With all this talk about chickens I just need to see some pictures. I wouldn't mind having a few chickens. They don't scare me of course haven't been around many live ones. I'm sure the wild animals we have would just love some chicken. Do foxes eat chickens??? We have a red fox that I see every once in a while. I've been out of sorts for the last few days. My body is just full of aches and pains. I think I have some nerve damage in my left shoulder. I know it's from the last injection I received. It hurt like the devil!!! I actually screamed when he stuck the needle in. When he finished and left the room I collapsed in my DH arms and cried my eyes out. This was about 2 months ago. My computer has been acting up so my DD is giving me her old one. She started downloading some of my programs and we had hers hooked up when she realized it didn't have a modem. I have dial up and she had cable. So she re-hooked my old back up and said she'd be back on Thursday to move the modem from m computer to hers. Thursday morning she called me and said that her DH's grandmother passed away. This was not unexpected. They left for Florida last night. We are having a Memorial service and a family get together this weekend for my aunt who passed away about a month and a half ago. My sister and her DH are staying at a hotel near us so we're going out to dinner tonight. Tomorrow is the service and then a get together. We have relatives coming from as far away as Calif. Needless to say after 2 nights with hardly any sleep, because of pain, I'm physically and emotionally drained. OK now that is out of my system! Thanks for listening ladies. Jeanne-How are you and your family doing? You've been on my mind. Dee-When you're finished weeding come on out here and weed for me.LOL Have a great evening Mariann

I make my suet mixture using suet or lard. I melt the fat in a glass bowl in the microwave until liquid. Then I add crunchy peanut butter, which melts in the hot fat. Then I add the dried ingredients - corn meal, flour, oats (usually ground in blender), ground eggshells, crushed nuts, a little jam or jelly, etc. The mixture is about 1/2 fat, 1/2 dried ingredients - maybe a little more dried. I aim for a mixture that is the texture of Play-doh - it clumps together easily for the suet log, but also crumbles into pieces that I spread in a tray feeder. I made the suet log over 3 years ago out of an old red Pine log and glued lots of perches and branches. It did not have much bark on it - which is fine, except that over time the log has darkened quite a bit, perhaps because of the oils in the suet mixture. Also, most of the perches and branches have broken and fallen off. This birds don't seem to care. If you put perches on the log, this will enable many more birds to eat more easily. However, this isn't necessarily a good thing because with mine, it enables the Starlings and Blue Jays to hog the suet log, and it encourages House Sparrows. My suet log is pole-mounted with a squirrel/raccoon baffle, so nothing gets onto the log but the birds. Here's what the suet mixture looks like - Some Bluebirds on the suet log a couple years ago. They don't eat that much on the suet log any more, because I usually spread crumbles in a tray for them.

My DH and DD are incredibly picky when it comes to mashed potatoes. I have a genetic quirk that allows me to make a gravy that is manna from heaven, but also causes me to make crappy mashers ROFL. But I have discovered the secret, and have overcome the mudpuddle my genes have been scooped from. All hail the RICER! I rinse my potatoes and poke with a fork. No scrubbing, no peeling. Microwave (I have a potato setting but do whatever yours instructs for baked potatoes). I cut them in half, and place cut side to the die of the ricer, and squeeze. The peel usually sticks to the plunger and can be peeled right off. Repeat with the other half and rest of the potatoes. For 4 fist sized potatoes, I heat 1 cup of skim milk until very hot (micro again). Pour this over the riced potatoes and let absorb. Stir with a spatula to make sure all the "wormies" are broken down. Is "wormie" a culinary term? Then cut cold butter into chunks and scatter over the potatoes. Add salt and pepper. Let the butter melt a bit. Then I take a whisk and whisk it all together until combined and fluffed. Now mind you I made mashed potatoes this weekend and was very disappointed. They didn't taste right and were quite gluey. Tonight I made them again, using the rest of the potatoes from the same bag and same ingredients, and they were fluffy and delicious. Then I realized what I did wrong before! I had added the butter first, before the milk. I don't know why it made a difference, but it sure did.

I made potato soup last week, and it has no milk and no cream in it. Actually, I did add a bit of cream to this one, simply because I had cream left over from making a lime pie, but normally I leave it out. I do use celery (and thyme), and I had bought leeks specifically for the soup. I sautéed the celery and leeks in butter with a bit of regular white onion, thyme, and black pepper, and then added chicken broth. I use thin skinned Yukon Gold potatoes and did not peel them. After everything was done (about 30 minutes, or so), I puréed the soup with a stick blender, and you would never know that the potatoes had not been peeled. Also, if you use enough butter, you won't need cream. If you use Yukon Gold potatoes, the flavor is rich enough not to need milk or cream. I'm particularly sensitive to cream and a little goes a long way for me, but in general I try to avoid it altogether. The main exception is New England Clam Chowder, which always upsets my stomach, but I eat it on occasion anyway. You have 8" of snow!?!? Lars