Hunkered Down.......

There is a reason we spell OhiO like we do.  It's the weather, a real roller coaster and you better have your seat belt on.  It started snowing mid week, took a break and then started up yesterday morning.  Bitterly cold, walked out last night to put Betina and Chick-ets to bed and it was kind of nice, 30's.  

This morning the wind has picked up and we are in for another arctic clipper.  

Another 4-7" by tomorrow morning..... bring it!

 On my way out the door this morning.  

so quiet..... 

sleeping in.... again! 

Morning girls!  Get Up!  Pretty bad when the flock mistress has 

to kick the chickens off the roost! 

Still not coming out..... I spread straw.  They hate snow and cold feet.

They have all but stopped laying, 3 eggs a week is not laying.  

Time to hang that frying pan over the door! 

On my way back to the house Ralphie, the neighborhood cat was busy hunting around the raku kilns.

I love sneaking up on Ralphie, I yell his name and he just freaks out!  Ralphie, I am all powerful, queen of my domain and know your name, carry on Ralphie! 

 and I wonder if Ralphie is hunting deer that visit the chickens every night.

 Stop by the studio and yup, still have a gazillion pots looking for homes. 

Dropped off a gazillion to Val over at Gestures Gallery in Rocky River last week.  

And can I just say visiting my old gallery owners is just the best.  I miss them and hope to see 

them more often this year.  Tuesday, I will be headed over to see Liz at Gingko Gallery in Oberlin. And see that kayak hanging from the ceiling?  If the rivers were not 

frozen I'd be headed out for a paddle this morning!  

2014 I see big changes of sanity! 

The pond is still running and there isn't anything much better then hearing the pond 

in the still of winter snow.

And yesterday we crapped out and bought EZ Bricks for the wood stove.  

It runs $200 a ton and took two trips to our wood guy.  This is our winter experiment.  A cord of wood is twice that price and the wood from our maple is still green.  In the snow storm we just could not head down the road an hour away to get a load of cheap wood from our guy in Middlefield.  These EZ Bricks are compressed bio wood (no additives)  I called the owner of the company and asked him why I should buy these?  1. Easier to handle and store.  2. no seasoning or splitting (blasphemy!)  3. Stores cleaner, no fungus or bugs (ok interested as I just watched a carpenter ant walk across the floor from the seasoned firewood sitting by the wood stove!)  4. Burns hotter and longer due to lower moisture content and higher density.  5. Cleaner burn, less ash, less creosote, less smoke.  All proving to be true. 

Three bricks are heating the back room and then some and there is very little ash but I use ash in my glazes and garden, not to mention the bio char!  We will see how long this ton lasts.  The biggest draw back that pissed me off beyond words..... the amount of plastic this stuff came wrapped in!  The pallet was wrapped in SIX layer of plastic, then covered in black plastic and every three bricks wrapped in plastic!!!!  I am so anti-plastic I almost had a stroke when we picked these up and I will probably go back to splitting wood just over this one factor.

I have been making my own ginger beer this winter.  I have had some hits and some eye tearing misses. On a Trader Joe's run I picked this stuff up, as pineapple was listed in the ingredients.  It's delicious and now onto more fun in the kitchen with ginger beer! 

Current read I am just loving! 

And remember my post on "Sole Food"?  Well turns out one of the old ladies is a smart ass.

We had a get together down at the abandoned club house on Friday but alas I fell asleep in the chair watching "Tangled".  Butch went down for a beer and neighborhood meet up.  He brought this home, saying Joane sent this down for your Christmas holiday season.  Chicken Poop lip balm!  Being a smart ass myself I think this is hysterical!  Now it's my turn to take down a bag of chicken feed!

Homemade Cracker Jack, but I'm gonna label it chicken feed and slap a bow on it :) 

I have to get it out of the house because I am going to eat the whole bowl!

Haven't made it in years and probably won't make it for another few years.  

Anybody remember Screaming Yellow Zonkers?  So good!