The Wonder of it All

There is just too much to talk about today.  We moved into our barn loft last Saturday and have been unpacking boxes since then.  OMG!  As I am writing this, looking out the glass door, a beaver is swimming by.  This is the first live beaver I have seen and it is 7:45 pm.  So this must be when they start their work.

Let me start with the morning mist over the pond.  It is truly magical and one can imagine how stories of water fairies came about.  It moves along as if it has a life of it's own - pulling in from the left and right they twirling up in the middle.  It moves low along the top of the water then suddenly spikes up into the sky.

Next.. we received a box of 50 baby chicks  - IN THE MAIL!!  I was expecting pandemonium, but the box was small.  They were so cute and fluffy.  We moved out the teenage chickens from their coup and put in the baby chicks.

Releasing them into their new home

Too Cute

Then it was decided to see if we could use a little incubator to hatch some duck eggs!  And it actually happened!

Is this not a lot to wonder about!

A funny story...  So my son and I are in the chicken coup where he has several large rabbits in individual cages.  As I am passing one of the cages, I notice that there are two rabbits in that cage and one of them has something hanging out of it that looks like guts.  So I asked him what was wrong with that rabbit.  OK - ready for this - Mom, that is the male and those are his male parts!!  They were huge!  Who would have thought 

Moving on...

The next topic is about the children and what has become their playground and toys.  These kids do not play with toys during the day.  I am still astounded by this phenomena.  I know how many toys they had at their house in the suburbs.   Those toys are no longer available to them and they don't seem to miss them.  There are treasures to be found everywhere and there is lots of imagination going on.

Main store house for treasures

Anything from various pieces of wood to 

Pipes, bricks, chains...

Once in here, it is a treasure

Finding little animals in pond

Such as baby frogs

Turtle shells that can be peeled

Toad eggs that were collected and stored in cake pan

Then just tree climbing

I am working 3 days a week for 4 hours a day.  I have learned to make creamed honey, spiced creamed honey, propolis honey (used to improve overall health), honey & lemon for coughs, pollen and honey for energy.  I've tasted buckwheat, purple astor, wildflower and clover honey.

I am still amazed that this is my life now.  It is full of wonder.  I love being so close to the grandkids and sharing their experiences and being able to give them more hands to hold them close and encircle them in love.

Mean Girls!

And I am talking about hens!  There really is a 'pecking order'.  .

There are two chicken coups.  There is a smaller house that new chicks are put in that has a heat lamp to keep them warm; and a larger coup for the hens and roosters.  The older chickens roost on a ladder in the big coup at night; while the younger chicks huddle together in a ball in the smaller coup.  When the baby chicks get big enough to roam the range, they become poulets & cockerels. Poulets(teenage girls) and cockerels(teenage boys) are the next stage after they are cute fluffy puff balls

So this is the part I have personally observed that brings me to the title above.  As the poulets & cockerels are let out on the open range, the older hens follow them all day chasing and pecking them. Consequently, the poor little teenage chickens move in a huddled mass cowering from the constant taunting and pecking.  But this isn't the only pecking order...  So I learn that the hens have a pecking order on the stoop at night!  The rooster positions them according to his favorites.  I just finished morning feeding of the animals and the teenage chickens are not allowed to participate in the initial feeding frenzy by the hens.  So they are all waiting outside the coup, looking in and waiting for their turn.

Free range! - I don't think so..

50 New Baby Chicks arrive by mail

First encounter

Releasing them into their new home

Teenage chickens allowed to eat after everyone left

Some of the MEAN GIRLS

We had a young visitor this week.  He came running into the house yelling that the rooster was being mean to the other chickens.  He was jumping on them and pecking their heads!!!