Another cold one

 It was another bitter cold day. The temperature did not get above 19°. I did venture out today though, I needed to go to Sager Creek Quilt shop and drop off the 30s blocks.  I haven't been there in a while so I visited for a few and then came back home. Someone has to keep the fire going. 

 Wasn't able to get any sewing done but I did prep the next month 30's blocks to start on. I also last night traced what I needed to start my sisters quilt. There are 20  blocks that have appliquéd flowers on them. 

I won't be able to hand appliqué due to the carpal tunnel so I'll need to do them on the machine this time. 

 It will still look very nice when done. I will use 30s reproduction fabric for the flowers and the half square triangles. And the background will be done in Kona snow.

This morning when I went out to the henhouse to open up their small door so they can go outside and get water and stretch their legs, one of the old hens did not make it through the night. I had six old hens, ages approximately five years and then I have 14 new hens. I knew she wasn't doing well by the color of her comb but there really wasn't much I can do for old age. 
I do you want to pass on a few tips that I had read on My Pet Chicken blog.  I will give a link here so you can read her suggestions in detail but here is a list of her 8 suggestions or things you need to not do in cold weather for your chickens.  A lot of us think that we need to do these things and in reality it seems we don't need to. 

1. Don’t keep your chickens closed up in their coop when it’s cold.

2. Don’t tightly insulate your coop.

3. Don’t heat your coop.

4. Don’t forget to gather eggs more often than usual.

5. Don’t let your water freeze.

6. Don’t put off coop cleaning.

7. Don’t let your birds get too bored.

8. Don’t forget to protect their combs.

 For dinner tonight being Friday fish day we are having Fish Chowder also went ahead and made a loaf of homemade sourdough bread  

 Here is the recipe for fish chowder 

 1 tablespoon oil
 2 small carrots, peeled and cut crosswise into quarter inch thick
 2 potatoes scrubbed and chopped
 1/2 of a small yellow onion finely chopped
 1 slice thick cut bacon coarsely chopped
 1 bay leaf

 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
 1 tablespoon unbleached all purpose flour
 1/2 a cup chicken stock
 1 cup whole milk
 1 pound cod fillets skinned and cut into strips

 In a large sauce pan, heat the oil over medium high heat until shimmering. Cook bacon some and add the carrots, potatoes, onion, bay leaf and thyme and cook, stirring, until the bacon is crispy and the potatoes have softened, 5 to 7 minutes 

 Sprinkle with the flour and continue to stir until the ingredients  are well coated. Add the stock and milk all at once and cook until the broth has thicken, 5 to 7 minutes. 

 Add the fish and continue to cook, stirring it into the fish is opaque  and starting to flake, about five minutes. Discard the bay leaf 

 This is a very good recipe. I know it said whole milk and I'm sensitive to dairy products and I could try with coconut milk but I didn't have any on hand so I went ahead and made the recipe as written and I'll do OK if I don't eat too much of it.