Today calls for a little reflection, and a dream for the future...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KwEuNapzt0&list=PLD7019FD242C5F51D

This might seem like an odd song choice for this post. Read on.

12 years ago today, the towers were attacked. I don't think about that once each year, it is a part of our daily life. That day, my husband was away on his annual elk hunt with his buddies. We didn't know what was truly behind the attacks at first, so the unit told the boys to finish their hunt, no one knew if or when they would get a chance to do it again, once they knew who had carried out the attacks.

We didn't know it, but Wyatt was already on his way into this world.

Charlie spent much of the next eleven years travelling, in support of the conflicts or the border mission, or whatever. We have been through lots if ups and downs, a bizarre economy, crazy bullying of our daughter at the hands of youth and adults who worked together to carry it out, but in the end acted with impunity, and learning to take charge of the children's education and stand up for what we believe in.

This afternoon I read a post from a friend on Facebook whose daughter had stepped in to stop some bullies on a school bus. What better way to create a better world than to stand up for what is right in simple evryday life.

My dream... that we raise our children to be leaders who know how to stand up for those who cannot, but without being pushed around themselves.  I hope that when we pass this world on to our children, that our world will have the opportunity to be still filled with promise and possibility, that they will take the lead  in the traditional prayer that recognizes that all our neighbors are a part of us. That life is a circle, where whatever someone does to someone else, they do to themselves.

There are good people, and scary unkind ones, in all walks of life. I dream that on a day like today, the good can lay down the expectations of what neighbors should be, and to be those people themselves.

Whether you believe in the same things as him or not, to essentially understand and to live by the commandment to "love one another", to also" Be the Change you wish to see in the world."

d'Uccle and Daddy and mending, oh my!

This is the only d'Uccle that came along in the recent hatch. We have been working with it, and it was inside for a bit this afternoon. Later on, we will have to catch up on the d'Uccle. I am hoping that comb doesn't get any bigger...

I did lots of mending today, made a fun batch of Pure Arizona Prickly Pear and Agave Nectar Goat's Milk Soap, and some school work with the kids, trying to get things caught up after coming home so tired from the goat show and having a lot of extra teaching this coming week.  After getting his history paper to the last stage, Wyatt got to enjoy the Dallas game with his Daddy tonight. The boys had a blast!

They even dress up nearly alike!  Silly boys!

Well, I have an online class to get up and finish early tomorrow, and lots of teaching, and tomorrow we plan for an algae unit!  For now, bedtime for this mama! Have a great week!

Chick Capers and Projects

The little chicks on the back porch have been up to hi-jinks. You can see two of the feeders I added yesterday. They now have two feeders and waters hanging, and today I will try again on the nipple waterer. Why? Well, the nipple waterer for the obvious reasons- keeping the water clean and switching over to clean water  from nipples in the pens over time. The feed cup? They went underneath the cups there had been, lifted them up and dumped them out. The feed cups weren't even hooked to the cage wall anymore!  Goofy animals, where do they come up with this stuff? 

So I moved them all lower to the floor and double what they had, so far that seems to be working...

Yesterday I made this headway on what will e the base to the farm stand sign. The right side is sealed, with two coats of chalkboard paint over the top. The left is prepped with things we grow. Lesson learned: do not discuss the spelling of the word romaine with Wyatt Clay while painting the word rosemary.  I know, I should know better that that by now, right?

Well. I hope today to get this finished and up and functional with the top,  The boys are going to be headed off before long to pick up the new goat house components, so that should keep me busy, too! I just cannot seem to put the old metal doe barn back together and make it last anymore, so I will use the metal for roofing when the new components arrive. This is Charlie's first day off in a while, so I have to dive in to productivity!

Here's to hoping for rain when we are done and success which some projects for us and all of you too!

How ya' doing? Oh, swimmingly...

This morning, I checked on the new babies born yesterday. The Cochin mamas had been doing so much better with these two than the one they dropped so far from the nest, that Bailey was tempted to let them stay out there, yet with the current influx of snake incidents, we didn't dare.

I peeked into the brooder to find one of the new ones standing in the water bowl, shivering. Bailey came to help me clean it up and get it dry and warm, so I cleaned the brooders along the way, and we separated the older chicks to the brooder I moved the juvenile Brahmas and d'Uccle from yesterday.

The juveniles, by the way, did well overnight, and were running and playing in the large cage on the back porch.

Once everything was clean and reset, the smallest of the little ones settled in for a nap, with our little fledgling "swimmer" on the far right. At this point, no incubators going, but I hope to get them cleaned later today, and just a few eggs under three very determined Silkie hens and two goofy Cochin hens. Oh, and a little over a month until the first goat babies are due!

The larger of the babies in the brooder moved out to the juvenile area this afternoon.  They weren't too sure what to do with the different flooring, 

The six of them are feathering out nicely, I do believe there are a few roosters among them...

Oh, and I hear there are two new babies in the bantam Cochin pen...

Just right of the center in this photo is the beginnings of a cucumber.See the little flower at the end?

Here is a bit larger cucumber down lower in the garden box. This plant really struggled when I transplanted it, so I am thrilled to see it doing so well. Now to not let Wyatt see them until they are big enough to pick!

This is a volunteer plant that loves to creep up in this planter box each monsoon. I will try to look it up later, as I need to double check what it is (again.)

Here I go with sunset photos again. The storms were back, and parts of town got it good! We got a few sprinkles, but nothing much, it went around us. This is actually to the East, there were really good storms about twenty miles that way, as the crow flies.

This was to the South West, where there was actually a storm. As if on cue, it came back to drop a few more random drops after I took this photo. Still, nothing new in the rain carrels!

Anyone need prickly pear? In heavy production presently are the pomegranates and the prickly pear. We also have lots of spineless prickly pear plants available and herbs, too!

This barrel cactus is cute!I think it looks like it is trying for a cactus shaped like a snowman contest. Although he is really leaning over! leaning tower of cactus? 

Oh, well, time to get some work done! On a positive note, the missing goat registration paperwork has been found in another part of the state. A long story as to how it happened, but the folks where it was sent by mistake contacted me for the address today, so hopefully they are on their way soon!

By the way, these two items came home with me today from town. Any guess as to where this project is going? Stay tuned for updates, and have fun guessing along the way!

On a sad note, one of the old hens in the show pen, Annette the Silver Phoenix passed away this morning. Such a sweet, silly friend. She retired from showmanship a couple years back, since she only wanted to sit and nap on the table, but was very instrumental in keeping the young roo in the pen in line! I will make her a post a bit later.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

EEEK! YUM! and others silly interjections...

Funny! The little green egg is just an anomaly from a full sized adult chicken. No yolk, though sometimes the little eggs do. I thought it was funny, especially since the mama hen didn't want to give it up!

Yum! This was a batch of strawberry chia jam. Was, because it is going fast!

I also made regular strawberry jam, got two two pint jars and a quart, that should be great when the fall bread baking starts!

Double YUM!

EEEEEEK! Anyone who knows me well, knows that I am not fond of anything with more legs than the dog or fewer than the children. Spiders and snakes have, however, been in abundance this year! These have been webbing in the back by the container gardens on the porch.

ESCAPE!

This hen cut her eye open diving after the last sunflower seed, not wanting to share with her friends. She spent a little over a week in sick bay, she is now back with her friends.

AWWW...

We have eleven baby chickens here right now. Such fun.We are already telling a few boys in the group, but also some great personalities!

Got any great shots and interjections to share? Post them in the comments! We love to see them!

Have a wonderful Friday!

Our Wild Weekend!

Bailey and I headed out on an adventure this weekend, and left the farm in the capable hands of Charlie and Wyatt, with help from my parents who were in to help auntie move.  All the way up to Cottonwood we drove, but had to be home in time for me to teach this morning. After class, the kids and I did a walk around to make sure we hadn't missed anything with all the rain overnight.

Look what we found!

This new baby Silkie is actually black for now, but of partridge lineage, and settled right in to the brooder, taking a nap just a few minutes after meeting "her" new friends!

While we were up in Cottonwood, we participated in three goat shows, one on Saturday and two on Sunday. We participated in showmanship, a competition of our goat knowledge and skill in showing, as well as breed classes. The majority of the does stayed home to keep everything on track for the coming kidding season, but little Versie came along. Since she and Powerstroke didn't get their paperwork changeover in time to truly compete this weekend, we were fortunate to have wonderful judges that helped Bailey look at where they would truly stand and work on herd planning. Great folks and fun!

Bailey even challenged me to compete in adult showmanship...

This is a common sight when competing in open shows where breeders bring lots of their top animals, and end up looking like big city dog walkers! Sometimes there are ten goats in hand waiting to go in, just from one breeder.Then they have to figure out which lead to separate. The youth are always glad to help show and learn.

Obediah was hungry from being crazy and vocal with all the other testosterone in the barn.

The kids enjoyed hanging out with and showing with and against their good friends. 

A favorite activity in the down time- cuddling babies! Sure makes us ready for the next batch of babies here!

This was the last youth showmanship class. The youth are really amazing with their knowledge and poise!

The big boy bucks. So many different body styles represented! It might seem subtle to the naked eye, but the scorecard reveals a lot of fine detail aspects in breeding.

Another thing awaiting me when I returned home- posting the contest winners for the fall contest! Here it is:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Congratulations tot he winners and a big thank you to all who entered!