Windy nights and hurting elbows

It was very windy and rainy last night.  Another wind chime got broken!  Darn it!  And the rocking chair on the front porch got blown off!  That has NEVER happened before.  Good grief!

A windy night, for sure!

My elbow has really been bothering me.  I've been trying to finish this sweater for about 2 weeks.  But I can only knit for an hour or so at a time.  Then my hand goes numb.  Typing doesn't help at all!  Even scrolling down the page to look at Pinterest or Facebook is getting painful...  So I guess I need to make that call and get on with getting the repairs done.

Anyway... I finished a sweater I started back in October.  It got put aside for Christmas knitting.  So, it's been going slowly.  But now it's finished.

It's made with yarn from Knit Pics, called Wool of the Andes.  The color is Queen Anne.  I love anything in the peach/melon/orchid hues. 

I wanted to have some ruffles, so I added a crochet lace edge.  I'm very happy with the way it came out.

I found a nice pewter pin to use for closure.  I didn't want any buttons.

See that darn elbow brace peeking out?  I guess it helps, if only to remind me not to be stupid.

But I'm a slow learner.  It takes me a long time to admit I need to change what I'm doing.  I guess pain and a numb hand are the price I have to pay for being so stubborn. 

Ice storm and preparedness

We experienced another ice storm yesterday.  When I got up at 5:00 AM, it was only 26 degrees.  It wasn't raining out yet.  By the time I headed out to care for the chickens, it was 28 and drizzling.

Yes, liquid rain was falling at 28F.  And it froze as soon as it hit the ground.

As the day passed, we lost power twice.  Once for about 2 hours during the late afternoon.  It was 31 degrees outside.  We weren't worried because it was still light outside.  We'd already eaten lunch and Josh had the fire going in the fireplace.  We just went on about our afternoon.

Once the power came back on I decided I'd better do up the dishes and get out the oil lamps.  Now, here was a problem.  It seems that only 3 of the lamps had oil in them and I couldn't locate the bottle of oil we keep on hand.  I searched everywhere, but no oil was to be found.  Crap!  So, I put lamp oil on the list for our next trip to town.

We were also out of potatoes.  I had used the last 3 on Wednesday when I cooked pork roast.  And we're out of carrots.  I'm not really worried about that because we have home canned carrots and potatoes.  But I added them to the list of things to get.

While I was up puttering around, I filled all available bottles with water - just in case.  I keep about 30 gallons of distilled water on hand at all times.  But, I filled some various 2-liter jugs and such with well water.  And since it was raining outside, 5-gallon buckets of water (very COLD) were available for toilet flushing if needs be.  I also filled up the Big Berkey.

I decided NOT to bother getting out the Water Bob and filling it up.  Heck... I don't want to open it and use it (it's designed for 1-time use) unless I was really sure I'd need it.

We had plenty of batteries on hand.  Plus I had just invested in a K-Tor Pocket Sock hand crank generator.  It's a portable power supply that provides 10 watts, 120 volts.  Best thing, it's made in the USA!
Pocket-Socket-Generator-Portable-Supply

Later in the evening, the power went out a second time.  But the outage only lasted about 45 minutes this time.  No biggy.

When I got up this morning, it was 31F.  By the time I got outdoors to start taking care of the birds, it was 33 and the ice had started melting.  I measured the ice at 1/4.  Not awful.  And the world was lovely!

Here's what it looked like.

Measuring the ice

The ice was 2/3's of an inch.  Subtracting for the twig and dividing by 2 - 1/4 inch of ice.

Lilac and peaches covered in ice on the NE side of our house

The west side of our house

Facing east

When I went out to the chicken houses... I found them totally encased in ice.

Ice encased bird cage

When I opened this cage, the birds were perfectly happy.  The water was still liquid.  I'd say it was about 45 degrees in there.  All that plastic really made a difference.  There is only 2 birds in this cage, Henry and Jet.  And she was happy enough that she laid her egg during an ice storm!  What a gal!


No frozen combs or frost bitten feet.  Just happy chickens.

The chickens and guineas in the larger cage were equally happy, although the guinea made their displeasure at being confined well known.  Greta laid her egg, just like always.  Sissy and Missy weren't as industrious.  The bantam chickens in the cage in the background of this picture were equally warm and happy.  Pebbles laid her egg yesterday as well. 

We weathered the ice with no problems.  I'm aggregated with myself for not having lamp oil on hand.  That could be a real problem if the power outage had lasted a few days.  Thankfully, it was not a big deal.

Baking bread & making chicken noodle soup

Yesterday, when I checked the weather forecast I saw we were in for 2 days of nasty weather.  It was warm but very rainy yesterday.  We got 3/4 inch of rain yesterday.  At times it was VERY windy.  At one point, we couldn't even see across the yard.

Since we had 2 days of yuck ahead of us, I decided to start some sourdough-type bread.  My favorite cookbook is the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook.  You know the one - red & white checked.

My go-to cookbook

The bread recipe I'm using today is on page 137 "Artisan-Style" French Bread.  I like this recipe very much.

First, it doesn't use any refined sugar, butter or other fat, or any dairy.  So it's great for those who are lactose intolerant.  The recipe calls for rye flour.  I substituted some 6-grain cereal.  I use King Arthur unbleached flour.

King Arthur Flour

I prefer King Arther flour because I like the flavor.  It's a little bit "sweeter". 







I will also sprinkle the same 6-grain cereal on top of my bread just before I put it in the oven.

6-grain cereal

To make the starter, I mixed 1 cup of warm water with 1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast.  I set this aside and left it for 5 minutes.  In a separate bowl I combined 1 cup of unbleached flour and 2 tablespoons of 6-grain cereal. When the 5 minutes were up, I poured the water/yeast mixture into the flour and thoroughly mixed it with my trusty wooden dough paddle.  I covered the bowl with plastic wrap and 2 dishtowels.  I then let it sit on the kitchen island for 24 hours.

So, here's what the started looked like after working for 24 hours.

Sourdough starter

The starter is VERY sticky.  It's a bit bubbly.  And it smells very yeasty.  Not "sour" per say.

The little flecks you see are the cereal grains.  This will add some nice texture and flavor to the dough.

Before I did anything further to the starter, I got my work area prepared.  Here's all the different items I use.

My bread pan

My flea market find!  It's great for baking bread.

My kitchen island work station

Floured kneading board

See the bread starter there in the covered bowl?

When John and I were designing this kitchen island from an old dresser and a discarded butcher block that we found in the barn I made sure the top was at the right height for kneading bread.  With my wonky back, I can't be bending over at the waist.  And so this island is higher than most.  It's just the way I like it.




I had to put flour on my kneading board in preparation for kneading the bread.   This board is plastic rather than wood.  It has a nice elasticized cotton cover which can go right in the washing machine.  It also has nice rubber feet, so I doesn't move around when I'm kneading.  I really like that. 

Starter with flour and water added

Once I had my work space all prepared, I uncovered the dough starter and added 1 cup of warm water.  I stirred this in very well.  Then I added another 3 cups of flour.    I worked this in well.  I then turned the dough out onto the kneading board and worked with it until it wasn't sticky any more.  I then let it rest for 20 minutes to allow the new addition of flour to start working with the yeast.

Resting dough

Kneading dough - goofy face and all

Then I poured some additional flour onto the kneading board (but NOT onto the dough) and began kneading.  As I worked the dough over and over, I slowly incorporated this additional flour.  The trick here is to add enough flour that your dough isn't sticky any more, but not so much it becomes stiff.  It should be a bit glossy and smooth "as a baby's butt".  My mom taught me to knead bread when I was little... maybe 5 or so.  It's still one of my favorite kitchen chores.  I love kneading and baking bread.  And the smell of home baked bread is one of my primal "home" scents.  Bread warm from the oven with butter.  Oh man, I'm in HEAVEN!

Oops, I'm getting distracted and making my stomach growl.

Dough after kneading

After I've kneaded the bread to perfection, I place it in a clean bowl.  I cover this with clean plastic wrap and set it aside to double in size.  About 2 hours.









Now, while the dough is rising I'll start the chicken noodle soup.  Using the same cookbook, I found the recipe on page 497.  Old-fashioned Chicken Noodle Soup. Making chicken soup from scratch is very easy.  It just takes some time.

Chicken thighs

Thaw your chicken the night before.

Brown your chicken

Pour some olive oil in your dutch over and heat it.  Place your chicken in, and brown it well.  I also salt the chicken at this time, because I find it penetrated the chicken better than it would if I just added salt once I add the water.


Once it is well browned, cover it with water.

Cover with water and simmer until tender

Now lower the heat and let this simmer for several hours.

Once the chicken is thoroughly cooked, remove it from the broth and let it cool.  Remove the skin and bone.  Cut the meat into bite size pieces.







Add the egg noodles and carrots to your broth and cook for 8 minutes or until tender.  Add the meat back into the broth.  That's it.   It's done!

Sliced carrots

Yummy chicken noodle soup

Now, back to finishing the bread.

Once the dough has doubled in size, I get my cast iron pan heating in the oven (350 F).  That's important because it takes so long for the pan to get up to temperature.  If it's not up to temperature, it dramatically increases the baking time of the bread.

As the pan is preheating in the oven, I punch the dough down 1 more time.  If I'm making 1 large loaf I just knead this batch for about a minute and then let it rest for maybe 10 minutes.  If I'm going to make rolls, I'd start dividing this into balls about 2/3's the size I want my rolls to be.

Once the pan is up to temp, I put my dough in.  I then rub butter or olive oil on to help form a nice crust & then  sprinkle some of the 6-grain cereal and some sunflower seeds on. (Darn, I forgot to take a picture!)

Baking the bread at 350 takes about 60 minutes.  If you're baking rolls you can increase the heat to 450, and they'll be done in about 20 minutes.  You bread or rolls are done when they make a nice "thunk" when you snap them with your finger.  I always make a small slit into the top of a loaf to make sure it's baked all the way through.

Finished bread

This bread has a nice fine texture and is very tasty. 











And here's what our dinner looked like.  YUMMY!

Bread, soup and tea

Cold weather animal care

It's turned cold here again.  It's 24F as I write this...  and so I think I should say some things about caring for your animals in cold weather.

Now, people who live a lot further north... OK that's most of the continental US have a lot more experience with cold weather animal care than we do here in Arkansas...  But I did live in rural Pennsylvania for 18 years, Rhode Island for 6 and then in the Puget Sound region of Washington for 17.  So I do know a thing or two about cold weather.

Letting your dog or cat out to run around in the snow won't hurt them.  In fact, Peanut LOVES to play in the snow.

Peanut in 8 inches of snow

She loves to go out and see who else has been running around in the snow.  She likes to check under the vehicles to see if there are any evil chipmunks in hiding.

Taking a well deserved nap

But then she likes to come in and take a well earned nap too!

Peanut and Rusty in the den

Chasing those darn chipmunks is tiring work!










Heck, she might even move over and share the chair!



Frostbite on your cat or dog's feet and ears is no joke, though.  As with people, pets can and do get damage from exposure to cold and ice/snow.  Imagine spending the night outside without a blanket when it's 25F... NOT FUN.  I know pets have some insulation, but unless they're a breed which is selectively cold hardy, don't leave your pets outside in the cold.

Warning signs of frostbite in dogs and cats

And what about my beloved poultry?  Of course I care about them as well.  Providing them with clean water in freezing weather is very important.  Blocking the wind insure they will not have to deal with issues due to the wind chill.    It's important to make sure there is enough bedding on the ground/floor that they won't have to walk on the frozen ground.

I put a new layer of wood chips down the other day when it was 60 outside, because I saw the weather forecast for this weekend was in the 20's.  We'd had several days of rain and so their cages were a bit muddy.  That mud would turn to frozen ground and damage their feet.  I couldn't have that.  So off I went to the farm store to get more straw.  They were out of straw, so I brought home pine chips.  The guineas weren't happy about me spreading that all over, but today they're glad their feet aren't frozen in the mud!

Advice on symptoms and care of frostbite in chickens

Frostbite in chickens

My birds live in a converted dog kennel/run.  The previous owners made 2 kennels.  One had a larger doghouse built with a run, and the other had 2 sleeping sections.  I think the larger doghouse was for a mom with pups.  Both were enclosed by chain link fence. 

When we decided to "repurpose" them, we put a second round of chicken wire over the chain link.  We also put more on the lower level inside between the two sections.  Then we put up a partition and door to devide the smaller kennel into two cages.

Here's a picture.

Smaller section designed for banty chickens as well as the larger section for larger birds.

Here you can clearly see the smaller section with the 2 divided "cages" which we had designed for our Bantam chickens, as well as the larger cage we keep the bigger Cochin chickens in.

This year, our Bantam chickens have their own movable house.  Our Rhode Island Red chickens are in this smaller section, and the guinea fowl are in the adjoining bigger section.

To further protect our birds, I wrapped the entire cage in clear plastic.  It's NOT airtight, because there are 2 external door which are loose fitting.  That provided plenty of ventilation.  Also, we don't have a real roof on the structure.  Just chicken wire covered with aluminum roofing.  Since it's NOT nailed down, rain does seep in.  Hence the mud.

But the plastic does provide a great amount of insulation.  The wind doesn't whip through there like it did in years past.  And so far, I haven't had any birds with a frozen comb.

Here's what the cages look like in summer.  The small row of cages have since been removed.  The smaller empty cage in this picture was for Curly Joe and Vera (1 pair of our guinea fowl).

Chicken cages

I also have 2 cages which house quail.  These cages are much smaller.  I have insulated them with straw bedding and completely wrapped them with plastic feed sacks.  This provides a wind block and additional insulation.  They can't see out, but this helps keep the guinea fowl from standing around their cages pecking at them. 

All the plastic will be removed with the winter weather is over.

I could be accused of pampering my birds.  But I can't stand the thought of them suffering in the cold because I didn't care for them properly.  I keep them in a cage, so I MUST provide them with everything they need to survive.  That's the ethical thing to do.

We don't eat our birds.  They are my pets.  I love raising chicks!  I plan on raising more this coming year.  Quail, guinea and chickens (all 4 breeds). 

Clothing styles

Now, I have a rather ecclectic style of dress.  Bohemian I guess would be my description.  Longer skirts (until it's 90 degrees anyway), a looser top that's not tooooooooooooo revealing.  I wear a "steampunk" utility belt rather than carrying a purse.  I'm just tired of lugging a purse & having the damn strap pull my hair!   So I guess my style looks more like this...

Steampunk utility belt

Lots of color and stripes

Colors and layers

Short skirts are great

I'm a bit more practical though, no flip flops or damn high heels for me.  Sensible shoes.  Cowboy boots.  Manitowoc boots.  I'm not hurting my already weak ankle twisting it by wearing stupid shoes.


Vests?  Sure.  Sweaters?  Sure, if I'm going outside.  It's pretty mild here in Arkansas.  So I don't need really heavy clothing most of the time. 

• Jewelry and accessories to jangle and dangle like a gypsy
• Alternatively, ethnic jewelry - Indian silver, wooden beads
• Long skirts, sarongs
• Layers. Lots of layers...
• Why drape one leather belt round your waist when you can have two?
• Various clothing bits and bobs imported from India, Mexico or Thailand
• Possibly at least one item woven from hemp
• Braids.  I love braids
• Baskets for carrying my knitting or spinning
• Gypsy bohemian style icons: 19th century gypsies, new age travellers, Victorian dancer Isadora Duncan

If I'm just going through my day as usual, I wear a nice top and a skirt.  It's just what I like.


Now, John's style is completely different.  If it's not practical while he's working in the wood shop or fixing plumbing, he's not wearing it.  So... you're going to find him dressed like this...

Men's uniform clothing

Which is totally cool with me.  He's happy wearing uniforms every day.  No problem.

Needless to say, our styles are not similar at all.  He doesn't want anything that will snag...  I like flouncy stuff.

I dress like this every day.  Unless we're cutting wood or tilling the garden.  Then you'll see me dressed like a sensible woman.

Women's outdoor work clothes

Long pants.  Long sleeve shirt.  Workboots.  Around here we have chiggers, ticks, poisonous snakes, stump holes in the ground... Guinea holes from dirt baths.   And when I'm working outside I have to dress accordingly.

I don't do as much work outside as I did 7 years ago.  Back then, it was just John and I.  When there was clearing to be done, we did it together.  When there was framing to do, we did it together.  When there was woodcutting to be done, we did it together. Most of the clearing and house renovating have been done.   We're both getting older (and less able).  And so, I don't need to dress for outdoor work much anymore.

That gives me more time to dress like a gypsy!  And I like that!

Hardy Homesteader's quilting project

The Hardy Homesteader's group has been hosting an educational event every year for over 20 years.  It's an all-volunteer organization made up of many people in our community.  Some were raised here, some re-located here long ago, we got here 6 years ago... And some who get involved are area newcomers.

Here's a few pictures from last year's event.

Blacksmith's tent

Our group focuses on keeping the "old timey" skills alive.  One way we can do that is to have a public demonstration focusing on all the trades and crafts we can.  All the displays are set up by the volunteers.  The food being made is available to all - with only a donation box in evidence.

Biscuts baking

There's biscuts and gravy.  Freshly churned butter... Jam... beans.













 Lye soap making is always interesting to the people who come to visit.

Lye soap making

There is hot water in that big kettle.   And lye is made from wood ashes.

The recipe is available for anyone who wants more information.  People are encouraged to take a sample.






Dutch over cooking is always a favorite pastime at the Homesteader's.  Some of the Bushwackers set up their wagons, get they're fire started and put their dutch ovens to work.  Dang, it smells good!

Dutch oven cooking

 My husband Johnnie, friend Gena, son Joshua and I have a display for spinning and weaving.  We have a good time.  My husband and son make drop spindles.  And then he usually manages to give them away while we're there.  We both love the smile it brings to someone's face when they've learned how to spin their own yarn!

Gena weaving on a triangular loom

Gena made that shawl she has on.

It's woven from a merino/cashmere bulky yarn.  I crocheted the edging around it to give it a more finished look.

The fabric on this cool loom is warped AND woven at the same time.

I've woven a lot of shawls on there!

John and Josh

John and Josh get the spinning wheel set up.  The laundry rack is what we use for our display.  Both blankets displayed in this picture were hand spun, hand dyed and hand woven by me.  I love those blankets.







A group of the ladies get together during the winter and work on a quilt.  This quilt is raffled off as seed money for the following year's event.

2012 Quilt

Here's the ladies who worked on last year's quilt.  I'm 2nd from the right.

We have a great time making the quilt.  Lots of talking, laughing and sewing.  And not much swearing at the sewing machines either!  That's amazing, in itself!






We had our first quilting meeting last Thursday night and decided to make a more modern looking quilt.  It took a lot of time to piece all those 5-inches squares together last year.  So we thought we'd use 12-inch squares this year.  But, how many squares do we need for a queen sized quilt if we use 12-inch squares?  I found this handy chart this morning.


The picture of the quilt we had in mind had about 6 blocks across.  So, we need to make 16-inch squares.  Geeze, that was easy.  I wish I'd had this handy little card last week!