Texas

[Ms Jellybean]

Mmmmmm, looks delicious! Let us know how it taste. I just put on a pot of beans. Plan on having that with cornbread. Dessert will be an old-fashion Oatmeal Cake (my grandmother's recipe) with coffee. I will be ready for the sleet/snow.

Stay safe and warm guys!

Lisa

Oatmeal cake sounds good. I love old recipes and frequently buy antique recipe books.

I just read through this blog entry on hatching chicks. Love the incubator in it. Now I want to hatch chicks. :/ I hope I win the chicken coop that I entered to win. Then I can get chicks sooner rather than later.

 

[RachaelS]

This is in the slow cooker for supper tonight. Hope it is as good as the people say it is. Perfect for a cold night...

Ymmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!

 

[lovingmyhens]

Mmmmmm, looks delicious! Let us know how it taste. I just put on a pot of beans. Plan on having that with cornbread. Dessert will be an old-fashion Oatmeal Cake (my grandmother's recipe) with coffee. I will be ready for the sleet/snow.

Stay safe and warm guys!

Lisa

I think I will start some chicken and dumplings when I get home.

 

[Ms Jellybean]

I know it is a freezing cold day (below freezing now actually - windchill is 17*!) but I read this article on keeping chickens cool.

There are some good ideas in here. I like the 'redneck air conditioning' idea. I know before a/c was common people did similar things in their homes with bowls of ice and fans.

 

[lovingmyhens]

Well, since you haven't had any experience with really slippery conditions, I'll give you a bit of advice because it could be really nasty driving today.

At the beginning of a skid, you'll feel the car lose traction. It is really subtle. As soon as you feel that take your foot off the gas AND DO NOT TOUCH THE BRAKES. Go straight and let the car slow down on its own. Do not try to turn.

If you actually start to skid, DON'T TOUCH THE BRAKES. If your car is sliding to the left, where you don't want to go, turn your wheels to the left into the skid. If you turn them to the right, you'll just increase your spin. Turn into the skid and never touch the brakes.

My kids never got the opportunity to practice in a snowy parking lot. They've never driven anywhere but the Caribbean and Texas. I want them to go to skid school--yes, you can pay an instructor to teach you how to handle a skid on an oil slick road. And, as Lisa knows, spinning and skidding a car in a snowy parking lot is a heck of a lot of fun.

My problem is habit...for nearly 40 yrs I have hit the brakes when I want to stop (I had a brief stint in Lubbock, but mostly just did the spin in circles thing when it got messy there). Brain goes into panic mode and then all reason flies out the window. I am going straight home tonight and hopefully (fingers crossed) school will be called off tomorrow. I will be sitting tight!

 

[Ms Jellybean]

I think I will start some chicken and dumplings when I get home.

This is the best chicken and dumplings recipe I have ever tried. The cornmeal keeps the dumplings from getting soggy. I think this will be on the menu next week.

 

[jajeanpierre]

My problem is habit...for nearly 40 yrs I have hit the brakes when I want to stop (I had a brief stint in Lubbock, but mostly just did the spin in circles thing when it got messy there). Brain goes into panic mode and then all reason flies out the window. I am going straight home tonight and hopefully (fingers crossed) school will be called off tomorrow. I will be sitting tight!

You know, I've driven tens of thousands of miles in snow and blizzard conditions. I have never spun my car--yet--even when on black ice.

When the weather is bad like it might get, you have to get a completely different mind set.

First, slow down.

Keep telling yourself: Do NOT brake, Do NOT turn the steering wheel.

Then, as soon if you feel that lightness in the steering that comes before you lose control, just take your foot off the gas and keep the steering wheel straight. Then slow down some more. If you have to brake, it has to be done delicately.

Force yourself not to hit the brake because you will end up in a skid by braking, where if you had just taken your foot off the gas, your car would have continued in a straight line. If you were in a car driven by my husband, you wouldn't even notice when he started to lose traction and regain it. I would, though, because I have driven in these kinds of conditions.

If we end up with snowy roads, now would be a perfect time for you to go to a close parking lot (if you can get there safely) and just try to spin the car and try to see how it behaves. It's actually quite fun. You learn what if feels like and how your car behaves.

 

[lovingmyhens]

Thanks for that info! Not sure I'll have a chance to spin around in the parking lot today, but I'll try to keep all this in mind! You be safe and stay warm

 

[jajeanpierre]

Thanks for that info! Not sure I'll have a chance to spin around in the parking lot today, but I'll try to keep all this in mind! You be safe and stay warm

Just make sure there aren't any light poles! Seriously, it is fun to learn to handle skids. Just start trying to skid the car when driving slowly. Once you get the feel of it and know how your car behaves, it won't be so scary anymore.

 

[granthamkk]

Well I am beginning to think my hens might be going through a molt, perhaps due to the dog incident or just their time......
Still no eggs, and they were laying up until the incident. Their behavior is back to normal.

How would I know if they are molting? I honestly thought it would be one of those things that you'd know it when it happened (it'd be obvious). And how long do molts typically last?

Don't get me wrong, I love them, but I also loved their beautiful eggs.