Sing a long

 December 14, 2020

I love this sing a long

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/broadcasts?lang=eng&video=Social-Sing-and-Serve%3A-A-Christmas-on-Temple-Square-Performance&mode=watch

Christlike Hero

 December 2, 2020

I am working on "Light The World 2020"

Yesterday we were able to Donate to the Haven. A shelter for abused women and children. It has long had a soft spot in my heart. I have been so blessed to be raised in a family with a loving Father and Mother, and kind brothers and sisters, I am married to a kind and loving man and have kind and loving sons and daughters. I can only imagine what it would be like to live in a home that is not that way. Our sons did Eagle Scout projects. One collected books for Foster children, the other collected donations for the Haven. At other times we have had the opportunity to share a small portion of our blessings with those there. I am so grateful to those that serve the women and children of our community, particularly at this shelter.

Today the invitation is to highlight a Christ like Hero --

I have been thinking about this and though there are many in my life that could qualify. Family Members, Ward members past and present, neighbors... I would like to highlight one that many would likely never know about.

My youngest brother. He is often referred to by those who know him best as a Gentle Giant.  At 6 foot 4 inches, nearly a foot taller than I am, he does feel like a Giant to me, but he is also very Gentle. He is soft, kind and quiet. He goes through what seems to be more than his fair share of struggles privately. Yet he is so willing to help. Two years ago he moved to our home. I loved seeing my then, three year old, snuggled up in his lap as he shared a show on his phone with her. All my older children remember him as the fun Uncles, the one they preferred, even though their other Uncles are all fine men and fun in their own rights. He has too many talents to count from Computer programing, cooking, woodworking, repairing all sorts of things … but one of his finest talents may be his ability to not judge others. No matter what he endures as part of the insanity that is our home, none of us ever feel judged by him. We all know he is likely the smartest one here, the most diversely talented, and oddly one of the most judged in his own life, yet he does not judge others, he just helps. He helps us to accomplish our dreams, to fix that which is broken, to care for those people and things that need care. In so many ways he reminds me of the Savior I hope to meet again someday. When we talk about running into the Saviors arms, I can picture that just as I could find shelter, safety and protection in my brothers arms.  He is my Christlike Hero

December 1, 2020

 I love Christmas Music, Christmas lights... but I don't like freezing. 

This is a great alternative

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyGozT_JRf0

or this link for the same thing

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/broadcasts?lang=eng&video=Celebrating-the-Light-of-the-World%3A-A-Christmas-on-Temple-Square-Performance&mode=watch

Merry Christmas one and all!

#GiveThanks 7

 November 27

Time --

I am grateful for time. Time to learn, time to play, time to laugh, time to spend with family, time to repent, time on earth, time to myself, time with others, time to mark important events, time to be sad -- especially because it helps me see the opposites and appreciate the better times all the more...clocks, calendars etc. to keep track of time and coordinate with others. I am grateful for time. I am also grateful for times when we can just forget time exists for a short while... Time also as in Time on earth as apposed to eternity...

I am grateful for Time

# GiveThanks 6

 November 26th

Thanksgiving day for most of America, the day after for us.

I am grateful for transportation. Scooters, Bicycles, Cars, Trucks, Suburban's, Trains, Planes. I can't imagining traveling everywhere by foot, horse/animal back or wagons. I am truly spoiled and grateful.

Today our son is on his way to Chicago, then onto Zambia tomorrow to spend two years teaching and serving the people there. We will miss him but are excited for the Opportunity for him and the adventures he will have and the people he will meet. Everything we hear and read the people are wonderful there.  We look forward to hearing from him and seeing pictures.

#GiveThanks 5

 November 24

Water

Hot water, clean water

Water to drink, to cook with, to wash dishes, to wash ourselves, clean the house, the car, rain, flush the toilets, running hot and cold water in pipes, wells, rivers, streams, creeks, oceans, humidity, clouds, steam... water in all forms

#GiveThanks 4

 November 23

I am grateful for Electricity and technology --

Lights, heat, washing machines and dryers, ovens, blenders, computers, kindles, ipads, phones, cell phones, wifi, fans, hot water....

So many, many things that make life easier and enjoyable!

#GiveThanks 3

 November 22, 2020

I am grateful for the Sabbath, a day of rest. As an adult, especially when we have young children it is not a day of rest, as in sleep or ease. As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, it is often not a day of rest, as in nothing to do. Meetings, Family History, visiting others, preparing lessons and talks...  yet the more I keep the day Holy, more devoted to being about my Father's work, my Saviors work, I do reach Monday feeling rested, renewed, energized and ready for a new week.

I am grateful for all the learning opportunities I have had as part of the Lord's Church. Opportunities to serve in a multitude of callings has allowed me to not only learn more about the Gospel and my Savior, but also skills like organizing, speaking, teaching, social skills (those I still am extra weak in but better than before), homemaking skills... Most of my friends can also be traced to my associations with Church.

I am grateful for a Prophet to teach and warn us. 

I am grateful for a Savior who instituted the Sacrament that I might partake and start a new each and every week and try again and again and again.

I am grateful for Sunday!

# GiveThanks 2

 November 22

I am grateful for this Earth -- 

Trees for shade, fruit, beauty (fall colors, green buds in the spring, blossoms..)

Foods to grow in gardens, and in wild (I remember picking blackberries with my family as a child!)

Animals - pets, diverse animals (who created a platypus), for help (I look forward to learning what cureloms and cumoms are) horses, elephants, oxen,... and baby animals are generally so cute...

Sun, moon, stars

Oceans, lakes, rivers, streams, creeks

Sand, soil, clay...

Lots of stuff all working together, Amazing!

# GiveThanks

 November 20, 2020

Today President Nelson encouraged us to share things we are grateful for on Social Media. I am not sure this is what he intended but, this is how I intend to share things I am grateful for. 

Today I will start with People

Family: Spouse, Parents, Children, Brothers, Sisters, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, Nieces, Nephews, Grandparents, and Ancestors who have gone before...

Leaders: Government - local (School Boards, City Councils...) and others (Congress, Heads of Nations...) from our lands and those in other lands, Church - again local and others, those of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and those of other Churches seeking to do good and teach others to do likewise, People setting examples all over...

Friends: Long time and Friends I haven't met yet, those that live close and those far away, 

Community Service Providers: Healthcare, Police, Firefighters, Librarians, Public Health Supervisors and Coordinators,  Farmers and Ranchers, Those providing services for less fortunate -- Shelters, Soup Kitchens, Food Banks, Recovery centers..., Road care, Garbage disposal, Utilities, even Grocery Store and Delivery Personnel -- so many things we can't imagine not having...

"Enemies" -- Not really enemies but those who think differently than I do and challenge my thoughts to help me learn and see and think about things from different views

People who have gone before us: People like George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Abraham Lincoln, Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, Thomas S. Monson, Gordon B. Hinkley, Abraham, Adam, Sariah, Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel and Leah, Nephi, Mormon, Moroni, Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, Dave Harris, Sandra Mitchell, Inventors and Innovators...

Last but not least, Our Savior Jesus Christ!

It is said it takes a village to raise a child, in reality it takes far more than that if you think of all those that influence each of our lives, then the ripples that go out from there. The person who was nice to one other person and that it effected person after person, until it reached you ---  I hope I can pass that on to others. 

New Normal?

 September 13, 2020

Two days ago we remembered September 11, when our world was attacked by terrorists. That led to fear and panic by many, heroic acts by others and eventually and to limits in Airplane flights that we have all come to accept as normal.

Six months ago Covid started shutting down parts of our world. There has been much fear and panic by many, heroic acts by others and reopening with restrictions. Some we may have to accept as the new normal.

Today for the first time in about 6 months I was able to attend church in our normal meeting house. Wearing masks coming in, hand sanitizing, sitting in alternating pews, not being allowed to visit with others, being asked not to sing but just to read along... I find myself grateful to be able to worship but wishing for the "how, where, or what they may" part of worship. The music and singing is one of my favorite parts of worship. Getting to know others is also highly enjoyable. I found myself looking around the room and finding several new faces that I am not allowed to introduce myself to and don't know how I will get to know them. If this is the new "normal" how much harder it must be on them if there are a few I don't know, there must be a room full of people they do not know.  No, we don' t have to know others in the room to worship God, but since we are all brothers and sisters, it is easier to support one another and be supported by those we know.

Up until now I have accepted the restrictions believing in the back of my mind that these might be more permanent than I like but not being too bothered by them. Today it felt a little like a terrorist attack. For the safety of others I will still comply but I will look harder for ways to reach out and make connections with others.

 September 6, 2020

Yesterday we made the hard decision to rob from a weaker hive to give our stronger hive a better chance to survive the winter. I would have liked to find the queen of the weaker hive and sacrifice only her to combine the whole weaker hive in, but we are inexperienced and could not find her. The weaker hive only had 10 frames and that is just not enough to make it through winter. The stronger hive had about 16-18 frames. That is closer, but possible still not enough. I hope that by robbing and sacrificing one we can keep one alive through winter, then either split off a nuc from it, or buy a nuc to get a second hive going.

We will check on them in a couple weeks. I would still love the chance to save more of the weaker hive. We will see if I still have time to work with them, or if I have waited too long.

I have read books for years on bees. Watched Youtube videos. Read websites, but actually doing it is different. Especially when I have gone a non-traditional route by doing horizontal hives. Langstroth deep frames, but the hives only have room for 30 frames. The hope and plan to leave about 20+ frames each winter for them, and hope to harvest a few others in future years. This year my biggest goal is just to get at least one hive through the winter. If I can do that then I hope to build at least one more hive, maybe two then be able to have three running and a have a back up in case I need to run splits in the spring. 

I have to admit I am tempted to see if I can harvest one frame of honey this year, since I am sacrificing a hive anyway. I will have to see how the hive really looks in a couple weeks to see if I can manipulate the frames to move the yucky old ones to the back to pull off in the spring and if I have enough left for the bees to work with and keep them alive and fed all winter....

I am debating feeding some fondant just in case for the winter, but I really thing they have enough in the strong hive to be ok, and the weak one I doomed when I robbed from it.

 August 27, 2020

Wow, Summer is almost over. My sweetheart has gone back to teacher meetings. Our college child has returned to classes. Our younger children start again next week.

Summer sort of started back in March when schools closed for Covid. There was still online school but by the end of May we had done some of our summer tasks done, like filling the wood shed. 

We have worked the Census this summer. Thankfully my sweethearts job alternated with mine so one of us was able to be home most the time. A few times our teenager was thrilled for the chance to earn money care giving for her younger sister. 

We still have a dead tree we took down that needs chopped up. I still hope to prep a new strawberry bed for next year, and turn over the old bed and prep it for other planting next year.

We were able to buy straw this year. It is great to have plenty for the chickens.

Our chicken buying adventure was just that, but we are happy with the 4 new hens and look forward to eggs from them. We also like our new rooster. Our Friends are going to keep one rooster and eat the others. We hope to get some Black Australorps and ISA Brown chicks next year, because they are really just our favorite hen type,  to add to our flock.  Hopefully we will have a good winter with the ladies and start strong in the Spring.  

I am grateful for the eggs we have been able to store for winter, not as much as we hoped for but glad for all we can do.

Tomatoes are starting to ripen so I am hopefully that we might get to can a few this year before it freezes.

We have been drying sunflowers and hope to do more, then we can feed the seeds to the chickens this winter.

I know many are struggling, I pray for them, but we have been very blessed this year.

August 14, 2020

Honeycomb

The bees were actively building comb where I did not want it so I took it away from them. There are traces of uncured honey in it so my daughters are thrilled for a little taste.

I love the clean light comb. I think it is so pretty.

I am glad the bees are actively building.

 

August 9th 

4, 5, 6

We are pretty sure someone messed up and mislabeled  our chicks, or is terrible at sexing chicks.

We think at least two, possible three, of our CouCou Marans were Roosters, we gave them to a friend. I am pretty sure two more of the same breed as "Rooster" are also Roosters. The Sickle shaped, colorful tail feathers are almost as telling as a Crow. UGH.

The good news is that it means we will get rid of enough to be able to do ISA Brown and Black Australorp chicks in the spring. Two breeds we have come to really like. the ISA's are super friendly and the Australorps are pretty and good Mama hens.

In the mean time we will hope Rooster and Kylo don't hurt each other and are content with their four hens each...

September 5,

7, 8????

Seriously 7 Roosters from a 1 in 10 chance. Sadly the last two were some of our favorite colored ones. 

Someone on Craigslist said they had a similar problem this year.  A Friend took all the extra roosters for us and is going to keep one for them, one for a neighbor, and likely eat the rest.  We found someone with  4 one year old hens on Craigslist, we plan to pick them up Monday so then we would have 10 hens for our 2 roosters. We were worried with only 6 hens out there and 2 roosters they would fight too much and I would get hurt. The new hens are suppose to be golden sexlinks, basically look like our ISA Brown that we really like. Hopefully they will integrate well.

I was thinking today, for people with just pets the number of chickens that have come and gone here in the past 2 years it must be crazy. It is more than we expected, some were beyond our control, but some were just part of our learning process and some are part of the nature of chickens.

We have enjoyed the ride

And CouCou Makes Three

July 12, 2020

This morning my daughter and I went to let the chickens out of the coop.  We heard Kylo our Rooster Crowing, then heard Rooster the chick we got as a baby do his crow, then saw him as he came out of the coop crow again. Then we heard a crow from inside the coop. Most the chickens were out so we started looking to see who was missing. "Crow" the darker black chicken came out, another crow from the coop told us it wasn't here, a "Pigeon" came out, another crow in the coop... The only one missing was a CouCou Maran. Yikes we have three Roosters. I guess the good thing is it is a CouCou Maran which if we had to pick one to get rid of it would be one of them. We are going to have to pin down which one it is, verify, the re-home or have it butchered for someones dinner. Three Roosters is at least one too many, especially since we are now down to 12 hens. Yikes!

July 26, 2020

I started wondering if I was wrong but this past week my sweetheart heard the crow of our third rooster. Today my youngest and I heard it again. We will need to separate off that one and find it a new home or give it to someone who wants to cook it up.

Sure Sign

June 27, 2020

Today I took some of our strawberries that bugs or other animals had tasted before we got to them, out to the chickens. Kylo our Rooster was intermittently crowing, when I got closer I heard an unmistakable echo. My husband described it as a teenage boy with his voice changing. Yep, the one we called rooster. He's a rooster! After several crows I went to tell our children. Sadly Rooster was done by then and they will have to wait to hear the evidence. It is actually nice to have a back up rooster and we are glad that he is coming in young and hopes he accepts Kylo's dominance so that they don't fight too much. We don't want either one to be hurt. We hope with 13 hens there are enough to meet both their needs.

The past few nights my husband has noted 1-3 of the young hens joining Kylo on the top bars in the coop. The rest of the young ones stay with Rooster down low. It will be interesting to watch the dynamics as time goes on.

Looking back

From when we moved the chicks out to the coop

Poor ugly teenage chick, so much better looking now. This is one we call Ostrich now. She is much better looking.

Chickens

June 19, 2020

I know others don't share our love for chickens but we really do enjoy our feathered friends.

Our chicks have grown and look a lot different from when they were little balls of fluff. We have tried to identify the breeds.
Here are our best guesses, and the names we have given them. We tend to mostly name those of the same breed the same or very similar names.

The one in the front I think might be a Speckled Sussex (though not as speckled as some images I have seen that is my best guess)

We named one Rooster and the other two of this breed Ostrich.

One was more dominate, and seemed more interested in checking us out. Generally acting more like our Rooster than any of our hens.

The other two, at least one, twice when we moved them into the smaller outside coop, was afraid of us and when we would open the door, it would stick its head in the slats of the pallet walls or in the hay to hide from us. Apparently unaware we could see the rest of her clearly. 

On the left is what we think is a Speckled Sussex, and the right a Black laced, Red Wyandotte. We named her Emu because she is a bit bigger than the others.

Center Front, we think is one of two Blue Laced Red Wyandottes. We call them Pigeon because of the grey color.  My Sweetheart really likes the coloring on this one. I really like Emu.

We have three of these, We believe they are Cuckoo Marans, possibly French Cuckoo Marans.

We just call them all Cuckoo

Does that mean we have three French Hens ???

I failed to get a picture of one that is similar to the Cuckoo Marans, but more black. 

We call her Crow.

Population increase

The population exploded here last night as we brought home two Nucs of bees.

My Dad was a beekeeper growing up. I don't know that I ever considered keeping bees as a child, but I have investigated it on and off for many years now. Normally I concluded it was too expensive and let it go. With my brother helping/building hives for/with me last fall for a very modest amount we kept costs a little lower. There were still some expenses, like the Nucs and Veils and smoker, but we hope they are investments and that we will enjoy them for many years. 

I read a quote about bees - "Instead of always thinking about what we can take out of the hive, we must think what we can put into the hive so that the colony will prosper in health and productivity."
I hope to live by this philosophy and that with a health productive hive we might enjoy some of the sweetness of their labors as well, in time.

This afternoon I realized another advantage of the hive placement. I can sit in the afternoon shade of the shop and watch the bees without interfering in their work.

I am excited and a little trepidatious. I have read as many books from our local library as I could and watched many Youtube videos. It all becomes real though when you pick up thousands of bees and bring them home...

Is there a Rooster in the Clutch?

May 2, 2020

We have one chick that seems larger than the rest. It could just be a breed issue, but she/he makes motions that seem similar to our rooster. It tilts its head to look up at us, stretches its neck up tall to look around. A couple days ago I was cleaning a window by them and was up on a chair to reach it. It seemed that a chick was calling a warning and they would all huddle when they saw me on the chair. They see us frequently by their "cage" but this was different to them I guess. It happened several times as I got up and down from the chair.  Time will tell, is there a rooster in this clutch?

Plus 10

April 18, 2020

We did decide to get chicks... well we already did it. We brought home 10 baby chicks. Let the adventure begin.

Minus one

April 18, 2020

Our little flock has done an amazing job of providing eggs. Most have been laying daily and even our oldest hen has provided a few eggs a week. We are pleasantly surprised. Only one is a first year layer (the other three first years were killed by the dogs over the winter). Our oldest one is about 5 years old!

This week the chickens were accidentally locked out of their coop at night.  We had made errors with the door a few times in the past (forgetting to close it, locking out a hen...). Sadly we had tragic results and what appears to be a raccoon got to one of the hens. She lived for two days then died from her injuries. We were surprised she lived at all. She even layed one last egg. This hen was the last of our first years. The best we can hope for at this point is that her Mother will raise more chicks this year sometime to replenish our flock.  With the COVID 19 scare many people are seeking hens and they are had to come by.  We might have to consider raising our own chicks, but with 4 cats on the property, I am afraid they might get to the babies without a Mother hen to protect them...

It was a hard lesson for us all to be more careful.

Blessings

March 25, 2020

As many in the world and now country have struggled these past months this year, I have been blessed. As the Country asked for a 15 day shut down to slow the spread of Coronavirus/Covid 19, I have been able to spend more time at home with my family.  I love my family. I love being at home. I feel blessed to have been warned by a Prophet to have food storage and been taught by parents to always keep food and supplies on hand.  We have been able to go out and get a few things but really we have enough and more to spare or share. Meals might get a little interesting. We might have to get more creative, but no one should go hungry here.
I pray for those that are making decisions and find comfort in words of Peace from our Prophet, comments by Vice President Pence that he prays before he meets with others, and wise sounding decisions and efforts from our Governor.
I pray for those that are afraid or without right now. For those who are at risk of serious effects or even death. For those that mourn or celebrate mostly alone at times that others typically would gather to mourn or celebrate with them.
I don't know what the days and weeks ahead will bring but I know we can learn from these times and we can reach out and use the technology we have been blessed with to make connects and support each other.
We are blessed to live on this earth and to have opportunities each day to learn and grow and love.

Happy Valentines Day

February 14, 2020

I tried to make Valentine cookies for a few people. The first two we tried did not answer so we left them on their door. Hopefully they will get them when they come home.
The third is on a road out of town, not too far. It was more icey and snowy but didn't seem too bad, well right up until I got stuck.  I think there is a dip in the road there and the blowing snow collected and it looked about the same level as the rest of the road until you are in it. It turned out to be deeper than my wheels on my Suburban. Even my 4 wheel drive just couldn't pull me out of that.
Sadly for them, Thankfully for me, two teen boys got stuck in the same section at the same time and their Dad who lived just up the road came to pull them out. The boys tried to push me out at first, then their Dad pulled me out too. I am SOOOO grateful for their help! I ended up giving the boys the cookies to say thanks.
Oh well, We tried.
Happy Valentines Day ya'll!

February 11, 2020

Down one more.
Goldie succumbed to her injuries. I am grateful she did not suffer for an extended time, though to her 24 hours may have felt like a long time. Our last white leghorn does not look like she is doing too well, but she was able to make it to a nesting bar so we are holding out hope.

Tragedy

February 10, 2020

Our youngest was outside playing in the snow. She came in to tell me that two dogs were fighting Kylo, our rooster, and the dogs had killed one of our Nuggets (our name for our Buff Orphingtons), and that Goldie (our Golden Wyandott)  was hurt.

I went out to find the dogs were gone but 6 chickens and the rabbit were dead, 2 chickens were injured, one seriously so, and 5 missing.
I followed tracks to find one. She seems fine, but 4 were still missing. I thought Kylo was one that I found dead but it turned out he was injured but ok.  I was hoping that the missing 3 were in a hutch that connects to the coop, but the access is buried in the snow.

My husband came home and helped gather up bodies and dug out the hutch access. We found Kylo the rooster under the coop, injured but moving, The other three were in the hutch there. Two a little injured, one worse of than the others but not as bad as Goldie.

The dogs managed to kill 2 White leghorns, One Buff Orphington, One Rhode Island Red, One of our babies that our Hen hatched,  that looked like a Black Sexlink, we named her Soy Sauce, and one white one we that was a White/Colubine Wyandotte, we called Ghost.

Stir Fry - The one who raised us babies last year, seems fine. She hid on the far side of the field.
Her daughter Honey Mustard is injured but I hope will be ok.
KFC one of the originals is alive and moving
One of the Buff Orphingtons/Nuggest is alive
One White Leghorn is more injured than some but is moving
Kyle our rooster is moving slow, but got himself into the coop
Goldie is really rough and I don't know that she will survive but we will see how she is.

For now they are locked up in the coop with food and water to give them a chance to recover.

Not a great day on the farm.

I could say this is another reason to not like dogs, but I know they were following their instincts, and sadly with the snow drifts, they were able to make it over the fence. It was just a tragedy.

Ninja

January 12, 2020

We tried to find Ninja's owner - online posts, checked with the shelter, got her scanned for a chip...

We accepted she would live her and took her to be Spayed. She has been inside to recover. I am ready to move her outside again but it is storming, snowing, blowing, extra cold,  so I feel a little bad. Given a choice I think I would keep our old cat inside and have the rest as outside only animals. Macaroni is funny sometimes as she plays, but overall 3 cats and 7 people in one house is too much for me.

I am grateful for the snow, as I know it means water for crops in the spring, but I wouldn't mind an early spring :)