Friday

Well, the pipe that I capped last night had weak spots, so we had another flood about an hour after we stopped the first. I rummaged through my plumbing bits and had no other caps, so I left the pump off all night, hit the One-Stop this morning for parts, and had the line cut and capped before noon. (Yes, I slept in today. It was lovely.) No leaks, so I must have cut out any other areas that freezing had weakened. I think we're OK.

The bunny room was a sodden mess, though. I got it dried out and replaced the cardboard and newspaper layers that the buns live on, then moved them out of our bathroom and back home. Just in time, too. Crystal was rearranging the furniture, and both Marty and the toilet seat were wet.

C. dug another bucket of sunchokes for winter storage in the basement. Miserable work.

And she caught a mouse on the stove! Grabbed it by the tail (it hollered) and plunked into a canning jar. The dogs and I took it for a walk and released it down at the other end of our eight acres.

The mouse was attracted by my latest culinary experiment – a healthier version of scotcheroos, the rice crispy/chocolate/peanut butter bars that I discovered at the Halloween potluck at work. There's something about two bags of chocolate chips and a cup of corn syrup that really hits the spot. I'm hoping to hit the same spot, without either of those ingredients. So far, it's like rice-crispy treats, only with peanut butter and honey instead of melted marshmallows. And the chocolate part of no-bake cookies poured on top. It's pretty good, but not quite right yet. Good enough to attract mice, though.