Chickens in our yard

So, it turns out that I may not be cut out to be a meat farmer.  I didn't really think I was, but the amount I am worrying about these four pullets (I think that is what you would call adolescent hens) may be an indication that a few egg laying hens and perhaps some bunnies(for wool, not meat)  are about as far as I can go.  We have been talking about getting the chicks out, but the chicken coop had just a few minor things that needed fixing, and we didn't know how to fix it, and then it got colder, and the chicks were huge pooping machines who would fling their bedding everywhere and I would have to clean out their water five times a day because it would be full of wood shavings and poop and our upstairs bathroom is totally trashed....and one chick(I changed her name from Thisbe to Goneril) was, I think, trying to establish dominance over the mysterious hand that came in to remove poopy bedding and would rush over to attack it, and it was just getting less than fun.  And then today, I decided to give them some grubs in their upstairs cage, to see if they would care to eat those.  They did not, and according to Elsa, when one of the grubs moved a little bit, they completely freaked out, spilling their water all over their cage, which had no wood shavings in it because they kick them all out and into their water.   And the cage smelled very bad, and I was done and just decided to move them out into their coop.

And so, despite all of the reading and obsessing I have been doing about raising chickens, I kind of hurled them into their chicken arc without really thinking it through.  I think you are supposed to put them in the roost area first, so they know where to go when it gets dark, but I was afraid that they were going to jump out, and I thought they would be happy to play in the grass.  And they were, running around in there en masse, eating lots and lots of clover, suddenly freaking out and lunging at each other, then going back to nonchalantly eating clover, rubbing their beaks on the grass to get rid of the horrible banana I was trying to tempt them with...So, when night fell, they didn't know what to do...they didn't understand my coaxing to go up to the roost, and just huddled below.  I did manage to grab one and fling her up there, but the rest figured out what I was doing and ran away from me and so are down below, and I am worried.  Not only that they will be eaten by a raccoon or something (which totally does worry me) but also that they are cold, and scared, and that  I should have provided a night light and a heating lamp and maybe have taken Jesse up on his offer to sleep out there (perhaps given to calm his neurotic pregnant wife) so he could defend them from all predators.  As well as sing them to sleep...okay, not that part.  But I am anxious and really hoping that they make it through the night and I am sorry if they are frightened and cold.

This is why they had to go....and I swept it out several times a day.

Raising animals is hard, kind of like raising children I suppose.  There has to be a learning curve.  I have never raised chickens before, and I have never raised an almost six year old little girl or a three and a half year old boy...and I just have to pray that my screw-ups don't have the direst consequences.  I hope those girls can stay down there.  I hope I can figure out how to get at them and show them where to go--the chicken arc is a little confusing that way.  I hope nothing eats them tonight.

Much Better

Wow...not that I didn't complain in the few posts I wrote during my first trimester, but man, I did not feel good. It was rough and I didn't feel much like doing anything besides, well, going on Facebook and perusing the internet, and maybe doing a little gardening.  But now, I am through the first trimester and I am feeling so much better.  And I am inspired to write again, although a little overwhelmed at the vast amounts of pictures on my camera.  All in good time.

Just a random shot of David--both children are heavily into climbing trees of late.

This weekend was nice.  Elsa came running in yesterday morning that there was a mourning dove building a nest.  She was gathering twigs and making a nest in a completely dead, ivy-strangled tree in our backyard, which I am realizing desperately needs to come down, but not just yet.  We all watched for a while--mama dove was sitting up there, while a two others were fighting nearby, I am assuming over territory.  I know very little about mourning doves, although I do love them.  I went for a run (I run a hundred steps, walk fifty--over and over again--it does wonders for my mood and energy), and then I took the kids over to Warren Wilson College, where they were having an event called Fiddles and Folklife--a festival celebrating the mountain arts.  There was an old-fashioned string band contest, and a ballad contest while we were there.   We listened a little inside, and I tried to talk to a woman who had on display a ton of hand-dyed yarn, all dyes that either grow wild around here or will grow--there were some really beautiful colors which made me again want to try to get a dye garden going...someday.   David, in particular, liked the music.  He just seems to want to move to it.  But really, what the kids wanted to do was to run around outside, on the beautiful campus.  Luckily for me, there were lots of bands all over, practicing together, so I could still listen while making sure no small child got completely lost.

Today Elsa and I bought paint for the chicken coop, finally.  It is going to be lavender.  And really, if you bring your not quite six year old little girl with you, what can you expect.  Actually, I am totally into it...I wanted some kind of fun color, and the guy at Town Hardware pointed out that a lighter color would keep the girls cooler in the summer...otherwise I probably would have chosen a brighter color.  We also made banana bread and gave out seed cookies (we mixed clay and compost and wildflower seeds and made various sculptures) out to the neighbors.  It was good.

On Holy Week, Gardening and Good Literature.

Although not quite appropriate for the Episcopal Church tradition (Holy Week is NOT a time for rejoicing), I have been making an effort to sing the two Easter hymns I can remember for the children, because they seem to enjoy it when they know the hymns and can sing along in the service.  (We sang a lot of Thanksgiving and Christmas songs, and they had so much fun)  Anyway, today, I caught David singing, "Jesus Christ is Risen Today, Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la."  Very funny and I don't want to forget.

We also started 24 tomato plants--I restrained myself until now--I am hoping that they will not be slamming for the whole time we are away.  Not that we didn't get plenty last year, but we did miss a good two weeks of the harvest when we were up north for our wonderful family reunion.  Elsa wrote the initials for the different kinds we planted (I am going to try a few hybrids this year--sacrilege, I know, but blight was so bad last year I am curious to see how they do) and David filled up the pots with soil and watered them, all the while declaring happily how he loved to help me, and it was his job to fill up the pots with soil.  Delightful.

Pretty soon we are going to go plant the potatoes.  Right now, they are outside playing Swallows and Amazons (I am reading it aloud to Elsa, and it is a great read, even though I am completely flummoxed by all the sailing references.  We are both enjoying the story of four children camping out on an island and sailing all over the place having mock battles with other children sailing, although the descriptions of them swimming alone and sailing at night with no life jackets does make me uncomfortable, and I find myself resisting commenting on how they really ought to be wearing life jackets....)  I packed them a picnic of bread, butter, and our last jar of pear butter which they are pretending is marmalade, and they are using the tarp for a tent. David came rowing in and asked for a bucket of milk, and has been delighting in saying, "Aye-aye, Sir!"  I am really enjoying this part of child-rearing--finding and reading good books to them, and watching it come out in their play.  I find myself a little tense about it-I don't want them to miss out on any of the great children's books.  I even find myself buying and squirreling away classics for later--I just bought and re-read Little Women, which was sicky sweet but still wonderful.  I just want to have a lot of good books on the shelves for them to read, as a defense against the truly terrible literature that is available for children.

Scenes from the Week

It was a good week full of outside time, meals, cooking, everything outside.  We went to the River Trail at Warren Wilson for Woodsy Wednesday. This is one of our favorite spots-we take a short hike, and there is this little beachy area not far at all where the kids can play.  In the summer we went quite a bit with a picnic and bathing suits and towels.  Since it was March, I didn't bother with that, but  it was so warm that the kids ended up stripping down to their underwear and wading in.  I sat on the sand.  The hike was fun too--we ran into lots of people with dogs--Elsa has completely overcome her fear of dogs.

We made strawberry shortcake for dessert night.  Elsa was in charge of chopping the strawberries.  She did a very neat job, even though she was dying to run off to play with the little neigbor girl and David.  I ordered cream from the raw milk cooperative where we got our milk--I thought the kids and I could whip it by putting it into a Mason jar and shaking it, but it was already thicker than whipped cream.  And I made some biscuits.  It was a huge hit.

Above is Elsa watering her tulips.  I know, I know, they don't need to be watered, but Elsa has fun caring for her garden.  She is very pleased with her flower garden, and often mentions how helpful it is for my garden, because it attracts good bugs.  (And, indeed it does!)

Below, as you can see, the chicks are getting big really fast.  IThey are already a lot bigger.  I am wishing I had gotten maybe one more--they had Australorps at the greenhouse where we got them, and I love the idea of having a bit of everything.  But, there is time for all things, or at least, I hope.  We can get a few more next spring if we want to.  (Remain calm....)  Elsa has been super helpful--she can clean out their water and food (they tend to make a big fuss and kick bedding into it all the time), and check their bottoms for paste, and just generally check them for well being. 

Library day and books everywhere.  He loves stories as much as his sister, and is actually more content to just sit and look at them.  David has been seeming so grown up lately-his attention span is increasing, he is more willing to walk instead of being carried, and is wanting more to play with other children.

Elsa and I painted rocks--I made some strawberry signs to go around the various strawberry patches in the garden, and she made a tulip one and some other just fun rock paintings.  The computer is there because we were listening to a Sparkle Story. 

The strawberry plants are blooming. I put in thirty June-bearing plants last spring, and dutifully pinched off all of the blossoms. They have spread, and I must have at least sixty plants now, so I am hoping for a really big strawberry harvest. The kids each have their own small batch of ever-bearing strawberries in their gardens, and their strawberries almost never get ripe, they are eaten so quickly.

The kids are playing camping here.  They played this game practically all day--eventually getting the tarps that we use for the chicken coop until we paint it (important project coming up!)  and making "tents."  I can't believe we haven't taken them camping yet.  Shocking.

Our nature table.  Elsa declared we needed more color, as it is no longer early spring, but spring.  And she is right.  She made the daffodil fairy and the daffodil baby inside a felted egg.  (We wet felted around some plastic eggs for their Easter baskets.)  In the background is a bowl of dirt and ashes, for Lent, which I put up this week too.  We are doing the short version of Lent here.  This Sunday I am planning to have them plant grass seed in it and hopefully it will grow green in time for Easter.

I am feeling a little better, and we have done a little more this week, which is enheartening.  I am still tired and have to rest a lot, but the children are getting better at playing on their own, and we are having a good enough time.  Meals and rhythms are not what they were, but we are getting there.  I am almost through the first trimester, which is exciting....

Oh, just other random notes--my wonderful neighbor tilled the garden for us.  I have been digging beds and have planted peas, broccoli and kale.  Hopefully tomorrow I can get the potatoes in...Things are indeed clicking along.

Uncle Luke!

My brother Luke was in town the weekend.  Luke lives in NYC, and makes a point to come visit three or four times a year, as well as always coming up to Boston when the kids and I are there visiting my parents.  Just to be clear, I am totally aware of what a blessing he is.  My children love him--he has a perfect combination of gentleness, fun, and high expectations.  When I came out on Friday night after putting David to bed, I found him doing the dishes and Elsa cheerfully sweeping the floor.  He read to them and told them stories endlessly, and was totally content to just walk around Black Mountain, watching the children climb a flowering tree and buying us all ice cream.  He was patient with the pace of a pregnant mama with two small children, and seemed to enjoy all of our company.  Today we went for a run (okay, mostly walk/shuffle) and it was fun.  The last hour and a half of his visit found Elsa cuddled in his lap, listening to him read and tell stories.  She wept hard when he left (and tried to take his bags so he couldn't leave.) 

They grow up so fast....

Chicks, that is  These are actually pictures from last week, for my mom.  My camera is out of batteries.  Now they have sptrouted little tail feathers, and their wing feathers are coming in, and we find the Rhode Island Red (named Rhoda by Elsa) perched on their water.  And consequently, we find poop in their water.  They are prolific poopers for sure.  But it sure is fun!

Equinox

When I told the kids the Equinox was today (I mean, the day of the Equinox, not today...you know) Elsa immediately piped up, and asked if we were going to have a fire.  So, that was the plan...it's nice that they are getting the rhythm of the light changing.  I bought some natural marshmellows--not that I am against the non-natural kind, I just saw the other kind.  We invited some friends over and procured wood.  But, just like Winter Solstice, it was dumping down rain.  So, we got out all of the candles and lit them for our simple dinner of tomato soup and cheese toast, and talked about it a bit, to welcome the longer days.  We have been noticing the later light.  I have been uninspired lately with our seasonal celebrations, maybe something to do with my not feeling so great with this early pregnancy (sorry to complain so much, but it has been frustrating, also, I want to remember how uncomfortable this part is, as I tend to forget, and this is the Last Baby), but I am also seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.  Luckily, the kids have expectations now, which makes it easier to figure out what to do...

Oh, and my very kind neighbor saw me out in the garden, forking up the soil, and offered to till it for me.  I have not been able to get into the garden that much yet, although I did finally plant the peas.  I didn't do much in terms of soil prep, planting them in sort of leaf mold, but hopefully they will go. My neighbor is eighty, but like my dad, you would probably guess sixty.  I totally took him up on it, and as soon as the soil dries out, he said he would do it for me.  Great neighborhood, and a big relief.  I don't really like using motorized tools--last year I dug the whole garden by hand.