MommyCoddle

let the counting begin again

Last week, the girls and I stopped in at my aunt's farm for a quick visit. We were bringing her dinner, giving her a night off during her week of wedding prep for her son's wedding reception that would be held at their farm.

I'll have to bring her dinner more often.

When we drove home, the car doors barely shut. Though we only showed up with a casserole and bread, we came home with a quart of blueberries, two dozen eggs, a bale of straw, and five hens.

It felt like an episode straight out of the beverly hillbillies–chickens squawking, straw flying out the car windows, barefoot kids munching on blueberries, and the smell, oh we won't talk about the smell…..

So five new girls came to join little old Henny Penny. Who suddenly thinks she's top dog around here–and puts on quite a show when the food comes out. But I'm sure she'll settle down, eventually.

The new girls are a somewhat scrappy-looking bunch. Blondie back there was broody at her old digs, and took a lot of pecking while she guarded her "nest". The others lost a few feathers during their couple days in confinement, as they learned the ropes of their new digs.

And Elizabeth, the apparent self-proclaimed chicken farmer, always manages to keep things interesting.

On the second day of the chickens' arrival, when we were still keeping them penned so that they would settle into their new home–Elizabeth was found out in the chicken coop. We were getting ready to leave for dinner and when she came over from the coop, I assumed she was checking nesting boxes for eggs.

Little did I know, Miss Smartypants was opening the door and letting all the new hens have a premature taste of freedom. Catching them that evening, as dusk fell and fox-hour arrived was quite "interesting". There were brooms and hammers and possibly even a few four letter words involved….possibly.

The new girls still haven't learned the ropes of getting their picture taken. They didn't grow up in front of the lens, like Henny Penny. They don't know that when I cluck at them, they're supposed to pose and hold still. But since they're already giving us eggs, and we're counting again, I'll let it slide.

I'll have to bring her dinner more often.

When we drove home, the car doors barely shut. Though we only showed up with a casserole and bread, we came home with a quart of blueberries, two dozen eggs, a bale of straw, and five hens.

So five new girls came to join little old Henny Penny. Who suddenly thinks she's top dog around here–and puts on quite a show when the food comes out. But I'm sure she'll settle down, eventually.

And Elizabeth, the apparent self-proclaimed chicken farmer, always manages to keep things interesting.

16 Comments

DAILY FARM LIFE

how does your garden grow?

I walked out to our garden last night, hoping to find that my children hadn't plucked every last squash from the vine. It had been a few days since I'd been out there and I was pleased to find that the garden was overflowing with sugar snap peas. I had no idea they were here already.

After all the rain this spring and early summer, our garden is beginning to look more jungle-like every day. My husband diligently weeds each weekend and here and there during the week nights. It's a never ending job.

This whole gardening experience has been a learning one. Most of our lessons coming in the form of garden layout. It is so important to plan. And we did. It's just that I came home with some plants to fill some holes in the rows, and some of those are beginning to take over. (I wouldn't recommend planting your white pumpkins next to your strawberry plants. Somebody might get a little choked out.)

I think one of my favorite parts of this whole process is seeing how much pleasure my children get from seeing things grow. It is this miraculous wonder that never ceases to amaze them. Though we've had to regulate some of the harvesting, I love looking out my window to see one of them wandering up and down the rows, bent over plants, watching and waiting for something to be ready. The waiting. The anticipation. The joy in the harvest are such valuable lessons.

And while Dan continues to refer to the garden as his garden, I am
still anticipating the appearance of my colorful row of cutting flowers
and pumpkins. And while he works to weed and maintain, soon all the
responsibility will be mine, as things start piling up in the kitchen,
waiting to be preserved, canned and frozen–just one more thing to learn.

I'd love to hear how your gardening adventures are going this year. What are you growing? harvesting? What worked, what didn't? Dan is already drooling over the new fall catalog that came in yesterday's mail.

42 Comments

family / out and about

the weekend

Yesterday afternoon our house was silent except for the humming of the fans. Every single member of the family fell sound asleep for Sunday naps. Very long, deep Sunday naps.

It had been a big weekend–my cousin's wedding and reception at their farm, lots of family in town, and the beginnings of going through some of my grandparents' things. There were many moments where I felt like I was moving through time in slow-motion, puffy-eyed and exhausted by emotion and other moments of belly-aching laughter and sweetness that I never want to forget.

I think that's a sign of a well-lived weekend.

I've got more things to share with you including some new additions to our growing animal kingdom–if I can just get them to get over their shyness in front of the camera. But for now, I think I'll spend the rest of the day in recovery mode–reclaiming the house and tackling a much neglected mountain of laundry.

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Chronicle Books winners:

Little Oink : Ericka

Oh,
Little Oink looks so cute! I've been checking out all of the "let's
clean up" books from the library that I can find…it's not a favorite
chore of my 2 year olds. Or mine really! And Secrets of Simplicity,
someone PLEASE tell me what they are! Where are they hiding?

Horse Crazy : Meghan

Always love books! I like the looks of Horse Crazy 🙂

Secrets of Simplicity : Shannon

My
daughter is crazy for horse books and is just beginning to truely
develop the love of reading and I am much in need of a little
simplicity. Thanks for sharing!

Winners: Please send me an email with your mailing information and I'll pass it on to Chronicle Books.