My TWO Moms!

From a hen seducing a cookie jar on the kitchen counter to a politically correct lesbian poultry love affair, we are having our version of "Sex in the Country!"

These two hens laid eggs on the same nest - as hens frequently do - but when it was time to "go broody" (Jana, please explain to Josh), they both insisted it was their eggs so they BOTH sat on the eggs and incubated them for 21 days! Out of nine eggs, only three hatched but the chicks claim them both as moms and follow them everywhere. The two hens and three chicks are always together. This morning Sophie (gentle German shepherd) accidentally got between one of the hens and the chicks and boy, howdy, both hens REALLY got after her! You think getting between ONE animal momma and her babies is bad news.....try a couple of angry lesbians mommas!!!


Hopefully, I can get a better photo when I can coax them out of the shade. It's HOT!

And you thought we country folk were behind the times!!
Well, this is about as close to political correctness I care to get.
For the record, I'm SICK of hearing about the new movie, "Sluts er ah Sex in the City!"

Happy Anniversary!!!

Six years ago we were blessed with the most wonderful daughter-in-law who knows the secret to a happy marriage................

















Hope you had a wonderful time celebrating! I know you did..... We love you and are delighted you are a part of our family! (Faithful readers: Help me out with some captions to this...)

Thithter.....Thithter...

My "thithter" from Washington came to visit for a week. What a delight it was to have her. Not only did we both enjoy her company but as I already knew, she has more creativity in her little finger than most of us do in our whole bodies. She jumped in and helped with our project and added some great touches. It was her idea to stripe the floor. Her only limitation was me not letting her start another project! Her creative mind gets to trying to explain something to me and it's like Robin Williams going off on a comedy improv...! Her graceful fingers start waving around creatively in the air while she tries to explain what she is seeing in her head! That's probably where my kids got their creativity. Love you sis!

Varnish on, varnish off!

We took time for R&R in the mountains, too!

Empty Nesting???

Another Mothers' Day rolls around and it finds me up to my nose in upgrading my "nest" - something most Fathers just don't "GET". Thankfully, they go along with it anyway every now and then. I am blessed that "Father" is willfully going along and working very hard to support my desire to upgrade the nest. Nesting is a significant part of mothering. There are few moms who don't have serious feelings about their nest and how it reflects on them; probably not unlike how a man's status on the job reflects on him.

Mothers' Day during this season on my life finds me not concerned about whether or not my children remember this day with cards and flowers but pondering the blessings I have in three children of godly character, hard work ethics and well established in the role they are playing in this world. Their lives bless me beyond words! Meanwhile, as I upgrade the nest layer upon layer (as an interior decorator would describe it) I am continually reminded that even though my children have left the nest, they are contributing a significant part in this process.

First off is the first layer, and my "First born". It was she (along with my last born) who nudged me to pursue tearing out the wall between my kitchen and great room - something I've always wanted to do but needed the push. Her talent for "putting things together", seeing color posibilities and creating something beautiful out of junk never ceases to amaze me! Which brings me to a "pondering" that came out of somewhere: Aren't "artists" and "trendsetters" those who have the courage and ability to "color outside the lines"? She also has the guts, brawn and brain to try just about anything. When three electricians said our electrical plans either were just too much to do or extremely costly, she visualized how it could be done easily and sure enough it could and was! She saw great possibility in the original paint color, which was mixed incorrectly and I was ready to scrap. Each time I look at it in the future and enjoy the warm and unique affect, I will remember how she liked it from the start and made me consider something that was out of the question until that moment. So you see, her mark on the current upgrading of this nest is quite significant.

The second layer comes with my second born: Anyone reading this is probably family or friends and knows well the artistic talents of my second born. Everywhere I look I see sculptures and furniture he has made for our home. When he was six he made me a "coffee table". You can imagine the fine craftsmanship it must have displayed! The coffee table I now have iS a work of art. A local doctor had commissioned him to make it. While he was initially working on it I went into the garage to see how it was coming along. It looked rather funky at that point and I made a comment indicating something not exactly complementary. "You just wait", was his response. When it was finished he set it in the living room "temporarily". I told him, "this table is NOT leaving this house!" I just love it! I am truly lucky that he has shared the fruits of his giftedness with me!

My last born equally has an eye for color and style that her sister does. One of my favorite rooms in the the house IS her bedroom which she painted red and redecorated before she left home. While she hasn't been able to contribute to this project since she is much too far away, last year she did some great rearranging for me on one of my "special places". I am really looking forward to see what she will do with her new home. She didn't learn how to always color in the lines either. (Maybe I should have sent them to kindergarden..) She did some unique things with old window frames in her apartment. Meanwhile, we shall enjoy the "ambiance" of the lovely music she has recorded for us; a layer even interior decorators don't think of.

And speaking on layers and "ambiance", does having a hen seducing a cookie jar on one's kitchen counter count?

Finally, on Mothers Day, I would want to honor my Mother-in-law who has truly contributed to the decor of my house. Her beautiful pastel paintings are such a treasure to me and SO IS SHE!!! She is truly a blessing to me!!

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

They say your home should be an expression of you and be a place where you surround yourself with things you love.... and I might add, the people you love!

Farmacology

I love living in a rural area! I've lived in L.A. but I much prefer "Green Acres" or more accurately described as "Brown Acres" right now. Recently "the boss" got some game hens and a real pretty game rooster. The hens hide their clutches all over and we have a constant Easter egg hunt finding lots of eggs and enjoying the dark orange yokes for breakfast. Once you've enjoyed them, you will never like store bought again. A couple of the hens went "broody" and hatched out some baby chicks. One hatched all twelve of her eggs which is quite rare. They are so cute following their mother around and responding to her clucking communication. Jesus even referred to a hen with her chickens. The rooster gets protective of the chicks, too. He is quite the "Cock-of-the-Walk". To keep the "girls" around he steals morsels of dog food from Sophie's dish and lays it in front of them. I guess he thinks if he buys her dinner she owes him! While she eats the morsel of Kibbles 'n Bits he catches her off guard and well... Barnyard antics can be pretty funny.

I guess one little hen got tired of just being one of the girls and went on a search for another "Cock of the Walk." We were inside the house using a drum sander on our wood floors. The thing is so loud I can't imagine any animal coming close. We had both doors open and a window to allow the breeze the blow out the floating dust. The little hen spied a lovely suitor on my kitchen counter, my cookie jar! We discovered her as she was doing everything she could to get his attention! She preened, poised and pranced, did the Watusi trying to get the stone cold rooster to notice her and finally went tail to tail and just nested next to him! We chased her out and did it several times until finally we had to shut the doors and window to keep her from coming in to flirt!

"Hello, there, Pretty Boy! Check out my tail...feathers!"

"Don't you see I'm trying to get your attention????"




I posted this story for my city-slicker, son-in-law in California! I knew it would make his day! And it would mortify his wife!