First, here are some cool pics of the honeybees pollinating earlier this week. Notice the yellow or red on their back legs - that is pollen - it is in their "pollen baskets". As the bees drink the nectar, which goes into their "honey stomachs", their legs collect pollen, then the bees brush all the pollen down into their pollen baskets. Once their stomachs and baskets are full, back to the hive they go to hand it over to the nurse bees, who store it in the appropriate comb in the hive to feed the baby bees/make honey.
The week seemed to fly by and every time I started to head to the office to post an update on the blog, something happened - phone rang, John got home, kids needed me, etc. This week has really worn me out, more so than usual.
We had beautiful weather earlier in the week, which was a welcome break from all of the rain. Sunshine, upper 70s. Played outside and stayed outside A LOT!
I have finally gotten a routine down with the baby chicks, for now anyway. I have to refill their food and water every other morning, and on that morning I shovel the chicken litter (poo) out of their brooder area - which I have expanded yet again. I am getting my workout shoveling all of that dried up poo that is for sure. I scoop the litter into a 5 gallon bucket, and 2 days worth fills it up about 3/4 full. I then fertilize the gardens and orchards with it. I also scoop the dog pen on those days as well, and hose it out. I am glad to get a break on the in-between days, on those days I only have to feed and walk the dogs and collect eggs as far as outside chores go. Although Asher has started to take over as egg collector, and relishes in his independence of collecting the eggs on his own!
We got four dogwood trees (pink) from a local nursery on Monday. John will plant them 50 feet apart, lining part of our drive. I'm excited!
Our cherry, apple, and almond trees are on their way from the nursery we ordered from online and should arrive next Tuesday. 17 trees in all.
I mowed for the first time of the season on Sunday. Asher mowed with me the entire time (2 hours). Usually he lasts about 20 minutes. John had gotten all 30 blueberry plants in the ground, and their entire area needed to be mowed as it is in part of the pasture, near the grapes. We got everything mowed except between the grape rows. It was going to be the last thing, and I didn't know what time it was or how Allie was doing so I decided we'd get it next time. Turns out the timing was pretty good as John had finished feeding Allie dinner and had her in the bath. Of course now it is Saturday and it looks like it needs to be hayed in between the grape rows, LOL.
John wanted to mow this afternoon, but he also needed to plant the other two dogwood trees as well as prep the holes for the 17 trees coming, so I told him DO NOT MOW, as that is something I can do (and enjoy!) and I certainly am not going to be digging those holes. So to prioritize and do the things now he needs to do that I can't, before he has his oral surgery next Monday and is out of it for who knows how many days ~ John is on vacation this next week. Which would normally be a really nice break. However, he is getting his top wisdom teeth pulled out on Monday morning. Yikes! So he will spend the week recovering from that. There is so much to do on the farm, but these teeth have got to come out, he has delayed too many years as it is, so there isn't any turning back now! He has been quite grumpy these past few days and I know part of it is that weighing on him. Be glad to get it behind us.
We had playgroup on Tuesday morning, and we met at the park which was a nice change from the church basement. It was Allie's first time at the park. She loves the slides and also had fun exploring although it got old saying "no mouth, Allie!" every 5 seconds.
So we have had yet more rain this week, and coupled with the warmer temps the fields and grass and blooms on trees have just exploded with growth! The bees loved the warm, sunny days and were out like crazy. I got a baby swing for Allie at Wal-Mart, and attached it to our playset. She likes it, she got a little overwhelmed and we had to take it slow though! Must have gotten dizzy! She loves our slide and the sandbox though.
John also planted the 10 raspberry bushes he picked up last week. He put them in the grass behind the shop, close to the field. They won't really be pretty, unlike the blueberry, so we didn't really want them in a prominent location.
Friday the kids and I spent the day in Lexington. Asher had to see the dermatologist about a wart on his knee that has gotten bigger despite our best OTC methods. The doc froze it, poor Asher I know it hurt, but he was such a trooper. The drive down was miserable, it was a torrential rain and Allie fussed the ENTIRE DRIVE despite the DVD player set up. We had to wait in the lobby area for an HOUR for the doc to see him. At least once they called us back the doc was in within 5 minutes. And his middle name was Asher! Pretty cool! We did some shopping which was also miserable with both kids and just still pouring rain, but with gas prices so high I wanted to take advantage of being in Lexington. Plus I was trying to kill time as John worked most of the night before on call and was home trying to nap.
Heard some sad news on Thursday when I picked Ash up from school. His teachers handed out a letter to each parent, and the letter was from the principal stating that it has been decided by the Board and the Diocese and whoever else that the preschool program will be discontinued "for the time being" which we found out means we will finish the school year but it won't be back in the fall. They want to re-evaluate the program and what direction it is going, yada, yada. I think they aren't happy with a bunch of things, most of it their own fault, and they are shutting down and will maybe re-open in the future, but who knows? Pam and Pauletta (his teachers) were informed Thursday morning, after being there for 5 years, that they will be out of a job. I feel so badly for them and am stunned at St Pat's decision to completely shut down! I had heard rumors that a re-vamping was needed, and I agreed, but to completely close it does a disservice to so many. Time will tell what will happen. Allie won't be ready for preschool for another 3 years so who knows...Pam and Pauletta were in tears telling the parents and even though it doesn't technically affect Asher since he is starting kindergarten next year, I am still saddened.
And I know I am jumping all over the place, but when it's been so long between posts its hard to keep track.
Monday was Asher's kindergarten registration at Mason County. It went fine other than the teacher said she noticed his speech was missing some syllables and whatnot. She said that his kindergarten teacher would most likely identify and refer him to the school's speech therapist within a couple of months of starting the year. I was like, OK thanks. But really thinking, now WHY IN THE WORLD would I WAIT on the school system to identify and get him in the system when I could be having him see someone NOW and possibly correct the issue before he even starts school?! So this next week I will be making some calls and seeing what we can do. I tried to call the pediatrician last week for a list of referrals, and he has yet to call me back - so I will do it on my own. I mentioned to Pam and Pauletta about that (as they have NEVER said he has a problem) and Pauletta just kind of brushed it off, saying "well we knew that but we knew the public school would pick up on it since we don't have a therapist available here." That was FRUSTRATING to say the least. I don't understand that mindset and am upset that we could have been having him see someone this whole time - John and I understand most of what he says, but he gets lazy I think and doesn't finish words before going on to the next one. But we thought it normal 4 yr old speech. So, we'll see what comes of all of that.
Oh, I finished my "nappy bag" sewing project today! Yahoo! That has been in the making for over a week, I ran out of the thread color I needed, so that threw me off for a few days. Today was the first chance I have had all week to sew (or do anything creative!!!) so I jumped at the chance to try and finish it up. I followed the directions exactly with the exception of the bottle holders. It has 3 pockets on each side (inside). I already would change some things about it, but for my first attempt I am pretty pleased with how it turned out. It is a lot bigger than it looks in these pics. Can't wait to stuff it full and give it a try in the real world, LOL.
This morning was the last one for our rooster, T-Rex. He was very aggressive, he would try to attack Asher almost every time he went to collect eggs. Asher would have to stomp around and act all big and mean so that T-Rex would leave him alone. He was also very aggressive with the hens, if you know what I mean. You could tell his favorites as the poor things have no feathers on the backs of their heads. We have been talking about having T-Rex stew, haha, for weeks now, but there hasn't been a good time for John to take care of him. This morning was the time. John wrung his neck while Asher and I waited outside of the henhouse. We carried him up to the shop, and wow is he heavy! John went inside to get some necessary equipment, and Asher says to me, as I'm holding T-Rex by the feet upside down, "Mommy, T-Rex's eyes are open! Now they're closed! Now they're open again!" I look down, and sure enough he is staring at me! I yelped, and John came out right about then, and T-Rex starts flapping his wings, and I pass him over to John and here he goes wringing his neck again. Oh my goodness. That was CRAZY! I guess John didn't get him good enough the first time. That was one tough old bird. So now T-Rex sits, in the fridge, ready to be stewed tomorrow! I will make homemade chicken noodle soup and I hope it turns out good. Doesn't get much fresher than that!
OK, I think that is pretty caught up for now!
Oh, some cute things Allie is doing: saying "aaaahhhh" after taking a drink, saying "ta-da!!!" when doing something cute, signed "help" and "banana" for first time this week.
The week seemed to fly by and every time I started to head to the office to post an update on the blog, something happened - phone rang, John got home, kids needed me, etc. This week has really worn me out, more so than usual.
We had beautiful weather earlier in the week, which was a welcome break from all of the rain. Sunshine, upper 70s. Played outside and stayed outside A LOT!
I have finally gotten a routine down with the baby chicks, for now anyway. I have to refill their food and water every other morning, and on that morning I shovel the chicken litter (poo) out of their brooder area - which I have expanded yet again. I am getting my workout shoveling all of that dried up poo that is for sure. I scoop the litter into a 5 gallon bucket, and 2 days worth fills it up about 3/4 full. I then fertilize the gardens and orchards with it. I also scoop the dog pen on those days as well, and hose it out. I am glad to get a break on the in-between days, on those days I only have to feed and walk the dogs and collect eggs as far as outside chores go. Although Asher has started to take over as egg collector, and relishes in his independence of collecting the eggs on his own!
We got four dogwood trees (pink) from a local nursery on Monday. John will plant them 50 feet apart, lining part of our drive. I'm excited!
Our cherry, apple, and almond trees are on their way from the nursery we ordered from online and should arrive next Tuesday. 17 trees in all.
I mowed for the first time of the season on Sunday. Asher mowed with me the entire time (2 hours). Usually he lasts about 20 minutes. John had gotten all 30 blueberry plants in the ground, and their entire area needed to be mowed as it is in part of the pasture, near the grapes. We got everything mowed except between the grape rows. It was going to be the last thing, and I didn't know what time it was or how Allie was doing so I decided we'd get it next time. Turns out the timing was pretty good as John had finished feeding Allie dinner and had her in the bath. Of course now it is Saturday and it looks like it needs to be hayed in between the grape rows, LOL.
John wanted to mow this afternoon, but he also needed to plant the other two dogwood trees as well as prep the holes for the 17 trees coming, so I told him DO NOT MOW, as that is something I can do (and enjoy!) and I certainly am not going to be digging those holes. So to prioritize and do the things now he needs to do that I can't, before he has his oral surgery next Monday and is out of it for who knows how many days ~ John is on vacation this next week. Which would normally be a really nice break. However, he is getting his top wisdom teeth pulled out on Monday morning. Yikes! So he will spend the week recovering from that. There is so much to do on the farm, but these teeth have got to come out, he has delayed too many years as it is, so there isn't any turning back now! He has been quite grumpy these past few days and I know part of it is that weighing on him. Be glad to get it behind us.
We had playgroup on Tuesday morning, and we met at the park which was a nice change from the church basement. It was Allie's first time at the park. She loves the slides and also had fun exploring although it got old saying "no mouth, Allie!" every 5 seconds.
So we have had yet more rain this week, and coupled with the warmer temps the fields and grass and blooms on trees have just exploded with growth! The bees loved the warm, sunny days and were out like crazy. I got a baby swing for Allie at Wal-Mart, and attached it to our playset. She likes it, she got a little overwhelmed and we had to take it slow though! Must have gotten dizzy! She loves our slide and the sandbox though.
John also planted the 10 raspberry bushes he picked up last week. He put them in the grass behind the shop, close to the field. They won't really be pretty, unlike the blueberry, so we didn't really want them in a prominent location.
Friday the kids and I spent the day in Lexington. Asher had to see the dermatologist about a wart on his knee that has gotten bigger despite our best OTC methods. The doc froze it, poor Asher I know it hurt, but he was such a trooper. The drive down was miserable, it was a torrential rain and Allie fussed the ENTIRE DRIVE despite the DVD player set up. We had to wait in the lobby area for an HOUR for the doc to see him. At least once they called us back the doc was in within 5 minutes. And his middle name was Asher! Pretty cool! We did some shopping which was also miserable with both kids and just still pouring rain, but with gas prices so high I wanted to take advantage of being in Lexington. Plus I was trying to kill time as John worked most of the night before on call and was home trying to nap.
Heard some sad news on Thursday when I picked Ash up from school. His teachers handed out a letter to each parent, and the letter was from the principal stating that it has been decided by the Board and the Diocese and whoever else that the preschool program will be discontinued "for the time being" which we found out means we will finish the school year but it won't be back in the fall. They want to re-evaluate the program and what direction it is going, yada, yada. I think they aren't happy with a bunch of things, most of it their own fault, and they are shutting down and will maybe re-open in the future, but who knows? Pam and Pauletta (his teachers) were informed Thursday morning, after being there for 5 years, that they will be out of a job. I feel so badly for them and am stunned at St Pat's decision to completely shut down! I had heard rumors that a re-vamping was needed, and I agreed, but to completely close it does a disservice to so many. Time will tell what will happen. Allie won't be ready for preschool for another 3 years so who knows...Pam and Pauletta were in tears telling the parents and even though it doesn't technically affect Asher since he is starting kindergarten next year, I am still saddened.
And I know I am jumping all over the place, but when it's been so long between posts its hard to keep track.
Monday was Asher's kindergarten registration at Mason County. It went fine other than the teacher said she noticed his speech was missing some syllables and whatnot. She said that his kindergarten teacher would most likely identify and refer him to the school's speech therapist within a couple of months of starting the year. I was like, OK thanks. But really thinking, now WHY IN THE WORLD would I WAIT on the school system to identify and get him in the system when I could be having him see someone NOW and possibly correct the issue before he even starts school?! So this next week I will be making some calls and seeing what we can do. I tried to call the pediatrician last week for a list of referrals, and he has yet to call me back - so I will do it on my own. I mentioned to Pam and Pauletta about that (as they have NEVER said he has a problem) and Pauletta just kind of brushed it off, saying "well we knew that but we knew the public school would pick up on it since we don't have a therapist available here." That was FRUSTRATING to say the least. I don't understand that mindset and am upset that we could have been having him see someone this whole time - John and I understand most of what he says, but he gets lazy I think and doesn't finish words before going on to the next one. But we thought it normal 4 yr old speech. So, we'll see what comes of all of that.
Oh, I finished my "nappy bag" sewing project today! Yahoo! That has been in the making for over a week, I ran out of the thread color I needed, so that threw me off for a few days. Today was the first chance I have had all week to sew (or do anything creative!!!) so I jumped at the chance to try and finish it up. I followed the directions exactly with the exception of the bottle holders. It has 3 pockets on each side (inside). I already would change some things about it, but for my first attempt I am pretty pleased with how it turned out. It is a lot bigger than it looks in these pics. Can't wait to stuff it full and give it a try in the real world, LOL.
This morning was the last one for our rooster, T-Rex. He was very aggressive, he would try to attack Asher almost every time he went to collect eggs. Asher would have to stomp around and act all big and mean so that T-Rex would leave him alone. He was also very aggressive with the hens, if you know what I mean. You could tell his favorites as the poor things have no feathers on the backs of their heads. We have been talking about having T-Rex stew, haha, for weeks now, but there hasn't been a good time for John to take care of him. This morning was the time. John wrung his neck while Asher and I waited outside of the henhouse. We carried him up to the shop, and wow is he heavy! John went inside to get some necessary equipment, and Asher says to me, as I'm holding T-Rex by the feet upside down, "Mommy, T-Rex's eyes are open! Now they're closed! Now they're open again!" I look down, and sure enough he is staring at me! I yelped, and John came out right about then, and T-Rex starts flapping his wings, and I pass him over to John and here he goes wringing his neck again. Oh my goodness. That was CRAZY! I guess John didn't get him good enough the first time. That was one tough old bird. So now T-Rex sits, in the fridge, ready to be stewed tomorrow! I will make homemade chicken noodle soup and I hope it turns out good. Doesn't get much fresher than that!
OK, I think that is pretty caught up for now!
Oh, some cute things Allie is doing: saying "aaaahhhh" after taking a drink, saying "ta-da!!!" when doing something cute, signed "help" and "banana" for first time this week.
