Farm Visit

The CSA farm that we get our summer produce from had a kids' day last weekend that we participated in.  We were twice there last year to meet and greet the grown turkeys right before Thanksgiving and then pick up our T-giving turkey a few days later.  Miss Cyndy said she wouldn't be doing turkeys again after the trauma of slaughtering her little friends, so imagine our surprise when we saw the baby poults running around!  They were so noisy!

Cyndy is such a wonderful person and so brave to be taking this on again. 


She has dozens of chickens, too,  in various stages of growth.  We get all our eggs and poultry from her farm because we trust what she does and how she takes care of these little critters.

Grateful doesn't begin to describe the feeling of knowing someone else is lovingly growing our meat for us.  Humbled.  Amazed.  Blessed.


We got to plant some food in the garden too!  All of the kids each planted two long rows of beans and marked them with stakes so they will be able to go back throughout the summer and check their progress.  Evan and Chloe's friend Bella was there with her mom (on the left of this photo) which made it even more fun .

You can't tell from the photos, but it was 86 and so humid this day!  As soon as we were done, we went out with our friends for ice cream.

Ahhh... That's Better

Finally, cooled off!!!

Holding Bunnies

Our love for Aunt Bryce's bunnies runs deep.  They were, after all, our houseguests for over a year, and we've missed them ever since.  So a chance to spend an hour loving on them was a thrill for the kids.  They had to start out being quiet observers until the bunnies let themselves be petted.  After that....

The thrill of the afternoon came when Evan wrangled up little Charlie into his arms.  Sweet Charlie who never really prefers to be petted or held by strangers was a cuddly ball of fluff.  Evan was oozing with joy for this special treat.

He said it was the best day of his life :-)

Bits & Pieces :: June

**Chloe's new favorite song is Home on the Range.  She had me print out the lyrics which she has decided to copy.  Her added illustrations are my favorite part :-)

** Evan has been all about the Titanic again.  He is fascinated by the wreck site and the story of how it sank.  He spends hours poring over informational books, studying.  One morning we got out Jeff's lego collection (which we keep in storage) to build a Titanic model.  He made all four funnels, the bridge and a nice base.  After about a week of work, he felt discouraged that it was too big a project and took it apart.  What a cool idea though!  You can see the white bridge section and a yollow funnel in the picture below.

** I found these two set up on the deck playing Transformers and horses.  For real.  I never thought it would be possible for a brother and sister to have so much fun together, but they do every single day.

** With summer comes the catching and observing of bugs.  A very pretty moth found itself in captivity recently which thrilled Evan since it was his first.  This picture captures the fascination and magic that nature holds for these two.  Such a sense of wonder.

** The kids discovered Garfield comics this month and cannot get enough!  They read and laugh together first thing in the morning, when they come inside to cool off on the couch for a bit and especially at bedtime after we read family books, cuddle and say goodnight.  They grab a flashlight and "read" these silly books for a while before it's lights out time. 



** I have a feeling that this summer our kitchen table will never be without flowers.  Chloe is always coming inside with a handful of something.  We planted a  mixed box this year with lupines, hollyhocks, morning glories, sunflowers and cosmos.  Also some green beans and strawberries.  We'll see what comes up.

 

 ** Evan built his first little robot after watching a how-to video online.  It uses a toothbrush head and the vibrating motor from an old cell phone.  He loves playing around with motors and wires and batteries.

** Hot days mean it's time for bathing suits and the hose to make their first appearance.

 

** Chloe loves her new suit.  Isn't it so her?

** At Bryce's house this week, we were lucky enough to get to hang out with the bunnies in the back yard cage.  The kids both got to hold and pet to their hearts' content.  I have a bunch more pictures of this special time, but that will be another post on it's own.

** The tree in front of Bryce's house is so perfect.  Chloe's longer legs have made her able to climb higher than ever.  Not to be outdone, Evan can also climb even higher and then "get down from the tree faster than you Chloe"....  *drop*

** A pair of Mourning Doves started to build a nest in our backyard tree this week.  We have spent hours quietly observing them (with and without binoculars) as daddy bird hunts around for the perfect addition to mama's nest, flies up while making lots of chirpy noise, hands over the goods and comes back down.....  We really hope they stay.

** I will probably be using this tent set-up on the swing all year as it is the perfect shady spot to enjoy a morning.  Kids play on swings and run around being Flynn and Rapunzel or Odie and Garfield or horses with nothing but their imaginations at work.  How I love this life....

Another Day with Jack

On Tuesday, we met Jack for the first time.  He's a sweet, loving old horse who really likes people.  With his two horse friends out of town for the week, we were invited to pop in and keep Jack company whenever we liked.  Evan and Chloe are content to just observe and Jack just likes to have someone nearby.  It's a perfect combination for us. 

Yesterday, Jack didn't even seem to care that we were there, he was so busy eating.  But that is another really cool thing to observe a horse doing.  What will he eat, what does he avoid, does he spit out the bitter stuff, how many bites has he taken without stopping????

With wildflowers taking over his pasture, he milled around looking for grass and clover.  The kids helped him out by ridding the field of as many flowers as we could carry home.  We gathered a beautiful bundle and a small handful of small sweet strawberries.

This horse knew that rain was in the forecast and he was filling up his belly for the day ahead with no grazing.    So much to learn in these quiet hours with a horse. 

Meeting Jack