He is not here, for He is risen . . .

 In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.

And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.

His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:

 And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.

 And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.

 He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.

And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you.

And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word. 

 

Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them.

And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.

 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you 

 always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Matthew 28:1-8, 16-20 (KJV) 

 

Happy Easter Everyone!!!  Have a beautiful and blessed day!

Delightful Digging Day!

What a wonderful day!  My mind and soul are refreshed from digging, raking, and shoveling (though I must admit my muscles and back do not share the same enthusiasm).   

Around midday the sun steadily shone through the cloudy sky, drying the night's dew and warming the temperature enough for the chicks to go outside.  As their confidence (and size) grows, they have become very discontent living in the brooder.   

As I watched them run around chasing bugs and scratching the dirt, I was inspired to do the same . . .   

If you show up for a visit while I am working outside, 85% of the time I would be wearing this:  Boots, worn-out green hoodie, $1.00 thrift-store jeans (made back in the days when denim was real hardy stuff!), and work gloves, of course.

Rachel, my hardworking helper

Two of the Marans

All of the chicks found our digging a strange activity; 

but they really enjoyed munching on the bugs and worms we unearthed.

One of the not-so-little earthworms we dug up 

We also uncovered two Southern Alligator Lizards.  We have them all over the yard.  They hang out on sunny pathways and leafy/rocky areas.  We even have one that lives fulltime under an artificial rock protecting an outdoor outlet. 

Break time!

The day’s final product

This still has a couple days of tilling needed, but a grand improvement from when we started.  

Hopefully the next update will show a beautiful vegetable garden where this barren spot now resides. 

  

Quite a productive day, though I think I will rest the body tomorrow and prepare for a full workday again on Thursday!              

Cabin Fever.

Clouds, clouds, clouds; grey, grey, grey.  Winter’s cold cloudy grasp is starting to wear away the hope of spring, and I have contracted a case of cabin fever.  This ailment has been affecting the bigger chicks as well as the human inhabitants of our home.  They have taken to playing peck-the-little-one, not a game I approve of at all.  So Rachel and I hauled them outside for some run around time . . .   

 

They had a fun time, and we certainly enjoyed watching and laughing at their bathing rituals, just proves rolling around (or digging in) the dirt is a great cure for winter weariness.

Westport Beach.

At last, pictures from the family's trip to Westport Beach! Enjoy!

Mmmmm, s'mores.

Twirling!

"Let's go fly a kite. . . "

". . . up to the highest heights."

“The setting sun, and music at the close,
As the last taste of sweets, is sweetest last,
Writ in remembrance more than things long past.”

William Shakespeare
(King Richard the Second)

More Snow!

Yesterday I discovered the first seedling peeping through in the greenhouse; today brought another batch of fluffy flakes.

 Elizabeth

Rooster Sledding.

After reading about my feelings for Bob, mom said I should show how ferocious this creature really is . . .

 . . . well, he is a pretty menacing creature, except towards Rachel.  Since Bob was a small chick (back when “her” name was “Bossy Britches”) Rachel would hold him and carry him around.  To this day, Bob puts up with being carted around to Rachel’s many activities; including sledding.

Elizabeth :) 

Happy Sunday!

Elizabeth :)

Spring?

With the family’s return and the arrival of warm weather, Rachel and I sat down to my laptop to place our chick order.  Gasp!  Oh no!  The one breed I really wanted, the old-fashioned, excellent, chocolate-brown egg layer Marans, had been sold out for the entire 2011 season!!!  After moments of disbelief on my part, and some quick thinking on mom’s, she called the local feed store and discovered they still had Marans, so off we went before they too were gone.  We returned home with our new brood of five twelve-day-old Marans, and five twenty-one-day-old Red Sex Links.  Unfortunately, the Americanas mom wanted (and has been wanting for a couple years) were sold out locally, so back to the laptop we went and ordered five Americana pullets which should be arriving via post sometime in the next two weeks.  :) 

Chicks first visit outside.

Black chicks, Marans.  Yellow chicks, Red Sex Links.

In addition to expanding our poultry population, the girls and I have filled our greenhouse with seedlings.  Well, actually they are pots of dirt with seeds in them, but they hold all the hope and promise of turning into tomatoes, onions, peppers, and many other delicious things.  So with the chicks warm in their brooder and the seeds snug in their greenhouse, what a perfect time for a little . . . snow!  While the calendar declares spring has arrived, Mother Nature calmly refutes with fluffy white flakes.  Now I wait, and send fervent pleas heavenward for the fruit trees; if the blossoms freeze, we will have another fruitless season.  :( 

For now, I will retrieve the sweaters, read about living in sunny Italy, and pray for spring!!! 

Elizabeth 

Spring?

Home Again!

Saturday evening the family rolled down the driveway and filled the quiet house with the lovely sounds of chatter, laughter, and the general noisiness of people I had missed so much.  Everyone had a fun time and they told me all about their adventures over my hastily prepared pasta dinner.  I received a phone call an hour previously saying they would be arriving home hungry, thank goodness for pasta penne, tomato sauce, mozzarella, sliced veggies, and a pretty place setting; nothing turns food into a feast like cloth napkins and candlesticks.

I plan to post pictures of their trip this week in between the garden tasks Rachel and I have set on our calendars.  I promised her when they got back (and if the weather remained warm, which it has!!!) we would place our chick order and start the seedlings in the greenhouse.  Hurray for Spring!!!  I am so ready to pack away the sweaters and stick my hands in some warm black dirt.

Elizabeth :)

Home Alone . . .

Hello everyone, this is Elizabeth!   

The weather here has gone from snowy and cold, to warm and wonderful.  My family has taken a motor home trip to the coast for a few days; the sea air should bring them all home refreshed and ready for spring.  I had a call from dad this afternoon, he said they have a site right next to the beach and the weather is "good," which I choose to translate as perfect.  He did have one complaint; sadly, it isn't quite windy enough to fly the kite Rachel took with them.  While they are gone, I get to hold the fort down here . . . alone; not something I've had to do very often . . .

At 21 years of age, you would think I'd have spent more significant amounts of time alone.  Actually, a more accurate statement would be staying home alone.  When I was sixteen the whole family minus me went on a week long trip to Yellowstone and Mount Rushmore.  I stayed because the trip conflicted with the start of some classes I wanted to take at the local JC, and then I wasn't really alone as I had a grandparent living nearby who was chauffeuring me to and from school and spending parts of the day with me.  But this time, three days, two nights, just me.  It is not as scary as I remember, I learned the first time round that the house likes to creak and groan for no apparent reason, but this time I have a new fear . . . Bob the Rooster!

I hate to admit it, but that rooster scares me!  I am perfectly willing to scoop poop, gather and wash eggs, and even lock them in at night, but letting them out in the morning is a whole different task.  Normally dad lets them out in the morning, and when he is away Rachel fills in; as I have yet to convince dad to invent the automatic chicken coop door (wouldn't that be cool!) I have to do it.  You think after a long restful night’s sleep Bob would greet the person who lets him out with some appreciation, instead he generally crows, chases after the hens, and then charges the person who just released him from confinement.  Bob has had a beef with me ever since that fateful flea powder treatment followed by several de-spurring sessions; then again it could be from the time I hit him with a golf club . . . well, he started it!  Whatever it was, I keep my distance.  So I have adapted a series of steps to successfully let out the chickens without confronting that rooster.

Step 1) Arm oneself, I find a broom or umbrella are the best protection (not a golf club!)
Step 2) Set up the plank and unlock door.
Step 3) SlideopendoorshovedoorontoroofturnandRUN!
Step 4) Pray you did step three correctly or else you will have to go back and fix whatever didn't work.

Only when I reach the pathway to the house do I turn and make sure the chickens are successfully pouring out of their coop, you could say it is my "Sleepy Hollow Bridge."  So far this has provided freedom from conflict with that pompous bird, but I still hold out hope for an automatic door someday.

Have a nice weekend everybody!

P.S. Sorry for the lack of pictures, the family cameras also went to the beach :)