Highlights of Monday

Even though it was cold and windy here today, reading this from a local weather station, I have had something to look forward to while I shivered.


"Our shortest day, December 20, we only had 9 hours and 55 minutes of daylight, with a sunrise at 647 am and a sunset at 442 pm.  Today, we are still only getting 10 hours and 35 minutes of daylight, with a sunset at 518 pm.  But, if you notice from the chart, the length of day is a wave, known in math as a sine wave, due to the earth's revolution around the sun.  We are gaining daylight at a rate of almost 2 minutes per day now, and that will accelerate more until we get to March 20, the spring equinox, when we'll have about 12 hours of daylight.  After that, the days will continue to get longer, just at a slower rate.  Eventually, by June and July, we'll have more than 14 hours of daylight, with sunsets at 800 pm! "
Dr. Tim Coleman


Yay for sunlight! We will be in the mid 60s by the weekend.


No eggs on Monday. But, the hens hung around the back door all day, begging for food every time I came in or out of the house. They came up on the railing by the back door and begged. Some days I rarely see them on the side of the house. They wanted oatmeal. The mirror remains a toy for them. Maggie May was pecking her beak while Patsy Cline just watched.


Not the dream, just the inspiration--I woke up Monday morning after dreaming a funny and strange dream inspired by Maggie May and her suitemates on Sunday. When I went out and headed to their pen, all three were behind a 21" ladder leaned against the house. For some reason they had scratched a bare spot just behind the end of the ladder. I laughed, thanking them for clearing the plants and loosening the soil so I could plant there. I thought how terrible I was to take their work from them. After purchasing a bag of 80 yellow onions to plant, I decided to just plant them here and there in the yard and pots.


The dream--So, seeing the hens clearing the "land" for me caused me to dream that I made tiny little gardens. These little gardens in my dream were only about a foot square. I tended them on my knees. Now, you know that is impossible. I had little gardens all over the yard. The plants I tended were about an inch tall and an inch apart. In the dream I had carved the gardens out of spots the hens cleared for me. People commented on my strange gardens and wanted to know what was planted. I didn't know. But, I worked in them diligently all night long. The plants rows were in a "U" shape with one plant in the middle. The shape made no sense.


This morning we went to Sonic at 11 am for half price foot long hotdog which was breakfast for me. My footlong had just a bit of cheese on the ends. I called and told the order takers. Once before when half the hotdog had no cheese on one half, the carhop brought me more cheese. Today, I got a new order. That was embarrassing. I took it home, became hungry and ate it bout 3pm. That was too much chili for me. For dinner, I made Taco Casserole. On Tuesday, I will post that recipe.


Exbf put together the water heater for the hens, just a lamp inside a popcorn tin with a metal "bucket" turn over it with metal waterer on top. That all sits on a 16" concrete square. It will keep the water from freezing. Plus, the water will not be frigid. Warm water is good for them on freezing days.


I washed my hair in the bathroom sink in cold water from gallon jugs. And, I screamed repeatedly when the cold water was poured over my head. I wonder what the neighbors thought exbf was doing to me.


Your turn


Did anyone get a Sonic foot long hotdog today? Do you ever garden in your dreams?