Havin' a heat wave

 Happy New Year’s Eve! Everybody ready for another trip around the sun?

We’re citizen scientists! The Environmental Defenders of McHenry County got a grant to provide educational programs to our community. As part of the grant, we got some air quality monitors. Because I am on the Board, I had the opportunity to try one out. This little device measures the air quality and sends it to a national database. I can access the results online.

Air Quality monitor (right) with power supply on top of the electricity meter

I’m sad to say our air quality is not that great. Right this minute, it sucks, and I wonder if it is because Terry has been driving the Gator around hauling the Christmas tree and branches that he has pruned or picked up after storms back to the fire ring.

As the previous sentence implies, we took the Christmas tree down yesterday. It always makes me sad. The cats are also pining (see what I did there?) for their missing play companion. Bingo in particular was fond of breaking off twigs and scooting them around all over the floor until they were at last lost under furniture or throw rugs. I’m sure we’ll be finding them for months.

Where's the tree? What will we do now?

We’ve been giving the cats access to my study as we have gained confidence that they won’t chew on wires. Banjo has laid claim to the top of the cat tree in there. What must it be like to have a spine as flexible as this?

Banjo's new favorite perch in the study

My, what a difference a week makes in the weather. When I did my last post, we had wind chills of -40°F. Yesterday, the temperature exceeded 50°F. As one of the meteorologists pointed out, this is a change of 90° in a week!

On Thursday, the snow finally melted from in front of the coop door. The girls went outside, but still weren’t enthusiastic about standing in the cold mud. It gave me the opportunity to change the wood chips in the coop, which had gotten very poopy from the hens being cooped up in there during the deep freeze.

The air isn't so bad, but the ground is still cold.

We gave the hens a pumpkin from Jane’s house that hadn’t frozen. That enticed them off of the windbreak. They knew what to do with it right away.

Pumpkin! Oh boy!

The Wyandotts are the only chickens who will brave the snow. Here’s a picture of Dottie doing a little foraging on her own. She knows how to avoid competition.

Whatever I find in this mud is ALL MINE!

Yesterday, most of the snow was gone. Happy day! The sun even came out for a bit in the afternoon. One Dominique still sat grumpily on the windbreak.

I'm not getting MY feet dirty.

The other hens scratched around in the mud, enjoying the lovely afternoon.

Scratch and peck

A possum also came out to eat sunflower seeds beneath the bird feeder. I’m not sure what was left after the juncos, house finches, and goldfinches were done with them, but he or she snuffled through the hulls for a long time.

Nom, nom!

That’s all for this year! I wonder what adventures I’ll have in 2023.