Even though they haven't laid and egg in months, I love my feathered flock of five hens. Their sweet noises and fluffy forms give me so much joy just by being - well - chickens!
They run for the gate when they see me coming, cooing and clucking over what treats I may have for them to scratch at. And when they run I just have to laugh, they remind me of big ladies in big, puffy dresses, running as fast as they can with their skirts hiked up, all excited about something only clucking biddies could be excited about. It's all in my head, but I find it so endearing.
Each of "the girls" has her own distinctive personality too.
Angel is the leader of the group, she is a bold blond with red fringes. First out of the coop in the morning and fastest running to meet me at the gate. She isn't shy about leaping and flapping at my hand if I have something there and tolerates me picking her up just fine.
Penny is the red feathered chatterbox. She always has something to say (from a distance).
Stripes is by far the largest hen, a black and white striped plumage that reminds me of heavy petticoats and skirts with ruffles. She is shy and somewhat matronly in her demeanour -- big and beautiful.
Fry (formerly known as Lily) is also very large, with red and black feathers. She doesn't like to be held, but she is not shy, she gets into the food next in line after Angel.
Tiny is the youngest in the flock. She is a very light blond, smaller and younger than the rest. Her plumage is radiantly bright. She is friendly and quick and doesn't mind being held at all... I think she may even like it.
I think they are happy birds. They genuinely seem to like it when one of the family comes to check on them. It could, of course, have everything to do with feeding time, but I like to think we mean more to them than that.
They mean more to me than just egg-machines. I get something fundamentally wonderful from their company. Yes, I'm hen-happy, cluckin' insane, whatever, I like my chickens and I'm not going to apologize for it.
1.26.2013
1.17.2013
Chores build character
My parents instilled a strong work ethic into me through CHORES - whether I liked it or not. There were daily chores (make bed, lunch and breakfast cooking, dishes, garbage, care for pets, etc.), weekly chores (laundry, ironing, change and wash bedding, scrub bathrooms, clean room, vacuum, etc.) and seasonal chores (weeding, harvesting, food prep, mow lawn, etc.) These were not for allowance, they were simply because we lived there and it needed to be done. Oh how I hated it all, I felt my parents were taking advantage of child labour.
As a grown up I have other chores: Grocery shopping, meal planning, budgeting and bill paying, and all the other money and food related stuff that I had no part in as a kid.
(Last week I tackled a chore I fear... organizing the paperwork needed to do my year-end and income tax. There are a few items yet to come in, but the bulk is now organized by category in chronological order. I also reviewed what we spent last year on food to figure out a budget for the coming year. Utilities I can't really budget for so easily thanks to this new house, but I can estimate it. No matter how careful I am there are always things missing when I do this, like odd socks coming out of the dryer, some month's bills just seem to "disappear"!)
Looking to the next generation, I feel my job as a parent isn't just to keep my children safe, but to get them grown up into responsible, moral, kind contributors to the society and the planet. It's not easy! My instinct is to make them happy and shelter them from discomfort or pain.... but I need to remind myself of the ultimate goal, and while they are young it's T and my responsibility to show them what's what and how to be responsible themselves. So the kids sometimes have to face disappointment, they have to experience things that are real.
Physically my daredevil boys have experienced lots of physical consequences on their own. Broken bones, scrapes and bruises. Sure we could have kept them safe indoors playing video games, but how would they learn about inertia, force and traction? Would they need to wait until they had a real car in their control?! Yikes!
Financially, I think their personalities are very strong. Steve is an excellent "saver", for some reason it clicked early with him about what money is worth and how hard it can be to get it. Cam, on the other hand, is very happy to part with every penny at his earliest convenience and seems to have no problems borrowing against future allowances too. Oh man, that's going to cause him pain in the future! We are trying very hard to teach him the reality of interest as a powerful friend and an even more powerful enemy, but he's not grasping it. (Maybe he is taking after some of me consumerista family members).
We have been giving them more freedom as they get older, visiting friends without us tagging along, letting them ride around the neighbourhood unsupervised, leaving them at home alone when T and I go out, walking home from school, etc... it hasn't been as hard as I thought it would be to know WHEN they are ready for these responsibilities, and (so far) we haven't regretted the trust.
Running a household takes work too. I should be preparing them for that as well.
Unfortunately I haven't done a good job of forcing chores on my boys. T and I have taken it all on ourselves, probably because it's just easier and we know it will be done to our satisfaction if we do it. And partially because I am home all day anyways. Not that the kids are completely off the hook. They have to help out when we ask, put away their own laundry and they clean their own rooms (most of the time). Dog maintenance is mostly their job. And taking care of the chickens is a family chore.
I think I will start enforcing a cooking night. Easy recipes that they can take with them when they move out. Something beyond toast and eggs. Saturdays sound good. And there is no reason why thay can't handle cleaning the main bathroom, right?
As a grown up I have other chores: Grocery shopping, meal planning, budgeting and bill paying, and all the other money and food related stuff that I had no part in as a kid.
(Last week I tackled a chore I fear... organizing the paperwork needed to do my year-end and income tax. There are a few items yet to come in, but the bulk is now organized by category in chronological order. I also reviewed what we spent last year on food to figure out a budget for the coming year. Utilities I can't really budget for so easily thanks to this new house, but I can estimate it. No matter how careful I am there are always things missing when I do this, like odd socks coming out of the dryer, some month's bills just seem to "disappear"!)
Looking to the next generation, I feel my job as a parent isn't just to keep my children safe, but to get them grown up into responsible, moral, kind contributors to the society and the planet. It's not easy! My instinct is to make them happy and shelter them from discomfort or pain.... but I need to remind myself of the ultimate goal, and while they are young it's T and my responsibility to show them what's what and how to be responsible themselves. So the kids sometimes have to face disappointment, they have to experience things that are real.
Physically my daredevil boys have experienced lots of physical consequences on their own. Broken bones, scrapes and bruises. Sure we could have kept them safe indoors playing video games, but how would they learn about inertia, force and traction? Would they need to wait until they had a real car in their control?! Yikes!
Financially, I think their personalities are very strong. Steve is an excellent "saver", for some reason it clicked early with him about what money is worth and how hard it can be to get it. Cam, on the other hand, is very happy to part with every penny at his earliest convenience and seems to have no problems borrowing against future allowances too. Oh man, that's going to cause him pain in the future! We are trying very hard to teach him the reality of interest as a powerful friend and an even more powerful enemy, but he's not grasping it. (Maybe he is taking after some of me consumerista family members).
We have been giving them more freedom as they get older, visiting friends without us tagging along, letting them ride around the neighbourhood unsupervised, leaving them at home alone when T and I go out, walking home from school, etc... it hasn't been as hard as I thought it would be to know WHEN they are ready for these responsibilities, and (so far) we haven't regretted the trust.
Running a household takes work too. I should be preparing them for that as well.
Unfortunately I haven't done a good job of forcing chores on my boys. T and I have taken it all on ourselves, probably because it's just easier and we know it will be done to our satisfaction if we do it. And partially because I am home all day anyways. Not that the kids are completely off the hook. They have to help out when we ask, put away their own laundry and they clean their own rooms (most of the time). Dog maintenance is mostly their job. And taking care of the chickens is a family chore.
I think I will start enforcing a cooking night. Easy recipes that they can take with them when they move out. Something beyond toast and eggs. Saturdays sound good. And there is no reason why thay can't handle cleaning the main bathroom, right?
1.16.2013
Nutshell
** My house got paint balled a little while ago (how did we not wake up?)! But we weren't the only ones, anyone along our street within range got it. Thankfully out house is fairly easy to wash, though I notice some of the stucco places still have evidence of the bright coloured blobs. I wonder if it's the same youths that were shooting roman candle fireworks at cars in early November (I did call the police on them that night, but don't know if they got busted).
I've been thinking about life a lot lately. Many of my friends are coming into their own financially and professionally and creatively these days, while others seem to be having a harder time than ever!
The forties are a no-excuses decade. We can't blame the follies of youth, nor can we blame inaction on being "too old" for most of the big things. Final decisions about where we are going in life are here... but it's not quite too late to change directions either.
Career. Mine has been going exactly in line with how much effort I have put in. I am creatively stimulated enough to keep from feeling stagnant, bringing in enough money to feel like I'm helping out, and I can't beat the awesome hours I have to pursue the things that are important to me, like walking the kids to school and feeding everyone healthy, homemade meals. It's not full time, and sometimes I do pine for the office dynamics of being pressured to always improve. I have been pretty lazy about actually improving my career skills lately, and at forty I guess I'm too antiquated to really rock the design world now unless I really focus. But I don't want to yet. Family first.
Family. Parenting is not the easiest job in the world. Infinitely more difficult than I expected. It's expensive in time, life energy, health and money (not to mention what strain it puts on the huusband/wife love life). That having been said, I love my boys so much that it physically wells up inside like nothing else can. They are here because of me and T and we care more than anything in the world about their well-being. That includes being able to say "no" to them sometimes too. As for the married part of the family equation. It can be tough and sometimes unrewarding, but that goes both ways surely. Honestly even the very worst times are the best compromise I could every imagine in exchange for the love and support and phenominal friendship I get from being married to T.
Friendship. It's not as intense as it was with any of my friends. My sister is my closest friend in proximity and longetivity. And my school friends will always be dear to me. Since becoming a stay-at-home, work-from-home mom I haven't had much opportunity to make recent friends. I am lonely sometimes, but I haven't put myself out there very much either and all my peers are as busy as I am!
Home. Struggling with the little piles that sprout up on every flat surface, and the great gobs of doghair and grime that accumulate EVERYWHERE. But this house is great for this point in our lives, affordable, with enough projects yet to be done to keep me interested!
There it is in a nutshell.
I've been thinking about life a lot lately. Many of my friends are coming into their own financially and professionally and creatively these days, while others seem to be having a harder time than ever!
The forties are a no-excuses decade. We can't blame the follies of youth, nor can we blame inaction on being "too old" for most of the big things. Final decisions about where we are going in life are here... but it's not quite too late to change directions either.
Career. Mine has been going exactly in line with how much effort I have put in. I am creatively stimulated enough to keep from feeling stagnant, bringing in enough money to feel like I'm helping out, and I can't beat the awesome hours I have to pursue the things that are important to me, like walking the kids to school and feeding everyone healthy, homemade meals. It's not full time, and sometimes I do pine for the office dynamics of being pressured to always improve. I have been pretty lazy about actually improving my career skills lately, and at forty I guess I'm too antiquated to really rock the design world now unless I really focus. But I don't want to yet. Family first.
Family. Parenting is not the easiest job in the world. Infinitely more difficult than I expected. It's expensive in time, life energy, health and money (not to mention what strain it puts on the huusband/wife love life). That having been said, I love my boys so much that it physically wells up inside like nothing else can. They are here because of me and T and we care more than anything in the world about their well-being. That includes being able to say "no" to them sometimes too. As for the married part of the family equation. It can be tough and sometimes unrewarding, but that goes both ways surely. Honestly even the very worst times are the best compromise I could every imagine in exchange for the love and support and phenominal friendship I get from being married to T.
Friendship. It's not as intense as it was with any of my friends. My sister is my closest friend in proximity and longetivity. And my school friends will always be dear to me. Since becoming a stay-at-home, work-from-home mom I haven't had much opportunity to make recent friends. I am lonely sometimes, but I haven't put myself out there very much either and all my peers are as busy as I am!
Home. Struggling with the little piles that sprout up on every flat surface, and the great gobs of doghair and grime that accumulate EVERYWHERE. But this house is great for this point in our lives, affordable, with enough projects yet to be done to keep me interested!
There it is in a nutshell.
1.15.2013
Health
Everything seems to be trucking along in my life.
That nasty flu has been avoided (so far) and the weather (though not wonderful) has been good enough to walk Cam to school almost every day. In fact I am starting to wonder why we even have a second car, the new house location is within walking distance to my bank, pharmacy, grocery store and even a Thrift Shop, Timmy's and take out sushi place! Of course, it's not a FUN walk on a busy street, but I have done it. The only tough auto-situations are when I have a meeting or other chores farther afield than my local strip mall.
I took it upon myself to re-learn how to knit! I got some needles and a few balls of yarn at the thrift shop and watched a couple you-tube videos until I got the hang of it. It was fun! I played with it until I ran out of yarn. The result is a 24" striped square of softness. Not sure what I am doing with it, but it was fun with very little expense.
However..... my chronic mild wrist strain from my daily keyboarding posture erupted into full blown carpal tunnel syndrome this weekend... it HURTS.
I didn't bother a doctor, I did that test that the doctor would do (elbows out with backs of hands together for a minute) and checked off all the symptoms on-line, there is no doubt what the pain is from. I phoned around yesterday looking for a wrist splint to sleep in and found the most comfortable thing ever! It cost more than I'd like but not much more than a big pack of name brand, muscle relaxing, pain relievers. I slept with it on last night and am completely stunned how much BETTER I slept! (Apparently my wrist has been bugging me in my sleep for quite some time?) And my hand felt better this morning too. Not perfect, but certainly not nearly as painful as yesterday by a long shot. I will be sleeping with my comfy new wrist splint as long as it works!
Don't you love it when something works as advertised?
That nasty flu has been avoided (so far) and the weather (though not wonderful) has been good enough to walk Cam to school almost every day. In fact I am starting to wonder why we even have a second car, the new house location is within walking distance to my bank, pharmacy, grocery store and even a Thrift Shop, Timmy's and take out sushi place! Of course, it's not a FUN walk on a busy street, but I have done it. The only tough auto-situations are when I have a meeting or other chores farther afield than my local strip mall.
I took it upon myself to re-learn how to knit! I got some needles and a few balls of yarn at the thrift shop and watched a couple you-tube videos until I got the hang of it. It was fun! I played with it until I ran out of yarn. The result is a 24" striped square of softness. Not sure what I am doing with it, but it was fun with very little expense.
However..... my chronic mild wrist strain from my daily keyboarding posture erupted into full blown carpal tunnel syndrome this weekend... it HURTS.
I didn't bother a doctor, I did that test that the doctor would do (elbows out with backs of hands together for a minute) and checked off all the symptoms on-line, there is no doubt what the pain is from. I phoned around yesterday looking for a wrist splint to sleep in and found the most comfortable thing ever! It cost more than I'd like but not much more than a big pack of name brand, muscle relaxing, pain relievers. I slept with it on last night and am completely stunned how much BETTER I slept! (Apparently my wrist has been bugging me in my sleep for quite some time?) And my hand felt better this morning too. Not perfect, but certainly not nearly as painful as yesterday by a long shot. I will be sleeping with my comfy new wrist splint as long as it works!
Don't you love it when something works as advertised?
1.02.2013
Pickled Eggs
My dad used to make them
I still love them
They are too expensive to buy
Pickled Eggs!
Not too hard to make, just time consuming and it's hard to wait overnight to eat one!
I still love them
They are too expensive to buy
Pickled Eggs!
Not too hard to make, just time consuming and it's hard to wait overnight to eat one!
1.01.2013
A New Year, A New Opportunity
Welcome to 2013!
In the spirit of tradition, it is time to make resolutions. But instead of the traditional "exercise more" or "eat better" (good resolutions, but not my style). This year I am trying a different approach, and I'll keep you updated on the progress. This year I am resolving to follow a "More or Less" list
I have a page in a note book split down the middle with a heading over the two columns "MORE" on one side "LESS" on the other.
In no particular order, here is an insight into what I want for 2013:
MORE; reading, writing, billable hours, time teaching my kids, learning, vegetables, whole foods, housecleaning, walks, yoga, time for friends, kindness, time outside, patience...
LESS; dairy, fructose, excuses, processed foods, shopping, criticism, procrastination, TV, food hoarding, chaos
Some of these things are natural companions (less TV naturally means more time for healthier activities, I think this is doable, and my life will be better for it!
In the spirit of tradition, it is time to make resolutions. But instead of the traditional "exercise more" or "eat better" (good resolutions, but not my style). This year I am trying a different approach, and I'll keep you updated on the progress. This year I am resolving to follow a "More or Less" list
I have a page in a note book split down the middle with a heading over the two columns "MORE" on one side "LESS" on the other.
In no particular order, here is an insight into what I want for 2013:
MORE; reading, writing, billable hours, time teaching my kids, learning, vegetables, whole foods, housecleaning, walks, yoga, time for friends, kindness, time outside, patience...
LESS; dairy, fructose, excuses, processed foods, shopping, criticism, procrastination, TV, food hoarding, chaos
Some of these things are natural companions (less TV naturally means more time for healthier activities, I think this is doable, and my life will be better for it!
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