Category Archives: Life

Here a Chick, There a Chick

Posted on May 19, 2020 | 1 comment

I was not sure I wanted to get a new flock of birds this year. I wasn’t ready to go through the chick stage. But…two pair of pleading eyes and a pandemic convinced me otherwise. We wouldn’t be going anywhere for awhile, so why not?

We knew we wanted Buff Orpingtons. The two we already have are friendly and docile and good layers.

As it turned out, we were not the only ones in search of Buffs. Every time we called the store they had just sold the last one.

We called a farm supply store a few towns over and they assured us they had 8 Buffs in stock. Ray and the boys hopped in the truck and went to get them while I got their first home ready.

They came home with 2 Buffs and 6 Golden Comets. As chicks, they have a similar appearance, and Ray was just ready to end the search and get the chicks.

Golden Comets are sweet and docile, excellent egg layers and kid-friendly.

Golden Comet

Buff Orpington

Buff Orpingtons are calm and stately, good egg layers and love to be cuddled.

Buff Orpington

We are very happy with our purchase. The chicks are all about a month or so old now and quickly outgrowing each new “house” we put them in.

The boys are ecstatic and cuddle them all the time. They have even started construction on a small coop for them.

We had planned to move the new birds into the coop and retire the older birds, but the Old Guard must have taken our threats seriously. Since we brought the chicks home, the flock of five has started laying eggs daily again. We may have to try introducing new hens into an old flock and hope it goes better than the last time.

1 Comment

Posted in Chickens!, Life

Planting, Playing and Pears

Posted on April 6, 2020 | Leave a comment

My helpers are itching to get planting.

We planted our raised beds a few weeks ago. Theirs are full of beans, peas, radishes and onions. Mine is all lettuce, spinach and cilantro.

Into the beds we plant
Radishes, carrots and more
Dirty hands and nails
Seeds and gnomes galore

We started our tomato and cabbage seeds a bit late. Joe also started rutabagas and red onion.

C’mon let’s start some seeds Mom!
C’mon let’s start them please!
Broccoli, sprouts, tomatoes,
and flowers for the bees!

Last week, we planted 4 male kiwis in the vineyard. The ground was soupy and wet and perfect for digging. We had to back-fill with a little dry dirt to soak up some of the water.

Planting in the vineyard
digging in the mud
In Sunny, warmish weather
with my two best buds

We also planted 7 pear trees in the swales, replacing a few apple and cherry trees that didn’t make it. I dug the holes, Jake soaked the roots and Joe dug a trench because…why not?

Pear trees in the pasture
Playing by the pond
Planning trails and trenches
create a lasting bond.

It was a great way to spend the weekend. Outside…planting and playing.

Sweet Memories

Posted on March 2, 2020 | 3 comments

I watch my boys trek outside every morning to “check the ice” in our fake pond–a big hole we dug out years ago to mark the spot for our eventual pond.

It is a ritual that they have had since the first snowfall. Of course, now, it’s mud with chunks of ice. But still, each morning one of them asks the other: “Want to check the ice?”

Today, I watched them walk slowly out to the pasture. I wondered what they were chatting about. What Jake said that was so funny. What made Joe lean his head back and laugh. I watched them race forward, excited to get out there and see what had changed.

Playing in the mud.
Laughing with a friend.
Enjoying nature’s gifts.
Not thinking it will end.

At what point do we realize that all things pass on to a new stage, a new chapter? Do we wake up one day and remember how things have changed so much?

Or, is it gradual and bittersweet?

Is it remembering little things sparked by the mundane tasks of the day?

Washing the dishes and seeing days of trampoline bounces and tree climbing through the window.

Folding the laundry and remembering little socks and shirts long since donated, thrown away, or turned into rags.

Grocery shopping and memories of days making siren noises while pushing the fire engine grocery cart. Knowing that the little person truly believed he was driving through the aisles.

Some things in life are sudden and jarring, like the unexpected death of a loved one. But so many bittersweet changes are gradual and imperceptible.

Standing at the sink,
washing sheets and clothes.
A picture with a memory
of how swiftly our time goes.

3 Comments

Posted in For the Kids, Life, Writing

Revenge

Posted on June 8, 2019 | Leave a comment

This poem is a collaboration with my nieces and my two boys. Enjoy!

Mean old Bully Bertha,
our clueless, speckled hen,
was mean to Cyclops Jenny,
our one-eyed little friend.

While Jenny planned and plotted,
Bertha pecked and picked.
Our Jenny’s plan was simple.
“I’ll get that mean ol’ chick!”

When all the hens were sleeping,
she shuffled through the hay.
Her evil laugh was quiet
as she approached her prey.

The only sound big Bertha made
was a squawk of great surprise.
Then Jenny made the final blow
and pecked out both her eyes!

Stage One: Planting

Posted on May 18, 2019 | 7 comments

The 2019 Garden Competition is well underway.

Our first step: Get the beds ready and plant the seeds we got from our field trip to Spence Farm.

Then, we took a trip to Big R. I gave the boys each $30 to spend on their garden. They had to decide how much they wanted to spend on flowers, vegetable starts and garden decor.

Jake, who loves gnomes in the garden, spent more on decor, but he did buy one pack of tomato starts, some corn and a few flowers.

Joe, who loves bright colors and flowers, spent the majority of his money on an assortment of blues, purples and pinks. The only vegetable start he bought was corn.

We were at Big R for almost two hours. All in all, it was a successful trip. The boys picked out their own plants, decided how much to spend in each category, and purchased from the cashier.

Even though we had talked about sales’ tax, Joe was a little disgruntled when the total came to more than what he had figured. He even re-counted his purchases to double check. The cashiers were very patient and made the learning experience a lot of fun.

It was a great outing for all of us and raised some interesting questions and discussion about all the different types of taxes…more on that in a future post!

7 Comments

Posted in Education, For the Kids, Garden Stories, Homeschool, Life

A Pile of Weeds

Posted on July 26, 2018 | 2 comments

I look around my garden
and everywhere I spy,
a pile of weeds.

I gaze around my homestead
and suddenly I see,
so many needs.

My veggie patch needs tending,
my roses overgrown,
the vines grow tall.

My vineyard weeds exploded.
The mint attacks the grapes.
I see it all.

And then I hear a giggle,
I walk around the back…
and what a sight!

Two boys are in my garden.
They play a made up game.
Their eyes so bright.

2 Comments

Posted in For the Kids, Garden Stories, Life, Poetry, Writing

Something New

Posted on June 5, 2018 | 4 comments

Spring has zipped right into summer and the boys are outdoor explorers once again.

I bought little notebooks at the Dollar Tree last week. I thought they could use them as their Nature Journals. They’re small and easy to pop in their pocket for their outdoor explorations.

As soon as they’d personalized their notebooks, they headed outside to hike the swales and search the property for something new to record.

Joe hopped on his scooter and hunt for milkweed.

Jake waded through the tall grass searching for carrots.

They both enjoyed showing me what they’d found and recorded in their journals.

Last night, while hunting for wild mulberries, we made quite the discovery.

“Mom! Come here and look at this! Hurry!”

Joe was by a large milkweed bouncing on his toes. “Look! A monarch butterfly caterpillar!”

Jake, who’d been hunting for carrots again, ran over to join us. He was just as excited as Joe and both boys recorded the find in their journals.

We contemplated putting it in our bug house, but ultimately decided to leave it in its natural habitat and observe it daily.

Joe added more detail to his milkweed drawing on the spot.

We continued on our trek through the swales, once again in search of wild mulberries.

Today, when my nieces came over, the boys could hardly wait to show them the caterpillar. As I finished making a fresh cup of coffee, Joe burst in the house with some sad news…the caterpillar had been killed.

“A spider is eating it right now!”

He was shocked. Angry. Absolutely heartbroken. This spider had destroyed his monarch butterfly caterpillar.

I followed the crew to the milkweed to see the carnage for myself.

It was a sad and gruesome sight. Joe wanted to get rid of all the spiders.

“This is how nature works buddy. Why don’t we find out more about this spider?”

He perked up a little bit at that, but I think he was more eager to find out its weaknesses so he could retaliate. Either way, the distraction worked.

We spent some time looking at pictures of spiders on the internet. One was too brown, another too small. We searched and searched, comparing our picture of the predator with the Google results until…we found it.

The Crab Spider had eaten the caterpillar.

“Now that we know what it is, we can research it. Find its weaknesses.”

“Ok Mom. But right now I’m going to go find frogs with the girls.”

Just like nature, a little boy’s moods can change in an instant. Something new pops into their mind…and they’re off on another adventure.

A world of danger
A world of discovery
A world of wonder

4 Comments

Posted in Education, For the Kids, Haiku, Homeschool, Jake the Bug Hunter, Joe the Bug Hunter, Life, Poetry, Writing

We’re Ready!

Posted on April 16, 2018 | 3 comments

We’re reaching! We’re straining!
We’re stretching our leaves!
Hey sunshine! Get out here
And roll up your sleeves!

The chickens have finished
The garden is planned
We need to get out there
Please give us a hand!

We’re ready! We’re eager!
It’s time for the show!
Warm weather is nearing…
Let’s get on our grow!

3 Comments

Posted in Garden Stories, Life, Poetry, Writing

Fresh Eggs Again!

Posted on March 19, 2018 | 4 comments

We were just about to place an order for Red Star chicks when we got the phone call. Eleven hens about 6 months old, needed a new home. Did we want them?

YES!

Not only are they already laying eggs, they are well past the delicate chick stage and have entered the full-grown egg laying stage. We have Buff Orpingtons, Bard Rocks, Silver Spangled Hamburgs and Silver-laced Polish.

Ray spent the next few days repairing the coop and making the run more secure. All we had to do was figure out how to transport them.

We had an old dog crate, a big piece of plywood and a few 2×4’s. We were able to rig up a chicken transporter.

We took our two chicken whisperers and wrangled 11 birds. I thought we’d need to make a couple of trips, but they all fit in the crate nicely so we made a slow trek back to the house and put them in their new home.

The poor dears were frightened when we put them in their new hen house, but that didn’t last long.

Once they saw the kitchen garden, they eagerly attacked it and decimated all weeds and remaining pests in a matter of days. They scratched and dug and pecked their way through roots and shoots and found all kinds of yummy bugs and grubs to munch on.

We didn’t think we would get any eggs from them for at least a few days, but they surprised us. By the end of their first full day on the homestead, they’d given us 6 eggs of assorted size and color.