Leaving On a Jet Plane

Even though I have posted like three times in the last three days, there will not be a return to regular blogging around here as I know you have all hoped. Nope, but I have a good excuse. We leave today for hotter, muggier, sandier, beachier places. Flying down to Florida to spend the week at the beach with C's family. I'll try not to have too much fun while you all wait patiently for my return, on our nation's birthday celebration. That would not be fair, after all. If I do, accidentally, inadvertently, mistakenly, have a great time, I'll console you with great pictures and fun stories when I get back. Yes, I left you last year and promised pictures and stories when I got back and I never got them to you. I'm terribly sorry and I did not want to have to admit this, but it was not because I had no fun. Oh no, much fun was had, I am ashamed to admit. It was really rather shameless, except for the shame, of course. Anyhoo, see you next week and try not to cry too hard when there are no posts tomorrow and the next day and the next day... Chin up! I shall return.

Oh! Chicken update: nobody got past my super duper reinforcements last night! Yahooo! Let's hope my brother does not have to find any less than four chickens in the tractor while I am gone. That would be a real shame.

ARRRRRRRRRRRGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!

That is the sound I make this morning as I look out the kitchen door towards the garden and the chicken tractor as I do each morning to count chicken heads but today I see no chickens out and the door bent inward just enough to allow some beasty to get in to my babies so I rush out to them and find four still there all clucking to me as if they had quite a tale to tell of the night and the taking away of one of their sisters. This is the second one to be stolen from me by what I suspect was a raccoon based on the numerous footprints on the roof and all over the door that I find each morning but the first was taken through an opening in the roost for ventilation that I failed to secure to prevent just such an event as occurred. Imagine sleeping peacefully on your roost and all of a sudden a nasty little hand reaches in to your safe or so you thought little home and snatches you away to become dinner, I don't want to think about it and besides I am mad as all get out about some raccoon eating MY egg making babies and that raccoon getting the meat I was going to serve my family some day in a few years as a nice pot of chicken noodle soup so he did not just take one, now two, chickens from me he took oodles of yummy eggs and at least two lovely dinners some cold winter nights with my family and yes I see the irony as eventually I would be snatching that same chicken off her roost and slitting her throat but at least she would go fast and I would be gentle and it is just not fair.

Ok, I feel better now. Farming sucks sometimes.

Tour by A

This is a video shot by A. I think she was wanting to send it to her friends in Vegas to show them around the new place, but I thought it was too cute to not share with all of you. Please excuse the dizzy-making camera skills. Oh, and the mess in my entry!

First of the Season

What do you have for dinner after a day of picking gorgeous organic strawberries at the farm?

Why, Strawberry Shortcake, of course! Made with cream and butter from a local dairy, flour we ground ourselves, and those lovely berries we picked.

Yum! Tee hee, this is what three girls do when Daddy is out of town...

Although, now that I think about it, he would probably want Strawberry Shortcake for dinner sometime, too. Good thing we got lots of strawberries!