Randomness From Around the House and Farm

         I have been hoping for some French Angora rabbits that I can spin yarn from. No, I don't have them yet, but I have a rabbit hutch, which is one step in the right direction! My mom has been building this; it is her latest project, and I have been helping her some, though not as much as I should. Here are some pictures:

        As you can see, it is a two story coop, with the lower portion being slightly taller than the upper. It is made of redwood, and a pine frame that is stained a lovely Wedgwood blue color. Although the newer redwood is a brighter color than that which is old and seasoned, it will soon all fade to the same color. Each level has an enclosed and an indoor portion, with a doorway between the two. The door frames are also stained blue, although you cannot really see it in the pictures. The un-enclosed room will soon have straw on the floor, which is slatted to let the droppings fall to the compost bins below. Apparently, rabbit droppings are excellent for compost systems (yup, I knew that you were just dying to know about our rabbit toilet system). Now all we need are some rabbits, some really fluffy ones that will make me fiber for yarn! I can't wait!

        Anyone who knows anything about me ought to know that I LOVE cranberry sauce. (And pie/pi, but that is beside the point). The unfortunate thing is, the stores around us only carry fresh cranberries between October and November; the months, I suppose, when normal people want their cranberry sauce. But I'm not normal. Not by a long shot (like this one):

        I'm sorry. He just pops up everywhere! So anyway, cranberry sauce. During those months, I make cranberry sauce like crazy. Like every week. About a month ago, I made a whole gallon of it at a time! My dad had been planning to make some cranberry bread, but he didn't get around to it and I wasn't going to let a bag and a half of perfectly good berries go bad, so I stole rescued them. Who wouldn't? It wasn't a very big batch, but still tasty, and most likely the last of the year. It was three cups of water, the same of cranberries, and three quarters of a cup of maple syrup. This is what it looked like when it was cooking and boiling down:

        So tasty! Now for the randomness that I warned you about in the title. Just a few pictures from around that I wanted to share with you. The sky one beautiful evening:

         Some Hooded Merganser ducks that visit our creek every winter:

        My new Hobbit stuff: a bookmark, a journal, and a year-in-a-box calendar (where you tear off a page each day). The calendar has some really cool - and cute - pictures in it!

        A picture of my cat on a cold day lying on the dehydrator. She goes and sits up there because the top stays warm when it is on.

        And one last picture; a few of my old books all lined up on my desk:

        So that is my random life lately. Anything interesting going on with you?

Blessings,

Reyna