High of 20'F

Yes, it was a cold day, but the sun came out in the afternoon.  The same today, high of 20'F expected but the sun is shining on the snow and the sky is blue with a few clouds...

First thing, we feed the animals...I went out into the backyard and was surprised to see the chickens on the grape trellis!  Pepper had a good inch of snow on her back and when I helped her down I tried to brush it off, but much of it was actually ice and stuck to her feathers!

I lifted the oldest girl Nutmeg down first and put her in the coop.  She will be 3 years old this spring.  I felt like Cinnamon and Pepper were telling me "I'm scared and don't want to get down."

Then, we went to a nearby park and went sledding with Lusy, who ran free, sniffed in the woods and ran as fast as she could, like a wild animal.

 Olivia trudging up the hill with her sled.  We talked about the possibility of harnessing the sled to Lusy, since she had so much energy, and hoping she'd bring the sled up the hill...

 Lusy takes a rest.

Checked in on the chickens again, all ice and snow melted off their feathers and they ventured out in the snow.  They even had laid eggs in their nest inside the coop...I was thankful. 

We gave the chickens a treat, some cubes of cheese (cut to about 5cm by 5cm) as a thank you!

Frost on the lettuce

It's has been quite chilly the past few days.  This morning the lettuce was frosty. 

I let the chickens out of their coop and they roamed the garden, munching on lettuce, carrot and beet tops and bugs...

See how scrawny Cinnamon looks now that she's lost so many feathers?

 Velvet our kitty also enjoyed the cold morning and sunshine.

So funny how Pepper has just 1 tail long feather left.

 We got some slushy snow yesterday (that is NOT dandruff...ha ha ha):

P.S. I awoke with a start at 12 midnight to a lot of squawking and am now wondering if something is bothering the chickens (besides moulting), I looked around, didn't see anything, and in the morning I spent a lot of time with them, while the roamed the garden and all seems fine, thankfully.

Our chickens are moulting...

A couple of days ago I awoke with a sudden start and looked at the clock 5:58am.  Lots of squawking going on outside, so I slipped on some shoes and went to see what was going on...

Feathers all over the place.  Our older chicken, Nutmeg (lower right), moulted last year, but I think the younger two who were born last year, are upset as they are moulting for the first time.  It's got to be a confusing thing for them...

Pepper in the garden, one of the little watermelons left...and Cinnamon found a tiny tomato to eat.  When the chickens moult, they stop laying eggs for a few months.  We'll miss that.

 

Here are some older pictures, so you can see their tail feathers (Cinnamon especially had long black beautiful feathers)!

Life is like that, full of cycles that are constantly giving us changes to appreciate life and all of it's seasons.

Yarn along: primary colours

I just finished Chapter 2 (and I ♥ it already) of We The Living by Ayn Rand.  So far, Kira and her parents and sister have returned to Russia, after being away for 5 years.  Her father's textile factory was "nationalized."  I see bits and pieces of Orthodoxy, Kira's sister Lydia wants to go to church and she and her mother cross themselves.  This is the first novel she had published (1936).  I've read several of her other books (Anthem, The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged), which were published later.
I'm trying to use up the yarn I have by crocheting little critters.  To see more of what people are doing with their yarn, check out this week's "Yarn along."
We're still getting tomatoes from the backyard.  Beets and carrots, too, but as you can see, the chickens like to eat the greens!

Hannah and Olivia are wearing the aprons my parents got for them while in the Ukraine 7 years ago.  I'm so glad they go to go there and also to Russia, before my Dad's Parkinson's disease got worse!  And on Monday, Labor Day, we had a cookout...Aaron, the girl's cousin really liked the mini-vanilla cones from Trader Joe's. 

Chickens, concert, the Cutchens and chocolate covered cheesecakes...

 Summer evening concert in the park.  I ♥ all the folks dancing the two-step.

Hannah practicing the guitar.  She's getting very good at playing "Boulevard of Broken Dreams."  And Olivia is getting better at doing handstands!

I woke up to see the chickens on the deck by the back door yesterday.  They're so funny, but we also are not happy with how many tomatoes they've taken.  So, we're keeping them in the coop.

We're trying to weave with a hula hoop.  Maybe you've seen the project on Pinterest?  It inspired me, but oh man it's harder than it looks!  I actually used yarn to make the weft and am using an old pink t-shirt that I cut up into strips to weave.

Yesterday, we had some friends from Hawaii come for lunch...the Cutchens!!!  We had a really nice time and wish we could've spent more time together, to play a game of Life or chess.   I wish I'd taken a picture of their license plate!

Making chocolate covered mini cheesecakes with a friend, Maryna.

 And her darling little baby boy, with his icon of St. Timothy.

Blessing of fruit and vegetables

We went to church this morning, for the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord on Mount Tabor.   The priest prays and sprinkles holy water on the first fruits that the faithful have brought to church (we picked tomatoes and grapes from our garden this morning, and also bought plums, pears and grapes, at the store).

 Matthew 17:1–9

 "And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elijah talking with him. Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah. While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid. And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only. And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead."

Hannah after we got home...

Did you see that?  If you look closely, you'll see something under the step.  It's Cinnamon, Pepper and Nutmeg all laying in the dirt.  This is one of their favorite spots.

We cooked shrimp in olive oil, added some fresh garlic and ate it with pasta for lunch over the weekend.  I ♥ raw shrimp, as you can cook it the way you want and it has SO much more flavor than the pre-cooked shrimp.

This weekend, the public pool closed, but we got in one last visit...all 4 of us went off the diving board.  Olivia is getting good at diving!

Not yet summer...

We have had some hot and humid days here in Ohio.  It's still spring, but we are ready for popsicles, sorbet and ice cream.  Last year, I made some salted caramel ice cream from this book by Jeni of Columbus, Ohio:

 And I'm hoping to get my hands on a copy of this one: 

We just celebrated Olivia's 10th birthday...

I ♥ her expression!  The local public pool opened...and we've been spending lots of time outside.

Visitors from out of town, trying to relax in the hammock.