Blogging Blessings: Friends, Family, and Chickens

1. Birthdays! Happy Birthday Tiffiny! Had a great time at that party, and especially loved how Seren guided every single guest, one at at time during the evening to take us on the tour of the balcony. She is so sweet! As was that Pink Champagne cake Whoo!

2. Spiral Scouts! We love having a spiritually eclectic group of friends all working on earthy projects together. Here is Shraddha with her first Firefly award and award ceremony...

Jack and Shraddha are just pooped out from all the clay play and running around like airplanes. Here they are just enjoying the clouds flying by.

4. Chickens. Yeah, they are counted as a blessing ... maybe not in the same way others count them as blessings.... They are friends not food! Anyway... they are funny! And anything that makes me laugh is a blessing LOL!



Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Meet Tiny, our feather footed friend. He just came out this week with his first crowing session! Congrats Tiny on being our FIFTH unexpected rooster LOL! And stay out of my grapes, man! Really seriously, ALL Y'ALL OUTTA MY GRAPES!

Watch Suki kitty try to casually slink by the chickens for a chance to roll in the Wisteria flower petals. We know who's yard it is now... and it isn't the dog yard.

Some Shraddha time!

Good Morning! and Welcome!

It was early in the morning when Shraddha decided to start taking pics of Mama!



Time to go out and hold her babies! This little bantum chicken's name really is Baby.

No, she isnt being treated badly... actually she is in chicken heaven!

Baby loves when Shraddha holds her, even if on her back, not only will she put up with it...

she falls alseep there too!

I never realized how much fun we would have with chickens. We are always so excited to run out and feed them leftovers and they jump all over us in excitement whenever we come to visit...especially when leftover oatmeal is with us.

Working on a badge there somewhere for Spiral Scouts.... We are noticing and taking pics of all the wildlife that wanders in our yard (at least for those that wait around for us to take a picture!)
This white butterfly loves our lavendar spearmint flowers. I wonder if the nectur is minty?

And THIS cute little guy a juvenile cottentail finally hopped close enough for his props too!



Just one of the many beautiful sunsets we watch in the evening!

Things that make the mommy laugh!

5. Come on it's funny - first patty pan squash.

4. Blues rendition of three little pigs...

Madhava's kindergarden graduation was so cute! I can't believe kindergarden is over and that he is 6.5 yrs old. He is reading so well! I was holding back the tears ... being so happy for him and proud of him and just smiling at the same time because his performance was so fun!

3. Sweat pea scented diapers... Roger was wondering why I am hanging the diapers out on the gate when he made a perfectly good laundry line for me. Well, because I love the smell of the sweet peas that only live by the gate.

2. Do I have to eat ALL the cake on my plate? Madhava and Danielle at Shraddha's birthday party. Thank you Beckie for all the awesome ideas and making the party run so smoothly... you are THE Party Mama! Thanks Mom for financing the castle. And thanks to everyone for making Shraddha feel like the Birthday Princess!....

1. My daughter's favorite white hen, Shirley...crowing just like a rooster.

Blueberries are here!

The blueberries are getting blue! And there is just something about homegrown blueberry goodness. They have a kaleidoscope of fabulous flavor that you just can't get from the ones in the store and not even from the farmers market. These are Misty Blue. I am not sure exactly how big they can get because Shraddha loves them too much to wait... or share for that matter LOL!

We also found many beautiful red Pomegranate blossoms and almost ripe cherries! We know they are almost ripe because the birds haven't stolen all of them yet.

And is it just me or does it seem that animals follow Shraddha around like she is Snow White? If she could just get them to help out around here that would be FABULOUS!

This is Buffy and Puffy, they are Buff Orphington chicks. The other two New Hampshire Reds, are yet to be named and one of them is growing a comb. Highly suspicious of maybe not having the egg laying capability....

Those flowers lasted forever mom, thanks!

Chillin with our Peeps 2

This is Betty (4/26/08 @ 2-3 wks old?) an Amerucana she and Rose will make blue/green eggs. They are our favorite most sweet and docile hens so far. (Wonder how I came up with Rose's name?)

This is Laverne, Shirley, and Ivanna. Figured out that Shirley is a White Leghorn - a good egglayer. They are about 5 weeks old and needed their own separte brooder because they pecked on the little ones. But with Shraddha, they think she is Mama and enjoy sitting with her and being held and kept warm.















To the left is baby a little golden seabright runt. Tiny (the one in the middle), as named by Danielle, has feathery feet. She might be a Mille Fleur, or another Amerucana. Either way she is very cute and friendly and it is funny to watch her walk (on eggshells LOL) with her feathery feet. Kinda like walking in scuba flippers!

Chillin with our Peeps

So 4/13/08 is about the time that we got our first set of 3 chicks. Here is Shraddha bright and early in the morning getting into the brooder with Laverne, Shirley and Ivanna.

Shraddha holding Laverne. Here she is only a 3 wks old Barred Rock. Quite possibly a bantam. Very cuddly!

Barred Rock

Shirley is the little puffy yellow one.... Shraddha's Favorite... at least this week.

Ivanna is the one with the yellow head and she is a White Crested Black Polish. You can see a tiny little top hat in this pic...

On the left.... I included a pic of a full grown polish bantam.

Shraddha spent hours at a time with these little chicks and they think she is mama. Sometimes she would even refuse to eat because she wanted to be with the chicks!!!!

One week later....I think LOL we picked up NINE more chicks. Shaking my head in disbelief...

A bunch of cute puffy little Amerucanas. They lay blue green and pink eggs...

yes, this one is kicking back in Shraddha's hand... SEEE?