This is what happens when you survive the Polar Vortex. Your comb is burnt off, your wattle disappears, you lose the nails from your toes and sometimes the toes themselves. You are no longer pretty because maybe your tail feathers never grew back. But you never give up. Because you are chook and giving up is not in a chook’s vocabulary, in fact there is very little in a chooks vocabulary. “Food” maybe. “Scratch. Scratch” Certainly not “Give Up”.
And now my poor old Combless Chooks are going to have to endure another Polar Vortex in November. However we did it once so we can just jolly well pull up our wooly socks and do it again. We have three more reasonable days to get ready. So we will be busy.
The kunekune are ready though. They are like seals with their thick layer of lard. And of course they have their Bat Cave.
I know I fixate on the cold but I worry. I worry about my animals and birds in the cold.
Marmalade does not worry about the cold. She has scored an inside berth.
Boo Nanny is wondering whether that little one on the end might be his kitten. But Marmalade says no. They are too little yet Boo Nanny. But I looked after you when you were that small, he says. I know, says Marmalade, but it is still No. Not until they are bigger.
I have shifted Marmalade and her six kittens into the Snug, which is the little room beside the lounge. Marmalade is much happier with this arrangement and spent much more time with her kittens yesterday. Previous to that she had been pacing and searching and moving things around the house. I think Her nursery bed had got too small. I am happy to have them out of my wardrobe!
So BooBoo was sent back outside to play.
I hope you all have a lovely day.
Your friend on the farmy,
celi
PS. For the US readers I have just launched Sheila’s T Shirt Feed for the Winter campaign. I chose Teespring because they do all the printing packaging and sending of these very simple T shirts. So it is very hands OFF for me which I am sure you approve of. But we have to sell 50 which makes them a little cheaper) before the printing of the T Shirts begin. They take 10 days to print and send so if you want to reserve one or two for Christmas presents- go here. It is very experimental, if we do not sell 50 then they will not be printed, no-one will be charged and no-one loses any money including me. No risk.
This is exciting! Now back to my calenders.
http://teespring.com/mybigfatpig
Later: 2.38 pm I have been corrected, Teespring will ship to international addresses! WONDERFUL.
The Kitchen's Garden 
46 responses to “Survivors”
YAY, Sheila t-shirts. I had trouble with the link also, but just typed teespring.com and it came right up and then added a /mybigfatpig Hardy little chooks are they. I like the windbreaker in front of the bat cave. Those little pigs are so cute. Good luck with your hunkering down chores.
Honestly Kim you should be my PA, you make everything so simple!.. c
Keep Warm and Carry On!
Aaah, lovely Boo………….I have a heeler who is also an eye-er………..making sure I’ve seen her ball, such concentration and single mindedness, Give him a nose kiss for me please.
For OS readers, the Teespring FAQs detail shipping costs including internationally. It’s a great idea, a Sheila t-shirt and crowd funded t-shirts in general 🙂
Oh well done ella D.. that is excellent news.. thank you.. c
Dare I even mention to you that we are expecting up to a foot of snow here in Minnesota tomorrow and temps well below normal for the next week? At least I do not have farm animals to worry about…
NO! You oor thing, that is an unreasonable amount of snow.. c
So sorry for you, MPR but not as sorry as I’ll be for me if it tracks further south and dumps on us hear in east central Wi.!
Oops, us HERE not hear.
Nanny Boo seems more than ready and waiting . . . cannot wait to see the photos of him beginning his ‘duties’ . . . And yes, had a long gander at your weather situation last night, trying to make sense of how it works on the Prairies and the Lake Country and am very glad to be in the sunny Southern Highlands with all week of sun, barely any wind and even temps of 24-28 C! All the best for coping! Well, what’s the choice!!!!!
sounds lovely over there, you are having a beautiful spring.. good.. c
I am grateful the old dog doesn’t have to face another cold winter even though he always was so well tucked in and had elegant coats. When my horse got into her late 20’s I really hated the sub zero temps. My brother shared that his chickens in northern Vermont froze their waddles off , no pun intended !!!!!
I feel the same about our poor old boy. Though we miss him.. c
Oh those poor chooks. I do feel for them, seeing what the polar blasts did to their fine feather and combs. I guess every year you learn more about how to prepare. Marmalade at least is all snuggled up and ready for it.
I’m so sorry you’re getting that dreadful cold again, Celi. The farmy doesn’t deserve another miserable winter. I’m glad, though, that no one is expecting this time around.
Here’s hoping those different heating pads help in the chook house this winter.
Ordered my Pig shirt, though like everyone else, had to tinker with the link.
Just ordered two t-shirts, you’re almost to your goal! 🙂