Chicken Luge

This would be the teams accommodations. The Coop-de-Igloo. After I dug out the run, we dug out the teams shoot..

The ladies were ready.... standing at the start... teetering at the gait... pumping for momentum...

Then, they were off... down the track...

Mary Claire takes the lead...

...with the team following close behind... They seem to be missing their sled?

..OOPS...Dead end!!

...because the track digger is dead tired.

I needed to take a break..

Oh.. and to sit down and laugh my pants off.

I don't know why seeing their combs bobbing down the lanes cracked me up.

FYI

The weather forecast is calling for another 6-10 inches of snow today.

HOLY COW!

The un-official total amount of snow, according to our yardstick, is 21 inches here. Dad dug out his old snowshoes so I could take them for a spin!

It's unusual for us to get this much snow at one time though. That's why I am so excited! We are still digging out. The poor tractor barely made it through, but Dad has been plowing away. This is the trail to my parent's house.

Going to be a bit before we reach the campfire. Heading out that way though here shortly to dig the chickens a path to some grass...if I can find it.

The blueberry nets however...are toast.

Then I waded out to the orchard...

Not looking so good there either. Shook the snow off everything best I could. The poor fruit trees! Dug out the bees a bit too.

My legs in the orchard. I am thinking we may have about 2 feet out here in the clearing? It's over my knees!

: )

Maybe I should have remembered to bring the snowshoes with me??

Have a great week and for those of you out there in the snow belt..

Happy Shoveling!!

I ::heart:: snow!

I was so excited with the thought of a major accumulation of snow that I could hardly sleep. I slept with the exterior light on the garage on all night so I could wake up and still see it snowing. At 0530, I opened my eyes and thought...hmmm where did the bistro chair go on the back patio?

Here it is! Under a blanket of snow. Pulled on my garden boots and stepped out onto the back porch, only to have it go over my boots! YES!!! 19.5 inches on the yard stick and it's still coming down!! YES! YES! YES!

Can't wait to get out in it! Snapped this from the back door this morning with the flood lights on...

Okay.. shower.. breakfast...start the fire... grab snow pants... and GOOOOOO!!!

Thank you God for this most beautiful morning..

Paris in the Winter

Dear Becky and Joe,

You'll both be happy to know ONE of our sleds survived our childhood.

Becky, this old girl is yours. Found her in the room under Mom's porch. Your name and address are still written in marker on the front of the sled.

I am sure you won't mind I took the old girl for a ride down the street this afternoon before the snow truck came. Still handles like a dream. Snow sticking to my glasses, arms waving, laughing, pure delight. I had to make a hard right into the ditch in front of Mom's as a car came up the street. It was then, as my knees hit nose down, I remembered I was 30-something and not ten years old again. Sigh..

It's snowing beautifully already and I can only hope we get the foot they are calling for.

It is a pretty safe bet that my sled is gone due to one too many hits with the pine tree. Joe's too.

What ever happened to the K-Tel skis?

Good thing I picked up a pair of snow pants at the Outlet Mall last weekend. Time to cut off the tags and break those babies in!!

Wish you were here.

Thinking of you both...

Love,

The-Girl-Next-Door

Sunday Supper Waffles

Supper Waffles for Sunday Breakfast..

"Country women vote the waffles made with four eggs a top favorite."

~Farm Journal Country Cookbook

From the Farm Journal's Country Cookbook: Homemade Breads and Country Butter section. I figured you can't go wrong with fresh eggs, butter and buttermilk!

This was my grandmother's hand mixer.

I can still hear her whipping away in the kitchen with her blue mixing bowls. We use them instead of an electric hand mixer. Works like a charm!

Golden goodness.

In case you would like some for Sunday Supper.. I cut the recipe in half and it worked great!

Sunday Supper Waffles

~Farm Journal Country Cookbook

(Recipe adapted for Buttermilk Version)

2 c. sifted flour

3 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

2 c. buttermilk

4 eggs

1 c. melted butter

• Start heating waffle iron.
• Sift together flour, baking powder , baking soda and salt.
• Beat eggs until foamy and mix with buttermilk.
• Add milk-egg mixture to dry ingredients, just enough to moisten.
• Stir in slightly cooled butter.
• Pour batter onto iron until it spreads about 1" from edges.
• Gently close lid.
• Bake until steam stops or signal light shows done.
• Loosen waffle lift.

Yarn Paralysis

Smitten.

Smitten with socks.

Dreaming of thick, wool, multicolored, nordic patterns.

The boot worthy kind so fat you can barely get a shoe on kinda socks.

Picked up a book on sock knitting over the weekend... thanks to my mother-in-law and a 50% off coupon for JoAnn Fabrics. Packed up the basket and headed out to the campfire to start a trial run.

Yarn choice: multi-colored.. for the first pair. This is due to a new knitting condition I've developed called:

Yarn Paralysis:

When faced with numerous delicious choices of yarn, the knitter will then assume a coma like stare stare, with mouth open, unable to make a confident choice in color and gauge for about an hour. Yarn paralysis can only be broken by the ringing of a mobile phone with a spouse on the other end asking when dinner is going to be ready.

Thought I'd start with the "Woodsman" sock from Elizabeth Zimmerman's book "Knitting Around". It contained directions and abbreviations I knew or could look up. Going good so far. Stayed up waaaay too late last night to watch the heel form. I got a 'C' in geometry, so it is amazing to me to see these things take shape. Sewing patterns? That's another story...

Fresh sheets blowing on the line while the chickens get let out to roam.

Helen and Mary Claire are campaigning for argyles.

Get in line girls...

I came across this giant colander in a thrift shop. Wasn't sure what I was going to do with it, but it has come into a life of its own. Now it sits in the living room by the fire with balls of yarn waiting for a project.

Color

Because I am not brave enough to share the adventures-in-cleaning-of-the-dumping-ground-spare-bedroom-closet... I'll share a few bits of color that make me smile instead...

Shadows on the art table.

Vintage fabric on the inspiration board. A few spare butterflies, marble pushpins made from vintage fabric, and of course boxwood. I LOVE boxwood plants.

Watercolor pencils in a jar on my desk. I tend to lift the color from the pencil tips with the brush, which leaves these funny shaped tips...

Stack of vintage thrift store fabric. Thinking about some new cloth grocery bags?

Orange bird on a stick. Because orange is my favorite color and that silly bird makes me smile!

Happy Sunday to you!