January 2, 2012



Spring with continual ice build-up



Road to Erno's at the end
of our driveway

  

Rimed grass

 


As our new year begins, it will certainly be very interesting to see how it ends, given our current political situation, although I am certainly in no hurry.  I have been told that the National Defence Authorization Act of 2012, which I believe Obama has signed into law, contains the same presidential powers as the one that Truman refused to sign.  He feared the power it would give him and those who followed.  I am not up to reading all 500 pages of the Act in order to confirm this, however, if it does, then this Act nullifies the guarantee of our basic rights.  I wonder if George W. had any inkling when he introduced the title "Czar" into our government's vocabulary. . .

Weather wise it is a beautiful, normal beginning to our new year.  The ground is covered with about four inches of snow, with the additional 1-1/2" we received New Year's Eve.  And with the early morning fog, all the trees are covered in both rime and snow, and the grasses are rimed with delicate crystals.  But all this beauty also means more work.  I have neglected to clear off the deck, so that is first on my list for today. 

I stepped down into the crawl space yesterday to get some potatoes and noticed that there is already more moisture along the edges.  With it weeping (raining) where warm air meets the cold, we have our own little weather system under the house.

Elsie sent me the photo above of one of their springs which is up a small canyon to the east of their house.  It is unusual to have it still running in the winter, but that is probably due to all the rain we received last year (2011).  There is a pond there which has frozen over and as the water continues to flow onto it, it freezes and has built up to quite a chunk of ice.  They may have their own iceberg by the time Spring arrives.

When I wrote about how Larry butchers (is that the right word?) chickens and grouse, I received comments from both my Aunt Nene and friends in Laramie, WY.  Nene wrote that Uncle John's Aunt would grab a chicken; step on its head and pull it off.  Then put it in a bucket of boiling water; take out the insides and have fried chicken!  Nene's mother-in-law used the same method but had one of the kids do it.  She said watching it once was enough, but the fried chicken was delicious.

Our friends in Laramie have been keeping chickens for about five years and are on their third flock.  She says, "We keep them about 18 months or a bit longer before they get too old to lay well.  We do it the 'old fashioned' way and pluck them after they have been blanched in hot water (about 160-180 degrees).  They have not been difficult to pluck.  The feathers pull right out without difficulty for us.  I do think that the breast is probably the meatiest part but when cooked properly it is all usable meat.  A friend of ours who also keeps chickens and sells his eggs locally came up with a nice way to cook these older birds.  I have tried it several times and have success with his method.  Take a whole, plucked bird and put it into a heavy pot.  Add a can of beer or 12 ounces of wine (red or white), cover and place in a 250 degree oven for 10 - 12 hours.  That's all.  Then you can take the meat right off the bone and it will be quite moist and tender.  It can be used for all sorts of dishes."

Unfortunately, I think Elsie is too attached to her hens to eat them!  Possibly the ornery rooster though. . .

Thought for the day:  There are two excellent theories for arguing with women.  Neither one works.