What I Should Be Doing

I Should be cleaning my house, it's filthy.
I should be making banana nut bread because the over-ripe bananas in the fridge are nearly past their prime.
I should be educating my children and I won't go into detail there or I might embarrass myself...further.
I should be checking on my chickens as their wonderfully ambitious egg laying efforts have gone south lately.
I should. But I'm not.
Instead, I've chosen to play on the computer while my children watch a "How to Draw Animals" DVD on the TV.
We don't have cable.
I don't know why I threw that in...except it's funny when I'm talking to some people about "doing without" during tough times and they always seem to mention they don't have cable.
"Oh, we don't have cable." they say with all seriousness.
Like I'm going to respond with, "Oh, man, that's gotta be tough, you poor soul!"
Paleeze, "doing without" is going without meat every other day or something akin.
And it goes without saying that TV rots your brain and robs kids of their imaginations.
Excuse me a moment while I switch the TV back to the DVD player, I think the kids are watching Curious George, again.
Back to me.



So I took this photo of one of our cursed Honey Locust trees that grow around the house and pasture, played with it and came up with:
Honey Locust in Color!



Pretty cool, huh?
Okay, now I'm starting to feel guilty.
Enough time playing here.
I should be doing something of significance.
Have a great week!
Julie

Where I'm At, Sort Of

The first sentence in a new entry can be the most difficult one.
And for me, a homeschooling mom, I tend to be a bit too tough on myself regarding what others perceive of my writing ability. I mean wouldn't you agree that we homeschoolers are held to a higher standard...
Or maybe it's because I can be a bit intimidated by some of the heavy hitters, you know, those bloggers out there that generate a ridiculously large number of comments...you know, like The Pioneer Woman (unfairly talented in a big way) or Tim Challies at his site Challies (very provocative...the comments are as good as his posts), and now I've stumbled upon a new one. Her name is Amy Scott and bless her heart she's a Calvinist, just like Tim Challies, but I love her. I mean I love her style of writing, her honesty, her humor, and oh boy is she one smart chickadee. Her site entitled Amy's Humble Musings is one I find myself clicking over to quite often. You're probably already aware of her site and once again I'm the proverbial kid that has missed the bus or if you need a better word picture the last one in line, the last to hear the "big news",...oh well, enough! I think you got the picture...word picture...picture...whatever.

And now for some photos for your visual entertainment:

I call this first one, Deception I.




This is Deception II.



Okay, so I know what you're thinking (okay, not really). Why did that quirky woman entitle these photos Deception I and II ???
I'll wait till the end of my post to reveal the answer.
Another photo!



Yes, we have a cow's skull hanging off of a post at the corner of our calf pen. It's there to remind them what happens to naughty little calves that push their luck (don't believe in it) too far.
Actually, I just think it looks cool.
The horses don't though, because they keep knocking it off! They're such dumb broads (sorry, it's the kind of mood I'm in today, you'll understand after this next picture).

Next photo, Jules!!!



Those that know me just groaned, really, they just groaned.
Because now it's all becomming very very clear why this post has such a cynical and dark tone.
That's right, you got it...another animal has been purchased and now resides here at our increasingly-growing-smaller due to over-population little farm.
Wailing and gnashing of teeth couldn't have prevented this from happening, it was beyond me.
He is a two-year-old gelding.
Tim wanted him.
And really Tim deserves him.
He's a sweety. The horse or Tim, you ask? Well, both...but I was actually talking about the horse.
I'm still trying to wrap my feeble brain around the whole concept of having yet another mouth to feed, but I'm comin' around, I think.
So the next time your kid asks for a fish, a hermit crab, or even a puppy for crying out loud...remember me and remember, It could always be ....a horse ((gulp)).
That's all for now except for my explanation regarding the leaf pictures entitled "Deception I and II''.
It's not a falling leaf but is hanging mid-air attached to an upper branch by a spider web.
Last picture...it's bright cheery and helps me to remember that everything in my life is really great.
I am blessed, really!

Oklahoma Fall Color: Part 2

A truly bright colored plant that adorns our Oklahoma landscape during the fall months is Smooth Sumac.
This species of sumac is actually found across much of the United States and the variations of red, orange, and...I've even seen fuschia colored leaves...give our countryside and pastures that extra splash of color in our Autumn landscapes.
I personally find that Smooth Sumac is that welcomed bright spot in the Fall foliage comparable even to the flowering Eastern Redbud  in the Spring.
So, if I may ask, what do you enjoy about this particular season?
I've put a poll in the margin out of curiosity. Please participate if you have time.
Fall is a wonderful time to get out and enjoy the beauty of our Lord's creation.
Be refreshed! Julie

Oklahoma Fall Color: Part 1

When my husband and I were first married, we moved to eastern Tennessee.
I was lonely.
Neither one of us had relatives or friends there.
And I was a new mom and VERY hormonal.
Oh, and we were poor...okay not REAL poor like third world country poor, but lots of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches poor.
Did I mention I was lonely and hormonal???
I'm sure my husband deserves some serious kudos for putting up with me through those lean years and well, visa versa.
We were determined not to go into credit card debt.
And we didn't.
But for all the hardships we perceived, we were surrounded by lush Tennessee beauty.
Eastern Tennessee in the Spring is a Thomas Kinkade painting...breathtaking to say the least.
Dogwoods, Redbuds, Azaleas, Rhododendrons, and every imaginable flowering plant carpet the hillsides and forests. For a brief time the kudzu is not as obnoxiously making it's predatorial presence known.
Sometimes, I miss Tennessee's lush plant-life.
But just sometimes.
Because I adore the wide open space we are afforded here.
No kudzu here...yet.
And no hillsides to block the sun's rising and setting, ahhh.
The native grasses are golden right now and the leaves just beginning to change into their Fall wardrobe.
Maybe, I'm just an Oklahoman at heart, but I wouldn't want to be anyplace else but here.
Where ever you may be, I hope you're enjoying our Lord's creation also!
Blessings, Julie

Obsessions: Another Chicken Post

I've been trying to figure out just how many roosters we actually have.
I found this information about observing the differences of sexes in chickens at a young age at The Poultry Site . 

Cockerel at 5 weeks of age


Comb
Medium size, pinkish
Legs
Sturdy, long
Tail
Stumpy, curved
Back
Downy with thin line of stub feathers down centre
Side of neck, crop and flanks
Feathering poorly advanced
Wing bows
Bare, showing wing covert quills
Carriage
Erect and alert



Pullet at 5 weeks of age


Comb
Small, yellowish
Legs
Finer, shorter
Tail
Longer, straight
Back
More advanced feathering along centre & flanks
Side of neck, crop & flanks
Feathering well advanced
Wing bows
Covered with small feathers
Carriage
Lower set

It seems that if my observations are correct, that we may have three roosters out of the five Buff Orpingtons.
If so, we will keep the dominant one and name him Mr. Incredible.
The others will either be sold or given away.

Wanna rooster?

And I've just got to give out some major kudos to my six girls out there in the hen house!



Most day we're getting six eggs and we've had two double yolkers within a three week period.



Anyone got some great egg recipes out there? I'm running out.
Hope your week is off to a great start!
Blessings, Julie

Laminin: It's What Holds Us Together

This is one of the most powerful videos!
It's a bit lengthy, but worth it.
Watch and be amazed at our Lord's mastery!

Anyone Seen My Marbles?

So yesterday we had to drive into town because both girls are in homeschool band and I had about a gazillion errands to get done.
While the middle child, who, by-the-way is in beginner band, wowed everyone with her talent playing the xylophone, our oldest child received knitting lessons from a fellow homeschooling mom. I also made good use of this time by working with my youngest kiddo on his reading skills.
When beginner band was over, my oldest with clarinet in tow joined her fellow intermediate band players and I whisked both middle and younger into the van to go get a fraction of those gazillion errands accomplished.



First, the library. Easy enough as I had all fifty plus books and assorted DVD's, video cassettes, CD's, and books on CD in the front passenger seat so that all I had to do was pull up to the book- drop and slamdunk them as quickly as possible. And I've just gotta ask here...am I the only one that feels some kind of displaced pressure to get this done as quickly as possible?
Just asking.
Both kiddos sat calmly in the back discussing things like who's turn it was to check eggs when we got home and Wipeout, a primetime show they never get to watch unless daddy is supervising them.



Finished that errand and we were off to the Farm Bureau office to deliver our Bucket Calf Program thank you cards for the program sponsors...that are a week overdue. Sigh.
There, we were pleasently surprised that the girls had made more money than originally thought on showing their calves. So what followed was the middle child wanting to know how much she can keep.



The bank was the next stop so that I could withdraw grocery money (cash) for the next two weeks. We're avid Dave Ramsey fans and have budgeted this way for the last seven years. It works for us.

Then back to the church where homeschool band lessons are held to pick up oldest daughter.
En route, I called my husband to see if he would like to meet us for lunch at one of our favorite Chinese buffets. Yes, he would, good...things were clicking right along.
It was during lunch that things started to unravel in a very unsuspecting way.

Cue the Twilight Zone music:

Idle chatter and the normal food eating noises.

Someone (probably me) mentions chickens (we are after all at a Chinese restaurant where chicken is in every dish possible) and quite honestly I still cannot remember how our local farm store came into the conversation and my husband mentioned that they had chicks on sale. But that's all I heard...

CHICKS ON SALE

My mind raced and started to quickly review all the opportunities that adding more chickens to our little flock of six would provide for our family:

More eggs (selling eggs at our local farmers market and to friends)
Meat (We have friends that have butchered their birds and I've wanted to since observing them do it)
Hatching out chicks (I would like to eventually sell baby birds)
Showing chickens at the county fair and winning the big bucks (I hear you laughing, Misty)
And last, but certainly not least, the educational experience (no explanation necessary, right)

My head was spinning with the possibilites...but first, I had to get the go-ahead from my husband, of course.
I had that they were on sale on my side.
I asked and he okayed.
The kids were giddy!
I was giddy.
My husband, not so much giddy...but agreeable to the whole nutty idea of purchasing more livestock that we had not yet made room for. Sigh.
Okay, so after lunch, the kids and I rushed to our local farm store to check out their bargain chicks.
And may I just add here that baby chickens are everything that the word cute was meant to describe!



The kids each wanted one and made hasty promises to pay me back with their county fair earnings.
Oldest picked out two Silver Laced Wyandottes, Middle picked out two Bantams, and Youngest picked out a single Buff Orpington (his fair earnings were a bit measly this year). I went ahead and picked out four more Buff Orpingtons and we called it good.
Total: 9 new chicks to add to our 6 hens at home. Bringing the chicken population to 15.
Can you say, lunacy?



Oh, and I forgot to mention that seven of the new chicks were "straight run." For those that may not know, straight run means that you don't know whether your chicks are male or female. I'm hoping that one of the BOs is a rooster so that we can breed those and I'm okay with one of the Bantams being a rooster, BUT THAT'S IT! Anymore roosters and they'll be a part of that butcherin' I mentioned above.
(Deep Sigh)



So as I sit here typing this and praying (really) that I don't lose this post to cyberspace, I'm accompanied by nine little creatures scratching, pecking, and peeping in a tub with a heatlamp hanging overhead. The kids have been thoroughly entertained with holding them and just observing.
Me? Well, I'm completely taken with their sweetness but still...but still questioning my sanity.



Hope you're having a perfectly sane and productive day,
Blessings, The Chicken Lady

Cowboy Kids

Cowboy kids are rough and tough, and can be a bit rebellious at times.
They like to wear their hats to the table and hear mom say, "You know you're not supposed to wear that to the table, get it off!" just so they can have the satisfaction of knowing someone recognized they have a cowboy hat on.



Cowboy kids enjoy entering 4H livestock shows so that they can stand out in an arena and pose with their bovine buddy.



Cowboy kids like to answer questions about their bovine buddy and do it with pride and a smile on their face!



Cowboy kids have many friends, but there is usually that special friend that they call their BFF.



Cowboy kids need a faithful steed that will perform to her utmost ability when called upon to do so!



Cowboy kids don't blink an eye when their faithful steed doesn't perform to her utmost ability but laugh and allow Daddy to edit the photo so that the whole family can get a good laugh at their expense.



Cowboy kids can be downright ornery, mischevious, and dirty (requiring multiple baths within a 24 hour period) but on the other hand, for the most part, are precious, loving kiddos that will one day look back upon their cowboy kid days and be thankful that they were allowed to be a cowboy kid.

Have a great day! Julie

Excuses, Excuses, Excuses!

There are times that I desire to write here and cannot due to several factors that seem to always make theirselves, themselves, whatever selves known.

The first one being our computer. Seems the poor thing has seen better days, is old, and has jumped the shark.

We've added more RAM and other expensive technically sounding shtuff that I know absolutely nothing about...but to no avail, because in all of reality it doesn't matter how fine-tuned your PC is if your internet provider is not living up to their end of the bargain ((sigh)).

Their story, "We're updating equipment." Hmmm.

Another factor...my precious mom, bless her heart, has gotten to the point that she MUST be back on medicine (she's mentally ill) in order to keep her car, her house, and most important of all, her independence.

This predicament has kept me hopping now for the last two weeks.

Actually her illness has always been a part of my life, but occassionally, as now, things come to a head and others must step in, namely me, for which she resents me greatly and may I just add that that last statement was a gross understatement and run-on sentence deluxe!

I'm not angry or even being sarcastic...really...I'm being honest.

For those that have had to deal with mentally ill family members you know exactly where I'm coming from.

I've found with age, that I'm caring less and less what others think (thank you, Lord) and just doing what has to be done.

It can be hard...but the prayers of friends and family and the comfort, guidance, and peace that only the Lord can give make it doable.

So with that little grammatically incorrect essay, I feel I have adequately explained my absence from the blog world.

Hoping for an excused absence as your veiwership is valued,

Julie

P.S. The above picture has absolutely nothing to do with this post. It was one of the only photos that I had access to on my hard drive due to photobucket failing to upload numerous and sundry times and besides I thought it was perdy.

What Can it Mean???

We have chickens, young females (pullets) that are approximately four and a half months old.
Three are White Rocks and three are Gold Sexlinks.
One of the White Rocks is much more vocal than all the other chickens.
Whenever I go into the coop to feed, she starts cackling noisily and making a screeching noise whereas the others keep up their tock, tock, tock as they steadily feed or meander around. Occasionally, one of the Sexlinks will quickly run over to the noisy chicken and give her a quick peck as if to say, "Pipe down!"
This morning while we were out by the garden working with the ponies, my husband and I heard a great commotion coming from the coop. I quickly started for the coop to see what was the matter. My husband shouted to me that it may be a snake causing the chickens to fuss and be careful.
When I got to the coop, the lone, noisy White Rock chicken was the only one in the coop. She was perched on one of the roosts, flapping her wings, and cackling noisily. I walked in and looked around for any sign of an intruder but none was to be seen.
Hmmm, what could it all mean???
Later, while we were eating breakfast, I called a good friend that has raised chickens for ages.
I asked her about my obnoxious little chicken, trying to get some insight into her odd behavior.
The friend asked me several questions concerning the overall health of the bird and then said she may just be a very vocal bird.
"A very vocal bird?"
Surely, there had to be more.
But my friend laughed at me and said I may be reading more into the chicken's behavior than what was really there.
((Gasp!)) Me...reading more into the situation than what is really there...surely not!
I mean, I guess it's possible. I have been told I tend to over analyze things...think too much.
And by the way, have you ever noticed the first four letters of the word analyze are anal.
Hmmm, I'm gonna stop there.
The end...
And if any of you happen to have some input on my overly vocal bird, I would appreciate it!
Curious and Analytical in OK,
Julie