Ok, So a Bunch More Pics

Today Beverly wanted her hair put up. Rare indeed. And she left it that way long enough for me to take a picture.

I had a monumental fail today, and the kids made me take a pic. See I am in the habit, if somebody drops food in the car, of rolling down the passenger window and PITCHING it quickly out at the vegetation on the side of the road. This is a triple benefit: it is completely biodegradable (so therefore not pollution), the local fauna (raccoons, opossums, and skunks) LOVE finding little sticky bits of banana or hot Doritos, and it completely unnerves the person in the passenger seat, for sudden bits of something to go whizzing past them out the window.

So when I dropped a chunk of Dorito down into my quart-size insulated mug of Mtn. Dew today, I hit the window button, FLUNG it toward the grass, MISSED the window by a good 6" and splattered Spicy Nacho Chip ala Mountain Dew all over the dashboard. FAIL!

Alright, I also enjoyed a modicum of success today. I got my CCW (Carry/Conceal Weapon) permit in the mail today. I am officially Legally Armed, until 2013. And don't THINK I wouldn't be serious to give an attacker a choice which nut to keep. I really AM a good shot.


I took pics of our chicks today, just because they are cute.


We lost 3 of them. It happens; they succumb to the Marek's vaccine if they were weak to begin with, and from past experience, we probably expect to lose about 1 chick per dozen. You can see they are beginning to get their wing feathers already. In 2 weeks they will be SO ugly, as the stems of their hackle (neck) feathers will start to come in, making them look something like porcupines. In a month, they will be feathered, little miniature chickens.

Alright, as promised, here are pics of Diantha's project that I got from UFO Administration. This was called Cuff Too Small. Someone had started, I think, a pair of socks. ONE sock. All they did was the cuff. First thing, Diantha claimed the yarn. Secondly, we divided it into 2 equal balls, for making a real pair of socks. Then she decided to make this tam. The pattern called for almost the whole lot of yarn (320 yards out of 400), but for some reason she got the entire tam out of one ball.

It was the first time Diantha ever followed a pattern of any kind, and it does have a few mistakes. But she likes it, and wants to make another one out of the other ball of yarn. Bravo, Diantha!

Here are flat pics (these are really NOT boobs, as one of my kids suggested):
I also got Etsy orders mailed today, from THREE shops (yippee!), got the kitchen cleaned, my room vacuumed (again), some laundry done and some folded, and a batt carded for Diantha's shop. She is feeling puny. I am going to card another batt like it, and hopefully in a day or two she will feel well enough to spin that one and sell the yarn ready-made. This will be White Wedding, for the Etsy Knitter's Street Team June challenge, "I Do 2009." We will list it in the morning, as soon as we can get some natural-light pictures.

Cheep Peeps and Tackle-it Tuesday

First, the Internet Hall of Shame.

My daughter and one of her friends do what they call Tackle-it Tuesday. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. Tell the truth, I really wasn't up to it today. I am still weak and coughing from a week of the flu. But my bedroom was TRASHED. This past week my kids brought laundry in here and sorted it into piles on the floor (helping mom, of course) and left them... bins of sweaters to recycle, Beverly clothes to sort into Winter/Summer and pack away. Bits of stuff (where does this stuff come from?), kleenex, wrappers (don't people know where the TRASH is?) etc. I couldn't stand it another minute!

So today I sorted, folded, cleaned, threw away, boxed up, binned. Put clothes in drawers and Space bags. One of the kids helped me cart stuff away, and one helped me vacuum. Had to stop in the middle of all the proceedings to run around for 2 hours dealing with the new chicks (more below). Note I did leave the rocking chair in the corner... mostly my dh's jeans and stuff (and ONE large purple sheet). And I have one box still to deal with, that is a couple quilt tops awaiting my attention, and a couple sweaters to recycle. But, not a bad day's accomplishment for someone who is still running on 3 of 8 cylinders. LoL.

Today our chicks came in. When my kids were in 4-H in another county, they could get 25 chicks for $25, and at the summer-end Livestock Show and Sale they had to turn in their best 5 hens for judging and auction. In this county, you get 12 chicks for $20 but at the end of summer, only have to turn in 3 of them, and you get $20 back just for entering the sale. I wish they had had Barred Rocks available, I love them. Fat chickens with black and white striped plumage who lay nice brown eggs. And I love Americaunas, which are variant colors but lay eggs in the olive-to-pale aqua range of greens.

Unfortunately, those weren't available. So Diantha got 12 Black Australorps... good, heavy-bodied meat and egg birds who lay brown eggs. Those are the little black chicks with yellow markings. Veronica got 12 Rhode Island Reds... tall, large chickens with dark auburn feathers and they lay reddish-brown eggs. And Josiah got 12 Red Stars. These have been bred for laying. They are pale auburn birds who religiously lay light brown eggs. They are the strawberry blonde chicks.

Hopefully, these will all be hens... roosters are loud and not good for much but helping the hens hatch out a clutch of eggs (which I don't want to do with these breeds anyway), or for dinner. In 20 weeks they will either lay little pullet eggs or start crowing... then we will know!

Some closing pics... Artemas is a good babysitter.









...and wound pics, which are healing incredibly well and quickly, and for which healing we are SO thankful!












We also want to say Thank You to all of you who have sent prayers and well-wishes in our direction. Artemas says they have helped him be encouraged and feel much better!

My dh, back to work this week after vacation, has come down with the flu and is spending all his non-work time asleep in bed with a fever.

Our water is still working. No floods under the house, that I know of.

No kidney stones this week. All our cars are running.
Wow.