lost two babies.

last night i spent a long, quiet time sitting on my sunroom floor holding a baby bird as she took her last breaths.  i don't know when, but somewhere along the way my thoughts changed from "come on baby, you are strong, you can do it"  to "it's okay.  let go."  and finally she did.   she curled inwards, took in a deep breath and then stretched out her small body as long and wide as it could go - the way you might stretch when you climb in bed for the night.  though her eyes had been closed all day, she opened them and looked right at me.  they slowly closed again as the breath and life seeped out of her.  life is magic.  and there was a moment when i felt that magic as it left her little body resting in my hand.

all life is noble. and every death is sad. 

we had two deaths this weekend.  the little wyandotte i knew was struggling.  the other was the marans - a shock.  she was fine and then the next time i looked in on them, she was dead.  gone before i had the chance to try to save her.  that is the way things are sometimes.

raising chickens is not for the feint of heart, i've found. 

more baby photos. sick little one.

a few more baby photos - they will have changed so much by tomorrow!

new babies!

the babies are here!!  like last time, i ordered them from my pet chicken.  they hatched on monday and arrived at my post office on tuesday.  i was, again, totally giddy driving home with the little peeping box on the passenger's seat.

petting zoo

 while quinn loved the goats and sheep at the petting zoo, asher and his cousin preferred to pretend to BE goats at the petting zoo.

quick and chilly trip to the beach

three hens

my three hens seem to be finding a rhythm in their days together.  i am happy watching both spring and eliza learn to forage and roam freely in their space - something neither of them were able to do before coming here.  venus is a good teacher.

visit to Blue Heron Farm

our family trip to visit the goats of Blue Heron Farm was fantastic.  we enjoyed the goats (and the dogs, pigs, chickens...)  and learned a lot about them.  after the tour we had a snack of Blue Heron Farm cheeses and crackers at long picnic tables beneath the trees and lisa and christian graciously answered all the questions we could ask.

coop guest

meet eliza.

eliza belongs to a little girl who lives near me.  she is a silkie  (like luna) and she's staying with us for a while.  

last eggs.

we used our last two eggs from the First Flock.  even the boys recognized the moment and asked if we should just keep them in the fridge for a while longer.

insights from today

asher:    when i am a grown up i am going to eat one lollipop and two pretzels.

me:        what, everyday?

asher:     no.  just the first day.

strawberry picking

we took the kids strawberry picking at froberg's farm.  as always, it was a great time (the fried pies in the store are Amazing, don't get just one).

the fields were very muddy when we went.  i love these photos of the boys tackling the mud to pick berries.  each boy's personality is represented so perfectly.

veggie thief

my neighbor is a wonderful gardener. on a few occasions she has invited my boys over to help pick tomatoes or sugar snap peas.  they always come home with a big bowl of veggies for our family and full bellies.

after tagging along to the garden last time, my little quinn has learned where to find delicious snacks.

while i was unloading groceries from the car, Quinn took off down our driveway, across the cul-de-sac, and up the neighbor's driveway.  by the time i caught up with him he had already snagged himself a sugar snap pea and was proudly chowing down.

we did apologize.  she didn't seem too upset, he's kind of hard to stay mad at....

tiny thief and his loot

the little one sucks his fingers

Nell, meet nellie

my grandmother, Mary Nell, came for a visit and got to meet her namesake, Nellie the chicken!

i love everything about these photos.  they are too awesome for words.

boys

greyson has grown so that there are moments when i hardly recognize him.

healing nico, healing me

nico was being picked on by the other chickens.  someone was plucking the feathers from her rump at night.  she started sleeping in the nesting boxes to protect herself.  eventually blood was drawn, and once there is blood (especially on a white chicken) the other hens won't leave it alone.  i had to step in.

Luna's first egg

Luna, the silkie bantam, was the last to begin laying eggs.  the boys and i were so proud of her, we practically had a party!  and her tiny eggs quickly became a favorite - asher asked for "luna's egg" every morning at breakfast.

quinny and jimi

this is quinn's jimi hendrix t-shirt, one of the only things i purchased new just for him.  when he wears it, we ask him "where's jimi?"  and he pats his chest.  too much cute.

farmer Quinn

elmo slippers

one very fun thing about having three boys is watching a younger one discover something an older boy has outgrown. 

Quinn's apple

missing my girls and their beautiful eggs

a few photos of my hens and eggs that were not shared before.