Saturday, November 22, 2008

Icy Ducks and Cracked Eggs

I awoke this morning to find that the pond had iced over from the below-freezing temperatures we'd had the night before. I looked out the north window and wondered where the ducks were.

I walked to the other side of the house where the ducks could be seen swimming around in a small open area in the ice. They weren't too upset but seemed confused about what to do.




Derek took some corn out to them and attempted a "rescue" of sorts. They weren't interested in being rescued though and didn't use the escape route he broke for them. Eventually hunger got to them and they crawled up on the ice and went slip slidin' all the way to the edge to get some corn. Some did the splits while others landed on their fat rumps. The clever ones flapped their wings and sort of glided across the ice air boat style! We got a good chuckle or two watching the ducks walk on the ice.

The chickens stayed off the ice, thank goodness. We weren't sure what to expect the first time they saw the pond frozen. It looks like they're not interested in venturing out there with the ducks. When it gets covered with snow I'm sure that will change. Sweet Pea is busy scrounging for some food at the edge.
























Derek went to gather eggs and came back with six. One of them had this very odd cracked shell. It's obvious that the cracks occurred inside the hen because the shell was firm. I don't know what was inside because while I was gone to the grocery store Jim sold the carton of eggs I put it in! I hope the customer isn't upset about the cracked egg.


Tonight's dinner was homemade pizza. I used the wheat flour pizza crust recipe that came with my bread maker and we added our own fresh toppings. It was very tasty and very filling! I made sweet dinner rolls earlier this week and everyone thought they were wonderful. The bread maker continues to be my hero.

10 comments:

  1. That egg certainly is odd! I've had three now that were so thin and soft that they were cracked and almost broken open when they came out. There was also one in a nest box that seemed to have no shell at all. I was surprised that none of the hens ate it.

    That sugar bowl is really cute. I'll see if I can find any like it. Does it have any markings on the bottom?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Susan, I looked for a maker's mark but can't see any. Not much help am I? I wish I could find the creamer bowl that should be its partner.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I did some looking around and found your sugar bowl was made by the Taylor, Smith & Taylor (TS&T) Co. The pattern name is Break O' Day.

    Hope this helps in your search for more pieces.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Janice, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!! Now I know what to look for!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Whoops, I was sorta right. Your sugar bowl was made by TST and they used the same decal as Break O" Day but your sugar bowl was made for Harmony House and given a different glaze color and pattern name. I contacted a friend who wrote a book on TST dinnerware and he corrected me on this.

    Your sugar bowl pattern is called Honey Hen, made for Harmony House, and sold at Sears. I found a few pieces for sale at this site:
    http://www.robbinsnest.com/taylor-smith-taylor/honey-hen.html

    ReplyDelete
  6. Oh I love it! So that's the hen that's on my sugar bowl. The rooster has a much longer tail. I'm definitely going to have to get these pieces. Thanks again for doing the leg work for me!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I bet that was hilarious watching the ducks do penguin impressions! :) I'm looking forward to watching mine do the same.

    I don't know about the crackles in the egg, but Susan, you may want to feed more oyster shell or ground up chicken egg shells.

    I love your sugar bowl!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Our pond has officially froze over and sadly we have lost both ducks to a predator. We will get more in the Spring.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Wrensong, we love the ducks and their funny antics. They are never boring.

    Kim, So sorry to hear about your loss. Yes, more ducks are in order for the spring! I've heard bubblers are good at keeping a pond from freezing but the size of our pond is very prohibitive to bubblers.

    ReplyDelete
  10. The cracked egg reminds me of that faux crackle paint look they do to antique things. Very cool looking.
    I've not had one like that yet, though I've had other wonky eggs. lol!

    Smart chickens for knowing not to walk on the ice. I bet it was fun to watch the ducks. Isn't it amazing how entertaining farm critters can be? City people don't usually undestand. :)

    Your sugar bowl is just lovely. I like how it swoops up on thye sides like chicken tails. I hope you can find some of the other pieces somehow. :)

    ~Lisa
    New Mexico

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for your comment! I may or may not be able to reply to comments depending on how busy I am.