Mr. Foxy

We have fox squirrels where we live. We love watching them run and play and jump from tree to tree. We had a good rain yesterday and this little guy came out to play after the clouds passed.
A fox squirrel has a fluffy reddish tail and face markings that look like a bandit mask.
We call every fox squirrel we see "Mr. Foxy" and we always stop to watch them scamper and climb.

I've missed you...

...all two of you.
I hope you'll excuse my absence.

What have I been doing?

Turning 40. (It was fairly painless.)
Burying our 15 year old lab, Molasses. (Painful.)
Making my own laundry soap.
Hibernating from the heat.
Taking two novel writing classes.
Watching weeds kill my garden.
Brewing kombucha.
Taking various summer trips.
Hosting beloved visitors.
Falling into the black hole that is Pinterest.
Helping our one-eyed kitten assimilate into the family farm.
Fielding fights, arguments, and the like.
Reading books, trying new art projects, and cooking new recipes with the children.
Missing my blogging.


Would you like for me to paint a picture for you?
This happened while I was typing the list above.
Really, it did.
The children had gotten up from rest time and were playing. Mazie was dressed up. "You are a fairy," Elliott told her. She looked at him like he was stupid and said, "I don't have wings. I'm a princess." She brought me purple Mardi Gras beads and a pink tiara to wear. The tiara is quite lovely with ribbons that hang down and furry fake feathers that ripple when you elegantly move your head from side to side. Elliott, whose stomach has been unsettled all day*, walked up to me and said I have to go poo poo." He then proceeded to lose his load on the floor.
So there I am, pink tiara, purple Mardi Gras bead with a bottle of Pine Sol, cleaning up diarrhea.
I am indeed the Queen of Sheet.

That is what I have been doing. I wouldn't change a thing.

*Drink a can of apple juice concentrate thawing on the counter once, shame on you. Drink a can of apple juice concentrate thawing on the counter twice, shame on me.

Baby Chix

We had three new family members and the babes love them. They would move in with the chickens if we'd let them. Their favorite activity to do when we are home is go play with their baby chickens.

At first Elliott was tentative, but he learned quickly that they were lots of fun and not going to hurt him.


Lucia named her chicken Spot Chicken; Mazie named her chicken Darlin'; Elliott named his chicken Spot also.

When I am working in the garden, the children come down with me and play with their chickens. It works well. I let them torment the chicks so they don't torment me.

New Endeavours

Guess what we've been up to! Yes me, the worst gardener in the world, is trying yet again. It is hard to love something that you are so terrible at. I will try again. I have to get better. I can only go up.
My greatest motivation is that the babes are at such a great age for gardening. It really is all a miracle, isn't it? You put a seed in the ground and it becomes this plant which gives you all this food. It really is something to stop and marvel.
So, we will do our best and see if we can harvest a bounty. I am sure we will keep you abreast of our progress.
(The picture below is a great example of how I garden--I spent lots of time building this lovely trellis and it has been standing for a month with nothing growing on it.)

Puppy Love

We got to puppysit for a puppy that H rescued. The three loved the hound out of that thing. He survived us and went to live with the J boys. I think he'll be safer there.

The Creek

We've gone down the dirt road to the creek twice the past few weeks. I wish I'd thought of it sooner in the summer. The water is clear and cool. It is a fun thing to do when we are at home on a hot day.They enjoying jumping in, throwing rocks, catching butterflies, and cooling off.

Back to the Auburn Park

Keisel Park was one of my favorite places when I was living in the Auburn area. Even now, whenever we pass through town, I like to stop. It is great to let the children run around and get fresh air. Lately we've been picking up lunch and eating it at Keisel. After our picnic we walk around and see the fish pond, the garden, and all the pretty trees.

Here the girls are eating blueberries. "Yum City!"
Elliott was running around the garden paths. When he'd come to a junction, he'd say, "Which way should we go? Which way should we go?" Then he'd point one way and say, "That way," and off he'd go.
This basil makes me swoon with jealousy.
Below is a picture of the biggest sunflower I have ever seen.
A beautiful blue butterfly...
...that Elliott got to pet.
We had a great pit stop on our way to Grandma's. Lots of inspiration for this terrible gardener.

Bawhk Bawhk

While Avery was with us I thought it might be fun for us to trek over to the stockyard and get some chickens. When Avery comes to visit I try to think of things to go that she doesn't get to do where she lives. I had been wanting us to get some chickens again and thought this would be a good time to go get them. It was a little bit of a trek, but I think it was worth it.
(Would you like some pepper sauce with your poultry?)
We went into the arena and watched the auctioning for about half an hour. That really felt like being in another time: the wooden folding seats, the smell of cigarette smoke mixed with manure, the hand-painted advertisements. While we were in there, the two men were auctioning off goats. I'd have loved to see the cattle being auctioned off. Maybe one day we'll all go back again.
We got a Barred Rock rooster and four hens of various varieties (is that redundant?). A Barred Rock is like a Dominecker but his comb is different. He is a big pretty thing with white and black feathers.
A failed attempt at a group shot.

Here the four are feeding the chickens scraps, trying to get them to come out of their transport kennel.

Here go Mama Bee and the four in their fannies and boots to take scraps to the chickens.

Down at the Farm

A visit to the farm is always fun. Uncle Chip and Aunt Patti have peacocks and deer and horses.
All the children had lots of fun loving and feeding up.