Our Busy Life update

Sunday, I texted David that we were on our way to the E.R. and had I not told him, he would've assumed it was Hannah! That's usually who it is!!! He couldn't believe I was taking Joshua this time!!!
Just recently, Joshua's Webelos den had a campout at Inks Lake with a tour of Longhorn Caverns. That was lots of fun, and the weather was PERFECT!!! We took Buster, and he was the wonderful old dog, as usual! Just before the skit Josh was to be in, and before the final hike, Joshua crashed his mountain bike, and we headed to the nearest E.R. Luckily for me, it was only about a 15-20 minute drive! We were in and out in 2 hours! I believe that was a record!!! The Dr. was very good, and made Joshua feel a bit better about getting 5 stitches in his thigh. He landed on the gear shifter, which tore a good size "V" shape out of his upper thigh. He was tough as usual, and when David supprised us by meeting us in Burnet, we took him out for a BBQ lunch. After all that, we was ready to go home, and rest!!! 10 days, of dressing change, and some pain, then the stitches will come out!
2 weeks before Josh got hurt, Hannah fell and we thought she might have broken her arm again! We went to the clinic, and after x-rays, were sent home to allow the swelling to go down, and to await the "reading of the x-rays" They called us the next day, and told us we needed to re-do the x-rays, as they were not clear enough. So, back home to wait out the weekend. After a week and a half of waiting, she took off the brace they had her in, and said it was starting to feel better. So, turns out it was not broken, only badly bruised. Yay!!! Keeping her down is no easy task!!!
David is working full time for SafeSite, and off site secure storage for companies like the Vetrans Administration, IRS, doctors offices, lawyers etc. After a long day of loading and unloading his box truck, and driving all over Austin, he has just enough time to drive the Le Cordon Bleu culinary school to take his classes from 5:30 - 10:30, then drives the 45min-1 hour home. He is also preaching on Sundays for a small congregation in Strickland Grove. It's an hour from home, so we stay up there all day. It makes for a long day, but we are enjoying working with them!
Matthew has been working for Asplundh - the tree trimming people- He is enjoying the job, just not the people too much! It's been up and down for him. He turned 19 in September. As our social butterfly, he is rarely home for very long!
David Robert leaves early December for Colorado to attend the Colorado School of Trade, for their gunsmithing school. I am having a hard time getting use to th idea of him leaving! I will miss him so much, but know this is what he's been wanting to do for a long time. He will love it there, I know!
We had a nice field trip to Crows Nest Farms in Manor on Thursday. Another very nice day. The flower pics are from there, along with some others-
Me? I just try and deal with it all! Sometimes that not easy! But, life goes on, right???

Snakes

I'm blaming the rain for this one!!!
The kids got the wonderful idea the other day to go check the pond since it was finally full after 3 years! That was the beginning! They brought back various critters, and of course set up the aquariums for viewing! Then, naturally, they needed something to eat, and then water. That wasn't good enough, and they needed dirt, and bedding. That's all easily caught or gathered outside. No problem; so out they go again! This time they came back with snakes! I have always said no to snakes! David said they were fine, but had to stay outside. The next I hear, they've set up an entire snake/insect/lizard vivarium!!! Complete with lights, and heat-for proper digestion of course!!! So now, I'm being asked to look up what wonderful creatures they discovered...and what I am supposed to be BUYING them to eat!!! Buying???? They are snakes, they find their own food!
Turns out, Hannah has caught 4 very pretty Checkered Garder Snakes. I must admit, they are very pretty, if not somewhat creepy to watch. They eat mice, of course! We have plenty of those, being that we are surrounded by corn fields! But with hard work, we have ridded the house of most- Now we have to buy these creatures??? So, while out and about we buy 3 mice. One male, and 2 pregnant females. 3 bucks, not bad! So our thought is, since no one in Lockhart sells pinkies, we'll just produce our own. Well, over night, Hannah's cat Jazzy, found her way to them, and ATE the very prego female! So, now we have to find a bucket with a "snapping" lid, so the cat can't get to them! Hopefully, we are on our way to responsible snake ownership! Hannah's friend has a snake, so how bad could it be???
Along those lines...While out looking for the critters, they came across a large rattler! Western Diamond Back to be correct- So, being the smart (?) kids we've taught them to be, they covered him back up with the tin, and left him alone, only until David Robert drives up and they run to him and tell him of their find! So off go Hannah and David Robert to the last know sighting of the deadly rattler! Gun raised, David lifts the tin, and blasts the head of the snake almost completely off! Mission completed, they bring the snake up to the yard, for Hannah to try skinning for the first time! She's a bit jumpy at the still slithering DEAD snake! She manages to clamp him to a long board, and starts cutting down the center of the belly, all the while the snake still tightens as she "tickles" his belly!! So now, she's got him open end to end and she notices the heart still pulsing away! A full 30 minutes after the snake is completely cut open, his heart continues to beat! She even lifts the heart out of the body cavity and it is still beating!!! AMAZING!!!
She managed to finish cleaning the snake out, and throws the meat and all to the dogs. She tacked the skin out flat, and salted it in preperation for preserving it!
It was interesting to watch the different animals who walked up to the porch, and caught a smell of the snake, and crouch down, on full alarm! Even the Sheldon (the pig) knew enough to not mess with this enemy!
We'll see how this goes. LOTS of people have snakes for pets-how bad can they be????

Beach Trip

In August, some good friends of ours (thanks Matt & Tricia) took Hannah & Joshua with them to the beach! The kids were so excited! They had a great time, and brought back lots of treasures! Hannah found a live sand Dollar, as well as a live Star Fish! She accidentally left the sand dollar there, but the star fish made it home! The hermit crabs they caught, didn't live long, barely a day! :+(
They came back wiped out and a little red, but they had a blast!

Birthdays!

Everyone in my family has a birthday within 2 months except me.
Hannah's is first on Aug. 28- she's 12 now! Joshua's is today, Sept. 5th, and he's now 9! For their birthday with the S.A. grandparents, we opened presents in the morning then we toured the Alamo, ate lunch at the River Center mall. We went in a couple other shops, but were really tired, and hot, so then headed back to my parents house.
Today we gave Joshua a new bike. He loves it, and was very surprised! He had accidentally seen the bike a few days ago in the barn, and just assumed it was a friend of the boys'- Well, it was his, and he's says it's "AMAZING"! Thanks to Wes, and my parents who made it happen!!!

Our New (to us) Tahoe

A very sweet friend of ours, (thanks Karen) GAVE us her unused Tahoe! She no longer had a need, and it was just sitting around. She knew we were in need, and again, she came to the rescue! Right now, with David out of a job, having a car payment and full coverage insurance was just to much!
She is a true example of a christian woman, mother and friend! She is someone to look up to for a good example! She's always got a sweet smile, even though she'd been through the ringer, and always ready to help a friend in need!
I hope if life deals me as rotten a hand as it dealt her, I will come through it as well as she has, and continues to! Like she said, "you can't do it on your own, you have to rely on God!"

Our Personal Chef!

David had had an opportunity to help out at the Life Emporium here in Lockhart. He was the first on the CHEF SHOWCASE, where they invite local cooks/chefs to prepare healthy meals of their own, and add them to the menu! His speciality food was Sushi, and included a Tuna Roll, and his own creation, a Cowboy Roll, which included steak, smoked cheddar, tomato and onion with no Nori wrap, and is served with his own BBQ sauce. It was a hit, and he loved doing it!

Thursday Co-op with friends...

This summer we've strayed off our history path a bit, and are learning about the native americans that Lewis & Clark met on their trail of discovery. So far we've identified at least 21 different tribes, made authentic fry bread, crafted pinch pots & medallions, and had a great time researching the different tribes and the way they live, and then making a diorama that included what we learned. They turned out really well! We learned about their sign language, as well as their symbols and cave drawings! We made a story cloth using the signs we learned. Last week, after coop, we headed over to a Bamboo patch, and cut about 70 long pieces, removed the leaves, and cut them all to about 6 feet to fit into the car. Boy, was it hot! So, this week we all made our own usable Tipi's! They are great! We found the directions online, but they didn't work out too well, so we come up with our own, and love the results! The kids helped, and they worked VERY hard all day, and most of it in the sun! They assembled, painted, and set up their own tribes! Several neighbors drove by very slowly to see our indian village!
We gathered items we found as well as made, and used them to trade for the things we needed. It worked really well, and believe it or not, there was no fighting! 12 kids and nothing! They all get along well, and are a lot of fun to learn with!
Next week, we'll be making flutes and wind chimes out of all the leftover pieces of bamboo!

Well, Matthew is at A&M this week for Phase 1 Fire Training. He is absolutely lovin' it there!
Last night, Hannah went to Central's abbreviated camp session. They are focusing on Service. During their 3 days they will be helping to build a deck for an elderly man at church, vistiting the Dell Childrens hospital, and spending time at a retirement home helping do whatever they can for the residents. Should be good for them all! Joshua is very lonely, and a bit jealous! Most years, David is the director at the camp so Josh gets to stay. But this year is all different, and he's stuck here with me!!! I'll find something fun (and cheap) to do today and tomorrow with him! One thing I found is Glow Bowl at the Texas Union on UT. Bowl by black lights, lazers and music. Sure to cause and instant headache for me, but hey, it's under ground! What more could you ask for???
David is still job hunting- Not going very well. David Robert is still at home and unemployed. That has to end though! He is doing yard work occasionally, so is making some money. On the plus side, Matt did find a job, and he begins Monday. He'll be at the Vans store in the Outlet Mall in San Marcos.
Last night, while in Austin/Pfluggerville it RAINED! Lots of rain! Rained most of the way home too! Rained at the Wally World in Lockhart, rained at the auction barn, even rained at the TSC. Well, we turned onto our road excited to see rain, and it was dry as a bone! NO RAIN! AT ALL! Our block is cursed I believe!!! We missed it earlier in the week too! Rained all over Lockhart, but not at our place again!!! Someday, it may rain here! We did get the benifit of the rainbow on Monday night, along with a beautiful sky that inspired Hannah to grab the camera! She pretty good with that thing! She'll have some good ones for 4-H this year!
We're learning about Native Americans right now, so maybe we'll learn an official rain dance! Couldn't hurt, right?

He's DEAD!!!

He's finally dead! I'm so excited, but still cautious! I have been thinking it might be the work of more than just one!
We finally heard Sadie barking last night, so Matthew and I went out to look around, and there was another dead chicken in the pen! We couldn't see any critters, but definitely saw his handiwork! The netting over both pens was ripped! I had the feeling he was still close, because Sadie was still whimpering and running around, but we looked in the trees and in the field with no luck. So, we went in the house, and a bit later the dog was on alert again! This time the boys were both here, and they went out, and found him IN the chicken house hiding at the top. David did the shooting, and did a nice clean job! The skin is in good shape! The only disappointing thing was that the coon had a small-ish tail, but he is FAT on our chickens!
I'm hoping he was the only one, but we'll keep a good ear out for Sadie in the night!

Fun in the sun

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Just a couple of pics. The 2 at the pool was for Hannah's softball party. The others were at Joshua Pack meeting where they played flag football! It was HOT at both, but we enjoyed it all!

I didn't intend to go see the fireworks last night, but that's where we ended up and we had a good time! Josh and I went to Movie Gallery to pick something out, and as we were leaving, it was only 8 and the fireworks were supposed to start at 8. I didn't understand that since it was still pretty light out. So I asked if he wanted to go look around and see what was going on. Of course, he did! (Hannah had already gone with a friend)
We headed over to the City Park, drove around a bit and it was then that Joshua noticed sky divers so we pulled into a good spot to watch. One came down with an American Flag, and it was really cool the way it floated and turned around so gracefully! Well, we were sitting there and my friend drove up and parked next to us! Out came a car load of kids, and now we really had a reason to stay! We all decided to walk over to the little park.
The breeze was great and it was actually pleasant!!! In July! In TEXAS!!! Just as the fireworks started we walked back to the van, and watched the too short show- there was a small fire we found out about later, but it was barely noticed!
We called David as we left the movie store that we'd be back to watch the movie with him in a few minutes! 2 hours later, he had given up on us, and gone to bed :+( Luckily, he was only doing crosswords, so we all had the delicious Big Red ice cream I had made earlier.
Nice end to a nice day!

Gotta Brag!

This is a drawing David Robert did the other night after seeing some like it in a magazine- He wants to paint it on a large canvas; I can't wait to see it finished! He took elements from several pictures and made his own- He's SO talented!

Poetry

We are learning different styles of peotry this summer- Here are a few so far...
Haiku by Hannah

SHELLDAN
He is short and fat
He oinks, squeaks, roots, and slurps fast
He is white and black

A Haiku poem follows a 5, 7, 5 syllable rule

Next is a List Poem by Hannah
DOGS
Puppy breath
Cuddling
Wet noses
Many breeds

Personification Poem by Hannah

THE DOOR
This is what I do, I open and close
I feel sad when someone slams me closed!
I feel happier when someone closes me gently
I would like to change my color!
Don't slam me and can you please paint me!!!

Two-words-on-a-line Poem by Hannah

THE BEE STING

Crunchy field
Scorching day
Lazy walk
Flying Bees
Runs away
Going nuts
Painful sting
Ruined day!

GOING TO THE ZOO
by Joshua

Pay fee
Checking map
Looking around
Finding bats
Food court
Eat corndog
Walk away
Find birds
Feeding ducks
Screeching monkey
Leaving zoo
Had fun!

an action poem by Hannah

My Potbelly Pig Shelldan
His jiggling belly when he runs
He likes to pounce on our kittens as they wrestle in a box
He enjoys nibbling on my fingers as I lay on the floor
He likes to run, and when he's done he pants ever so hard!
After he's rested he slurps a big plate of milk!
He makes me giggle-

Raccoon Deterrant

So, I have found the sure fire way to keep raccoons out of the hen house!!!
Have dear hubby build special coon proof night time houses, borrow traps from a friend, buy several cans of Sardines, bait the traps after locking up all the animals who shouldn't get caught, set the traps, wait 8 hours, and viola! No Coons!!! 4 nights now, and no coons in the traps! I shouldn't complain, at least there have been no more dead birds!!!

Dogs and kittens and pigs Oh My!!!

So, now the kittens and the piglet are 5 weeks old! They are all so cute! Sheldon the pig, loves to run and play and jump just like the kittens do. Sugar Bear joins in and they have the best time! They hide and jump out at each other, they chase each other round' and round' the living room. Sheldon doesn't have much traction on hooves, so he always slides into the furniture or the walls! They snuggle in the pet beds just like they were littermates! I'm sure this won't last much longer considering the size difference in a month or two-so we are enjoying them all right now.

CHAOS in the Farmyard!

We've lived here for 7 years, and had never had this problem! Until now-Raccoons! I used to think they were so cute, animated, silly... I now know the truth! They are ruthless killers! Over about a weeks time, one or more have killed 25 birds! It took a few dead chickens to figure it out. We thought, maybe they're too crowded, or picking on each other due to the heat? Then I really started looking around, and it all added up: broken bones, entrails pulled out, missing heads, feet etc. I also found bits and pieces on the other side of the pen.
The night before last was the worst. At first, it was just a chicken here or there, one a night or so, then we started finding several each morning, the the last straw was my oldest coming in and asking if I had seen the little gosling. I asked him to "dispose" of it before anyone else saw it and got hysterical. That happens a lot! Then he said, " I thought their were 2 goslings (we hatched them ourselves!) in that pen" So I run out to check-not only were those two murdered, but the last of my Silkies and all but 2 of the button quail! I was so sad! We hatched all the quail too! We rescued 2 scared little buttons and brought them inside still in shock.
Now, I was on a mission! I asked friends to borrow traps; we only had one! So they loaned them to me, and I set them last night. Baited them with sardines too! Someone said raccoons can't resist them! My sweet hubby built me a nice night time hutch for the Courtnix Quail. I locked them up, put the cats inside, and waited. I could hardly sleep! I went out after breakfast, and guess what? Those mean critters can resist sardines!!! I'm sure they are still full from the night befores raid. Not a critter one in the traps! But- no dead birds either! I was happy about that! So, we'll try again tonight. I'm determined to catch them! I'll let you know the outcome...Stay tuned!

Pot Belly Piglet!

Who knew they were Sooooo....cute! I really wish they could come up with one that stays tiny and cute! Maybe I'll work on that! Ha!
Hannah got him with some of her money from 4-H. We found a breeder, and after a few missed chances of making the drive, her hubby accidentally sold Hanna's piggy! Never fear, the breeder said, I have a new litter and she can have her choice! So we make the hour and a half drive, with her best friend by her side. We arrived and got to see the mama and tiny babies running around! They were remarkably fast to be so small! But the guy caught the one she wanted. Talk about a pair of lungs! It was almost deafening! Luckily, he stopped before we got in the van to drive home. He was pretty much in shock from then on. We felt so sorry for the little guy! Ripped away from his mother and litter-mates, and as we found out, never handled before that day!
It took awhile (like 2 days) to get use to us, and really didn't want to eat or be picked up! This was very frustrating for Hannah too, and she just wanted to snuggle with him! He kept her up MOST of the night, and they were both worn out by morning! I took over for Hannah when she finally fell asleep-
Next was the challenge to feed the poor thing. He wanted nothing to do with a baby bottle that was for sure. For the next full day, he really only sipped a bit of water! By the 3rd day, he would eat a tiny amount off a shallow plate. That evening he got diarrhea, like everything I had read said he would. We've added the Gerber baby rice cereal to his formula and a tiny amount of Pepto too. I've not seen a lot of improvement yet, but I'm hoping he will start getting better soon!
On the bright side, he is warming up to us nicely! He will come sometimes when he hears us calling him. He also runs from one dog bed to the other to find the one he want for that nap!
The other night we were looking and calling for him, but he didn't come out, so we just figured he was sleeping soundly and would come out when he woke up. I was in my bedroom, and checked in on the kittens at the end of our bed. They were so cute! One was laying on his back curled up next to the other one. I snapped a couple of pictures, and when I checked them out on the camera, I noticed something I didn't recognize in the pic too. I looked back down at the kittens, and saw the piglet snuggled up next to the white kitten! Just then, the kitten woke up, and looked at me and then the pig, and yawned! I snapped the picture, and checked it out, and the kitten seemed to be yelling that there was a pig in his bed!!! I thought it was so cute!
We are injoying him so far, and Hannah picked a cool name for him...Sheldon!

Duck Eggs...

The other night, while candeling the duck and goose eggs, this one egg really caught my attention. It had the perfect "look" that I've read about! The blood vessels were clearly seen the air cell was the right size, and you could VERY clearly see the beating heart right in the middle! I was blown away! The heart was so tiny, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. It had an incredibly strong beat to it. I can't wait until the eggs hatch! We stop turning them this Friday, (5-15-09) and they should hatch on Monday (5-18-09) I'll let you know the outcome!

Quail...Who knew???

We have hatched our first clutch of Coturnix Quail & Button Quail! They are the cutest thing!!! Said to be the size of a bumble bee when newly hatched, the button quail is the smallest of all quail. They only need incubation for 16 days!! (give or take) Some of ours took up to 18 days to hatch; most likely do to moving them half way through to an automatic turner. If you ever decide to incubate your own eggs, spend the extra $$ and buy a turner! Then, it's pretty much "set it and forget it"!!!

We are keeping our tiny babies in a clear plastic tub, and a heat lamp. Their care is very similar to chicks, except the can drown in a tiny amout of water. Water containers need marbles to help prevent accidental drowning. We also had to grind the turkey starter in the coffee grinder to an almost powder like consistancy. They have TINY beaks!

You may ask yourself what would you do with quail when the cuteness wears off? They are great in an aviary, since they are ground dwellers, they will eat any spilled feed. They reproduce quickly, and the eggs can be sold to incubate, or to crafters. The birds can be sold for breeding, as well as for eating! Hunters can turn them out on land, to reproduce and restock for hunting. I've been told quail is very tasty eating!

Right now, we are thoroughly enjoying watching them interact with eachother, as well as us. They are fairly tame, and readily run up and sit on our hands! They can be kept for pets as well. I am re-vamping an old rabbit hutch for them. When they are old enough, I will move them outside.

For The Birds!!! (Chickens are birds...)

Last Thursday, we had some friends over for our first butchering day! Well, actually, we've butchered hogs before, but this was our first time processing chickens! Hannah showed broilers this year in 4-H. She did a great job with them, and this was something that I knew would be hard for her. But, if you know Hannah, you know she up for just about anything! This was no exception! We did 3 on Tuesday, mostly to teach her how, so she could help me teach the others!
We had everything set up and waiting, and everyone showed up about 10am. So, we all went to the back yard, and the kids willingly caught a few unsuspecting chickens. After showing them all how and where to slit the throat, Jessi was the bravest; she volunteered to go first and get it over with! They were all surprised at how hard you actually had to cut!
At one point we were all shocked by a chicken, having it's throat slit, jump up and start running!!!
They ALL (even Cece :+) had to kill just one! Everyone did a great job! They were all shown how to kill, scald, pluck, and gut! They all did several chickens, and we have lots in the freezer now!!! We kept the gizzards, the hearts, and the livers to give to someone, so they had to seperate all the "peices and parts". They all seemed to enjoy this part! After it was over, the girls drew a picture, and pinned the actual "guts" to it, and labeled it too! The boys had had enough by this time!!! We all learned a lot, and it something very useful for all of us to know!