My First Year with Chickens - Part One

                                    

It was 2016, July, after returning from a trip to Kentucky. Chickens were on my mind. The coop had been built, not just any kind of coop, but a custom built fortress designed by the man of the house, who has so many talents most of which will never be discovered.
Chickens were everywhere in Kentucky!

 Well, maybe not everywhere, but if there was one around, it was noticed. And I took a picture. All of these are roosters, by the way.
When you have a coop, you need to fill it with chickens, so we set out on July 10th to accomplish that goal. We drove all the way up to Gainesville to pick out some pullets. That's what young hens are called.
It was great fun. There were so many different types to choose from! Dog crates worked great for transporting. Covering them with an old sheet during the ride kept them fairly calm, too.

 They made themselves right at home in their new dwelling.

We waited and waited for them to lay their first egg, and it seemed like forever. But it was worth it! When that first egg was laid, there was celebrating to do. . . and some egg tasting. Phoenix was the first to lay. She won the coveted honor of being the first Rose hen to produce prepackaged, cook-able breakfast fare on October 2nd.

Phoenix, brown leghorn

 It was another month plus a day before the next hen stepped up to the nesting box. This time it was the hen named Blossom.

Vacation with a Smile(box)

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A Brand New Blog Out There

Have you heard the news? There's a brand new blog out in the blogosphere (is that a word?).
And since I'm not writing much these days on my blog, you might want to switch over here
www.whooswriting.blogspot.com

This young writer is a student of mine. She enjoys writing and has published two children's books.
She also is an avid reader and her top picks involve animals and mystery. It has been and continues to be a privilege to be her teacher and her mom.

Cuddling a joey at North Georgia Zoo

I wish her well on her own blog. She is an inspiration to me. Maybe I will start blogging again.

Josiah's Birthday Fun

We recently celebrated Josiah's 10th birthday, with friends and later with family, and in between with some "wild" animals.
Here's a Smilebox as proof.

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Happy New Year!

 

I guess that greeting is a bit late. Please forgive me. I've had gallbladder surgery and the whole family was sick for what seemed like forever. On a positive note, BB graduated her puppy class! She is now taking an Intermediate Class.

After a full recovery for us all, Hannah and I were able to take a special Mother/Daughter Retreat.
I am so thankful that we could have that time. It was a wonderful weekend get-away.

We rented a cottage at Hard Labor Creek Park in Rutledge, an hour and 15 minute drive from home.

We had a puzzle race and listened to music. We talked and ate.

On Saturday, we had a lesson and trail ride at Paradise Ranch in Locust Grove. You can check out their facebook page by following this link.
     https://www.facebook.com/deeshorsemanship?hc_location=timeline
We had to really bundle up because of the cold, but God graciously opened up the clouds and let the sun shine through which helped tremendously. This was mine and Hannah's favorite part of the weekend other than just spending time together.
Gudrun was a great teacher and we learned things about horses that we did not know.

I noticed the thick, beautiful coats on some of the horses. She said they grow that coat because they are allowed to stay outside more. This helps them to stay warmer in winter than a blanket.

She had us do exercises with the horses in the ring first, before doing the trail ride. We made our horses walk backwards, then we had them go between poles. She made sure we were both comfortable before heading out. Once on the trail, we rode up and down hills, under hanging branches, and over plastic bottles (a little obstacle course), but most of it was a leisurely walk - through woods and pastureland with a short traipse through shallow water. We saw other horses in pastures and QUADRUNNERS! My horse got a bit nervous. They were coming down the same trail we were on. My old 32 year old horse quickly caught up with the others, then he was fine.

It was nice to come back to our cottage afterwards and put our feet up by the fire as we completed our sessions. What sessions? Well, this weekend was mostly about preparing Hannah for adolescence.

We used materials from Family Life that Theron had wisely purchased when Hannah was still quite small. He's always looking at the big picture. You can check them out at www.passporttopurity.com   I noticed that our version is old (at least ten years) and uses cassette tapes (remember those?). They have updated it since then.

Little Lady came with us and enjoyed the peace and quiet while we listened to the tapes and Hannah took notes. It's a great time to build a connection with your son or daughter and share some important things with them, whether or not you already have a good relationship with your preteen. I would highly recommend it.

We ended the weekend with a Sunday lunch at Blue Willow Inn. You can follow the link to their website.      www.bluewillowinn.com

It is no longer an inn, as the owners decided that the restaurant business was more lucrative. The meal is an all you can eat buffet and your main dish is served on Blue Willow china (just like my Granny used). Maybe that's what drew me to take Hannah there for her special dinner.

We dressed up for the occasion and I presented Hannah with her passport (for completing the sessions and making a commitment to purity), which we both signed (the parent signs as a witness)  . . . 

and a gift (a ring).

The meal was very good. We enjoyed chicken and dumpling soup and iced tea. Then Hannah selected rolls, mashed potatoes with roast beef and gravy, and green beans while I had fried chicken, squash, green beans, mashed potatoes, and fried green tomatoes!
After eating, we walked around and looked at the sites (like the frozen fountain) and visited the gift shop.

So, if you have a preteen, do it! Plan a wonderful weekend get-away. Family Life can help. Don't put it off. Start planning today. You'll be glad you did.

B.B.'s Upgrade

This is Blue Bell when we first got her. The small crate was perfect then.
Now that our little Southern belle has doubled in size, she needs more stretching
room. Enter Craigslist.
Success!
I-Crate medium at half the price, still in the box (unopened even).
We set it up, move her bedding, and

 

Voila!

"That's what I'm talkin' about! Thanks for the upgrade, Mom," she seems to say as she stretches
out her growing form and welcomes some sleep-time.
Sweet Doggie dreams.

B.B. at 3 Months

She's growing. At least for now she is still about the same size as Little Lady as you can see in this picture.

When we got Blue Bell, we were told that she was a mix between a Bichon Frise and a Boxer. We don't see any resemblance to those breeds. Other than the "Flying Nun" ( Who remembers that show?), what does she look like to you? I mean what breed of dog.
Some people say they see Jack Russell Terrier, definitely Terrier though.

Little Lady says, "You don't have to guess what I am. I know that my mother is a Tea Cup Chihuahua and my father is a Toy Fox Terrier."

Lady and B.B. are getting along (with supervision). Lady wants to make sure she keeps her Top Dog status and this "annoying" puppy doesn't get "out of hand". So far Lady has helped teach B.B. how to ask to go outside.

Hopefully their relationship will grow and they will be good friends.