first experience with snow for the Buff Orpington hens that are new to the flock this year - they seemed pretty disturbed by the cold white stuff that was on the ground and every surface. I gave them lots of extra scratch corn - I've heard that it raises their body temperatures. It was wonderful to get a bit of time outside...even though it was cold, the sky was perfectly blue and sunny. I took a ton of pictures, I love how the snow makes everything look fresh and new...I tend to go nuts with pictures on snow days! So here's a whole lot of pictures with not a lot of post...Enjoy!

Rainy Wednesday

Outside, it is raining sideways right now...yuck! I spent yesterday substituting for a middle school teacher that teaches a random mix of classes - Film, Music Appreciation, and Fitness. The last class of the day was the fitness class, the plans directed me to have the students walk around the track for the entire period...so walk we did, it may have been the first time I've ever been paid to exercise. It was nice and sunny, a good thing because I have been fighting a nasty head cold. If I'd had that sub job today I would have had a hard time convincing myself to follow the teacher's plan. Instead, I spent the first part of my morning in a science classroom - half day sub jobs are the best, it's short and sweet and I still get my day. The rain hadn't started yet when I first came home, so I mixed up some dormant spray for our trees...several of them are starting to bud out, below is one of our plum trees. I'm hoping that the spray had the chance to soak in and dry a bit before the rain began, otherwise the spraying was a waste...I also put another 15 primrose plants in our front beds - they were an early Valentine's Day gift from the husband. The color has been refreshing, even though the first round of flowers was my idea, the husband has appreciated how the flowers brighten things up, he wanted to add a bit more color to make it even more cheerful.We are going on a get-away trip to Hawaii in about a week, so I think our Valentine's Day celebration will be postponed until we are there. The s-son is with us for the upcoming three day weekend. Having a 12 year old boy around hardly makes for a romantic setting. I'm looking foward to the warmth, the beautiful colors, the delicious fruit, and being alone with the husband.!

Happy Groundhog's Day!

I heard that old Phil saw his shadow so we are in for 6 more weeks of winter. With the kind of winter we've been having here - wet and mild with days of gorgeous sunshine mixed in - I can honestly say that I'm already mentally moving into spring. I suppose it really wouldn't matter much if temperatures dropped off a bit and we even had a bit of snow, this winter realy hasn't been too harsh.Today I spent the first half of the day substituting for an elementary music teacher. The closest thing I have to musical talent is a tiny little drop of rhythm, I can snap or clap to a beat. I'm really not qualified to be a music teacher. BUT, it was still a very fun day. The lesson plans were easy to follow, playing a few specific songs for each class so the students could vote on a few ideas about the songs, then taking requests from a list. The lesson time was followed by what was basically a junior karaokee/dance party. There was lots of singing along and shaking it going on all day. I have never had the chance to get my groove on as a teacher in a classroom before, it was fun! I loved being goofy and dancing with thirty 3rd graders...they are still young enough to forget to be self-conscious, today they made me feel that way too.

Sunny Tuesday

Happy Tuesday!

I'll be spending the day substituting in a kindergarten classroom,

should be fun, or at least interesting!

Chickens: An Update

One of my hens enjoying the morning sunshine near their

water container. They are looking very mature these days,

recently their eggs have been large and beautiful!

My girls (and Berkeley!) were in need of a coop cleaning, so I took advantage of the beautiful sunshine we had here Friday morning and went out to do a little housekeeping and food and water freshening for my poultry. I took the picture below after I'd raked the used hay out of their coop, they like to scratch around in it and look for little grains. Having the hay spread around keeps the ground from becoming too muddy when it rains - plus it keeps the chickens happy and busy for hours at a time.

It's been a while since I've talked about my birds here...mostly because November and December were pretty difficult months for my flock. I guess the freezing temperatures have made the wildlife around here pretty desperate to stay fed because we have lost three hens...that was after the injury incident we had with poor Berkeley.

One of the hens, scratching through the hay that

was raked out of the coop on cleaning day.

I don't think that I ever explained that Berkeley was okayed by me to be put down by our neighbor. After his wing injury I separated him from the rest of the flock (which was 7 hens at that time) in his own little cage (the man cave). At first this seemed to be a good way to help him heal safely, but then he stopped eating and crowing...he was depressed and kind of gave up. Knowing that he wasn't going to ever regain full use of his wing, I felt like the question of quality of life was being answered on it's own. We pretty much said good bye to him, it was harder on me than I would have guessed. BUT...the story changed when our neighbor had mercy on him and decided to give him a couple of days confined to a kennel area by himself. Interestingly enough, being away from his hens and having the chance to recooperate solo seemed to do the trick. His bandages were removed and our neighbor trimmed his wing feathers so they wouldn't drag on the ground (and trip him). He was returned to our flock and didn't miss a beat fitting right back in, the hens were pretty happy to see him, actually.

Berkeley with his beautiful dark green tail feathers.

He still can't fully use his injured wing,

but that doesn't keep him from ruling the roost.

In Berkeley's absence though, we had lost a hen. I am guessing that a hawk took her, though we didn't really see feathers and there was no other trace of her, she seemed to have just vanished, so it could have been a coyote that somehow came under (or over?) our garden fence.

So we were then down to 6 hens and Berkeley. Within about three weeks of that (late December) we lost another two hens. This time we knew it was a hawk because the husband spotted the murderous bird sitting on our fence just after it had killed a hen. We buried that first hen and kept our remaining birds (now 5 hens and Berkeley) inside their tractor coop the next day. The next day I let the birds out to free-range in the morning. Looking back, this was foolish, and even though I questioned the wisdon of my actions at the time, I guess I just was naive enough to think the hawk had probably moved on. That same afternoon the hawk returned and killed another one of our hens. The worst part was that somehow in the scuffle the door to the tractor coop swung shut and closed three of the remaining chickens in (Berkeley and 2 hens) and locked out the other 3, two of which survived. It must have been a wicked skirmish, because every one of the surviving chickens looked a little rough. They all were missing a few feathers on their backs and tails. There were feathers all over the garden. The husband burried the killed hen and we kept the rest of our flock locked up in their coop for about the next week while we planned a new area for them. It was hard for me to see that for the first few days the chickens hardly came out of the top part of their coop into their run, maybe just for a few minutes to eat and drink, or if I gave them some corn scratch or kitchen scraps...they were pretty traumatized, and I was feeling very guilty.

The flock always seems to pay attention to what I'm doing,

they started drinking the fresh water I'd brought them

before I even had a chance to finish hanging the container.

I plan to share a bit about our new chicken area soon...but suffice it to say that our chickens (Berkeley and our 4 remaining hens), are now safe and happy in their new protected area. My guilt has started to lessen, I have learned some lessons the hard way and unfortunately my hens paid the price. I plan to add new chicks to our flock this spring, but in the mean time it is healing to see my birds playing happily in their new safe area. Their egg production is back on track, we are typically collecting 2-3 eggs a day again (there was a week or two where we had none or maybe 1 egg a day)

*A first for me* I uploaded a quick video of my birds scratching around and spreading hay next to their coop...not the most interesting footage ever, but it was a good experiment for me since I've never used video on my blog before!

Sunny Day, Sweeping the Clouds Away...

I mentioned yesterday when I blogged that it was beautiful but cold outside, which was true...but it wasn't so cold that I could resist when the husband offered to set me up with an adirondack rocking chair on our upstairs deck so I could enjoy the sunshine...isn't that beautiful!?Folks, you have to remember that this is January in Washington, so sunshine is at a premium. Who needs a corner office in a fancy skyrise building when this view is available!? This was one of those occasions where the benefits of working from home are just too good to fully explain.

I brought out a few pillows and a down throw to cuddle up with.
My little buddy Bambino even got to come up to enjoy the view with me (this is a big deal, he's never allowed upstairs in our house).

Once I set down the camera (hard to do) I ended up getting about an hour and a half of work time and a healthy dose of sunshine-provided vitamin D.

The husband even joined me up on the deck for a while...spending his time planning and running numbers for some upcoming business stuff. I like how casual his drink and calculator look sitting on the railing in the picture below, somehow it works.

I feel lucky in so many ways right now...that we have such an amazing home with beautiful views and that our schedules and job responsibilities leave time for us to sit quietly together outside to enjoy the sunshine and crisp air on a beautiful winter afternoon. It was very peaceful.

Dreary and Dark with a Little Bloom

Today was one of those classic dark, dreary, soggy Pacific Northwest kinds of days. The weather outside didn't help that I was already feeling kind of tired, or that I had to get up early for a substitute job. There's something wrong with arriving to work when it is still dark outside...at least there was still a bit of daylight when I got home this afternoon. Enough to let Bam out of his kennel so the two of us could go visit the chickens, throw them some corn scratch and check for eggs. One piece of the "bright side" was going into my greenhouse for a moment, it's where I've been storing the corn scratch. Rain was coming down in a sprinkle and I stopped for a little while to listen to the sound of the drops on the greenhouse roof. It is a happy sound for me. I spent every moment I could out in that greenhouse during the first long grey winter and spring I spent in the Pacific Northwest. That year even locals who'd been here for decades were talking about the never ending rain and grey skies, it was a particularly gloomy winter and spring. The greenhouse was my retreat, my happy place during that time. That sound of rain drops was part of what was then a new life for me, a life that I was trying to find my place in. Today that sound made me think of how far I've come in a few short years. I feel grateful for the fact that I've gone from feeling like an outsider that doesn't belong, an "extra" in my husband's life, to feeling like a true local, someone that belongs here, someone that loves living here, someone who has made dear friends in this area.

So where are the sunshine and crisp days of last week? When I came into the house from my garden, I continued looking for the "bright side" and found a bit more of it in my kitchen window. The hyacinths bulbs that found their way from my Christmas stocking to this bulb vase have begun to bloom. I thought I remembered forcing some hyacinth bulbs about a year ago but wasn't sure until I went back through some of my first blog posts and found this one.

It's interesting to me to see how my blogging "style" has evolved over this past *almost* year. I hadn't done much pleasure writing for many years before I started this blog. Journaling had been an on-again-off-again habit a long time ago, but it never really felt completely like me - at least not enough to keep me writing for any extended period of time. So this blog has been a good way for me to grow as a writer (not than I fancy myself to truly be "a writer", just someone who likes to put down a few words on a semi-daily basis...) It has felt a bit awkward at times to try to find my writing voice, sometimes when I try to put thoughts into written words it just doesn't come out right. But, it has become easier with each post.

I mentioned a celebratory give-away back before New Year's to mark my 200th post, and even though I'm now somewhere close to the 220's, I haven't forgotton...the idea is still rolling around in my brain. I'm not promising when, but soon I'll make something happen there.

Hope your week is off to a good start, Happy Monday!

On December 22nd

Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love!

~Hamilton Wright Mabie

A Bit of Reflection

It's Monday again, but it is the Monday before Christmas, which makes it a better Monday than usual! We had a fantastic dinner with our neighbors last night...it was somewhat of a progressive dinner, we started off with drinks, appetizers and gifts at our house...they brought over some fantastic cheese and crackers, and I tried a recipe for amazing potato skins that I found over at epicurious. They were quite the hit and I will definately make them again, hopefully soon! We next moved the party to their house for dinner, venison marinated in balsamic vinegar and an amazing mixed green salad with gorgonzola. For dessert I'd made creme brulee the day before, but the fun part was everyone getting the chance to use the torch to melt the sugar on top of the custard the way they wanted to. We all had so much fun using the torch that I will definitely have guest torch their own creme brulee in the future, who doesn't like to play with fire?! The creme brulee turned out great, better even than the first time I made it. The s-son had a friend over to spend the night, the husband had picked up on of those take 'n' bake pizzas and a couple of movies for the two kids, because I'd trippled the recipe for the creme brulee, we also set them up with that for dessert. While we were hanging out with our neighbors in the front room, the boys were in the kitchen having their dinner, I went in there for a minute and saw them with pizza in hand happily munching away, and empty creme brulee ramikins sitting by their plates. They admitted with grins on their faces that they'd had their dessert first. Can't say I blame them, it was the first time the s-son's friend had ever had creme brulee.

So it was a great weekend, full of friends and celebrations. There was also a couple of positive moves in the realm of the husband's business. We've gone so long with nothing but forced patience and an ever tightening budget, that even though it was positive news, I still experienced a bit of sleeplessness and anxiety. I guess in a way I've gained a sense of pride that we have been able to trim our expenses and live on less, I've felt a regaining of the same drive and determination that got me through my college years when I truly had almost nothing. In the last day or so the husband and I have had quite a few conversations about our current and former life styles and we are on the same page about keeping things simple as they are now, even though we aren't going to be under the same kind of forced pressure. I have learned a ton of discipline with my spending. There is a lot more scrutiny about needs vs. wants, and honestly, it feels right to put anticipation, saving, planning and patience in their rightful place with spending and financial decisions. With the affect of a recessed economy, I've also been able to see at a deeper level the material that my husband is made of...he's struggled with the increased stress and burden, but he has also shown me his strength and determination. I trust him more because of the past year. I think we have learned (and are continuing to learn) lessons that will affect us for a lifetime. Living simply and learning to do more things for myself is satisfying, I have a higher regard for my own skills as a homemaker. Professionally as well, I have a deeper sense of my own worth. I lost a job that was providing a comfortable income, but at the same time it was robbing me of the things that I love about teaching and the things that make me a great teacher. In the last few months I have come closer to finding a balance between my professional life and my personal life. I did not and never would have chosen to lose my job, it was painful, hurtful, and stressful. I can see now though, that it has all lead to me becoming a better and happier person.

So the rest of this week will hold the wrapping of some gifts, a still sort of suprise shopping trip and a stop at a dive store to have a zipper the husband's dive vest or BCD repaired - both are parts of the series of advent gifts I've been giving him this month - the gifts have been progressively getting better the closer we've gotton to Christmas. There will also be a few rounds of Zumba, a good way to offset the feasting that will happen, we are going to have the husband's parents join us for dinner on Christmas Eve before we go to a candle light service at our church. I also have a couple of much anticipated beauty appointments, one to get my hair cut, another to have a professional pedicure - something I haven't had done in over a year! I have also planned to make and can my annual batch of cranberry chutney to give to friends and family, in addition, I plan to try making lemon curd from scratch for the first time...I'll report back on how it turns out. There will also been some work in there, I don't anticipating having too much since most of my students will be taking a break for the holiday, but I do have a couple of special projects that I will be able to tackle with the extra time. I also want to spend sometime tidying up and organizing my office/sewing room. It has been severely neglected in that area for the last couple of months. I'd like to start the New Year with a work space that is neat, I work so much more efficiently and effectively in a clean environment! I may even post some before and afters so you can see in my mess how human I am!

Lastly, I'd like to say Happy Winter Solstice to you...the song that has been going through my head today is the Beatles "Here comes the sun". After today our daylight grows day by day...I love winter, it is cozy, but I'm always happy to see spring come along!

*****************************

"Sometimes our fate resembles a fruit tree in winter. Who would think that those branches would turn green again and blossom, but we hope it, we know it."

~Goethe

Stunning Morning Views

The views from our upstairs deck this morning were stunning, when I looked to the left I saw this:: And to the right this is what I saw::
Beautiful! Have a wonderful weekend!

Ornament Exchange Goodies

I mentioned last month that I was participating in an ornament exchange hosted by Sarah of Small Fox. Well, yesterday was the day that some very lovely ornaments arrived in the mail for me. The husband and I are going to be down in California for a couple of days, visiting some family and friends, so I thought I'd share pictures of the lovely ornaments I received for you to enjoy while I'm gone. I've decided that participating in the exchange was a blast, I'll definitely do it again. It was fun to make ornaments and to have the anticipation of receiving ornaments handmade by other ladies all over the country. The best part was that I made my owl ornaments out of materials I already had, so my only cost was postage and time, not bad!

Weekending

The weekend was full of many great moments.

The first snow of the season began to fall on Sunday morning.A family dinner party to renew friendships with the lost and found.

Their little chicken feet prints in the snow made me smile.

The hens continue to lay, though four eggs a day is now more typical than six, I blame the cold.
Snow makes pretty things prettier and ugly things a bit mroe attractive.
Feels so good to get packages taped up and off to the post office.

Delicious wood fire oven pizza on an afternoon date with the husband.

Zumba on Saturday morning, making for my 6th day of working out in a row!

Cozy, romantic, accomplished, contemplative, accomplished, grateful, relaxed, tired, intrigued...yep, it was a good December weekend!