Saturday 28 January 2012

Winter fun and beauty

Another lovely winters morning.  Even though I am very tired of the snow, sometimes you just have to look on the bright side of things.  There's not much we can do about it, so why not just enjoy it a little.

I looked out my window at the yard and coop and seen this lovely sight.  My coop is the red building.  Rob thinks he can make it up onto the roof with his snow mobile.  "Bad idea!", I say.

I take a walk around the yard, to see how things are.  The snow has slid of the green house.

The old woodshed is still standing.  That's good.

The pig pen is still there.... somewhere.  Good thing we don't keep pigs over winter.  The bump is where their house is.

The chicken tractors are buried deep.  It will be months before I can put them to use.  

After that, we decide to go for a little trip around the neighbor hood and enjoy the snow before it turned to rain.

We spy a neighbor's cabin over the snow bank.

So we head on over to check and see what the river is doing.  Right now there is lots of ice and snow in the river and I think it is backing of from the canyon below us.  The levels are very high for this time of year.  I can only imagine when the school was on this side of the river, in the olden days, and people used to send their kids across the river by walking on top of the ice, on boards in between ice chunks and in a small boat with the Ferry man.  Talk about dangerous.  I climbed up to the top of the cable car tower, and the kids hopped on the Bravo snowmobile with Rob.

Time for a little horse play.

Look Mom!  I can fly!

What goes up, must come down!  She sure could fly!  I can't believe how far she went!

Madeleine pops up from under the snow!

Ready!

Aim!

Fire!

And then Rob hops back on the Bravo, and I on the Quad to pull the kids on the sled and we take a winter tour of Usk.

You can just barely make out the base of the mountain through the snow that was still falling.

We decide to take the little road up the hill.  The trees are heavily laden with snow, and you had to duck to go under them.  It was very pretty.

Madeleine and Rob come racing down the hill.

A neighbors empty barn.


Our Modes of transportation.

Yes, the snow banks are a getting a little high.

The Trappers Cabin.  Probably the oldest house in Usk.  Floated down the river in 1936, landed about there over the slough, and they put it on pillons.  In 2007 it floated again, but landed crooked when the waters receded.  And there it sits.

The slough is one of my favorite places.  It seems no matter the time of year, it is just beautiful there.  I can't help but love it.


Across from the slough.

A summer cabin, waiting for spring.

And last but not least, an old house, lonely and falling down it has seen better days.  Built in the 1920's

Finally, back home again.


Friday 27 January 2012

Rotten Ronnie the Rooster

Last fall, I wrote this poem about a little silkie rooster that I have.  I got Ronnie as a small little fluffy chick.  He was so cute that I decided to keep him when I was getting rid of roosters.  Little did I know what he had in store for us...

Rotten Ronnie the Rooster.

Once there was a rooster, cute and small.
He ruled the roost, he ruled them all.
He was small, and he was neat.
He was so fast upon his feet.

Feathers so silkie, soft and red.
He had a poof up on his head.
Eyes of brown, smart and bright.
He kept them peeled to start a fight.

He would strut and he would walk.
Quite the character, this little cock.
He was small, but he didn't know.
He would keep them all in tow!

All the roosters would run and flee.
When Rotten Ronnie, they did see!
The Fonze would run and he would hide.
In a small nest box, he would abide.

When Rotten Ronnie was about,
Even the hens would scream and shout!
Ronnie, Ronnie proud and cool.
Had the Mo-jo to make old men drool.

From hen to hen, he would run.
Getting some action was his fun!
Question of fertility was never in doubt,
When Rotten Ronnie was lurking about.

Turkey's, Dachshunds, he'd come on the fly.
Who would believe it from such a small guy?
All the big roosters, would quiver with fear.
From around the corner, Ronnie would appear.

Finally the day came, I could take it no more!
Rotten Ronnie had to go, a new home in store!
Maybe a new flock would make him behave.
Maybe the one chance his soul to save.

So warning and returns, I did arrange.
But I had high hopes his attitude would change.
But change it did not, I was saddened to hear.
Ronnie really is rotten!, the message did appear.

Ronnie wouldn't leave ANYTHING alone.
He had to come back to his old home.
In a diaper box, to home he did ride.
Where something that stinks, should abide.

Poor Rotten Ronnie, stuck in a pen.
Without any love or even a hen.
I think his intentions were to do alright.
But all that he did was look for a fight.

All that running has made him a waste.
Probably tough as a boot, he would taste.
And now I sit and ponder what to do?
Should I change Rotten Ronnie into stew?

Well, I have to tell you, we still have Rotten Ronnie, all these months later.  Here's what happened.

Rotten Ronnie to a holding pen he did go
With the eating roosters, on death row.
But Ronnie Ronnie, bad and mean,
Made those roosters cower and scream.

That could not be, it would not work.
Why, oh why, was he such a jerk?
So out we let him to free range.
But his time away had brought a change.

Into the yard a new rooster had come to stay.
Boris the Ameraucana, to save the day!
Ronnie was tough and he was bad.
But Boris was tougher and he was mad!

And so with jumping and kicking they did fight.
Ronnie and Boris dueled until the night.
And when dawn broke, the winner was clear.
Rotten Ronnie hid, and quivered in fear.

Ronnie, Ronnie, small and meek.
Hid by the tree for over a week.
Oh so lonely, with his head hung low.
Poor old Ronnie didn't know where to go.

And so to people for company he turned.
An important lesson had been learned.
Rejected and alone with his head hung low.
Our heart string tugged for the poor fellow.

Keep him we would, if he would only behave.
A second chance to give him, his soul to save.
And now Ronnie resides with roosters galore.
In the bachelor pad he lives until it's spring once more.

And so you have it.  The story of Rotten Ronnie.  His attitude is completely different these days.  He's a meek and mellow little fellow.  When I go in the Bachelor pad he comes and stands by my feet for a pet, and right beside his is The Fonze.  They get along fine now.  Funny how it all turned out, and we almost ate Rotten Ronnie.

Here's Ronnie, all tall and proud even though he was molting and his tail was pretty much gone.

Here he is after Boris put him in his place.  He hung out by himself over by this tree for weeks.  Poor little fellow.  We felt so sorry for him.

Here's Boris the Rooster.  The new king of the yard.

Here I am with Ronnie, and The Fonze.  Ronnie's looking cute here with his tail.  






We Ordered Our Broilers and Turkeys!

Have you ever done something that gets you excited, nervous and worried all at the same time?  Well I did yesterday.

Yesterday, I placed my order with Rochester Hatchery for my meat birds, turkeys as well as a few Rhode Island layers.  Yes, on March 16th we will be having 60 broilers, 25 turkeys and 10 Rhode Island Reds arriving in all of their cute fuzzy buttness.  That's 95 of the little peepers.

This brings me to the question, What the heck am I going to do with that many chicks?  Never have I had so many at once!

Here's the thing.  Right now, we have about 4 feet of snow out there burying all the chicken tractors, and my Chicken House is really quite small.  I'm thinking in March we will still have snow.  Probably lots of it, and It will probably be around until at least April. At this point who knows, it could be late April (Pray to God it doesn't flood.)

So this leaves my basement in my house for an area to brood some chicks.  Now, I've done this before many times.  But never in such a large number.  Normally the chicks go into a kiddie pool with cardboard sides so they can't jump out, shavings, food, water, and a heat light.  

The plan is ordering this many that we are going to be raising 20 meat birds and 12 turkeys for my Sister and Brother in Law who are lucky enough to have solar power.  Since they can't run a heat light off of soloar power, we will raise their meaties and turkeys past the heat light stage, and then send them on there way to Deb and Al's to live out the rest of their little lives.

Rob and I are also going to try doing up some Cornish Game Hens for the first time ever.  Did you know that those little Cornish Game Hens that you buy all nicely packaged up in the grocery store are actually young Broiler hens butchered at the ripe old age of 5 weeks?   Yes, they are basically baby meat birds.

So at the same time as Deb and Al get their birds we will be putting 20 cornish game hens into the freezer.  So that will be 52 peepers gone about the same time. (About 5 weeks of age.)

So here's what I was thinking,
March 16th, (2 days old) Peepers arrive
April 20th, (5 weeks old) Deb & Al get their's, and we butcher Cornish Game Hens.
June 8th, (12 weeks old) Butcher the rest of the Broilers.
The Turkeys we will probably keep until Fall.

It's the question of what to do with that many birds for the first 5 weeks of their lives, since we will still have snow at that time.  lol  I suppose things will work out.  Things always have a way of doing that, but still I'm worried about it.  I think perhaps I am a little crazy for taking on so much.  (These fuzzy butts don't include the ones that I want to hatch out myself, like my cochins, polish, silkies, wyandottes, and such).

Last year, we ordered meat birds for the first time.  I have to tell you, that it wasn't as bad as I thought.  I've heard so many bad stories of meat birds and turkeys with lots of problems.  I don't know if we got a way lucky, but out of the 25 meat birds, only one died.  It just never thrived, and when it was about 8 weeks old I went in one morning and there it was dead.  So really we did quite well.

We got our chicks in May, and I brooded them in the house for a few weeks them moved them into my brooder out in the chicken house, as when you have quite a few chicks they can be smelly.  (I find turkeys really smelly).  When they were old enough they went into the 8 X 8 room in my chicken house.  Both Meaties and Turkeys in the same room.  Once they were old enough, I started letting them out in to the run, and then eventually, they had free range out in the yard.

I love free ranging them, where they could be real chickens, and find bugs, grass and stuff to eat.  Being Meat Birds and quite lazy, they didn't really go far from their coop.  Except the Turkeys.  The turkeys went all over the yard.  

We butchered some of our Meaties at around 9ish weeks old, some at 12ish weeks old and kept 2 until they were the very old age of 5 months old.  One of the 5 months old started laying eggs, and when I cleaned them you could see the other one wasn't that far behind.  

If you can do it.  I would recommend raising your own meat birds.  Not only is the chicken wonderful tasting.  They have much better lives then being raised in the commercial industry.  This is a big part of why we do it.  Also is knowing where your food comes from and what went into it.

Here's Madeleine with one of our 5 month old Meatie Hens.  She weighed over 11 pounds live weigh, and thought she was a regular chicken, even allowing roosters to mate with her.

And here are a few of our Tom Turkeys.


Wednesday 25 January 2012

Sea Sponge Candy


 I haven't had this candy since I was a kid and it was a special treat.  It would come in this block, all wrapped in clear plastic.  And you would eat it until your tongue hurt and your teeth ached.  And still it would be so good that you just had to keep eating it.  But as the years went by and I didn't see it forever, I just forgot about it.

Anyways, I was making peanut brittle for my husband, and sampled a little bit, and it totally reminded me of the sponge candy, and so I had to find a recipe.  This one sounded the best from all the ones I looked at, and so I gave it a try.  Delicious!

Sea Sponge Candy

2 1/2   Cups Sugar
2/3      Cups Light Corn Syrup
6 Tbsp Water
2 Tsp   Vanilla
2 Tbsp Baking Soda


In a large pot put Sugar, Corn Syrup, Water and Vanilla.  Heat on medium/high heat (do not stir) until candy thermometer reaches 300* (hard crack stage).  It will turn a light brown color.  (I don't know if I messed it up, but I did stir it before I turned on the heat... I couldn't resist).

Remove from heat and immediately stir in baking soda.  Mix quickly (like around 5ish seconds), and pour into parchment paper lined greased pan.  Leave it to set and get hard, then pry it out of the pan, and break it into chunks.  This can be messy, but I do it on a huge cookie sheet to catch most of the crumbs.

Store in an air tight container.  I use quart jars.  If you leave it out and air gets at it, any moisture in the air will make the candy shrink and get harder.

****  Make sure you use a very large pot, because when you add the baking soda it will foam up like crazy.  Also, pre-measure the baking soda so you have it on hand ready to go.  I also sifted my soda because the first time I made it, it had lumps and every once in a while when you were eating it you would get a lump of baking soda.  

****You are supposed to use one of those round cheese cake pans that the sides comes off of but I don't have one, so I used a rectangle cake Pan, but I greased the sides really well  (I used butter.) and made sure I had the bottom lined with the parchment paper.  

~~~~~  Now, if you want to get fancy, you can dip chunks into melted chocolate, and then you will be doomed to eat it all for sure.  The result is this delicious Crunchy Chocolate bar that crunches, and then somehow melts in your mouth and leaves you reaching for more.  It is seriously maybe even better then those store bought crunchy bars.~~~~~~

Anyways there you have it.  And it's seriously good, and not even hard to make.  Surprisingly easy in fact.  And sooo so good.  Everyone who tried a piece said it was just like when they were a kid.

I have a picture, but it's on another camera card that I left somewhere else, so I will post the picture later.  

Enjoy!


And here is the Chocolate dipped goodies.  Just try and resist these!

All jarred up!  Good to give out to friends or to hide in the pantry for a sweet craving.



Tuesday 24 January 2012

A Snow Day!

So yesterday and today have been a couple of very snowy days.  The angels are having a little more then a pillow fight (I would say it was all out war) or God has a very bad case of dandruff and needs a good shampoo with good ol' Head and Shoulders.  

Yesterday the snow started coming down, and by this morning there was a generous helping of that fluffy white stuff.  It's one of those things where you look out and say, "Oh, No!"  but at the same time it is really quite exciting.  

So I got the kids moving and ready for school.  After all, we're Terrace, and "What's a little snow?"  My husband left before us on his snowmobile to pack us a trail.  The kids got there snow stuff on and while it's still pretty dark, we headed out the door and across the field to the cable car.

And up the stairs we go.  On our side of the river there are 5 flights of stairs.

We all pile into the Cable Car and start across the river.  The river right now is choked with ice and snow.  It's a pretty sight to look back at North Usk through the softly falling snow.  When my kids are older they will realize what a special thing it is.  Right now it is just part of every day life for them.

Then we look forward towards the South side of the river.  This side only as 3 flights of stairs because the ground is higher here.  

The parking lot is all covered in snow.  Looking across the river you can see the light from the other side.  The Ride across the river takes roughly 6 minutes or so.  

We make it to the bus stop with time to spare.  This is usually a fun time for the kids, waiting for the bus.  They love climbing the snow banks this time of year.  The banks are quite high compared to the bus stop shelter.

"Hey, Mom!  Can we knock the snow off the branch on this tree?!"

"Sure!  Why not?  Go ahead!"

And then the snow REALLY comes down!  

We waited for the bus for quite a while, but then decided that perhaps it wasn't coming after all because of all the snow.  So, our friend at the bus stop kindly invited us to all go and have hot chocolate and a quick visit to her house.  Of course, my kids thought this was a swell idea.

Afterwards we returned home, and I spent a bunch of time shoveling.  You would think that is would be totally unpleasant.  But really, it was enjoyable.  It was so quiet and peaceful shoveling and in the distance you could hear the odd avalanche softly rumbling.  If only the clouds were high enough to be able to see them coming down...

Our Chicken house is slowly disappearing from the snow sliding off the roof and falling from the sky's.  My Mini Chicken coop is pretty much buried and needed to be shoveled off and the trailer is just a few boards sticking out of the snow.  I figure we have over 4 ft of snow now, and it makes it difficult if you need to go anywhere off a trail.  When I shoveled off the Mini Coop, I got a great idea of how to reach it's roof.  I stood on my kids sliegh on top of the snow.  It worked perfect.  Soooo, if you are in deep snow and need to reach something high, just stand on a sleigh.

I thought this was kind of funny, so you can compare how much snow we have to get an idea.

I stuck my Rooster on a fence post January 10th.

And here he is today.  I swear there's a pole under him! He was definitely not impressed with me dragging him out in the snow.  

After awhile the rain started coming down, so I finished up shoveling, and called it a day outside.  

Makes me wonder just how much snow we will end up with before the winter is over.  Really, it's only January, so we've a way to go yet.

Friday 20 January 2012

Two Chicks Go For a Snow Shoeing Adventure

Last week my neighbor and I thought we would go on a little snowshoe adventure to check out an abandoned chicken house that is along the river.  

It had snowed over night and the tree's were powdered in white and the snow was softly falling down.  

We passed a neighbors barn and had to stop and dream of the animals that we could fill it with, since neither of us has a barn, and can only dream at this time.

Then off we go, down the train tracks.

Leaving our tracks behind us and we continue along.

It was a real winter wonderland out there.  

It was so, so beautiful out there.  How could you not love a winters day surrounded by such splendor?

Pretty soon we were past the point where we should have turned off to go and check out the abandoned chickens house.  But it was so beautiful, that we thought, why not keep on going?  How far is the train tunnel, and canyon anyways?

Along the way there are some rock bluffs that the train tracks go through.  Small ferns dusted with snow and icicles adorned them.

We stopped here for a few seconds.

A pretty little waterfall in the snow.

I hear a train a comin'

It's rollin' 'round the bend...

And I ain't seen the sunshine...

Since I don't know when...

Peaking through the trees at the river.

There was a great big circle of ice and snow that was slowly swirling in the current of the river.  It was mesmerizing to watch it turn.

The water measuring station out in Usk.  So when you check to see what the water levels are doing in the Skeena River at Usk, this is were it is all coming from.


And then off we go on our trusty snow shoes again.

We come to the bottom of the Avalanche Slide.  By the end of winter there will be a big pile of snow here.  There are both natural avalanches and avalanches by controlled explosives knocking the snow off the mountain.

We come around a corner

The moss, plants and ferns were hanging with ice

This rock-ice wall was amazing! It had huge icicles hanging down.  It was lots of fun balancing the camera on a rock, setting the camera time and trying to run for the picture before the timer went.

Now there's determination at work to satisfy curiosity.  Up on a ledge, just out of reach was something metal showing.  If only she were a little taller!

Through the snow and a break in the tree's we catch a glimpse of  Ringbolt Island.  It's a very old area rich with history.  Ringbolt Island has 5 known petroglyphs on it.  One day I would like to be able to get across to the island and look for them.  Also along the banks there are big steel rings that had cables through them.  When the riverboats used to go up and down the river the currant was very strong and trecherous, and they would haul the boats through the canyon using these cables.  In 1907 the sternwheeler Mount Royal sunk in they canyon, and 6 lives were lost.

This is the historical site of The Village of Gitlaxdzawk.  I've read that there are 3 meanings given to the name,Gitlaxdzawk.  One being "People of the place where they steal canoe bottom boards", another as " People of the ravine" and yet another as "Fortress".  The village was thought to once have 300 people in it.  The People of Gitlaxdzawk along with the Gitsaex (across the river) operated a tole system in the kitselas canyon.  People from up river and the coast had to pay a tole to them to get through the canyon to trade.  People who refused to pay, had large boulders thrown down on their canoes (hence the name meaning "People of the place where they steal canoe bottom boards") Very interesting I think.  When the willow people (white settlers) came to the area, it contributed to the decline of the village because of the death told from small pox, they couldn't control the toll for the canyon as well as competition for natural resources.  The village was abandoned between 1866 and 1879.  

At last the train tunnel is in sight!  Yay!  We made it!

The train tunnel was completed in 1913.  By now the snow was really coming down.



Time for one last picture before we went home.  We climbed up on a ridge by the tunnel that over looks the river and Kitselas Canyon.  It is a beautiful sight to behold.  From up there you cold see the canyon, and Ringbolt Island.  There is archaeological evidence that the area has been inhabited for 5000 years.   

As I walk I like to contemplate the history of the area.  To think of the people who lived there, laughed, cried, fought, loved were born and died.  The day to day lives of people who lived here and feet walked the path so many years ago.