Out my kitchen window, day 230

Today is the day we fondly reminisce about the year gone by, make promises for the year to come, and raise a glass of (fill in the blank) in celebration of loving family and friends, while singing Auld Lang Syne and wondering what in the world that really means.

Or, you could celebrate New Year's Eve like we do in the Holler:

1. Warm up the SnuggleSafe and put it in the Eglu to keep the chickens warm and give them a reason to stay put instead of heading to the neighbor's barn for the New Year's Chicken Eve party his menagerie is having. (I saw the rooster passing out invitations to the girls earlier today.)

2. Put a few loads of laundry through the washer and dryer because it's raining, and, well, that's what we do when it rains.

3. Chow down on popcorn doused in melted butter while watching Wild Hogs on TV. Realize at the end of the movie that, although the popcorn was worth it, the movie definitely was not.

4. Decide that staying up until midnight is overrated and head for bed at a reasonable hour.

5. Hop on Ye Auld Blog to raise a note of Holler Cheer to loving family and friends, wherever they may be. Happy  New Year!

Out my kitchen window, day 229

As of 6:20 this evening, we became the proud owners of a finished, completed, working geothermal system. I thought this day would never come. Let the celebrations commence.

Out my kitchen window, day 228

Today once again brought a visit from Geothermal Guy. How nice of him to drop by, I thought. And how nice of him to leave after completing Step 246 in the Installation Process of a Geothermal System. Sadly, Step 246 is not the final step in the process, and he has yet again promised to come tomorrow to "finish things up." If all goes according to plan, Step 247 will be the final step. That's a big if.

Out my kitchen window, day 227

This was the view when I decided nothing exciting was going to happen today and so took a picture before darkness descended on the Holler. Dreary, isn't it? Just like the skies . . . Is it spring yet?

Out my kitchen window, day 226

Snow was lazily making its way to the ground as we arrived safely home from visiting Seth's family up north.

While there, Cousin Hannah seranaded us with beautiful music, to which Kieran attempted to contribute (attempted being the operative word).

And, of course, Kieran got lots of love from his cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. It was definitely a Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas

Out my ktichen window, day 225

This was the view as I left to drive Kenda to the airport.

It's been a week of fun and festivities with family (and more fun with more family to come in the next few days).

Time always seems to go by more swiftly when visiting family. Why is that?

.

Yes, a good time was had by all . . . . Even Kieran.

Out my kitchen window, day 224

Sing it with me now: All I want for Christmas is a geothermal system, a geothermal system, a geothermal system. All I want for Christmas is a finished geothermal system . . . . 

Unlike Maria, who must've done something good to deserve all the happiness that came her way (never mind the wrong the theology there), I must've done something bad, since it appears I won't be getting my wish this Christmas.

This was the view as GTG left, promising to return on Monday (apparently GTGs don't work on Christmas Eve Day) to "finish up the job." Bah, humbug.

Out my kitchen window, day 223

I'd like to say that this was the view when GTG packed up his gear and left the Holler forever after completely finishing the Installation of a Geothermal System. But I can't.

Instead, this was the view when my mom made pancakes from the mashed potatoes leftover from dinner the other day. This was her first attempt at potato pancakes and they were delicious.

Out my kitchen window, day 222

Kenda assumed the responsibility of taking today's picture. She captured GTG leaving after a long day's work and a promise to return tomorrow to "finish things up." I seem to remember hearing that before . . . .

Out my kitchen window, day 221

Our friends Frost and Roger came over for dinner today and to pick up some baby stuff for their little Julia. This was the view as they left with their loot.

A little while later in the evening, we celebrated an early Christmas with my family. Kieran helped Daddy get the presents out of his stocking, and got plenty of presents himself in the process.

Out my kitchen window, day 220

Seth was right. Seth is always right. Well, not always, but he was right about nuclear power as a viable alternative energy source, and he was right about the chicken.

"Go next door and see if she joined the neighbor's chickens," he said this morning. I doubted his prescience on this, just as I doubted him on the nuclear energy thing. To humor him, I wandered over to the neighbor's barn and checked out the chicken menagerie (the neighbor has about 15 chickens, plus ducks, and a rooster). And there, right in the middle of it all, was Hen. When I offered her squash, she came right over, and I nabbed her and brought her home.

I'm not sure what happened yesterday. Maybe she got caught up in the crowd as they all free ranged together, and just followed the flock home for the evening. Or maybe the rooster proved too much for her to resist. At any rate, she's not dead (yet), and she's now snuggled up with Chick in their Eglu, warming themselves with the SnuggleSafe.

In other news, we put up a Christmas tree this afternoon--Florida style (aka "lazy style").

Out my kitchen window, day 219

Well, it was bound to happen, I suppose. This was the view when I realized that Hen wasn't coming home. Since they're social creatures, Hen and Chick usually do everything together. Later in the afternoon, I'd seen Chick running around by herself, without Hen. And when Chick came home to roost in the evening, she was alone. I'm not sure what happened to Hen--we haven't found any trace of her (although it it was dark when we went out to look).

It may be that she ran off with the gang of wild turkeys hanging around the yard. Or she may have decided the neighbor's chicken coop provides more warmth than the SnuggleSafe. I'm not holding out much hope that she's still alive--we'll see what tomorrow brings, however.

On a brighter note, this was the also the view when we left to pick up my sister from the airport. She decided to join us for a little snow and a little Christmas.

Out my kitchen window, day 218

While we were off enjoying the sunny south, our friends Georgia and Chris so kindly chicken-sat for me. I'd been thinking for awhile that I should start thinking about what to do with the chickens when it got cold, but I never got around to actually doing more than thinking about thinking before we left. And wouldn't you know it, the winter cold settled in as soon as we were gone, leaving Georgia in a panic about how to keep Hen and Chick from freezing. She settled on keeping them in her garage and providing them with a nice heat lamp to warm their chilly feathers.

I talked to "Claire" from the Omlet place, and she assured me, in her delightful British accent, that chickens like the cold. If they're in a sheltered place, Claire suggested inserting a microwavable heat pad in their Eglu when the temps get into the tens.

I searched the Internet high and low for a pet-safe heating pad that didn't require electricity (the Eglu is sheltered in the old chicken coop, which isn't wired). The SnuggleSafe was just what I was looking for. It arrived the other day, and the view above was when I microwaved the SnuggleSafe and took it out to the chickens so it could warm their little chicken heinies for the next 12 hours.

Out my kitchen window, day 217

Today, the delivery guy dropped off some of the items I recently ordered to give as Christmas gifts. It was almost like Christmas came early. Except the presents weren't for me, they were from me. So, not really like Christmas at all.

Out my kitchen window, day 216

Saturday comment by GTG (after he came out because our water pipe had again frozen): "I'll definitely be out on Monday to get this trench filled in."

Sunday comment by GTG: "We'll be out tomorrow to get this taken care of."

Monday comment by GTG: "My backfill guy called and he said he can't make it today to fill the trench. His daughter is sick with the swine flu." (Snide comment by Seth: "I knew it. I knew he couldn't get through this without invoking the swine flu excuse at some point.")

Tuesday comment by GTG at 6 pm (it's dark out): "My backfill guy will be there in 40 minutes to fill in the trench."

And this is the view of the truck lights as Backfill Guy left after backfilling the trench. If only I could say this was the final step in the Installation of a Geothermal System. But I can't.

Out my kitchen window, day 215

Today, a few moments before I took this picture, I completed my Christmas shopping. I'm actually quite proud of myself--the day on the calendar is usually December 31 before I finish it all and get the presents to their intended recipients.

Since we have limited access to stores other than Wal-Mart round these here parts, I do all my shopping online. It's easy, convenient, and warm. I'll gladly pay a little more in shipping if it means I don't have to brave the snowy roads, raucous crowds, and the aimless wanderings up and down the aisles as I search for the "just right" gift. Instead, I can munch on a granola bar, prop my feet up on our reclining sofa, hit a few keys on the lap top, and be finished in no time flat. I love the Internet.

Out my kitchen window, day 214

After the morning service, our church shared its traditional Christmas dinner. While chatting with the guy who previously owned our house (and who attends our church), he mentioned he buys his meat from a local guy who raises and butchers "chemical free" animals. After the dinner was finished, Seth and I decided to take a trip to the guy's shop just to see where it is (it's closed on Sundays), since we'd like to possibly purchase some meat from him in the future.

This was the view after we returned from our little foray and before we all three settled down for a long winter's afternoon nap.

Out my kitchen window, day 213

This was the view . . .

. . . when these little guys arrived in a package sent by SIL Ruth. She had her former-navy-man brother in mind as she made them for a craft bazaar that was held a few weeks ago. Thankfully for us, no one bought them, and we are now the happy recipients of the cute little ornaments. Thanks, Ruth!

I suppose this means I should begin to think about putting up a Christmas tree on which to hang them . . . .

Out my kitchen window, day 212

We arrived home from the hospital when the sun was lowering itself to the ground. From birth, Kieran has had a blocked left tear duct, which has caused much frustration all around as we continually wiped the gunk away and he continually tried to keep us from wiping it away. It has also caused many questions from those who saw Little Crusty Eye (one of my terms of endearment for him). "Does he have an infection?" "Is something wrong with eye?" "Is it painful?" No, no, and no.

For some reason, the people at our church have been particularly concerned about his eye, which I find ironic, since I considered it the least of our worries.

At any rate, today was the day for opening the duct. In the pre-op room, the ophthamologist marked the eye he would be working on (the little purple letters on his forehead). For this procedure, he was given general anesthesia (instead of the sedation he usually gets for his echocardiograms)--a little happy gas adminstered through a mask, and he was out (or so I'm told--I left him in the arms of the resident anesthesiologist and was ushered into the waiting room).

While he was in the OR, I meandered down to the hospital cafeteria for some lunch. Surprisingly, one of the entrees for the day was toasted cheese and tomato soup. Even more suprisingly--they were good. Toasted cheese and tomato soup are some of my favorite comfort foods, and I don't usually have one without the other. Seth doesn't like tomato soup, so he usually has his sandwich with chicken noodle soup. It's just not the same. What do you have with your toasted cheese sandwich?

(Kieran's procedure went well, according to the doctor, and his eye already looks much better.)

Out my kitchen window, day 211

The literature that came with Hen and Chick suggested rubbing Vaseline on their combs and wattles when the temperature dips below freezing to prevent frostbite. I've been reluctant to try this since it involves actually touching and handling the chickens. And, I was afraid they might peck my eyeballs out if I didn't do it right.

Because we were in sunny Florida when the cold weather slammed the area, I'm just getting around to taking care of business.

Step 1: Buy the Vaseline.
Step 2: Think about how to apply it to chickens.
Step 3: Keep thinking. Have a flitting thought of asking Seth to help by either holding the chicken or applying the petroleum jelly. Quickly move on to the next step.
Step 4: Wait until it's really cold, and you're feeling guilty for potentially letting your chickens suffer frostbite.
Step 5: Put the Vaseline in your coat pocket. Meander out to the chicken coop as the snow flurries down around you, all the while, thinking about your method of application. Decide to wait until tomorrow to try it.
Step 6: Realize there's no time like the present, grab a chicken, stick your gloved finger in the jelly, and slather it on the chicken. Do the same for the next chicken. Mission accomplished.

Out my kitchen window, day 210

Think, think, think. Think of something else to write about besides GTG.

Think of something else to write about besides the huge trench in the backyard that filled with water during the rain storm last night . . .

 . . . and flooded the crawlspace beneath the house thanks to the continued stalling of GTG who still hasn't completed the job (shoot--why does everything always come back to GTG?).

Think about . . .

. . . our 13-month-old little guy . . . (Thanks to Aunt Katy and Uncle Dan for the bibs!)

. . . and about my SIL Ruth's pretty window views . . .

This is the view from the sliding door in the dining room. From it we can watch the Hawthorn tree in its various stages. The current state of this wonderful tree is sans leaves. The red berries will remain throughout most of the winter. They look especially nice when there is snow. One day in February, the cardinals will decide they are ready to eat and will pick the tree clean in a day or two.

The second picture is more the view of the window, rather than from it. What is out there isn't often worth looking at, thus the faux stained glass. I had to create my own snowy vignettes on either side of the window to compensate for the lack of snow outside the window.

Ah yes, much better . . .

Out my kitchen window, day 209

Whilst we were in Florida, we enjoyed my mom's delicious dinners. Too much. And this was the view when I stepped on the scale and realized the consequences of my indulgence. And so, I'm back to my Carnation-instant-breakfast-and-a-cheesestick diet, along with time on my exercise bike. To inspire me to keep up with the exercise, I've added an Exercise Tracker on the side so that I can post my stats daily, and you can yell at me when I don't. My goal is to lose 10 pounds in 10 days. Just kidding. I'll settle for 8 pounds by the New Year (I'm trying to beat the New Year's Resolution Rush).

I'm also considering adding a Bet Tracker so that I can take your bets on whether GTG will "finish things up" tomorrow as he promised me today he would.

Out my kitchen window, day 208

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow. And also, let GTG call to "check up on us" to "make sure we're ok" and we had water, but don't let him actually come out to the house to keep working on the installation process.

Moving on . . . for those on the edge of their seats, Georgia got the 10 points for knowing that Dan Lietha (who was "borrowing" our DirecTV NFL Sunday Ticket to watch football games) took the picture and sent it to me. So now Georgia is tied with Rose in the points standing. Could the race to win be any closer? (I may have watched the Amazing Race one too many times lately.)

Random view

I'm glad I wasn't the 200-pound boar (no comments, please) on the other end of this view.

(Photo courtesy of Kenda's Nathan, who was hunting somewhere in the wilds of Georgia this past week.)

Out my kitchen window, day 207

So, we're back from vacation. Kieran and I flew home yesterday, while Seth and Rose's family drove and arrived late last evening (his non-hypermiling time was 15.5 hours, while his non-hypermiling mileage was, gulp, 48 mpg).

And the question on everybody's mind is . . . did Geothermal Guy finish the job and did we have heat when we arrived? You'd think that after three weeks of working on it, the answer would be yes. However, let me answer by saying that the above view was taken this morning when Seth left for Lowe's to find something to heat a frozen water pipe. Frozen because the big hole in the backyard, which includes the water pipe from the cistern to the house, has yet to be backfilled.

Let me answer even further by saying that, although we now have central heat, it's coming not from the geo-thermal system, but from the emergency electric backups because the Geothermal Installation Process is still not complete. Happy I am not.

Sea World and ICE

Here's my next conundrum for you:

How did we go from this . . .

. . . to this on the same day?

The Answer: We visited Sea World during the day.

And saw lots of fun water animals . . .

. . . like sea lions (or seals -- take your pick) . . .

. . . and, of course, Shamu.

And then, during the evening, we met up with our friends the Mateers (who live in the area), and visited a special ICE show at a nearby resort center.

And walked through amazing carvings of . . . well, ice. It took several men over 40 days to carve the scenes entirely from ice.

It even included a nativity scene.

To keep the ice from melting in the Florida heat, they kept the inside temperature at a chilly 9 degrees, hence the parkas that we wore as we toured the exhibit. Fashionable, don't you think?