We're at the end of Stay at Home Time. From the reports of the flu epidemic, perhaps everyone should observe Stay at Home Time. Bob and I have come through, so far, unscathed. This in spite of the fact that Bob has made several visits to the emergency room and doctor's office with my mother lately. Her health is deteriorating. He's been very careful in these germ infested places.
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| Late winter snowperson |
Our weather has been fluctuating between springlike warmth and snow.
The owls are nesting. Bob has heard Great Horned and Barred Owls calling when he walks Lunette before bed time. He really enjoys hearing them.
On another "wild animal" note, Lunette learned a hard lesson this week. (Hard on all of us, actually.) Last Sunday before dawn, she caught a full grown skunk inside our fence. She learned that skunks have a serious defense weapon! She caught it full force right in her face! She won the contest, but it was not a victory without regret.
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| After bath time |
Having to have a bath just made the whole thing worse. Although, she didn't put up a fuss about it. The smell is gone from her fur, but her mouth and breath are still all skunk. Don't breathe after she yawns! Thankfully we had two very warm days this week and were able to air out the house, and send her outside for all day airings. She was our fresh air-dale. We hope she'll leave the skunks alone in the future.
The bathroom project is moving along, albeit slowly.
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| Drilling through a beam in the cellar |
Bob's installing all of the pipes. I'm still cleaning up the woodwork.. One window and a couple of doorways left for me.
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| Laundry room pipe being moved from outside the wall to inside |
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| Drilling through main house beam |
We ordered our electric induction range today. We're replacing our propane range. This will remove us from one more fossil fuel connection. We still use oil for our back up heat and hot water, and gasoline for our autos and equipment. The induction cook top is much more efficient. Ninety percent of the energy heats the ingredients in the pot. For a conventional electric burner, fifty five percent heats the ingredients. The figure for natural gas is forty percent. So you can see that less energy is required, and remember, we produce our own electricity. The induction burners respond to temperature adjustments as quickly as a gas burner, and the oven is convection. This is not an inexpensive item. But, it is a much used tool in our household and is another step toward breaking our dependence on fossil fuels. It's investing in our values - or to put it another way, "putting our money where our mouth is".
Next month will bring the Vernal Equinox and the Farmer's New Year. I'll be starting some seeds downstairs and late winter pruning will begin. Our time of extended resting is drawing to a close, to be balanced with tending and preparing activities. Our diet will begin to shift from winter foods to spring foods. This is how we live with nature's rhythms.
Till next time,
Bob, Kathleen and Lunette
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