It is about 20 degrees, the sun is shining brightly, and the yard is like a skating rink. I just read Micheale's post and was reminded of a library book we got this week about the Ice Storm of 1998 that went through this area (Ontario/New York east to Maine). People up here were without power for up to four weeks. This little piddling storm we had here yesterday was nothing in comparison to what Micheale's area got.

Anyway, I took some clothes out to freeze-dry this morning, and noticed a small gathering of chickens by the garage. Normally they swarm all around me, making pests of themselves, but this morning they were not moving much. They were standing in the icy yard, each on one foot. Every now and then they would switch feet, but they never came near me. I got the clothes out and then went to feed the chickens. Oh, they were so funny! They saw the feed, but could not run on the ice. They tried to fly, but they are too heavy to go further than 4 or 5 feet. So, flapping their wings furiously, they skipped and skidded across the yard to where I put out their feed. Unable to stop on the ice, they careened into me, the side of the coop, and each other before settling down to eat.

I have spent most of the day baking bread and cookies. I made The Chewy Chocolate Cookie, Cinnamon Sand Tarts (like snickerdoodles, but flatter), and my adaptation of Betty Crocker's Whole Wheat Bread. The kitchen is warm and yummy-smelling. There's a roast in the crockpot, and I'm ready for a break.

Ben, my beginning reader, read his first "real" book to me yesterday--Dr. Seuss's "Green Eggs and Ham". What a thrill to him to read the whole thing himself!

That's it for now.

-- Cathy N. (keeper8@attcanada.ca), February 02, 2002

Answers

Your children are going to have great memories, the smell of the kitchen, all those great sounding cookies, yum. Is it true if the chickens combs get frozen they won"t lay eggs any more?

-- Irene texas (tkorsborn@cs.com), February 02, 2002.

Someone else will have to answer the chicken question. Only the combs on our roosters have frozen; the hens are doing fine. We were up to 3 eggs a day (the 12 hens have only just stopped being pullets a couple months ago), but are now down to one since the weather turned colder. I am giving my hens till spring to prove that they will lay before I put nonlayers in the pot. They are a hardy, dual-purpose breed; I was told that 70% will lay.

-- Cathy N. (keeper8@attcanada.ca), February 02, 2002.

Cathy, after I e-mailed you about having my windows open, the next day the cold moved in!!! I am glad everyone is doing OK.

-- Melissa in SE Ohio (me@home.net), February 03, 2002.