This site is an archive of ChiotsRun.com. For the latest information about Susy and her adventrures, visit the Cultivate Simple site.
Thank you for all your support over the years!

Cat Bomb

February 9th, 2015

Here at Chiot’s Run this is known as a “cat bomb”. It cracks me up every time.
cat bomb
It’s not often that all the cats are in one place at the same time, but they all retreat to the safety of the bed when the vacuum cleaner comes out. Safety in numbers I guess!

Do you have any funny phrases you use to describe things that happen at your place?

Quote of the Day: Willa Cather

February 8th, 2015

“There’s no good reason Mrs Shimerda couldn’t have got hens from her neighbours last fall and had a hen-house going by now. I reckon she was confused and didn’t know where to begin. I’ve come strange to a new country myself, but I never forgot hens are a good thing to have, no matter what you don’t have.”.

Willa Cather – My Antonia

chickens 1
chickens 2
bowl of eggs
This is so true, it’s great having hen in the coop laying eggs. If we get snowed in we always have eggs from the coop and potatoes from the root cellar.

Do you have chickens? Would you like to have chickens?

Friday Favorite: Icicles

February 6th, 2015

I’ve always loved icicles, they’re such wondrous things in winter. I love the way they catch the sun and how they drip and grow long on sunny days. Yesterday I wanted these icicles outside of our living room window grow from about a foot long to four feet long.
icicles 1
icicles 2
We never had a ton of icicles on our home in Ohio, it was newer and well insulated. I’ll enjoy them while I can.

What’s your favorite winter wonder?

Somewhere Under There

February 5th, 2015

I had to laugh when looked out the window last week, the trellis in the potager is almost covered.
potager (2)
Somewhere underneath all that snow are a few boxwood balls, stone edging, a few cloches over tiny lettuce plants…
potager (1)
After I took the top photo we received another foot of snow and it was snowing again last night with around 6 more inches forecasted. The top ring is no longer visibly and pretty soon my trellis will be completely covered with snow.
potager
The wonderful thing about all this snow is that it’s providing a warm winter blanket to protect all my roses, hydrangeas, strawberries, and boxwood. As it melts it will provide nitrogen for the flush of spring growth. I’m not in any hurry for the snow to melt, I have so many books on my reading list thanks to all your recommendations yesterday!

What does your garden look like right now?

The Classics

February 4th, 2015

I enjoy reading The Classics, though recently I’ve been reading quick read paperbacks. That didn’t last too long until I felt the need to revisit a few books written long ago. I’m working on rereading some that I haven’t read in a long time and a few that I have somehow missed reading in my lifetime. It is at times hard to remember what one read in high school and college.
grapes from wrath
hemingway book
I just finished Pride and Prejudice and Emma by Jane Austen. I’m currently reading Jane Eyre, next on the list will probably be My Antonia, which I haven’t read. Perhaps I’ll crack open my Hemingway book next as I love his collection of short stories. Something by John Steinbeck is also on my list, he’s my all-time favorite author and I have been collecting copies of his books for a while. It’s been a while since I’ve read Tortilla Flat and Cannery Row, which are both fantastic.
my library shelf
I’ve looked up lists of classics to see which ones I should add to my list, but figured it was best to ask you.

So….what are your favorite classics?

About

This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

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