Chickens!

So my sister, Sarah, bought 12 baby chicks shortly before we arrived at the farm house.  The little peepers quickly outgrew their cardboard box home and moved into a huge tubby, under the heat lamp.  We helped her keep the water and food dispensers daily, and sometimes twice a day.  Those chickens are messy!


Here's all of us (moms and kids) using our legs as a fence while they got some sun!

The kids also enjoyed holding the chicks.  My youngest, Kyla, especially!

After awhile, they got too big for the tubby and kept flying out.  So Sarah bought a chicken coop and painted it sunshine yellow.  She loves bright colors...

After that, we let the chickens run around outside.  But weasels, raccoons and hawks began to lower the local chicken population.  Whittling the total down to seven.  As a temporary solution, we fenced in the trampoline to make a coop.

 Eventually, the chickens learned to live in harmony with the kids.

Every morning, the first one up (could be a child or adult) would open the coop and usher the fast-growing hens to the trampoline.  Then freshen their water and food supplies and pen them for the day.

After the loss of the last chick, Sarah purchased a skinny yellow rooster in hopes it would help defend the flock. We quickly discovered, after comparison, that one of the biggest "hens" was actually a "he".  That would explain the larger comb...  His name changed from "Princess" to "Prince".

The skinny yellow rooster, heretofore (at the previous owner's farm) picked on for his little size, became a fierce guardian and protector. He constantly hen-pecked poor Prince, who was twice his size.  Napoleon syndrome?  Probably.  But it didn't matter, considering his prowess in keeping the ladies together.


My sister tells me that they are big enough to roam around now and will come back at dusk to roost in their sunshine-yellow coop. 

Fourth of July

The kids and I spent Fourth of July with my brother and his family at his father-in-law's Michigan lake house.  Tucked away, the private lake has a few houses circling around it's shores.

We swam and fished all weekend.  Long water weeds populated the edges and so we had to carefully swim through them while watching out for water snakes.  It made for an interesting journey out to the middle, where one of the lake residents had placed a big water trampoline.  We played for hours!

My brother, Ben, showing Liam how to cast

Liam's first time fishing

 


The girls weren't too interested after awhile; standing in one place got too boring. My brother trapped turtles as well.  Apparently, they make for good food.  We admired the ugly turtle, but Liam had a great time watching Uncle Ben kill and disembowel the turtle.  He took lots of pictures.  Ewww!

Talk about an education!

We spent lots of quality time with the cousins and Papa Scott.  Roasted marshmallows over the fire and watched fireworks until the mosquitoes drove us indoors.

My 4-year-old nephew, Little Ben, is an expert...

Jessica holding her newest cousin, 9-month-old Noah Caviness

My dad, Scott, and Jessica

Arriving at the sanctuary

 As I pulled the rig into Sarah's driveway, I felt a sense of relief -as if my long journey had come to an end.  Not just the driving-for-three-days straight one; but months of preparing our house to sell and my own internal struggle of faith.

Every morning, as I stepped out of the RV, a lush green landscape fed my soul. Living on the eastern plains in Colorado is like living in the desert. (I should know because I grew up in Arizona).  It was a sight for sore eyes.

All day long, every day, for two months, my kids played with their cousins.  Outside, they had a trampoline to jump on, a swimming pool, a two-story fort, loads of trees and a creek that ran through the back of the property.  

And on really hot days, we would go cool off in the creek.  At some point, we started bathing down there.

 The water was clear and the temperature just right. So much fun!

Wagon's west

Why, oh, why do I wait so long to update my blog?  The problem lies between my ears, I believe...  Ok, enough pity party.

Where we are right now:  Currently camping out in Keenesburg, Colorado.  We got back from Indiana at the end of August after a fun filled road trip which included Laura Ingalls Wilder and accelerated particles...

The most important lesson we have learned so far:  God only moves in his time and not ours.  Also that my wonderful husband is glad to have his family back!

More to follow.