R.I.P Joan of Arc

 


    We lost one of our older hens yesterday, she was from our second flock and was 4.She had lived a good chicken life and had been a good layer so going was ok. We had noticed she was slowing down and getting lost from the other hens on a regular bases.The other day she could not find her way out of the coop. She had been blind (we think) in one eye for about a year so maybe the other eye was going too. It's not always possible to know why a chicken goes.And being of the mind set that chickens do not go the Vets we let them live out their days and when they are gone they are gone.

   We had named the hens from our second flock after famous women and up until yesterday we still had Abigail (Scott- Dunaway.) and Joan ( of Arc) We named Joan after that famous brave yet "crazy" woman because I swear that bird heard voices in her head. Kind of like the "crazy" Irish fellow in the movie "Braveheart" , you know the one with Mel Gibbson? The Irish fellow who talked to God and said he (the Irish guy) would be alright but you (Gibbson) you are F*#ked. Anyway, Joan would all of a sudden stop,cock her head and seem to have a whole conversation with someone and then snap out of it and carry on. Hopefully now that she is on the other side she can carry on her conversation with whom ever it was she communed with, without the interruptions of the chicken yard getting in the way.I looked for a photo of her to post but they were all a blurry mess,maybe it was her companion keeping us from seeing her to closely , she was a plump Barred Rock, the usual black and white mottled bird seen in many coops.

  Besides letting go of Joan I have let go of the idea of having Bees. When I last posted about them I was so full of enthusiasm and had a head full of honey that I did not care, I just wanted Bees. I did a bit more reading and talking with a friend (Thanks Lacy.) and realized that although my neighbors would most likely be fine with us having Bees our yard was maybe not set up quiet right. We had several perfect places for the Bee's to live and get the kind of sunlight they need.The problem of foot traffic kept coming up with each one though. We would have had to re-arrange our whole yard in order to make it work. Not a task we want to set upon ourselves and it would mean we would lose our favorite summer hang out spots in the back yard. No more naps in the hammock, no more bonfires for marshmallow roasting and no more table for summer meals. Nope , no can do, we love all three of those more than we want Bee's.

 Since I have  returned to the work force Chance has been doing the bulk of the household work here, his work schedule allows him more open time than mine.And the Boys have gotten pretty good at pitching in as well. Which simply follows our standard around here, it dose not matter who gets the work done as long as it gets done. But I must admit I feel at times a bit miss placed.It will be my days off and in the back of my head I am thinking " Oh, I need to do this...." and I when I go to do it , it is already done.
  
  Sounds good I know, not having to do so many of those dull household chores,like laundry and toilet scrubbing. Yes, it is good because we are rolling along nicely but I am now trying to figure out what to do with myself when I am home. I have a couple of projects in mind to keep me busy while we are waiting for the planting season, which can't happen until the rain lets up so the yard can dry out a bit.

  So I can fill my time up but I have new thoughts to sort out still. They are motherly thoughts that have been poking me like a cockle bur in my sock, the boys are growing up and are becoming the independent young men we have always wanted them to be. They are able and on the road heading towards being (gasp) adults.I knew the day would come and have seen the two of them stepping closer and closer to this moment. I am working on letting go of being the mother of young boys and working on being the mother of two fine young men. That sure pulls at my  heart strings....

  The final thing we have let go of here is the baking of our weekly bread.Three out of four of us are no longer or minimally eating bread so it makes no sense to be using our time for baking bread. Every once in awhile we still do just to feel the dough under our hands and to keep the memory of the doing of it going. Not baking the bread is all part of us finding ways to make time for the things and projects we want to do here at Hrafinstaad.

  Last of all I wanted to update my long time readers about Issac and his migraines. First, they became a big battle with Issac missing school for a couple of days most weeks,not good. We finally pinned down the Peds Doctor about it and have some hopeful news. Issac reported to us that his eyes did not always focus quickly and that they were like focusing a camera lens. The Peds doctor did her little eye exam in the office with no luck but due to Issac having Crohns which can cause some serious eye problems, she sent him on for a full blown eye exam. Issac needed glasses, his prescription is so mild that the insurance almost did not cover it. But the eye doctor feels that Issac's migraines should go away.The problem was so mild that it's no wonder it was being over looked and yet causing him problems. So everyone, cross your fingers this is  finally the solution and that Issac can get back to just being that awesome young man he is. I have yet to see him in his glasses because Chance took him to the appointment but I will post a photo when I can. ( Oh! Issac went into the exam room without Chance and did the whole visit on his own and did a great job the doctor said.Another sign he isn't a little boy any more. Sigh.)

Until next time, when I hope to report on some fun project instead of all of this letting go stuff.

  Rois