The Newest Additions to the Farm

6 baby chicks or pullets are the newest to join our animals on the farm. We have 2 Ameraucana, 3 Rhode Island Red, and 1 Black Sex Link pullets.   Mel & I had debated about whether to get any chickens this spring or not.  We had seen an Amish chicken coop online, but the cost was $1500.  That price tag took a lot of thought (those would be very expensive eggs!) so we decided not to pursue that route.  After finding out we could get a chicken coop at Tractor Supply (thanks to Amberlea) and that it was on sale, we decided we would go into the "chicken business".  They are the cutest little things and boy, can they eat!

The chicks in the store

The Chick Crates used to bring them home

                                        Mel at the check-out with our chicks and their food

                                                  
  Mel posing with the chick crates

The Rhode Island Red pullets

                                      
  The 2 Ameraucana and the Black Sex Link pullets

                                     
  In their "tote home" all gathered around their food bowl

The tote that is the chicks' home

The Chick-N-Hutch we will put together for the chicks

                                 

Our Trip to Kansas

Mel and I decided we would go to Kansas to visit Bryan, Melodi and the Kids.  We invited Grammy to go with us and she did.  She seemed so excited to go.  She bought new hearing aids so she could "hear better" and had her hair done Thursday before we left on Friday.
We started out around 8:00 a.m.  We took snacks, drinks, and sandwiches so we would only make stops for gas and potty breaks.  Making good time, we arrived around 2:30 p.m..  It was so good to see everyone and to visit.  For supper Bryan picked up Arthur Bryant's Barbeque.  It was delicious!  Melodi had made a Paula Deen Pink Lemonade Cake.  Yum! Yum! Yum!   After eating the kids did last minute touches to their cars for the Awanna Car Race the next morning.  Each one was so creative in decorating his/her car.   While the kids were working on the cars, Melodi showed us the kids' schoolwork and explained what they did. 
Saturday morning we enjoyed coffee, sweet rolls and muffins, then we were "off to the races" - the kids' car races that is.  The race track was set up in the church and the kids placed their cars on their numbered places.  In the first "heat of the race", the Woods' cars raced against one another.  After several more "heats"
the event was finished. 
Lunch was at Casa Agave Mexican Restaurant that had just recently opened.  It was very good and everyone was "stuffed".  We drove around Fort Leavenworth to see the various sights, then visited Frontier Army Museum that told the story of Fort Leavenworth.  It was very interesting and explained the important role it played in the history of the western part of the U.S.  Late in the afternoon we went back to their house to relax.  Grandpop, Jacob, and Mathew played Risk, a game of strategic conquest.  Grammy and I played Tic-Tac-Toe with the girls.  In the evening the kids roasted marshmallows over the patio firepit and then the "guys" had a backyard game of football.  Grandpop, Mat & Jake were on the same team.  Grandpop had the ball and "faked" a throw to Mat but threw it to Jake.  Little did Jake know the ball was coming his way.  Whop!! the football hit him on the side of his face.  Melodi made the cutest video of this!  (Jake may not think so!)
Sunday morning it was time to head home to check on the farm and the animals.  What a wonderful time we had with the Woods' Family!  Thank you for the fun week-end together!!

Mel singing along with Hank Williams and Hank Thompson CDs (I'm not sure if Grammy enjoyed the serenading or not.)

Grammy in the backseat reading (or tuning out Mel's singing)

Our snacks

Time to visit - the kids are eating Easter treats

Bryan & Melodi getting the barbeque ready

Around the house

Last minute touch-ups to the kids' cars

Melodi explaining the kids' schoolwork to Grammy

Jacob with his car, Lightning

McKaylea with her pencil car

Emma with her purple car

Mathew with his military car

Ready for the races, the boys dressed in their Awanna's shirts and the girls in their vests

Grammy & McKaylea playing Tic-Tac-Toe 

 Grandmom & Jake

 Grammy & Mat

Racing Joe, the Awanna Leader

 The kids "on deck" ready for their race

 The Woods' car race

 The finish of their race

Where we ate lunch

The kids with their cars and awards

 The garme, Risk

Getting the fire ready for roasting marshmallows

 Tasty, gooey roasted marshmallows

 Backyard Football

The Farm Wife's "Sloggers"

This farm wife is very proud of her new pair of "Sloggers" to wear while working in the garden and flowerbeds.  Many women love to have the latest fashion in shoes.  Not this farm wife - I need something that will do well in the garden, flowerbeds or cow lots.  This is my answer to the "latest in fashion" for the farm life! 
It doesn't take much to make this farm wife happy!!

Another Smart Recycling Idea

As I have said before my very creative hubby is very good at coming up with ideas to use what is available (his definition for recycling);  for example, he did the styrofoam coffee center and the hat rack from the old Christmas tree.  This time he used some old carpeting that was given to us to put under our fruit trees that are in the garden.  To make sure they receive enough water, he put a small piece of leftover vinyl fence post through the carpet in the ground for the tree roots.  How creative!!
When we planted our peach and apple trees in the garden we thought we were being very smart.  Somehow we didn't think about tilling the garden and having to watch out for the roots of the trees.  Because of that we would have grass and weeds growing under the trees.  To save on labor of having to "weed" under the trees he thought of this!

Planting Corn

Time to plant corn so Mel & I planted Kandy Korn.   Whenever we plant in the garden we have the "company" of one or more cats right in the middle of things.  Boots, our docile, sweet natured older cat, must have felt the effects of "spring fever" because he kept grabbing the corn packet and carrying it off (he did this 3 times) while I was trying to photograph the Kandy Korn packet and seeds.  It's fun to enjoy the cats antics  -most of the time.

Here is Boots with the seed packet

Finally, I did get a picture of the seeds and packet; however, notice Boots' paw in the background ready to "snatch" the packet again.                            

    

 A start of corn - evidently 2 seeds were left in the ground from last fall's corn planting (that the deer enjoyed) and have now come up.

Boots is right under my arm while I am planting.

Our Newest Additions on the Farm

Mama Kitty has done it again with 2, mostly all white, kittens.  She has them in the old hay barn under piles of lumber at the back of the barn right now, but who knows how long she will feel that this is a safe place for them.  Last spring she moved her kittens about 4 times.  We just trust that "Mama Kitty knows best!"

                                                     Aren't they just so cute?????

                                          The piles of lumber at the back of the hay barn

                                                               The old hay barn