Bike success

Oh, by the way, guess what, big milestone over here...Elsa learned how to ride her bike without training wheels.  So, I am wiping the sweat from my brow--a major parenting fail averted.  She can swim, too, so my work is done.   Well, I ought to buy her a helmet that fits.  That might be on the agenda as well. 

And while I don't want to get all deep about it in terms of homeschooling, I did not teach her how.  I made space and encouraged a bit, but she was ready and did it.  (I didn't teach her to swim, either, competitive swimmer that I was...but I did sign her up for lessons.)

Bunny poop tea

I made some bunny poop tea yesterday, while Elsa played endless games with her friend from farm school and David and Sam played with Eemah (Jesse's mom).  I also had to tell Elsa and her friend several times to get out of the bucket that I use to throw the chicken poop that I  scoop from the yard in my occasional  bursts of fear about chicken born illness inspired cleaning frenzies.  (This did not help these fears.)  I told them to get out, and they did, although proceeding to completely cover their six year old selves in mud.  Luckily, said six year olds can also hose themselves off adequately all on their own, leaving me to continue to make bunny poop tea.  As  you may have inferred, it is warm here now.  Today was kind of hot, which is sometimes tough in these mountain days before the trees have leafed out.   And suddenly everything is brilliant and bright.  I am unconcerned with homeschooling...I mean, I am unconcerned with nervously comparing Elsa's progress to her friends who are in public school.  We do what we do, then she goes outside and picks flowers or digs in the garden or wanders a little in the neighborhood (I am trying as hard as I can to allow this--it scares me but I think the benefits outweighs the risks) or we go for a hike or we make plans to get up early to watch some animals.  David has been in seventh heaven with his Eemah here, who is willing to play with him non-stop, running around, pretending to be characters from Pippi Longstocking (those books are lately huge hits around here.)  Jesse has two conferences to go to, so he had his mom stay with us for these weeks.  It is lovely to have her, but I do miss my little husband.

But the bunny poop tea....I don't know if it is a good idea or not.  It sounded like one.  I just put some poop in a bucket and let it sit for a while, then poured it on the strawberries.  There is a guy, belovedly known to most Black Mountainers, as "the strawberry guy," who comes to the parking lot of the gas station near the grocery store, and word gets out and you GO and get some amazing strawberries.  Anyway, my friend told me that he told her that the strawberries were fertilized with liquid turkey poop and that's why they are so delicious.  I don't have any turkeys (nor any plan to raise them), but I do have bunnies.  I have also heard of making bunny poop tea, and compost tea, so I decided to give it a shot.  Lord know, there aren't many strawberries left--the chickens scratched them all to hell.  So, I will keep you updated.  I think I should also probably start consulting books...maybe testing my soil.  I wish I had a garden mentor....

New Workout Craze

Shovel the compost, shovel the compost...
Lift the buckets (because your wheel barrow is broken)...
Walk it out, walk it out....
Heave the buckets over the (inadequate) chicken fence...
Dump, dump..
Whoops, forgot the shovel at the compost heap....walk it out, walk it out....
Mix in that compost....shovel the beds....

Repeat...

I am sore but happy.  Today we are going to plant potatoes and carrots....

I have started **zero** tomato plants.  Excellent work.

I love...

...it when Samuel turns toward me, still asleep, sticking out his pointy litte tongue, to nurse;
...how he smiles first thing in the morning, before he opens his eyes;
...his sweet, milky smell mixed with just a smidge of neck cheese.