Turkeys!

It has been sad to go out the door and see the empty run in the front. It is sad to not have sweet Violet to greet me daily, as if she were a dog. So to make good use of the space, we brought our turkeys home. We have four of them and we had been keeping them at a friends house with her turkeys.

My opinion on turkeys hasn't changed much by having them... I think turkeys are ugly. However, I do greatly enjoy the calls and sounds they make during the day. It's a new adventure and it is something fun.

Coons. Ugh.

A week ago we got 5 sweet chicks. We put them in the front run with Violet and Little It. It was a week of great enjoyment watching them flip around and freak out Violet and It. As the older, more mature two...haha, right... Violet and It would just keep their distance. However, Violet would let us know, in her motherly way, if one of the chicks was in trouble.

When we went to let the chickens out this morning, something was wrong. The front coop door was pried open a few inches. The chicks and Little It were mutilated. Sweet Violet had a gaping hole in her side and her little head was torn up. She laid on her back unable to move, but still breathing. It was horrible.

I told my dad I never wanted to be the life taker. I would raise whatever we needed, but he was to be the life taker. As I looked at her, she blinked and opened her mouth and closed it. I started to cry. My father was an hour away at work. My mom was suppose to meet a friend to process some meat birds. It was left to me. I went down to the garage and got an ax. I made my way up to the coop. Told my dear, sweet Violet I was so sorry and swung. Then, like any mature lady, I sat down and cried and cried. My hands were shaking so bad. It was horrible. The sight.

You sit there and go, if only I had the windows open and didn't use the air conditioner last night. If only I had double checked the door to make sure it was as tight as it could be. But, in the end you have to sit back and say it is part of how life goes. You win some, you lose some. You cry, then you get up, dust off your pants and rejoice, because the other half of the flock was safe in their coop. You still have eggs for tomorrow. The day goes on.

 

Me with little Oyster and Porcelain

Amazing How Life Changes.

It is amazing how my life has changed in one year. I feel like a whole new person. I have walked through a lot of stuff this past year. I had my ups and my downs. I let the blog go for a spell to focus on me. But it has all been good.

Peaceful.

I have been getting out hiking more and more. Oh how I missed hiking. And let's just say....after years of not being able to be as active as I wish.... we are out of shape!! I have been to a few different places exploring God's creation. I have many more on my list that I plan to enjoy. I love land that is hardly touched by man...the clam that hangs in the air, the peace that surrounds you. It feels like freedom to me. Perfect in all ways.

Beautiful!

Bowling

I have also gotten to enjoy so much with my little man. Z and I have been able to go to the park and camp out in the yard. We have enjoyed fires in the fire pit. We have hiked a bit together. He loves to explore the woods now that he is getting older. It reminds me of when I was young. He is sucking everything up in his little brain and
becoming a wealth of knowledge. It is amazing  to watch his little mind at work. We have also been able to go bowling about once a week through the summer weeks. And because I am such a good mom... on one of our outdoor outings, I made him take his shoes off and dip his toes in a little creek. Mind you, there was a lot of protest, but every child needs to know what it is like to walk in fresh water!

Get those feet wet!

Fishing OC

Back in June, I attempted to fish at the shore for the first time....well lets just say the sea gulls were great entertainment! There were seven of us along the shore line fishing and of the seven of us, one gentleman caught a skate. The rest of us, well, we just seemed to be feeding the invisible fish that we could feel and see making our rods bounce, but they just wouldn't take the hook with the bait. My friend E did almost hook a sea gull though. That was a little humoring watching it grab the line and dive into the water to get free. And just for the record, it did get free and was uninjured. It was a beautiful June day. It was windy and cold (hence the crazy hair and hoodie!).

And as if this isn't enough excitement to post at one time, I also started to play my bass guitar again. I have greatly missed this part of my life... just like I have missed so much of everything else! There is an amazing band that has asked me to play as needed and I have been blessed by them. It has been a bit of a learning experience for me as well! Learning new music, learning to play their style. I've also learned that when you are playing outdoor gigs... even with a good sound check.... you can hardly hear once you start to play!

July 4th gig.

A lot has changed. I am happy and content with life. I am ready to move on to the next phase of my life. I am excited to see how it will unfold and who will be apart of it. God is good, He has watched out for me and He continues to guide me.

Z is Amazing!

So Z turned 5 in December. He is homeschooling in first grade. Sometimes I question if I started him in school too soon, as he is only suppose to start kindergarten this coming fall. I question if he is up to par for first grade. He is doing well with math, science, history... but is he where he should be in English? His writing is amazing.

Z's copy work.

So I decided to have him read me a beginner book yesterday. He did it! With very little struggle. So, today he read me another book! And he started walking around the house saying random words sounding them out and spelling them. He, out of excitment, runs to me saying "Mom, Mom I can spell....."

I'm so proud of him. I'm so proud of myself. Even though I feel like I may not be doing enough for him, he is getting it and excelling!

Our First Casualty

It has happen. It is something you kind of know in the back of your head is very possible. Yet, you hope it wont happen to you.

Last night we were invited to dinner with friends. It was a meal that need to happen. We meet at a local restaurant and expected to be home within two hours... around the time the last of the chickens head into the coop. We ended up getting home about 45 minutes later then expected. It was dark and my dad simply walked up and dropped the door and latched it closed. Nothing seemed out of place.

Well this morning I took the dogs out and went to get the chickens out. As I started up the hill, I noticed a few black feathers... further up there were a lot more. I panicked. My girls are all black. I ran the last bit to the coop, threw the door open and pulled up their door. One by one they poped out into the run and I counted. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.... No! I looked in the coop... empty. I looked back in the run and counted again and third time just to be safe. 10 chickens! One of them was gone!

I walked around and saw nothing more than the piles of feathers in the yard. No holes were dug under the fence. The coop was untouched. My best guess is that a girl flew over the fence, again, and a stray cat got her. Probably the orange one that tends to watch the chickens from time to time. I know a neighbor with chickens has scarred the cat off with a bb gun a number of times.

I wanted to know what chicken was gone. Honestly, I hoped it was Little It.  But a quick glance told me Big Boy and Little It were in the run. So I crouched down close to the fence and the girls were nervous to come near me. They stayed huddled in the center. Big Boy placed himself between me and the girls and kicked his feathers at me. Big Boy was so upset, usually he ran to greet me and let me pet him. After a little cooing the girls slowly broke up and cautiously made their way to me. I first checked to see if Big Momma was there... love that girl!... she was. Then I ran down the list. Violet, Tulip, Rose, Lily.... Lily? Scan again. No, Lily was not there. My precious Lily...she is always good at flying the coop. Lily, the one chicken from the get go as chicks, who loved to be held and stroked. Lily and Big Momma were always the first to greet you at the fence edge. When we sat on the log, Lily always pushed her way up to your lap to be held. Now, Little Lily will not be there to do any of that.

When you start off with chickens, you know that they are easy prey. You know that you will probably lose one or two along the way. Yet when it happens, it is a sad reminder of how life goes. And of course it had to be one of the favorites....

Spring is Coming!

February is ending and March is arriving. Boy am I excited! It's time to order chicks, start working the dirt in the garden, order seeds, start seeds. It's time to get my hands dirty again!

Even the birds seem happy to have a blue sky!

 It's time to break out the dresses and flip flops. Time to feel the breeze in your hair and sun on your face. It's time to sit by a fire, watch the stars, lay in a hammock.

Can you tell I love spring time?

I'm looking forward to watching the bounty of the garden gathered daily, the chickens getting free time in the yard, my son being able to play and get muddy everyday outside.

Z and Joy Bells having fun.

Hmmm. Feels good to just think about it, now I'm ready to get it going and happening!

I'm Ready for the Country.

Every now and then you have one of those days where you are so ready to move to the country and stop dreaming. Today is one of those days for me. I've been dreaming for the last 4 years. I've been saying one day. And today, as we have our like third month of gray skies, I sit here and go "God, I'm ready. I'm really ready to move and get these dreams sent into motion." I so look forward to working the land, the animals, seeing thousands of stars at night, the smell of the country, the lack of traffic noise. My heart is heavy with longing. I know one day soon it shall be, but today is just one of those days that I wish one day was today.