Thursday

Still out straight. We didn't get that snow AT ALL. We didn't find out it was missing us until the evening news. The weatherman was a little shook up. Willow even said it sounded like he was crying. Well, now he is explaining our unusual weather pattern and not attributing it to El Nino. Apparently we have a low stalled out over Maritime Canada and a High above it near Greenland, forcing all the storms to our south, bring in warmer air from the Atlantic; circling down over the Northwest, which is usually Arctic air from that direction this time of year.

So here we sit nice and warm and spring-like in the middle of February. Everyone else is getting clobbered.

The Firebird and I had a touch of food poisoning. Bad sausage. Willow had the good sense not to eat it, and I honked down eight of the little devils and the Firebird had three or four. I had just bought it that day from Hannaford. I woke up in the wee hours Wednesday thinking too much rich food...and got violently ill. No snow day to call off work, so I staggered into the farm for another hell-bent-for- leather day with young R. By 9 am my legs were shaking and I was seeing spots.

I toughed it out and stumbled home at 11 to the phone ringing. Company coming in an hour. The house was a wreck! Willow was down on the couch fighting off a cold, the Firebird and I were shaking, sausage sick. We scrambled ourselves into action and put the house in order and had a delightful visit and cruised through our own afternoon chores. I cooked supper and promptly fell asleep on the couch.

Still dragging today, I rushed back into the house before leaving for the farm this morning for my cell phone... just as it started ringing. P was calling to say R called in and she would be in at some point to cover. Oh joy.

That left me the cats, dogs, pig, and chasing the stupid chickens. The pig was so bad she got into the grain room and started scarfing the dog food before I could shove her dish in her face and get her out of there.

Then I grained the wethers and had half the main barn grained before P made an appearance...Phew. Still, we made it through, although poor P took a bad fall on the ice in the driveway lugging the water to the hill. We've all been busting tail this week, literally.

Home again, then off to take the kids to see Percy Jackson and the Olympians, the Lightning Thief (see review on my other blog). Home late, more chores here...Thank goodness we are all full on movie theater crummy popcorn and I can do a late light supper.

Two more farm mornings before I catch a break on Sunday-and then it will be another catch up day here...but summer's coming!!!!