Rest In Peace Golda

Sad news today at Prairie Cairn Cottage.  I went out to the coop this afternoon and found my dear sweet Golda dead.  No indications of fowl play (yes, a horrible pun).  The last I saw her she was happy and healthy and eating her favorite meal worm treats.  She brought a lot of joy to my life and I will miss this dear chick.  She was the one that molted early, she was the one the others picked on and I had to doctor her up a few times.  She was also the one who would bow down and let me pet her and would come up to see what I was doing when I was working near her.  She enjoyed being able to free range in the backyard and was always a happy girl.   

I will miss you Golda.  Thank you for the happiness you brought and the eggs you gave us.    

In Which I Become That Crazy Chicken Lady

The last I left you, we were enjoying a nice snow day at Prairie Cairn Cottage and catching up on some crafting.  It continued to snow Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.  I dug the chickens out 5 times on Tuesday and woke to even more snow on Wednesday!  I was faced with a drift that was 5' tall and 3' wide just to get the pen open before I could check on the dear chickens.  After digging out enough to get the pen open I discovered the snow was blocking the main door to their coop.  I had tried to put a cover over the top of the coop to keep the snow from blowing in on them the night before but the winds got through anyway.  The wind was unbearable, stinging my face and eyes.  The wind chill was -22 and I was fighting a loosing battle with the snow.

Looking out the morning room door.  That is a push lawn mower up against the house.  Yes the snow drifted this high!

The poor dears are buried!  This is the backside of their coop.

You can just make out the edge of the main coop door towards the bottom  left.

The morning room.

 

What  was I to do?  I didn't have the strength to keep digging them out and if I left them they ran the risk of suffocating if the snow covered all the vents in their coop.  I was mounting a major expedition just to get out to the coop walking through the drifts with the blowing snow blinding me.  So for my sake alone I made the decision to abandon the coop to the elements but I was not about to abandon my girly girls.  I quickly went in and set up a temporary coop in the basement then mounted a rescue mission.  I had to take the roof off of their coop and scoop them two at a time  into a waiting dog crate.  They fretted and worried until all 4 were reunited in the basement then they set about investigating their new abode.   

A tarp on the floor in the corner with two dog exercise panels as walls, pine shavings sprinkled on top.  A large cardboard box for the coop and two smaller chicken sized boxes as nest boxes.  Their usual water and feeder and poof, an indoor coop.

 

And that, my dear reader, is how I came to live with chickens IN Prairie Cairn Cottage and my friends labeling me That Crazy Chicken Lady.

 

The snow finally stopped with this storm but the drifts were so high the hens couldn't move back into their coop.  And this week?  Well, we've been hit with another 17" of snow!  This week it's been snowing since Monday.  The weather prophets keep promising us it will stop sometime tonight.  I'll share with you the big dig out that is to come.  I'm hoping we can relocate the girls back outside by late this weekend.

 

It has been quite an adventure here at Prairie Cairn Cottage.  I'm glad you donned your snowshoes to come for a chat.

 

Audrey




Uh Spring?

The Cottage is being slammed by the big storm pushing through the US today.  The poor dear chicks are snowed in again and I've had to dig them out 3 times thus far.  I will do it one more time before night fall.  You can see a large drift in the corner of their enclosure. 

We've gotten over a foot of snow and with our ever present prairie winds the snow tends to drift.  The drift off the patio is now over 5 foot high.  Lucky for me I had planned a couple of snow days and don't have to try to go out in this in the cairn mobile.  I just have to go out and shovel and shovel...well you know the drill.

The funny thing about the wind, it piles the snow up 5' in places but scours it bare in others.  This is  the rest of the back yard at the Cottage:

At least I'm not trudging through 5' of snow to get to the coop.  I just have to walk to the back fence then come back up to the coop so I can shovel to get the enclosure open...then dig them out...when I'm done I get to shovel to get the enclosure closed back up.  Not to mention having to shovel a path for Little Black Brindle to use the loo.  Whew!  Quite the work out today!

Between shoveling, I've been enjoying my snow day at the Cottage.  A little sewing, a little knitting, a lot of blog hopping, some texts with family...

I certainly could use the finished version of this knitting project.  It will soon turn into Fear of Commitment Cowl found here.  I got tired of only knitting dish cloths and am pushing myself to try different projects.  The yarn is Lion Brand Hometown and is deliciously soft.  It should feel good against my neck next fall and winter.  Big size 13 needles and only 35 stitches per row should have this done in no time. 

Last but not least, I am very pleased to announce the soon completion of my muumuu!  I only need to hand stitch the yoke facing and the hem band (pinned for the picture).

Remember, this is the first piece of clothing I have sewn since Home Ec.  For my first attempt in decades, I am rather pleased.  It's too large and I will be making the next one a size (or two?) smaller.  It will be only for around the Cottage, so no matter.  I've been dreaming of sewing my own clothes for some time and feel this is a step in that direction.   

 

I know you won't be driving up the Lane to Prairie Cairn Cottage today (you'd get stuck in the snow silly) but I'm ever so glad you popped in to see us.  

Sew Close

The Mission's Dinner was Friday but alas, I was unable to complete my muumuu in time.  I am having a wee bit of trouble with the yoke.  I have either had to reposition it, cut it down or just flat out re-sew it 7 times now.  Ai yi yi!  I think I might finally have it fitted properly and pinned in the proper place.  I basted it and tried it on and it seems fine.  I even got it sewn in place but then horror or horrors, I had gotten it all bunched up under the presser foot and sewn together so out came the seam rippers once again.  That's when I gave up trying to complete it for the Dinner and went on to plan B for my Hawaiian Luau attire.

I've had the most difficult time just getting the yoke in the proper position.  My fabric looks the same on the wrong side and I think that has a lot to do with my confusion.  I'd get it pinned in place only to realize the shoulder seam would face the wrong way so I would pull out all the pins and re position it.  I even basted it down once only to realize I had positioned it on the wrong side of the dress.  Talk about frustrating!  But it's in the correct position now and basted down and tried on and everything looks right as rain so if I sew it very carefully in place, I might be able to move on to the next step. 

I had always planned on using this as a summer dress so even though I missed the Dinner, I still plan on completing it.  I'll post the finished masterpiece when it's ready.

I was also very pleased to remember as much as I did about sewing clothes.  My 7th grade Home Ec class was quite long ago but I had only forgotten a few items which I had to look up on the internet.  Just like with all new activities I think the more I sew the easier it will be to sew.

This was the dessert I made for the Dessert Auction.  Apart from being a bit lopsided in this picture, I was quite please with how it came out.  I found two of these cake stands at a local thrift and bought both.  I used one to take to the auction and am keeping the other.  My inspiration for this cake can be found here.

I did so enjoy your visit to Prairie Cairn Cottage today, I hope you come back soon.

Audrey     
 
  

Letting the Cat out of the Bag

 

Last night I walked past the dining table only to discover Mr. Tabby had crawled into one of my work tote bags.  With a picture like this I think I was obliged to label this post as I have.

What I want to let out of the bag however, is that I have been seriously bitten by the sewing bug!  It all began with the Christmas stockings I made for Mr. Tabby and Little Black Brindle.  Then I started a new bed quilt which got interrupted by the pillow cases I made My Ever So Handy Husband for Valentine's Day.  That was followed by a table runner and another quilt (a local Block of the Month).  I've shared with you the stockings and pillow cases which so far are the only completed projects and will post more about the other projects later on.

We are having a Missions Dinner at Church in a few weeks.  The theme this year is a Hawaiian Luau complete with a pig roast.  The participants are encouraged to wear Hawaiian shirts for men and muumuus for women.  You may be asking yourself what this has to do with this post?  Well, fear not!  The explanation is as follows:  Not owning a muumuu myself I was trying to decided what to do when that pesky sewing bug bit me again! 

Here is the fabric for the muumuu I plan on making for the church dinner and a picture of the dress.  Being the proverbial optimist, I just know this dress is going to go together in a snap.  And since warmer days are just around the corner (and I fell in love with the blue flower fabric) I thought I just might as well make two!  Mind you, I have not successfully sewn an article of clothing for myself since 1971 but I just know this is going to be a piece of cake!

 

 If that were not enough unfinished projects, I also signed up to make some baby blankets for a ministry at Church.  Wouldn't you know it, when I was at the fabric store I found these darling flannels.  I think this will make a good start to the number of blankets I volunteered to make.

So two dresses, three blankets, two quilts and a table runner.  Hmmm...looks like my trusty Elna will be getting a workout soon. 

I think sewing for oneself and for our cottages is the newest resurrected craft.  I certainly have seen a lot of blog posts about sewing projects of all kinds.  Are you starting to sew more for yourself?  I'd love to hear what kind of projects you've got on your sewing table.

Thanks for coming to visit us at Prairie Cairn Cottage.  I hope you come back and bring your sewing machine so you can sew with me.

Audrey

Happy 60th Sister!

My sister is celebrating her 60th birthday today.  She's the cute little girl 2nd from the left.  We were visiting my cousins in Utah in this picture.  I'm the geeky darling one in the plaid cropped pants, actually I think she is wearing cropped pants and mine are just too short.  

My big sister is a very talented woman and has a knack for interior decorating like you wouldn't believe.  She wound up with the lions share of the artistic talent and makes beautiful jewelry;  I'm the lucky recipient of several pieces.

Happy Birthday Sis!  I miss you and wish I could celebrate with you. 

The Dirt Itch

I am anxious to start gardening.  Judging by these pictures it looks like it will be awhile before that can be accomplished.  That is the garden as seen though the top of the garden gate, I don't believe I'll even be getting inside the garden for several months weeks.  The free-cycle patio set is anxiously waiting for snow melt so it can get a good sanding and painting and then finally it can enjoy it's first meal at the Cottage.  The lawn tractor is buried in snow but, alas, it will not be needed any time soon.

So what's a girl to do?  Start her seeds indoors that's what!  Later today I'll be setting up a table with some flats that I can start some cabbages and cauliflower in.  Then in a couple of weeks I'll be starting some broccoli and brussels sprouts.  Before I know it, I'll be able to get into that garden and plant some peas and greens.  Sigh, spring is just around the corner out here on the prairie, I just know it is even if all I see right now is white.