For those of you who don't know, I'm currently in Northeast Ohio for ThanksChristmasGiving, and it is snowing. It is snowing a lot. About the same level as in this book on the night that Nancy Carmichael is kidnapped from a beauty contest by a feminist group, or is she? The premise of this book is enough to make me want to talk about the weather and the convoluted plot is twisted in ways that make me want to leave Ted Wood stripped and running naked in the snow, just as he did one of his characters.
So as of the 13th I have been snowed in. I am currently house sitting for a couple of friends with dogs and cats and chickens. Those last two require some going outside, with the chickens being the most intensive outdoor caretaking activity. At some point I will have to make myself shovel the driveway, but since I'm not driving in this weather there doesn't seem to be a point. Let's just say I'm not looking forward to that and I hope, hope, hope that we get a couple of warm days before my friends get back.
I have to say, I really kind of like taking care of the chickens. I get a somewhat perverse pleasure from collecting their eggs. Something along the lines of, "Hah! I have to get out of bed at 7am, but I also get to eat your babies! Mwahahaha!" This becomes less pleasant when I have to go out twice a day, once early in the morning to let them out of the hen house, feed them scratch (seeds and such), and give them fresh water, which comes in a 2 gallon canister. The canister is actually one of the more annoying aspects of taking care of the chickens, especially in winter. It comes in two parts: the bottom part where the water flows out, and the top part, which keeps the water covered and hopefully free of chicken poop, dirt, whatever. They still manage to poop in the water (and I've even found feathers inside of the canister, explain that one).
It is a bit of a trick getting the water out without spilling it all over the place, and most likely on myself. I've found that filling the top part and holding it upside down in a football hold works best until I get it where it needs to go. Then I flip it around with little to no water splashed over my already snow covered pants. That's just taking the water out to the chickens. At night, I go out to put the chickens up for the night, check for eggs (only 1, jerks), give them their shell makin' food, and bring in the water. Oh, and I check the mail.
On the 13th, it was so flipping cold that the water in the canister froze after I had unplugged the heater it was on and set it in the snow to close the coop door! I'm sure the metal of the canister facilitated in the cooling process, especially since I set it in the snow, but this was less than two minutes. Needless to say I am staying inside as much as possible, and my someday-to-be mother-in-law had to pick up my fiance because the roads were just awful and I have a bitty Kia Rio. On the one hand I feel guilty about making her come out, but on the other hand, I'm not dead by the side of the road (note: neither is she). I am thankful that I don't have to be anywhere in this weather; to those of you who do, please be careful. To those of you who don't have this kind of weather and have never experienced it, I have a snow ball or two with your name on it. It's yellow and about the size of a Volvo.
*Note, this is the cover for the 1995 version, rather than the 1984 copy I was reading.
My angry, but accurate review can be found on Goodreads.
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