I'm grateful for: successful baking; a cleaner more organized kitchen; a big day planned tomorrow, and it all looks good.

I seem to have slept last night. That was good. I'm writing this at about 10pm, hoping to get to sleep at a semi-reasonable hour tonight. I have to be up for 6am, so there is that.

I had a good day today. John went in to work. Zechy and Havva and I got laundry done, not all of it, but I think there isn't anything from before today in the dirty clothes.

Havva carried in boxes and crates and so on of stuff from before Pesach. We all did various parts of the sorting and putting away. It's not all put away, but almost. The boxes of Pesach things need to get put in the cottage, but that definitely has to wait until we've removed a freezer that doesn't belong to us, and moved some things about.

Simcha and I made corn muffins. They were quite possibly the best I've ever had. I can take absolutely no credit because we've never made them before, were adapting a recipe from a 1902 cookbook, and the power went out on the (electric) oven in the middle of the baking. If I could possibly recreate the whole thing it would be a miracle. Which means the next batch probably won't be as good, but it's a good recipe and we will do it again. Fresh hot corn muffins with butter melting over the top. Yum.

Simcha and I also made some homemade energy bars. There is something wrong because no matter what we do they just don't, well, harden. We've made the same recipe several times, with minor alterations. They are delicious, but gooey and sticky and really hopeless as a 'bar' you could take with you someplace and eat later. I may have to look for some other sort of recipe. It's too bad because the taste good, are very filling, and just about completely healthy and good for you.

There were several frustrating moments - when we discovered we had no butter, and Simcha went to ride up to the makolet only the tire came off of her bicycle wheel. And we didn't have enough flour for the quick bread we had prepared to bake. Still, it was quite a success for us. We also washed mountains of dishes. I can't imagine how we produce so many dirty dishes - not the ones used in baking, but as a family as a whole. It truly boggles the mind.

After standing at the sink washing for so long, my back was pretty well done in. I've spent most of the rest of the day in my room, except for when I fed the chickens.

They chickens are definitely setting, which has us all very happy. It's just about in time, if the chickens start too late then it gets too hot and the chicks can't develop right. There are four hens, and so far I've seen three of them sitting on the eggs at various times. This morning the white one and one of the brown ones were both on the nest, both trying to cover as many eggs as possible (the brown one edged out the white one by spreading out *under* her to cover some the white one had been on). They'll do that, share the setting and turning, often until the very end. Usually at the last there is only one hen sitting on the nest all the time, but I have no clue how it ends up being one hen rather than another. Nothing to do with the pecking order, I know that.

I do love watching them. My days may get more crowded tomorrow if we succeed in bringing home a goat kid of a lamb. Or, who knows, maybe both?

John talked to the fellow at the Jerusalem Zoo and we will be able to take home an angora buck and a pygmy goat. We know nothing about the pygmy other than that it's small. They are awfully cute. I hope the buck is in decent enough shape. They hadn't been sheared or their hooves trimmed in far, far too long when we saw the three at the children's zoo a couple of weeks ago.

Oh, well, it's a free goat. I am not complaining.

Our rooster has mites. John says he's heard that you can use turpentine on their legs to take care of the problem, but I know nothing about it. Time for some internet research, I guess.

The mites are worrisome, they can actually kill chicks or small hens. Best to take care of the problem before chicks are hatched, but how to do it without disturbing the setting hens? Maybe a phone call to the vet I don't like. He specializes in chickens... rats!

I'm starting to feel really cranky, which means I should stop and work on getting that sleep. I dream of a time when one of my main topics of conversation is not how much sleep I've gotten. Maybe, someday?

I'm not listening to anything at all.

:: Yesterdays : Tomorrows ::

~~~Last Five Entries~~~
Hi and goodbye - 2010-10-15
I'll be moving on - 2010-10-10
Gold membership and stuff - 2010-10-10
Decisions, decisions - 2010-10-07
Days to go - 2010-10-06