Mumday--country living

 

bb

benefits to living in a small town, #206

    
You go to the hardware store to buy a kiddie pool for your chickens, and the helpful woman behind the counter shows you the options, and then asks the question you've been dreading: "What's it for?"

Pause...

"Uh... it's for my chickens."

She didn't blink. Didn't react at all, except to subtly nod her head, as if that were a sensible thing, then later said to cut a small section of the lip of it off 'cause it' gets slippery and that makes it easier for them to get out, and if one is ever going to be gone all day on a hot day, put a 10 lb block of ice in it.

GENIUS!

She does this for HER chickens.

Of all the hardware joints, in all the towns, in all the world, I walked into hers.*

I believe I have just met ... The Chicken Whisperer.

SWEET!

I love small towns. =)

bb


*rip off of Casablanca's "Of all the gin joints" quote, in case you were wondering. =)

they don't call me biobabbler for nothing...

   
it has been SO HARD to NOT talk on Mumday. Yikes. So, won't post till Tuesday, but must write now.

SUMMER PANIC/baking blather

1. Who turned on the "HOT" and "IT'S SUMMER" switches while I was away? Holy cow!

2. I now MUST buy the swimming pools for my hens, who can experience heat stress at 80-something degrees and it's already hitting 90. And it will def. get over 100s this summer, like every other summer.

3. I am NOT kidding re: kiddie pools. They LOVE to cool their feet in the cold water and drink it up. It's adorable. And then they stop standing with their wings held away from their bodies, and their beaks open. It's good. And, really, SO adorable.

4. I'm not ready!

5. My garden isn't started!

6. Farewell to spring (the flower, a.k.a. Clarkia spp.) is on OUR PROPERTY! Spring is OVER! =(

7. I need cooler clothes. Jeans are WAY too hot. And I never shop. Hm.

Anyhow, we didn't make it to Yosemite Valley Sunday.

Had some required chores 1st thing and by the time we would have left, it would have been Major Zoo, so skipped. I'm thinking I'll try to get there this week some time M-F so it'll be quiet. Might need to bring my swimsuit in case it's bakey.

I'm also thinking of taking up biking 'cause it generates a breeze and is different and fun, so maybe I'll see if I can get my bike a tune up (and new tire) and bike my buns around the valley.

Okay. So, I am now vowing to YOU to get the YARTS bus schedule so that I can take public transportation to the park this summer, also bringing my bike if possible. How cool would that be? And of course my camera for y'all =). And $$ for the world's largest iced tea.

Got (as in bought) my Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes a Day book (Hertzberg and Francois, St. Martin's Press) and I'm psyched to try it.

A wee bit warm for baking, but why not? Life's too short to adhere to seasonal styles if they don't suit you. =) Just so long as it doesn't mean you're taking the planet down with you (as in eating blueberries from another hemisphere...). Actually, talked with a friend re: you wanna bake bread when it's cold, but it rises better when it's warm. So, there ya go.

To show you that I am actually serious, here's what I bought today, and I'd not even HEARD of it until I read it in my new book yesterday. =) More yeast experiments coming up!

Okay, is it me, or does Bob's Red Mill rock hard, or what? They have the coolest stuff, sometimes fairly uncommon ingredients that I suspect would otherwise NOT be locally available to me in the sticks, so even we hillbillies can bake cool stuff. AWEsome.

And their Mighty Tasty Hot Cereal (which happens to be gluten free) is AMAZING. Honestly. YUM. (I assume you'd guess but this blog is SO not underwritten. Mostly powered by enthusiasm and chattiness.)

So, how's that for your random update?

=) bb

P.S. Are there any summer (or winter for you down southers) traditions you've already busted out for the season? What are they? Any you're looking forward to?
P.P.S. We may go to "the east side" this weekend (Mono Lake and vicinity). Hoping!! (that's a summer tradition I adore!)