January 23, 2015 Dean Koontz, GF Flour, & Chickens As Pets

Dinga with her stick on the south ridge
during Thursday's afternoon walk.

Wednesday 1/21. A light overcast had formed by noon and by our 3:30 pm walk it had become quite thick, although it was above the mountains.  No precipitation today, and thankfully no wind or breeze either.  Our high was 30.

JB let the dogs out a little after 6:00 am and Jesse was gone until almost 8:00 am.  So JB had to lay on the couch and wait for him, which meant that I woke up to a very crabby husband.

I dug some plastic pipe out from 18" of snow in which to run the wire through from the generator to the battery room, and also to the well pump.  Also had to chip the ice from in front of the wood shed gate, then hen house door and the door to the garbage/recycle shed.

JB's youngest brother and his wife sent us a 5 lb. bag of Krusteaz's All Purpose GF flour which can be substituted 1-for-1 for wheat flour.  Bob's Red Mill also has developed this, but we hadn't tried it yet.  Am anxious to see the results because even though I use their All Purpose GF flour now 1-to-1, the final result is not always as good as with wheat flour.  I've got to get baking!

No eggs again today, and in answer to the two comments, we do plan to get some pullets this Spring.  But I doubt we will be able to put down these three chickens.  They have become pets, and as pets, they are certainly the cheapest to have around.  We have considered the solar light with a timer, and may look into that.

We can tell there has been a lot of critter traffic on the south ridge by all the deer and cat(s) tracks.  The cat is probably a bobcat as it is light enough to walk on top of the crust on the snow.  The dogs can do that in certain places if they are very careful.  Lots of deer tracks on the north ridge also.

Regarding the hockey game, I should have mentioned that with JB being from Chicago, he has always been a big hockey fan.  He introduced me to the game when we were dating in the late 1960's.  We would go to games in Seattle and Vancouver, B.C., and at that time there was glass only at the ends of the rink behind the nets!  In the 1990's we had season's tickets to the Tacoma Rockets and then the Seattle Thunderbirds.  And we were fortunate enough to attend a Chicago Blackhawk's game in 2007 before we left Illinois.

Today I was finally ready to read another Dean Koontz book, so after dinner I started Breathless.  An hour passed before I was aware of the time.  His books just draw me into a different world.  I could read any one of them in just one sitting, ignoring everything I should be doing, but I don't because I can't let them end so quickly!

In talking to Larry on the radio this evening, he was complaining that the large flock of quail they have at their place is running them out of chicken food!  As soon as he gives the girls their corn and then leaves the coup, the quail come running.  The chickens don't care, but then they don't have to pay for the feed.

Thursday 1/22. It was 27 and overcast this morning with snow forecast for later today.  Fog rolled in about noon, but sank down to fill the canyons and valleys.  

The temperature rose above freezing, and because there was just a thin crust on part of the roof, it was simply dripping and slipping off.  Our high for the day was 35.

A peanut butter and banana sandwich for lunch, followed by a brownie.  Yum!  Shades of Elvis Presley.

After lunch we shoveled ditches in the snow in which to run the pipes for the electrical cords to the generator, which we will be moving closer to the well pump.  We had planned on doing more, but then it started raining (as opposed to the snow we were supposed to get). By the time for our walk, the sky was mostly blue and the fog was still down below.

Had lots of time to read our books today, and I finished mine.  Just couldn't make it last any longer.  So good!

Friday 1/23. It is 25, we are in the clouds and our world is white with rime.  Another storm is on its way.

Thought for the day: "Never fear the future. Whatever happens, the future is the only way back. . ."
                               "The only way back to what?. . ."
                               "Back to where we belong forever. . . The future is the one path out of time and into eternity."   Dean Koontz, Breathless