Off With Their Heads

Started with a little light chainsaw work today. The chainsaw is in its last throes -- I had to tighten the chain about every two cuts and oil it every few minutes, too. Still got a little more than a tenth of a cord done. Supposed to get colder this week, with a bunch of freezing rain and sleet.

Sun was starting to go down quickly, so I drove a couple of nails into a stump and sharpened the cleaver. Had second thoughts about the cleaver, so I got the air rifle out and tried a couple of head shots. Didn't work out so well -- I just had a dizzy rooster. So we grabbed the cleaver and Lisa took off the first head. I grabbed another one and lopped off its head. We hung them to dry while the water heated, then dunked 'em. Took about 10 minutes to pluck. Gutting was a little trickier, since it's been about five years since I cleaned birds. Only nicked one gall bladder, and that was while pulling it out. So, no harm done.

John came downstairs while the chickens were being dealt with on the kitchen island. I don't know if he was impressed or appalled, but he had a one-word comment on the subject.

"Well," he said.

Chicken didn't taste bad. It was mighty lean, but we seasoned the hell out of it. Saved the bones for some stock, and the drumsticks and wings for frying. And bonus: The hens responded by laying 20 eggs. New world record!

So the frightening thing is, we cut wood for heat and killed a couple of roosters for dinner. Which is pretty darn sustainable, no? Probably more than most folks do, but it just didn't seem like so much ..

And final outrage du jour: The Lincoln commercial with Harry Connick Jr. Using post-Katrina New Orleans as a backdrop ... for selling cars? Yeesh. Ick. Yuck. Tacky.