Monday Musings.

It is humanly impossible to maintain a diet during February.  This was my mantra as I slid the world's greatest comfort food into my oven last night:  Buffalo Chicken Lasagna.  You read that right.  I tried to make light (pun intended) of the fact that I used partially skim milk mozz and ricotta.  And, after all, I HAD to make a dent in the case of brown rice lasagna noodles I got from the co-op, didn't I?  I hunted down (then changed my mind) low-fat white cheddar.  I mean, really.  I rationalized that it was chicken and not beef that went into the sauce.  I called upon my foggy recollection that spicy foods were not only good for you, but ramped up the metabolism (hot wing sauce - aLOT of it).  But I couldn't pull out of my hat-of-delusion any rationale for the 7 oz of blue cheese.  But, let me tell you, it was G.O.O.D.  Picture hot wings without finger-eating and bones, all cheesy and oozy and gooey.  God help me.  As it made enough for a small army, I was very, very good and cut it up in single-serving portions and froze it.  ASAP.  Is it Farch yet?

This morning, I made a three-hour round trip journey to meet and deliver some of my Barnevelder hens to their new and enthusiastic owner.  It was a little intimidating to wake up to very low single digits this morning (a whole 3 degrees) and there was a tiny bit of whining to be heard.  Especially when I realized I had forgotten to dig out a space behind my chicken yard gate to allow me to open it.  Soooo, I paraded a dazed hen out of the coop, across the poultry yard, through the house and out the front door into the waiting crate four times.  Canines and felines were very excited.  Barnevelders are some of the most mellow chickens ever and didn't seem to mind the trip.  It was a beautiful morning, temperature be damned, and the route from my house to Greenfield, MA is so picturesque - it winds up and around and over the mountains, with a hairpin turn and spectacular views, through park lands and past icy streams.  It was, all-in-all, a most pleasant journey.

And now I am doing my very best to ignore the fact that I tore up a portion of the living room carpet and need to start tiling.  I did order all my seeds, strawberries and replacement chicks this weekend.  I also spent most of Sunday talking.  Pity the poor person who lands within my reach that is interested in farming, homesteading and animals.  Two such souls were subjected to hours of my jabbering and they were very good sports about it.  All the arrangements have been made for Sage's 'lying in' at the end of March.  I will have to get a good back view shot of her.  She looks like a tiny steamboat.  Or a barnlet.  It also appears that Chickie is going through sympathy gains to make her feel less alone.  He is very sweet that way.