It never got above 60 in the house today! I had all the windows open and made everyone put on sweaters when they complained about the cold. It was glorious. (The odds that it'll be warm enough to cook outside at Christmas are pretty high, so I have to grab it while I can. I may not be able to get away with wearing a sweater again until our mid-January cold snap, and by then, the windows will be sealed up tight.) Jacob asked for soup, so I'll put some bones in the crockpot to simmer overnight and we'll enjoy a lovely stock for soup tomorrow! He knows how to get in on the excitement, that one does.
We got in a great mix of academics and general grunt work this week.
("Great" being a purely subjective term. But they read and talked a lot, and
we stayed on target with school. Plus, the basement looks magnificent,
the Suburban is full of donations and things to go to friends, and the
trash haul is going to be massive this week -- so if you're grading with
a Mom Rubric, it was Great!)
And, you know how I mentioned that the boys had a blast on their ride? They've talked about it, shared stories from it, gushed about the things they loved, planned for the next one, brainstormed some amazing route ideas -- all on their own. All week long, they've been at it. I've received texts from parents telling me what fun their sons had, too. But at the meeting this week, when the SM asked for feedback from the boys, it was like they were all surprised there was a quiz and they didn't know what to say. So the only feedback he got was, "The hamburgers were good." :sigh: Really? Well, so much for breaking the inertia. I don't know how much support we'll be able to maintain for completing the badge as a group. I have asked some trusted friends what that is (that weird Beavis-ization of the man children that occurs the minute they walk into the Scout meeting - because it happens more often than not), and several of them swear it's normal for this age, and that they do get over it. I don't care so much about the normal part, but so help me, if they don't get over it soon I'm going to start drinking before we get to the meetings. And in the meantime, if any boy wants to ride, we'll ride. That's just how we roll. Er, ride. Whatever.
And - hey, we have a rooster! Actually, two confirmed roosters, and it sounds like we may have three or more, which would be a bit of a glitch on the hatchery's part, considering we ordered the all-hen layer mix. But they're fun and loud and healthy. Thank God for healthy! Oy. And so beautiful! James started looking up info today on how to get into showing chickens. There's a 4-H club somewhere, I'm sure - not here, but nearby. Anyway, I'm leaving it up to him. If he wants to show chickens, and is willing to do the legwork to get started (and handle them), then we'll buy a chicken hauler (or... a what? Let's hope he figures out how best to transport chickens) and we'll give it a shot. Still no eggs, though. I really hope we didn't end up with 19 roosters...
Kiss those babies!
~Dy
4 comments:
They don't lay until they're about 5-6 months old, so if you are just now noticing roosters (which are identifiably at about 3 weeks) I'm thinking those hens are a bit too young still. But those eggs are coming!
LOL, Jennie! That's for competent people. All we can do is stare at them and randomly suggest that this one or that seems roostery. (Technical term.) But now they're crowing - that's the only way we could be certain. (Hens don't crow, do they?) We got these in May. So they're about five months-ish, now. Maybe we'll get a couple of eggs before the light change sets in too deeply for them?
oh Dy, I feel for you on the scout meeting. My boy is the same way, and it drives me bonkers. He is all enthusiastic at home, but doesn't say much during the meeting.
Hope the rest of the bike rides go well!
Yay on the chickens! Glad they are healthy! Our hens did ok for a couple of years, then started dying ...not sure what happened...bleached the coop and will try again in the spring. :P
Got 'em in May... I wouldn't expect eggs till November, AND - this is good news - they lay through their first winter regardless of light! The second winter, they'll molt, but once they start, you should have eggs right on through. (Get more chicks in the spring - or hatch your own - for more eggs through next winter.)
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