Power back on!

We got the power back on Wednesday afternoon and the cable and internet back on last night. Yay!

No power

We got the remnants of hurricane Ike yesterday, and we're without power. There's no estimate of when we'll get it back yet; it may be several days.

We only lost two good-sized branches from our big maple, but it's probably time for it to come down; I'm not sure it will stand much more of this kind of stuff.

We're fine, though. At least we've got power at work to recharge the cellphones and lanterns!

Why Kaylee was willing to sit on my lap

Sometimes, I have very sweet puppies

With only a tiny bit of encouragement, Kaylee snuggled with me on my recliner. This is why we don't kill her when she throws up at three in the morning. :)

Chicken ponderings

I've been wanting chickens for a while, but I was under the impression that they were near impossible to get permission to keep in Columbus, Ohio.

Turns out that's not true.

It's fairly easy to get a chicken permit in Columbus, though it's not particularly easy to find that out. Basically, the health code (not the city code) applies and doesn't make it too difficult to get one.

I was quiet this weekend since I was researching chickens, coops, and other chicken-y things. What I have discovered is this:

• I want to keep Buckeye hens (no roosters, no thank you!)
• I want 4-6 hens, which should get us at least a dozen eggs a week (giving us extras to keep the neighbors happy with)
• I want a coop/tractor that is cold-weather-proof and able to be moved about the yard by two people
• I want to get my pullets or chicks in the spring so we have all fall and early spring to build and prepare the yard

Does anyone out there keep urban chickens? If so, let me know how it works for you.

My resources:

• 2Silos (where we buy our eggs)
• mypetchicken.com
• backyardchickens.com
• urbanchickens.org
• Plus a bunch of books from the library
  

The girls' evening with Daddy

(I got a new computer with Vista, so I'm playing with some new toys...)

My fabric

I've designed a couple of fabrics to be printed by Spoonflower, and here's the one I had printed and sent to me as a swatch:

It's an 8-inch repeating tile, so you're not seeing it in all its glory here. From the left, you're seeing my design, the unwashed swatch, then the swatch after it's been washed. The red circles indicate where some of the color chipped off when I washed it.

Initially, I was really disappointed by that, but I contacted Spoonflower, and Stephen promptly replied and gave me a great resolution, so I'll be happily ordering my fabric in confidence.

I can't wait to show you what I make with my full order!

Best. Sign. Ever.

"Do not park here."

Labor day weekend canning

Remember when I said I was going to try to relax this weekend? Yeah, I didn't.

This is one of each of the ten (!!!) things I canned, plus one more that is in the freezer already. Starting from the top left...

1. Tomatillo salsa
2. Butterscotch peach jam
3. Stanley plum jam
4. Apricot jam
5. Apple plum jam
6. Melon orange preserves
7. Tomato basil pasta sauce
8. Roasted veggie pasta sauce
9. Pepper salsa
10. Leftover fruit chutney

Only two major issues: the apricot jam over set and the melon orange preserves under set. As these things go, not too bad. I think the apricot jam will be good cut up in homemade ice cream, and the melon orange preserves will make a tasty syrup.

I'm pretty much done with the canning now, though I've got a few more little things, and we'll see what we see at the next few farmers' markets.

Kaylee approves

We rearranged the living room (twice) this weekend, and Kaylee semi-approves of her couch's new location. She preferred it in front of the front window, but being able to be at eye level with the bird is OK, too.