What's Happenin' Round Here

I have heard from a few readers that they miss hearing about the chickens, and various other things going on around here.  So I thought I would provide an update to you via a picture tour of some things I've been doing.  I wanted to confirm for you that I'm not just sitting on the couch eating bon bons nor am I just sitting on my hands waiting for something to happen either.

We bought four more chickens, but these aren't them.

They are still very skittish and worried every time anyone walks too close to them.  But these three girls were enjoying the last six Easter eggs that hadnt been eaten.  It was time for them to go so I sent J outside with a small hammer and he had a blast busting them open.  The chickens were quick to come over and eat the eggs.  Yeah, we think that's weird and sick too.  Seems almost cannibalistic of them; they were store bought eggs so just distant cousins, not the Donner Party or anything like that.  See doesn't it sound much more normal now.  I didn't think so.

B & I started our next quilt project.  This will be a 'couch blanket'.  Yes, I know we could warm up the a/c , but it is nice to have a little something to snuggle under, even in the summer and L & I don't always agree on what a comfortable temperature is, so this helps me be more comfortable.

I attempted to be random in putting this together, but I know there is a method to the madness.  Can you also see it???

 The shorter two block column is what has already been sewn together.  I didn't follow the directions very well and this seemed like a good place to stop once I figured that out.

When the swallows came back in March we thought, wow there aren't very many of them this year.

We don't think that now.  The nest right outside the computer window has a bumper crop of babies--six!  usually someone 'falls' out of the nest, but these guys are all flying and have survived.  It's crowded up there, but they are so cute to watch.

J and I put the pool up about a week ago.  I received a full chemistry lesson at the pool store and caught about 35% of it.  Calcium ions are positively charged and they need something to bond with beside the side of the pool; check.  Free water balancing and testing can happen at our store every time you come to town; check.

It sure is nice, especially this afternoon when it was 98 degrees outside.

And I've been working in the garden.  I estimated I need to apply 8 man-hours to get the weeds under control.  everything looked like this when I started.

Now this is what I am seeing after six hours.

still some work to be done, but not too shabby...