Sneaky mamas...

This Phoenix hen stole away to my stack of garden plant sheets to try to hatch some babies...  We should see in the next two weeks what happens there!

These  are the peas I started in the greenhouse, they need to move outside, but I have been to busy to finish the garden cover!  They are growing to the windows...

Roma tomatoes seedlings.  They are doing much better than the jelly bean tomatoes.  Not sure why, but I have moving htem around and trying to see if greenhouse location has an effect.  But lots of tomato plants doing beautifully!

And the hallmark of our early spring- the strawberries are the highlight!  Now I will have to find more spots to hang even more for next spring!

New soaps all ready to go...

Two new batches of soap, all ready to go... Wild Rose Goat's Milk Soap and Cedarwood Goat's Milk Soap.  I still love the fun shapes!

Hmmm... so what should I whip up next?

A Wild Saturday Ride

Sleep deprived but exhilerated, I picked Bailey up from school at around midnight, after her three day odyssey with the robotics team at the Phoenix regionals.  As many of you may have seen, the team won the Image Award, as well as the Website Award.  This outfit is only one small part of the image they portrayed.  For those of you curious about the CRUSH name- it stands for Creating Robots Under Severe Heat.  They made it all the way to the Quarter Finals.  So proud of the kids, the team, the positive experience that is this extracurricular learning experience.  I just had to share the photo of silly Bailey.  Love it!

Early in the morning, however, Wyatt, Charlie and I had trekked all the way out to the regional shooting range near the county fairgrounds.  Wyatt competed in his first .22 competition.  His friend, Jonathan, who also does poultry, competed next to him.

The boys forged a friendship over chickens, but competed side by side yesterday, cheering one another on, with the fathers helping coach them.

Wyatt was glad to have his Daddy along, they pulled and posted targets together.

This age group shoots prone, then sitting or kneeling, and last from a chair at a table,  No standing/ offhand or rapid fire rounds for this age group. 

We were tired, with much to do, and chose to not stay until the targets were scored.

So as I loaded the car, the boys said their thank yous and good lucks, and we headed off to breakfast at the TTT truck stop.  This might sound crazy, but in college my friends and I would occasionally make runs for this truck stop which serves amazing deep dish pie hot with mounds of ice cream.  The night Charlie propsed to me, after a night at the County Fair, we had gone to the TTT after the fair.  So once on the runs back and forth during the fair season, we try to stop by and keep the tradition alive.

We did have something worth while first, but who photographs that?  Then we shared a cherry and a peach pie to celebrate the shooting competition.  It would have been great if Bailey could have joined us, but we know she was having fun at the robotics competition.

All in all, a good day.  Bailey loved the time with the team, and Wyatt enjoyed his first competition.  And good family time!  Yep, the Fair season has begun.  It's all crazy from here.

Real Friends...

This is old man Vegas, as we call him.  Formally Vegas Ace, but this old seventeen year old wolf-dog has been with us since shortly after we moved here thirteen years ago.  For every dog, there is a person, and his is Bailey Noelle.  Shortly before her birthday right after we moved here, she felt that Callie Jo needed a friend, and she wanted another dog for her birthday.  Charlie was away on TDY, but said we could go look at the Humane Society.

As Bailey and I walked down the row of kennels, we both the felt the familiar tug, wanting to bring them all home, but knowing better.  Then, at the last kennel in the line, on the left, this black and white dog came to the gate and extended one white foot out to Bailey.  She sat on the concrete, and reached her hand out, waiting for my permission to pet his nose, we reached together.  She was done.  He looked a bit like Callie, and when she came to meet him the next day, he kissed her, rolled onto his back, and let her know she would be in charge.

All these years later, this mellow old man has grown accustomed to protecting goats, chickens, and of course children.  Permission to enter the property is granted only by Mama and Daddy, and only for one time.  No one touches his children.  He has amazing patience with Bailey, always has.  In his age, he has his moments, like helping round up roosters where he found one, held it where it was, but stood there wagging his tail not knowing what to do next.  Trying to help since the loss of Callie Jo five years ago and Remington over Christmas has been odd for him

On Wednesday night, Bailey packed a suitcase.  Vegas sat in the floor and eyed it, then slept in his usual spot in Bailey's room with her.  On Thursday morning, at about 5, I delivered Bailey to the school to meet up with the robotics team.  They headed off in the dark to go to regionals in Mesa. 

With so much heartbreak and hypercompetition in the children's lives lately, it has been wonderful that Bailey was invited to join this special team- CRUSH robotics with SSA.  Not only did they advance to the quarterfinals, and win two presidential awards at competition, but they are a true team, which trains the youth and holds each accountable for their contribution to the team, bringing them together to work hard and depend upon one another rather than bolster a few "special" individuals.

The photos of Veggie (we have a ot of nicknames for animals around here- they are all al part of the family) are from this evening.  Since I came home without Bailey, Vegas paws at me with that one white foot (all the recently added grey not included here) and takes me to her door of the car, and her room and the gate.

  He wants me to get his missing friend.

I have been doing a lot of reading these days about children and friendships, and spent some time yesterday reading about animal friendships.  While researchers had previously thought animals weren't capable of such emotion (many of us have known better), researchers are learning and finding consistent evidence to the contrary. 

I am thrilled that Bailey has forged friendships over robots and science, animals and more.  I hope that each day she learns to better discern between the true friends and the temporary ones.  That both she and Wyatt can see the changing tide of friendships, and see through the fake people to know which friends are there to use her and which are there for the long haul and good influences.  And I hope I will learn from them and watch how well Wyatt reads these people to help them transition through it all.

But for tonight, old man Vegas waits for his Bailey.  With kisses and that white paw ready, she will return to family and the unconditional love and loyalty of Vegas and the excitedly awaiting goats and chickens who complain about having me in there areas instead of their Bailey.  And they will help her through the sting of others and help her remember who she really is.  And that is a blessing.  Hugs to you all, and have a wonderful night!

You get what you give...

This morning, Bailey and Wyatt helped me visit the school where I have been serving as a poultry mentor.  Last Spring, I met this wonderful teacher Paula, who works with a preschool program where teh youth learn by doing.  They have an amazing art studio, books, and so much more.  Outside, the youth and their families help in a garden.  They plant, bless the soil and the remember their interconnectedness to it, and make snacks like homegrown fresh salads with homemade dressings.  When I met Miss Paula, she was hoping to raise chickens, and maybe someday goats as well.  We talked, and agreed it was best to begin with chickens.  They had eggs in an incubator, though only one hatched.  They got the little Ameraucauna chick a friend- a blue Cochin- and they grew up together.  The families and some wonderful volunteers at Home Depot built a coop together.  Finally, yesterday they were ready.

A friend, Mai Tang, donated a Rhode Island Red to help get the children started.  The Ameraucauna had turned out to be a roo, so they had quite an unmatched set.  Wyatt had said he would donate a female who like to sit on eggs, perhaps a Phoenix, as she would come already bred to sit on her first eggs there.  Then he walked out this morning and changed his mind.

He loaded up three crates, one with the donated bird, one with Carmina, a black hen whose favorite pastime is sitting on eggs, and one other.  Olympia, the baby pygmy goat rode in Wyatt's lap so Bailey could study a bit for her afternoon interview at th regional science fair.  You can see the chickens in their crates behind her. 

Olympia was a huge hit!  They had great questions about what she ate, and enjoyed petting and holding the lead of little Olympia.  She also really liked the children and their teacher! 

Wyatt took out the Rhode Island Red first.  He explained she can be rather bossy, but that a friend of ours donated her so that they could have a good layer to get things going in the pen.  They asked him about what kind of treats she would like, and her breed and other poultry facts.

He even let her roam a bit with the children, then he and Bailey caught her so she could get ready to move into her coop.

Wyatt showed eggs, and which color and type come from which breed.  This will be very important for the children, because the other bird he brought them was an Ameraucauna hen.  He thought it a small gesture to bring them a laying Ameraucauna, but there was such excitement in return for them now having a set- a roo and a hen- of the same breed.  And they should know which eggs to let Carmina hatch out too, so they will have proper babies!

While some of the little ones played with Bailey and Olympia for a few more moments, Wyatt helped a few other remove the young choickens they had raised from their temporary pen. 

That's Wyatt's rear end and feet you see.  The chicldren really seemed to  like learning from the children.

The chickens got a quick pet, then headed off to the new pen.

Wyatt helped the children settle chickens into special nesting boxes, and they let them get a good look at the new coop.

Then they carried the last in, and answered questions about where things might be best placed, and how to watch the chickens to make sure things were going well..

The children did a wonderful job!

And the Rhode Island Red settled right in to having a dirt bath!

The young chickens got a good look at their new friends, and the children of the class discussed making the roo and the Ameraucauna hen a chicken wedding cake!

On the way home, Wyatt was so happy to know that his selection of an Ameraucauna hen for giving to the class, a gift from his own heart, had meant so much to the group.  He can't wait to go back and see the children.

Wyatt and I cut lettuce from our greenhouse, and enjoyed a beautiful salad for lunch while Bailey was off at science fair interviews.  We even shared the first strawberries of the season!  Delicious.  Wyatt is still so touched that the gift he gave meant so much.  You get what you give in this world.  I hope we all learn that from our children.

Have a wonderful day, everyone, and enjoy the sweetness of life and the joy of sharing woth others.  Hugs to all!

A day in the life...

Life has been crazy around here.  A lot of unnecessary negativity, but good things coming down the pike.
Today, we had one of those Spring Break kind of days.  Off to the dentist in the morning.  Then we went to turn in projects at the Southern Arizona Regional Science Fair. Both Bailey and Wyatt were advanced from school competition to represent the school!  So fun to see their work acknowledged and to see the encouragement and them reaching for more!

Wyatt gladly went through the express checkin(it looked like airline early check-in) and we found his assigned spot.  Bailey had a lot more forms (human subjects, etc) to check in with the organizers, so it took a little more time.

Then she was all set up.  Tomorrow she goes back for interviews.  Wyatt and I haven't decided what we will do during that time, yet!

They had these life-sized cutouts of scientists around for decorations.  One man was being silly getting his photo taken, so Bailey got in on the action!  Marie Curie even had her SARSEF badge!

Aunt Priscilla always had a photo of this guy on the wall.  No one believed he was smart.  Einstein sure had his failures- and his triumphs.  And he did what made him happy, and excelled at it!  We thought Aunt Proscilla would have loved this shot!

Bailey finally got Wyatt into the action when she spied the Jane Goodall cutout.

Always cool to remember a great biologist who worked with animals, and always great to remember that life isn't about you, but the work and the why you do it.

Sure, we did allergy shots today.  And some of the really stressful aspects of life are sure still there.  But the joy is there, too.  And we took Auntie Leanna ice cream today, had a great chat.  While we were doing chores, I looked up and saw a new neighbor- a writer.  very cool!  Yup, life, in the middle of the crazy, is still good.  Be you!

The Practice Pie- a family tradition...

This year, Bailey signed on to do cooking project in 4H.  Later on, Wyatt said he wanted to as well, but with such a large poultry project, I wanted him to wait.  Bailey worked on dinners and side dishes, breads and cookies, but needed to pick a project for fair submission.  She decided she wanted to do a pie.  Then came the decision of which pie to do?  She had previously tried learning pies with competing in the open division before she was old enough for 4-H.  THen she learned key lime and french silk, so she wanted to learn something new and do a much better, more sophisticated version of her pie crust presentation.

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This last week, my Great-Uncle Leon passed away.If there was any question before, it was then gone- she would learn an old family recipe of his mothers, like I had made for Aunt Cicley when she was sick.  That narrowed Bailey down to Pecan or Chess.  Chess is a thinner pie overall, so Bailey thought there wold be more presentation to play with for the Pecan Pie.  She decided for two trial runs- one with our usual glass pie dish, then one in the mandatory metal pie pan for county fair submission.

Saturday afternoon, Bailey took a break from her other work to set about making the first trial run.  Now, the bantam eggs are what get used here at our house, the others are all sold.  So Bailey did the math to determine how many eggs ounce wise were the equivalent of the recipe.  She did her trial run, and fancied up the fluffy edging.  Then part way through cookie, she put a pie crust robot on the middle.  When it came out of the oven, it sat on the counter and tempted us- all the way until tonight!

Have a great night, everyone!

 After dinner, while working on other things, we cute the first pieces of the pie... and the robot lost a leg.  Sorry robot. It was a yummy leg.  On a delicious pie!  Great job Bailey!  Will have to remember to pick up the metal pie pans for her next trial for her Daddy next weekend.  She has a couple little things to tweak, and to get used to with the aluminum pan, but she is right on track!