Panic Mode initiated!

...and averted!  Around 9:30 this morning, right after having checked on the chicks, I sat down to watch last night's episode of Bones (yeah for a DVR!) and no sooner did one of the cats jump in my lap, the power went out! 

We have UPS battery backup things on all the computers in the house, so about 10 seconds after losing power, the alarms started sounding and put me into panic mode knowing that the house is 30 degrees cooler than the chicks need the brooder to be!  I rushed to my cell phone (darned cordless phones require electricity) and called my other half and he called Avista (the power company).  While he did that, I moved the non-working heat lamp out of my way and piled heavy blankets on top of the brooder to keep the warmer air in it.  I then ran out side and started my truck, the only heat source that came to mind...  Back inside the house, I went and got shoes on (I've said before I'm lazy, right?) and hurried around as I watched the temp in the brooder drop to 80 degrees!

Just as I got the girls bundled back in the little box they came home in, lined in warm paper towels, and got that box into a tomato box (in case we were out in the car a while and they needed food/water) and started to head out of the laundry room with everyone in tow...the power came back on!   WOOT!!!

So, I got the heat lamp rehung, a little lower in the brooder, to warm it back up, unpacked the girls who were terrified and I'm assuming cold (when the heat lamp went out they cuddled into the tiniest ball in a corner).  They were not going to adventure out from under the heat lamp though and decided that the pine shavings might be tasty again!  So, I made them a little chick starter and hot water mash to eat.

A little chick video to enjoy!  I don't make much mash at a time for them, because they polish off whatever I give of it in no time flat!  This was maybe a Tablespoon of Chick starter mixed with a dribble of water from the palm of my hand...

The yellow feathers are their buddy the feather duster...I got it at Wal-Mart for $0.94 when I realized that the stuffed animal I was going to use was missing it's nose and had stuffing coming out of it. :(  They hang out all over that duster!  It won't ever be used for dusting, lol, it will most like see a trash can when the girls don't want/need it anymore.