Harry is ready.

T-minus 2

Since I'm brining our thanksgiving turkey, I must turn to alternate
sources for gravy (brined drippings are inedibly salty). Tonight I
roasted some legs and unmentionable bits, and will make a reduced
stock out of them. Time to add parsley and white wine...

Chowdah

When Charlie says he's going to make clam chowder for dinner because
clams are in season, he really means it. Good thing I made bread!

The world needs ditch diggers too, Danny.

The gnome supervises

Our original gravel driveway had one thing going for it: it doubled as a natural drainage field for all of the water coming down the hill onto our property. The newer paved driveway is lovely, and let me tell you it is way easier to rake all of the leaves and maple tree-whirlies off of it, but it sheets water like mad. About half of it goes off to one side of the house, but the rest of it pools along one curve and then flows directly under the house. This makes me a little nervous. I know that we live in a very wet place, and that our house isn't going to slide down the hill while I sleep, but all of that water can't be good.


So I decided to install a drainage pipe. Something that would take that pooled water and shunt it off to the other side of the house where it could blend back into the ground. One long pvc pipe, one curved joint, and two grate attachments later I let the chickens out and got the pickaxe out of the shed. After watching the chickens and realizing that they weren't going to dig the ditch all on their own I finished the job.

scruffy chicken looks for bugs to eat

The chickens are so amusing when I work in the yard. When they roam around, they are constantly scratching with their talons, bending over to see what they've unearthed, and picking something to eat. When they see me with a huge rake or any other gardening tool, scratching industriously at the soil they assume that I have found Incredible Treats and am ready to share with them. So after every pickaxe stroke, I look to see if there is a chicken diving into my upturned earth to check for worms. It is definitely easier to dig a ditch while you are laughing.

fashionable yardworking footwear, and mud covered legs: business as usual!

The chickens are also going through their annual molt, and are in the very unfortunate stage. They've lost most of their feathers, and if you look closely the blank spots are covered with one-inch long stiff new feather tubes. New feathers start out in a casing that looks almost exactly like a shoelace tip (if you've ever owned a parrot, you've probably watched them industriously try to help you by freeing the end of your shoelaces). These casings are jammed with new growing feathers that have blood circulating in them and they itch like crazy. This equals cranky chickens covered with prickles that want nothing more than to roll in the dirt. I've been letting them out more than usual just so that they can get some sort of relief.

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Eggs laid in the coop lately: none! Molting chickens use every single mineral and vitamin that they eat to build new feathers. They don't care that I would like to make a coconut angelfood cake.

Mushroom

Maitake mushroom, you are so delicious in my hot pot.

Crumby

What do you do with all of those leftover heels of homemade bread? You
put them on top of the fridge to dry out for a couple of months and
then you pound the daylights out of them. Breadcrumbs!

costumed

costume inspiration

What was my costume? Why, the Queen of Hearts of course. I saw a picture of a little girl's version of the costume and loved the graphic elements of the Disney movie character design. With the help of a corset pattern and Suzanne's sewing experience with gored skirts, the costume worked out pretty well. My favorite part was the bright red poufy petticoat worn under the skirt. The costume got worn first at the company Halloween party and I felt quite regal.

driving with a petticoat is entertaining

the queen on halloween

We had no party to attend on Halloween, so I implemented my genius plan: get dressed up and go out to dinner at a favorite restaurant.

John Lennon, a chef, the queen, and Indiana ready to party with tasty italian food

gratuitous shot of handsome Charlie

We ate good food and then came back to our house for an evening of playing Beatles rock band, in costume of course. Except for Charlie since he couldn't rock in his chef's coat and hat.