Rural Renewal

The day after our chicks arrived we had a wind storm that knocked our power out.  We don't have a generator, or another resource for power.  They need to be kept between 90-95 degrees for the first week.  Each week the temp goes down 5 degrees.  They had been shipped the day before, which is tremendously stressful on their little bodies.  So how do we keep them warm? 

The "heater" after the lights went back on.

In the "old" days...they would put them near the fire.  Not an option here.  Turn on the car, crank the heat and leave it running.  A waste of gas, and resources.  Bring them to a friend who has power...that was an option.  What I did was start the kettle on the gas stove and boil water.  I filled a small hot water bottle, and a lidded casserole that Bob and I had made in ceramics.  They immediately huddled next to the casserole which I refilled every hour until our power went back on.  Farmer Suz rises again.

The other thing that happened was a real eye opener. No internet, no power in the shop, no lights.  So I took the entire NYT Sunday paper and read it by the window.  Streams of visual images came to my brain.  I began to sketch in my sketchbook, as I do every morning during my quiet time.  I felt a calm come over me that lit a light bulb in my consciousness.  So I have decided to not turn my computer on one day a week.  Sundays probably, as I have the Sunday paper delivered. 

Seeds started in Jiffy Pots...new to me.

So let's hear it for "Rural Renewal" instead of "Urban Renewal".   I think our culture is out of balance, and it would do this Homosapian good to unplug from time to time.  Gardening, the chickens, and eating my own grown food was a start.  I loved the satisfying feeling of reading by the light of the window. 

Thanks for reading.  Each day is a gift, open now.

xo,

Suz