oh, the oneness of it all
Our first week of winter here has been . . . well, wintery. We’ve had plenty of rain and snow,
but the temperature has been the big story. Usually by now, we’ve had a few nights well
below freezing. This year, though, we’ve averaged 1° C. since the solstice.
And I do mean averaged. There’s been virtually no fluctuation. Several days the high and
low was 1. Fortunately, the storms that battered us in mid-December have blown out. The
days have been pleasant, if not balmy. We would gladly tolerate this until the warm winds
of spring return.
The chickens are facing current conditions with plucky resolve. They’re not keen on the
snow, but they like the collapsed netting shown in the last post. It still leaves them plenty
of room to maneuver, yet protects them against aerial attack and makes it impossible for
me to chase them down when I think they should be in the coop.
The two new hens we added a month ago have fit in nicely. Our increased security measures
have kept Slinkee from any further murder sprees. So with the storms and dog becalmed,
egg production is improving. Except for this one:
It felt like leather. The girls had pushed it to a corner of the nesting box and covered it with
straw. I assume this was just a matter of housekeeping. As far as I know, chickens have no
shame.
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Anchor Struck 
BRRRRRRRRRR – makes me shiver just thinking about 1 degree temps!! It’s below freezing here, too – 20-30 average the past few days/nights, and I really HATE IT!! You know how we Southerners love our hot weather – ha! I’ve had a time keeping the heat on – the electricity is out in much of of the state, due to snow and wind, ice, etc. – so every circuit overloads quite easily – if you’re cooking, it can shut down; if you turn on too many lights, it can shut down; if you hold your mouth wrong, it can shut down; at time the entire neighborhood shuts down for a short time – NOT FUN!! I long for the days when I had a woodstove to hug up to, and cook on, sigh! So much for progress, eh??? I’m counting my blessings, though – over 150,000 in Arkansas with NO power, and none expected until at least Tuesday! This is definitely NOT the norm here in south Arkansas – – – or has that changed??!! Best to you both – stay warm! xo, Char
Knowing that we have a woodstove and ample fuel is key to us getting through the winter. Hang in there.