My Aunty Betty passed away yesterday, I found out this morning.
She was not really a blood relation, but the kind of person who is so close to your family, that she becomes a member, and you call her Aunty. Aunty Betty came to all the celebrations of our family, birthdays, baptisms, confirmations... looking back on that, I understand now how important that was, and how special it is to have people in your life to help you celebrate.
My children knew Aunty Betty as the person who sent them their own special Christmas cards, every year. You know, most Christmas cards come addressed to the whole family?- Aunty Betty sent them their own card addressed to them, from the time they were babies! I showed them photos of the times we hung out in Australia. We talked and I made pikelets.
The hens are now officially settling into their new abode. They are over the stress of the move, and are now laying! (Ok at least one of them is.) K found her first egg this afternoon, and was so excited! Here she is by the back door, where she and her friends burst in with the exciting news!
The way things go around here, I will have to do something very special with it, which we will all have to eat. Since one egg doesn't go very far between four, maybe I will add it to some baking!
We stayed close to home today, to let the chickens free range with strict supervision. I wanted to see where they would go, and if they would notice any gaps in the fence.... Since it was a chilly but beautiful afternoon, we decided to have a little campfire in the fire pit. I had oodles of helpers, and we roasted marshmellows as a treat! It was a lovely afternoon, as chickens settled in! No eggs yet..... still getting over the stress of being moved I guess!
Three sweet hens, each currently laying an egg a day. I have been wanting to have chickens for about 16 or 17 or so years now, so it's been a long wait, but I am ready!
These three gals came with names, which are so funny that I have to share them- 1) Dora the Explorer Rose Chicken Nugget Snippy 2) Goldilocks-Zoey 3) Kitty
Their coop was artfully designed by Dr Matti, and is very heavy. I owe huge thanks to Matti and Justyn for thinking of me and my chicken-crush when their dog was tempted by the chickens one last time. They knew we would be a loving home for the hens! (in the photo, there is a board covering part of the door. This was the latest attempt at a fix, due to the dog trying to *Eat The Chicken Wire* in order to get to the tasty chickens inside! Oops!)
I also owe huge thanks to our neighbour and great friend Jason. He has a big heart, and a big truck! He and Rob and Matti man-handled the coop and the chickens from one yard to another. And did I mention that the coop was really heavy?! : )
So I owe a lotta love for making the chicken dream a reality for me. It's a community thing. (once again!)
I hadn't mentioned it on the blog yet, but last Tuesday was K's last Violin lesson for the semseter! Since the program that K is in relies on Grad Students for teaching, she won't have regular lessons until the fall now.
This photo is K with her teacher Miss Grove! It's hard to describe in words what a joy Miss Grove has been for K. She is, quite simply, the perfect violin teacher for K! K has gotten so much out of this year that we spent with her, and I am so glad she will be back to be our teacher in the fall. She is sweet, encouraging, silly, funny, listens and watches everything K does (or doesn't do!). Most of all, she has encouraged a love of music, and deepened K's curiousity about learning a musical instrument.
