Wednesday, January 30, 2013

I didn't have time to write yesterday. By the time everything got done in the freezing cold and snow, and I finally got R. down to sleep with his cough under control, I was wiped out. I had planned to write while I waited for the dishwasher to finish but that just wasn't happening.

I got all of the farm chores done, including working the dogs for as long as I could stand to be outside. I brought in some firewood, covered in snow, so it would have time to dry before we needed it, mentally saying unkind things about the kid who lost my winter work gloves. I'll have to do it all over again today, but it's supposed to be at least ten degrees warmer today and I can see the sun is shining. It's amazing the difference that ten degrees can make!

Photo Credit: Watt Publishing

I spent some time doing some research on turkeys, and getting a few questions answered on BackyardChickens.com. I think we'll have to wait until at least next year to get turkeys, which will bum out Mr. S. He was looking forward to having that scrumptiousness on the dinner table. But they can't roost with chickens and need a larger pen, and we need to get the chicken run expanded and the garden fenced.

I made mayo for the first time. It wasn't fluffy and it didn't get very thick. I used a whisk and will try the blender next time. Since I just needed it for making Ranch dressing, it was fine.

We've been trying to find ways to reclaim some of our water. We use a LOT of water. I am able to reclaim the overflow from the clothes washer, and yesterday I reclaimed about 5 gallons from sprout rinsing and running water to get it hot. It all goes outside. Last night it was cold and snowy, so I just dumped it in the yard. We have several garden areas and trees where we can dump the water. As soon as I find a natural dish detergent that actually works, I will put together some kind of reclamation system for the kitchen sink.

Last night we had sloppy joes, fried potatoes, and salad for dinner. I crave salad in January like nobody's business.