What do you do when you have a surplus of summer eggs? Why, you incubate them! We put 22 eggs in our incubator yesterday (thank you, Brent & Andrea!) and hope to put another 2 dozen in today to fill it up. Then, in 3 weeks, if all goes right, we will have baby chicks! This of course means that we've lined up a few projects for ourselves on top of those that we've yet to finish! (Bathroom... I can't seem to find time to mud and tape drywall seams....) We will need to secure the kidding pen sufficient for baby chicks, acquire more chain to hang feeders and waterers, and build a chicken tractor or two for when we can determine which of the chicks will grow up to be roosters (meat) and which will be hens. The roosters will go in the tractors and be grass fed for about 2 or 3 months until they're the right size for putting in the freezer. The hens will begin to lay eggs at about 5 months old. So, come January when the other hens' production is deminished, we should have a new crop of layers! We probably should have started this project a month or two ago, but life has been a tad busy!
This week, we took Cinderella (the dog) to the vet to get her vaccines and be groomed. She looks like a white lab now! She's very pretty and all that hair gone should help to keep her cool the rest of the summer. While we were in Kentucky (that's where our vet is) we scooted over to the Mennonite feed mill for our layer ration. On the way there, we saw a father and his young son riding on a horse drawn implement that was cutting legume hay. Very cute to see the daddy and son in their matching straw hats and suspenders! Further on, we saw a family working in a field together picking vegetables. The mama and her daughters in long dresses... Samuel and Shiphrah said that they looked like the Ingalls. :) We stopped at the Mennonite produce shop and got some peaches for the ride home. Samuel couldn't stop talking about how good they were and wanted to save the pits to plant an orchard. :) There was a sign on the door to the produce shop aksing customers to dress appropriately. How delightful that they have no qualms about asking folks to respect their desire to not have to look at stumbling blocks! The teenagers in tight clothes were out by the horses rather than accompanying their mom in the store. Sometimes, I'd like to be Mennonite just for their lifestyle!
That was Monday. Tuesday, David and I had our dentist appointments. I knew I had one cavity to be filled (it was found 6 months ago on my last visit) but when we went, there were THREE cavities to be filled! I think I might have had a cavity in a baby tooth when I was itty bitty, because it made me throw up to put the toothbrush back that far in my mouth, but these are the first cavities I've had since I've had adult teeth. Now I know why David doesn't like the dentist! Getting a filling is not fun! David thinks that the reason I'm having cavities now is because I didn't take my vitamins when I was pregnant and I was depleted of minerals. Maybe. I'd hate to see what's happened to my bone density!
Tuesday night, I took care of all the veggies that Mr. Sullivan gave us from his garden. We're still eating them! Corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, okra, squash, peppers, broccoli... What a blessing to not have to go buy all that and to have it fresh with the soil still on it delivered to your kitchen!
Wednesday the kiddos had music lessons. David had to return to work this week, so that meant that I had 4 kiddos, and only 2 taking lessons. A portable DVD player made the time ever so much easier! Shiphrah and Solomon watched while Samuel had his lesson, and Solomon and Samuel watched while Shiphrah had her lesson. We will have one more week of this arrangement, and then the lessons will begin on Saturdays. That way, only those taking lessons will have to go and if someone is sick, everyone doesn't have to miss.
Yesterday, I managed to put away all the laundry, iron all of David's work clothes, write Thank You notes, and make bread! Our oven is not working, so I used the bread maker. I can do a better job of making it rise and getting it to look pretty if I just use the kitchenaid mixer to knead it and bake it in the oven, but that's not an option now, so heavy breadmaker bread it is. At least I know what's in it! (milk from our goats, an egg from our hens, wheat I ground, local honey from the Mennonites, olive oil, molasses, salt, and yeast.) I started another batch this morning and hope it turns out a little fluffier...
Today, we're having the Apples & MooMau over for dinner. That oven thing is a real pain! So, I've got the crock pots going with chevon (that's goat) and potatoes. Yellow summer squash and petit pan squash are marinating in olive oil, balsalmic vinegar, and some spices I threw in. Lemon pie is setting up in the fridge. There are fresh tomatoes and cucumbers to slice and serve with salt (one of my summer favorites!). Now, I just need to do a few more loads of (never ending) laundry and get this house presentable! ...and change a diaper, of course!
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