Our Faithful Flock

  Christmas has come and gone, and now it’s time to pack everything up again for another year. Life settles back into its normal rhythm—but around here, normal still includes feathers, clucking, and a whole lot of personality in our backyard. The chickens are flourishing, even though egg production is down a bit. Winter will do that. One thing I’ve learned recently: if I let them out to free-range before they’ve laid their eggs, they’ll still make their way back into the coop to use the nesting boxes. I had wondered if maybe they were laying eggs somewhere random in the yard, but nope—they know exactly where to go. It’s fascinating to watch how resilient they are. As long as there’s no draft, they handle the cold surprisingly well. And when the sun comes out? Oh, they absolutely love it. They dig big craters in the dirt just so they can stretch out and soak in that warmth like little fluffy sunbathers. As I was talking about the chickens with some friends, I said something that...

  It’s been a hectic season around here, and I can definitely feel it. Life has been full, schedules have been packed, and some of my favorite rhythms—like regular sourdough baking—have taken a bit of a back seat. While I haven’t been baking bread lately, I did stumble across a sourdough fresh-milled flour chocolate chip cookie recipe that has quickly become a household favorite. Sometimes a good cookie is just what everyone needs. https://freshmilledmama.com/the-best-chocolate-chip-cookies-made-with-fresh-milled-flour-soft-and-chewy/ Even in the midst of the busyness, the chickens continue to be a steady, comforting presence. They’re doing well overall, though they’ve started to slow down on egg production now that winter has settled in. We do have a light in the coop to help extend daylight hours, but despite that, fewer eggs are just part of the season. Thankfully, the cold air itself doesn’t seem to bother them much. Mike and I spent time winterizing both the coop and the r...