Flew the house and into the coop!

The "girls" as we have come to call them, finally flew the house today and moved into their backyard coop. I built the main part of the coop 2 summers ago and Chuck (Becky's dad) came by last week and completed the chicken door from the coop into the outside run. I finally got my butt in gear yesterday and when I got home from work I installed the perches and secured the run in order to keep out any hungry critters (besides myself and the rest of the family - of course!) Rebecca helped out and before it was dark out we had completed everything needed - including a chicken wire roof over the run so the girls would be spared from becoming the dinner of one of the many hawks or owls we have in our neighborhood.

This morning I escorted them into their new permanent dwelling. They were a little nervous at first but settled in within the hour. I showed them how to get out of the coop and into their run but never figured I would need to show them how to get back in! On my way home tonight we had some fairly heavy rain and I got home to a flock of wet but still quite happy birds scratching around the run looking for worms and any delicious creepy crawlies they could find.
I was able to locate a local farm supply store which sold hormone free foods so although I can't legally say my birds and soon to come eggs are organic, I will be able to say they are hormone free - all natural.

My only chore left is to build the nesting boxes for egg laying but I have a couple of weeks to get that done. I have already purchased the necessary materials so it will just depend on when I have a free weekend to complete the project.

I added 2 perches in the run along with some of our abundant rocks. I also added a shelf for the grit dispenser which is filled with ground up oyster shells. I also plan to surround the outside of the run (which use to be a dog kennel) with lots of rocks to keep any thing from digging under and into the run.

I realize we have had them less than 6 weeks but I have really enjoyed the little buggers so far and look forward to years of chicken farming.
The only downfall so far is the fancy polish chickens we purchased were a straight run which means they are not sexed after hatching so from what we can tell at this time we have a few roosters which we don't want. I guess we all know which birds will be on the dinner table first now don't we! :-)

Due to them all acting like little kids playing in the rain I also added a heat lamp to the coop to help them get dry and keep warm. It's amazing how much enjoyment a silly little bird can bring to your life - and for once my mom can't yell at me for playing with my food!!!!!!!!

Seeing the world in a whole new way.

Just a quick update on my eye. I want to start by thanking everyone for praying that I would have a full and quick recovery from my silly injury.
I went to the Doctors on Friday the 25th and despite my vision in my left eye still being blurry, the doctor told me my injury had healed nicely and after a quick eye test it turned out I am back to 20/20 vision in my both my eyes.
I was concerned that things were still blurry but he assured me it would clear up - it may take some time but not to worry.
Well it turns out he was right, today was the first day I had full - clear vision in both my eyes.

The only sad part is I'm sure Rebecca will miss me constantly singing the Foreigner song "Double Vision"

"Fill my eyes,
with that double vision
No disguise,
for that double vision
Ooh, when it gets through to me,
it's always new to me
My double vision gets the best of me"

My little campers!

As a parent you look forward to days without the kids but it is always hard to let them go when those times come. Both my babies went off to camp for the week today, Ariel has gone the past few years but this was Alex's first time. As you can see by the pictures below we were able to send them off without any issues.

Alex with his normal smile.

Alex after making his bed

Alex and Elijah (It was nice for the kids to know some of the other campers as they are family friends)

Ariel and Ariel (Elijah's sister)

Ariel and her friend Samantha (School mates and friends)

Backyard scratchin...

The girls went on their first field trip into the great outdoors today. I am looking forward to moving them into their permanent home in the backyard coop where cleanup will be easier and less frequency required. We started out with 17 chicks and only lost 1 during the first week, the other 16 have grown steadily.

I must admit the kids have been really good about paying attention to the chicks - Ariel really likes the White Crested Polish chicks while Alex has a strong preference for the Jersey Giants (aka - His Girls!) I like them all (especially with corn, stuffing, and of course gravy) but I think the Silver Laced Wyandottes are my favorite and seem to like human interaction the most. Any time they are let out they run right to you and enjoy being handled.

Gabriel and Navarre were really nervous about the chicks not being in their cage and both did a great job of herding any of the chicks that wandered too far away from the main group.

Out with the Old - In with the New...

Well in most peoples eyes 2 years is not old but Uncle Eaton says that at 120,000 miles - it's old, even if it is only 2.5 yrs old. Now don't get me wrong, I am in no way complaining - I love the thought of getting a new vehicle. Alex on the other hand is sad that we are getting rid of the big truck while at the same time excited that we are getting a cool little one.


Alex saying goodbye to our Big White Truck. (Chevy 2500HD)


My new 2008 Dodge Dakota at the dealership

Viewed from another angle.

Baby come back...

Rebecca and the kids went on vacation to Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire with some friends and family - Due to work and my eye injury I am stuck here at home. I ended up not working this weekend due to the lack of parts which gave me lots of free time with nothing to do. I decided to comfort myself by keeping busy with yard and house work. I have always enjoyed working outside but never inside. I taped up my eye to keep out any bright light and did all my yard work yesterday, I got up at 6:00 this morning and started in on the bunny cage and the chickens brooder - from there the whole house got the once over! I finally finished at 21:00 hours which included a large bon fire - always my speciality!!! The dogs and I will do our best to just lay around the rest of the week to minimize the chance of making a mess until then all that keeps running through my mind is "Baby come back - before you kill us all" - (see explanation below).

Here are the lyrics to a great song sung by Randy Travis that puts my feelings to song. If you would like to hear it and see the video check it out here.

Must be doin' something wrong baby I don't know But the gold fish are floating at the top of the bowl And the dog he won't eat he just lays around All night long he makes a lonesome sound I know I had it coming and its all my fault But baby come back Before you kill us all The way the plants are dyin' you'd swear its fall Looks just like autumn up and down the hall And I talk to 'em baby like you s'posed to do But they're tired of hearing how I'm missin' you And I know you told me not to call But baby come back Before you kill us all Well its a desperate situation I got a strong will to survive But if this place is any indication I may not make it out on time Well its an eerie feeling in the still of the night Knowin' that the cats down to three more lives You've turned as all into nervous wrecks We just sit around and wanderin' who's goin' to be next And I know I had it coming and its all my fault But baby come back Before you kill us all Baby come back before you kill us all Baby come back Baby come back Before you kill us all (fade out)........baby come back

The ultimate hokey pokey

Oh, the humanity...

I always thought I would end up like Ralphie in "A Christmas story" and eventually lose an eye in a horrific BB gun accident. Thursday night it almost happened but without a gun in site. I must admit losing my eyesight is one of my greatest fears and I spend the majority of my life (work does seem to consume most of it) wearing safety glasses to protect my dark brown beauties.

So there I was in the comfort and safety of my own home. Next thing I know my left eye goes black and I find myself rolling on the floor in excruciating pain with my wife and kids standing over me trying to determine if I am joking or dying. Everyone soon realized that I was in pain and there was no more humor found in the situation - at least not at this moment.
Yes, I realize I haven't told you what happened I will save the embarrassment for last!

After a short time I was able to force my eye open and found that my vision was less then perfect but figured I had just scratched my eye and retreated to the darkness of my room. A little while later I was once again in a LOT of pain and when I finally agreed with Rebecca that I needed to go to the emergency room I got my insurance card out to verify it was up to date when I noticed the $100 emergency room co-pay! I convinced myself it didn't hurt quite as bad anymore and took a couple of sleeping aids and went to bed.

I awoke this morning and found my eye glued shut so I decided to call my doctor to make an appointment during the day. Much to my surprise they took me in first thing this morning and after much surprise and joking about my situation the Dr. looked at my eye and informed me he was making me and appointment with an Optometrists and I needed to go immediately, needless to say I was a little freaked out.

I drove to the Optometrists praying that my physician was over reacting - he was having a hard time seeing the back of my eye and was worried that my retina was partially detached which what was causing my double / poor vision in my left eye.

One again I had to go through the humiliation of explaining what happened to another nurse and then the Dr. They were surprised and entertained by my story and admitted it was a first for them all, something that I found surprising after they told me about some of the strange things they have seen (waking up with dry eyes and mistaking a tube of crazy glue for eye drops).

After a thorough examination I was informed that the trauma was in the center of my pupil but my retina looked good. The down fall was that the damage was a small puncture of my Cornea which is very painful. The damage was causing my pupil to spasms so the Dr. decided it would be best to dilate my eye for at least 4 days to aid in healing. I was treated to several different eye drops and then a contact lens bandage was inserted over my eye.

Despite being light sensitive my eye felt much better - at least until the contact lens folded over in my eye tonight and I was unable to reinsert it. Thankfully I have an appointment first thing in the morning to get a new lens.

So how did all this happen? As everyone knows we have 16 cute little chickens. I have made it a daily effort to handle the birds as have the kids in order to make them as tame as possible, and on a regular basis I have warned the kids to be careful not to let the chicks get too close to their eyes as they are attracted to the shine / or in my case the Sparkle and will try to peck it! So there I was sitting on the floor petting my fluffy little birds when I looked over at Rebecca to answer a question she asked me when one of the chicks caught the glimmer in my eye and ran up to me and with all her might slammed her beak into my eye trying to get a special treat!

The saddest part is the chick that did this to me has a name and is one of the birds we were planning on keeping as a pet not as a dinner - I haven't decided whether or not we are going to change her name to dinner!

Now that you have stopped laughing and shaking your head in disbelief on a serious note please pray that my eye heals properly and that the pain is minimal (especially because I am alone the the next 5 days as Rebecca and the kids are going to New Hampshire for some much needed Rest and Relaxation and I won't have anyone around to pamper me).

At least I know you will all think of me in a special way every time you hear the song "The Hokey Pokey" :)

Not forgotten - Happy Belated B-day Ariel

It was Ariel's Birthday on the 23rd of last month. She is a very spoiled little girl who not only had a family birthday party but also had an all girls party with her friends the next weekend (Alex and I escaped the cooties and had fun shopping for boy toys and man food). So even though this is 2 weeks late getting published I only feel a little guilt for taking so long!

It seems like only yesterday I looked at Rebecca while at church and exclaimed "Oh my goodness - your pregnant!" Now I know it is usually the woman who is pregnant that informs the other spouse of this news but for some reason Rebecca did something that convinced me I was speaking the truth and after stopping at the drug store on our way home we were surprised to find out I was right!

I began developing my relationship with my daughter while she was still in Mommy's belly, which included late night talks, making up silly lyrics to songs on the radio and much to R's enjoyment fun and games (kicks and flips) in mommy's belly why she was sleeping! Ariel has grown over the past 10 years from a tiny little baby to a beautiful young lady and I am glad that during those years our relationship has grown equally.

I am a proud father who not only has a "daddy's girl" but also a hunting and fishing partner. I am grateful that Ariel and I share many of the same hobbies and I look forward to spending time together and watching her grow into a woman as wonderful as her mother - I just hope the next 10 years go by slower that the last 10 so I can enjoy each day just a little longer!

Happy Birthday Bubbies!
I Love You,
XOXOXOXOXOXO - Daddy

I hope to scan some pictures of Ariel as a baby onto the computer in the near future but until I get around to doing so here are some of the pictures we have in digital format that show how quickly she is growing up!

Older Women are HOT!!!!

I will probably get yelled at for my title to this post but like Abraham Lincoln - I cannot tell a lie! (oh and by women I really mean my wife)
Happy Birthday Rebecca!

I am truly blessed to have you as a wife and as the mother of our children. You caught my eye many years ago (when I preferred to write my name with a crayon) and even though it took all those years to finally claim you as my own I wake up every morning knowing that I am the luckiest man alive knowing we will spend the rest of our lives together.

I want you to know you are as beautiful now as you were on our first date, you are a friend and encouragement to those around you, your a loving mother, the coolest aunt and the greatest wife a man could ask for. I have cherished the years we have spent together so far and look forward to many more. I love you.

Happy Birthday - XOXOXOXOXOXOX
Love,
C.

Family fun on the 4th of July

For our Fourth of July we spent the day together as a family and after a late lunch we packed up some goodies and went off to enjoy a night at the races! We went to the speedway and arrived just in time for the first heat laps but were unsure of how long our outing would last due to all the storms we've been getting in the area.

Thankfully the weather was cooperative all evening long - no rain - not too hot - not too cold, and most importantly no bugs! We got to watch almost 4 hours of non stop racing action and after the conclusion of all the races we were treated to our very own fireworks show. Both kids enjoyed the up close racing action and I look forward to many more family race trips - local short track and eventually some of the major NASCAR series races in surrounding states.