Cats and Chicken

This is a photo I took of our cat Izzy on my computer chair on Friday.

This morning, though, we took both of our cats into the veterinarian for check ups. They were not happy. Chloe ended up peeing all over herself in the blue carrier.

They both had shots, and Chloe had blood drawn. After we got safely home, one of them peed on the kitchen floor in revenge. Not sure which one though.

This evening I made Chicken with Quince and Almonds. I made this partially because we still have quince to find used for, and we have our butchered chickens in the freezer. I had the other ingredients, and this recipe had great reviews so I went for it.

Here it is in preparation with the browned chicken parts over cut up quince on the left, toasted sliced almonds on the top, and fried onions on the right.

Here is the chicken all cooked up.

I reduced the liquid into a sauce, and here is the chicken with the overlying sauce and toasted almonds with a roasted sweet potato on the side.

This was incredibly tasty. Definitely a good use for quince and a nice autumn dinner. This meal is meant for Rose Hashanah but this year that was on September 18, well before our quince our ripe. So this will need to be a later autumn recipe for us but definitely a keeper!

Back to the Farm Blog

The other day I noticed our Bielefelder rooster hanging with some hens. He may be developing his own harem. Until now he has been alone.

And look at what my husband brought home from the thrift store today!  It is a Dryad Leicester table loom for $39.  It will be my Christmas present.  It appears to be all there and will need some minor adjustments and additions to get it functional.  I am just starting to learn about this loom but apparently they were made is Leicester, England until 1972.  I think it is really cool and am looking forward to getting it for Christmas.  

And here was my afternoon.  I roasted sweet potatoes and our pumpkins in preparation for Thanksgiving.  Plus I roasted pumpkin seeds.  

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! It should be a great opportunity for us all to focus on what we are thankful for despite this crappy year.

My Recent Experiences of this Pandemic

Warning: this will not be a farm blog. If you are here for a farm blog, please skip this one, and I will write a farm blog again soon.

With this pandemic there has been a marked increase in drug and alcohol abuse. But what I am seeing recently is a large increase in the numbers of babies born drug addicted, and many subsequently abandoned by their parents.

Also with this pandemic there are more mental health issues and less access to care. What I am seeing is more children with suicide attempts and ideation. But since the local child psychiatric units are overwhelmed, these children must wait in the emergency department or on the medical ward for a bed to become available. Sometimes one does, but many times one does not and they end up going back home with outpatient counseling services, which is not ideal.

There are longterm effects of this virus in children too. I have seen children with prolonged deranged senses of smell and taste to the point that they do not eat and starve. We have had at least one case of MIS-C (Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children) in our small county which can have longterm cardiac consequences.

I know that the initial response to this pandemic was poor. I think it is OK to be upset about this but not to dwell on it. We all could have done better with our physical distancing (I hate the term social distancing) and our support for each other. But we can all learn and do better. If not for ourselves, our families or the vulnerable in our communities, than for the children. Because they are going the have the longest lasting consequences of this virus. It is going to be a while before a vaccine can get our lives back to normal (if ever), so we need to physically distance to slow its spread, and we need to support our own and other’s mental health in the meantime. This virus is deadly (and disabling) but it is not smart. We can be.