You don't need to be a smoker to make rings!
But it takes talent to make "air rings" 
While laying on your back on the bottom of the pool
Evidently it is hard to explain the technique
the result is pretty cool though. I'll tell ya, such talent in our family ! :)
Then, there is little Maddie who finds it difficult to get her chubby little body onto the top step of the pool!
Today we decided to test how the adult chickens would take to having the chicks around. First we only let Rosie in with the chicks since she was so "motherly" to the younger chicks last summer. Rosie did great. The other two hens....well, let's just say they were not as happy to have the little ones around! We only had the little ones in the pen for awhile before taking them back to their warm little "nursery" in the garage.
Sometimes we are especially nice to the hens and let them out of the pen to scratch the ground and get some of their favorite foods.....bugs. The challenge comes in when we want them back in the pen before they want back in. . . 
Just when you think you have one.....they escape your hold 
and make a run for it again
It can be quite a challenge to get them out from under the spruce trees
But it is Very hard for them to resist a bright red strawberry!
Finally....within reach
Chicken hypnotizing: "repeat after me......never, run away from the people"
~~~~never a dull moment I'll tell ya!
In all the excitement around here with barn raising and birthdays I haven't had a chance to tell you about our little chicks arriving!
Last Friday Danae and I took the 15 minute drive to my friend Craig's house to get our fluffy-feathered-friends. This is the group we picked from . . . 37 little chicks. Some are actually Guinea chicks, and others are Quail (Bobwhites). Most are chickens.
That big silver spaceship looking thing is a heat lamp to keep the babies warm.
Here's a photo from "in" the pen . . . Just the camera went in the pen ...not me.
See that "tall" chick on the left? That's a Guinea chick.
Here's our 3 of our little ones. Actually, we have four ...one is hiding under the one on the right.
Um, yeah. This is Nate's favorite thing to do with the chicks . . ."hypnotize" them. When he holds them on their back in the palm of his hand they get sleepy and very still. Some will actually stick their legs straight out too. It's pretty funny.
A barn. Trees. Chickens.
A barn raising - slowly, but surely. The barn is going up. The weather hasn't exactly cooperated with barn-work, however the weekend is looking good! 
Finally, the flowering crab is about to burst into beautiful color.
One branch is on the way ... by Friday it should be all out blooms!
Only one pear tree is blooming - not quite all out-full bloom, but close. 
It's strange that only one pear tree is blooming - usually all three bloom at the same time -- and at the same time as the apple trees (which aren't close yet). It's a crazy year.
And about the chickens . . .Which came first? The chicken or the egg?
At our house, it was definitely the chicken(s), which came on the scene here last July -- as chicks. I've learned a lot about chickens over the past year - thanks to my friend Craig. Craig has lots of chickens at his place, and according to him - this year is the year to replace some of his stock. Which means, well, "you know what" for some of his birds.
Since Craig was placing an order, he asked if I'd like to add any new hens to my little flock (are 3 hens a flock?). I took a look at the website where he orders chicks and realized there are MANY different kinds of chickens! So many choices of colors, temperament, good layers, friendly, winter hardy (important in MN).
I soon realized I needed to decide what characteristics are priority for me in a chicken. (wow, that's new for me, "prioritizing chicken breeds") It gets easier to choose chickens when you have certain characteristics you'd like. I decided to look for calm, friendly, pet quality birds that are good layers....and of course pretty.
Here are the breeds that made the "cut"...(no pun intended)
Light Brahmas are exceptionally quiet, gentle, and easy to handle. Their small pea comb, great size, and heavy plumage make them almost immune to cold weather. The hens are good layers of brown eggs, especially in winter.
Speckled Sussex - to quote a current owner: "They are intelligent, beautiful, bursting with personality, and the friendliest chickens I have ever had the pleasure of meeting! Also, they lay fantastic eggs!
Silver Laced Wyandottes - good for winter laying. Cold weather doesn't seem to bother them at all as their hardiness and vigor keep them laying straight through the winter. They lay a nicely shaped, good sized egg, varying from light to rich brown and will set some. According to current owners comments they are very friendly too.
For me ordering chickens is a win-win situation -- I can always count on Craig to take back any I decide I don't want...or like. And, chicks aren't a huge investment at less than $3 each. I'll be sending "Blanche" back to Craig when we get the new birds. Blanche isn't very nice...in fact she's a bit "snippy" and fussy. When she is "setting" you better not bother her...she'll give you what for! Rosie and Dorothy are the complete opposite....friendly, nice, laid back.
Today ...
Nate walked in the door and said, "Mom, I found a dog". Me: "What? A dog? Where?" Nate: "In the garage, a collie, I found it on the road to our house, around the corner".
At the last comment I was pretty sure I knew who the dog belonged to, and the dog's name, so I went to the garage where a beautiful collie stood and I said, "Hi Molly" which she responded to. She belongs to a neighbor around the bend. I tried calling their house...nobody home. So with our dog Gabby (the stupid Yorkie) on a leash to keep her from attacking the dog 3 times her size, I tried to go about the business of picking up around the house, one dog on a leash, the other following around. Finally, Molly gives up on the "following" and decides to make herself at home.....
....on Gabby's sofa! Molly sat on the sofa like she owned the place. It was pretty cute. Eventually I put Molly in the car and drove over to their house figuring their kids would be home from school by now...and they were. It was a fun (and stressful) hour. I should have figured out putting Gabby in her kennel at the start!
Guess Nate takes after me with bringing strays home!
Just another day in our boring life!
Oh....and in case you are wondering....I did a little Photoshop trick with the pic of Molly. I think it looks pretty cool with the sharp (hardlight) color.
Every day I put on these boots....
and walk out to the backyard....
to gather eggs and to throw whatever "old" veggies or fruits I have to the "biddies" as Kirk calls the chix
today it was a mushy tomato...they especially love red food.
this is Rose....she is a very gentle and sweet hen. You'd like her. Even if you don't like chickens!
I can't. I just can't do it.
I can't post another picture of a possum. Not that I have one from today, but I could. The dadgum possum visited again today...went strolling by our sunroom window this afternoon like it owned the place. I'll tell you this possum isn't the brightest bulb on the tree, doesn't have all it's oars in the water, etc. The stupid thing nearly lost it's life yesterday...and comes back for more - in the middle of the day!
A possum discussion started around here the other day --on whether or not a possum is a rodent. It looks like a rodent, acts like a rodent --- but it is a marsupial. (Kirk won that discussion). Other interesting facts about the possum -- it can't hang by it's tail from tree branches --- it eats roadkill and garbage --- during the depression people ate them! (when I told Cara that tonight she got really quiet then said: "that made me throw up a little in my mouth"). Remember, I said no more pictures of the possum... I didn't say I wouldn't talk about it.
On a brighter note....
...these are what "I've been up" to now that I'm unemployed. Check out "My Shop" in the right column of the blog!
Playing Possum?
... This afternoon Gabby (the ferocious Yorkie hunter) began whining in a dog-sort-of-way to go outside. As usual, I ignored her. Then she became very insistent. After looking out the windows to be sure there was nothing for her to chase - like wild turkeys, deer, pheasants, raccoons, possums, the neighbors ...I gave the "all clear" and opened the front door - to immediately see her dodge under the bench on the porch and pull out a (live) possum! Nate and Kirk would have found this to be very entertaining, but I was horrified and started yelling in my gruffest man-voice .."No! Gabby - NO - Stop - Gabby - leave - No! - GET - NO- GO - NO - Stop" and after a few possum tosses in the air and a couple good shakes, Gabby walked away with possum fur hanging from her mouth and a very smug, proud look in her eye. I picked Gabby up - because I didn't want her going back for more "fun" - and gingerly walked around the lifeless possum and into the house. With Gabby safe inside, I did what any normal- red blooded blogger would do -- I grabbed my camera and headed outside to take a couple photos of Gabby's heroic feat. It was ugly. Possums are ugly. I left the possum where it lay for Kirk to deal with later and locked Gabby in the house. ---Fast forward 1 hour--- Scene: Kirk walking in the door, me looking out the window to see the possum gone. "Hey Kirk, thanks for getting rid of the possum!" Kirk: "I didn't do anything with it - didn't see it". Uh Oh. Did someone let Gabby out and she took it and buried it somewhere with her bone stash?
Or...
Was it merely a flesh wound?
I walked right up near him for this picture, he (or she?) wasn't really shy. 
...and was happy to look my way for a photo
Then the possum man came with his possum extractor tool (a.k.a. broom) and shooed the little guy out the door...but,
He didn't go with out a good effort ... he wasn't rude or anything. Rather shy actually, no teeth barred, or hissing or anything rude, just really didn't want to go! He actually grabbed onto the broom and Kirk had to shake him off!
But eventually he slowly walked away, saddened that he didn't get any good grub from our garage. Why are so many little girls drawn to horses and love them so much? Ever notice that? Stories about horses, toys like "my little pony", horses for American Girl Dolls, movies about horses are pretty much geared to little girls. Maybe it is the romance surrounding the horse... the allure of the cowboy and all that? Well, whatever it is, I was a young girl who loved horses. Still do. If I could have a horse or two of my own, I would. But in the meantime I'm loving the "girls next door" Silk (standing) and Red (resting). When I stopped to visit them the other day Red didn't even get up to come see me...must have been quite the party the night before - she was really zonked!
These are the girls I take care of when their family is out of town.
When I went to leave Red did manage to lift her head from her slumber and barely open her eyes as if to say, "where's my carrot?"Did I do that? (said in your best Steve Erkel voice)
We still are getting 3 eggs a day from "the girls".
That's my gloved hand in the picture trying to get Rosie to move over so we could see the eggs. Rosie is the best egg sitter....and man are those eggs WARM when she moves off them!
Rosie before I moved her off the eggs. Blanche is the gray one....Dorothy is black....she was a little shy.
