Good morning, Susan.

I hear the snowblower chugging by the front windows as my True Love does the heavy snow clearing. Meanwhile the smell of oranges and that of lemon-honey tea signals a rare cold blooming in me. My currently favorite mountain dulcimer is on my lap and I hear the bird clock in the kitchen blending with dulcimer chords and outside chickadees.

As soon as I can breathe I'll shovel a path to the chicken house where I will stomp out the rubber bowls of frozen drinking water (crack, crash), replacing it with warm, fresh drinking water. I'll add a sprinkle of electrolytes and a drop of glycerin to the water- an experiment, meant to delay freezing.

Today they also get warm oats mixed with cod liver oil (can you smell it from there?) and shaved suet to supplement their usual fare of egg layer pellets, sunflower seeds,and a scattering of cracked corn. I'll talk to them, calling each by name, and they will answer, so their sounds will be added to the music of the morning.

Enjoy the new day, everyone,

maeve