Busy as Bees *Photo Update*

We have been busy as bees around here gardening, working on the chicken house, mowing lawns, weeding, keeping up with the laundry, hosting parties and going to parties....need I go on?

The chicken house is coming right along 

thanks to the help of my dad, Dave and Matt! The three of them (with help from Sam) put shingles on the roof, tar papered and cedar shingled one side this weekend. 

Tomorrow (should the rain let up) my Dad will put up the permanent pen and life will be a bit easier when tending the chicks. They are getting really big too and developing personalities. We have one feisty Barred Rock we like to call "Bad Chicken" because she will peck you with full force when you least expect it. Sam seems to get the brunt of her mean spirit, but we've all had a taste.

I've had a rush of energy and am feeling really good, so I planted a small garden in three of the 

raised beds we have. I planted pumpkins, acorn squash, three varieties of tomatoes, and basil. I also weeded and mulched around some existing thyme, chives and mint. We have lots of mint growing everywhere, different varieties. I've had some help from my dear friend and master gardner, G, with identifying things 

that are growing around here. I have lots of poppies and peonies and I found some Echinacea about to blossom today. 

I have lots of weeding to do and the garden proper needs some serious tending. We decided to join a local CSA through the MSU Student Organic Farm in lieu of a garden here. We knew with the surgery and kids it would be a big challenge to get a good one going this year. 

We also really need to replenish the soil. Matt has done some research and we've decided to till and plant some buckwheat as a cover crop. It will help with nitrogen levels and by next year we should have a great beginning for a large garden!

We just returned from a very quick trip to California to help Matt's dad celebrate his retirement. It was a 

fun visit filled with great food, bike rides, and sun! We borrowed a trail-a-bike for Sam from the neighbors and he loved it! Within a half an hour of returning from a bike ride, he would be asking to go on another! It was great and I rode a bunch, too...the first bike ride since the surgery. It went well, though I couldn't bike as far as I could before the surgery. My side would start to hurt, but after a quick break I could keep on going. I really enjoyed being on a 

bike again and will definitely be cleaning out our bike buggy this week!

My Dad is still here helping out with lots of projects (shingling the chicken house being the major project) and I love having him here. It has been years since I have really been abe to hang out with him. The boys love having him here too. He's planning on staying until late next week and then he'll keep on truckin' on his way. He has big travel plans this summer all centered around his motorcycle!

There isn't much coming up beside a big 4th of July party here, bonfire and all, and then a multi-family camping trip in the middle of July. Matt's folks plan a return trip in late July and my Dad and uncle may return for a day or two in August...mostly I plan on trying to get more organized with my cooking, experimenting with lots of fresh, local foods and really enjoying the boys and this land we have!

Sicko

If you care about your family, friends, and loved ones; set aside two hours of uninterrupted time, grab a box of tissues, and watch Michael Moore's film Sicko.

A couple quotes I really enjoyed:

"If you can find money to kill people, you can find money to help people."

"In a country where you can get a plumber in less than an hour, then the same should be true of a doctor."

Healing Music

A new friend gave me some of his music to help me through the healing process and I have been listening quite frequently. I really enjoy his voice and words. It is very emotional music for me.
Please listen and enjoy. Visit his website to hear more and if you like it, buy a cd and help support him as he pursues his musical career.

Oopfh...he's 4!!

The birthday has come and gone once again and, of course, I can't believe my first baby boy is four years old already!!

We had a sweet little party with just a few close friends and our family.

There were balloons, cake, a hay ride and presents, songs....the usual birthday regalia and it was so much fun!

At four years old Sam is so much fun to be around...

His language and vocabulary are ever increasing and

 everyday he says new phrases and understands new concepts...it blows my mind. He helps around the house with amazing grace. Tonight he cleared 90% of the dining table with simple instructions and he did it with joy! He still loves to cuddle and will off and on nestle his hand down my shirt (remnants from nursing). Today he snuggled and cuddled with me in bed for an hour and listed all the people and animals that he loves...

"My love Mommy, Daddy, Arlo, Pappy, Grandma and Grandpa, even Auntie Presh, and Aunt Megan and the chickens and  Cyrus and Betsy...oh, and my love Uncle Andy too!"

He and Arlo are great friends and Sam is an amazing older brother, always willing to help, but sometimes frustrated when Arlo destroys a creation.

He is amazing creative and plays in imaginary situations for a good part of the day. He is getting very good at talking about his emotions and tells me I am his best friend at least once a day!

We took Sam to see his preschool last week, met his teachers and spent a half an hour during morning circle time. It is a fantastic school and I think the visit did me as much good as it did for Sam! I was so nervous for him and I asked a ton of questions!  It is a Spanish immersion, all-day progra

m (8:15am - 3:00pm)! The teachers begin speaking Spanish

10% of the time withthe children and by the end of the school year they are speaking 90% in Spanish and the kids understand! The classroom was set-up really well with a nice blend of Montissori-style activity centers and a little more mainstream structure. The class size is capped at 16 with two classroom teachers! It is perfect and walking distance from home...oh, and did I mention it is FREE!!

Recovery Update: 

I have been getting lots of emails wondering how I am holding up and how the recovery is going. I am so happy to say that things are going great! I had a post-op appointment with my surgeon today and I can now pick up Arlo. I tried carrying him this afternoon and managed to hold him for a few minutes before I could feel it. Every day is better than the last and I can see that in a couple more weeks I will feel almost back to normal...only healthier!! My Dad is still here and will be through the month of June to help out and visit.  Matt's family left on Monday and it was really great having them here...so helpful and a great experience for the boys!

I am on the mend!!

The Babies Are Growing Up! *update*

Our little baby chicks aren't much like babies anymore! They are nearly fully feathered out and LOVE to fly and perch on things. They are eating so much now and we have started feeding them scraps from the table. We also built them an outdoor "playpen" as we transition them to outdoor life. The chicken house is about 80% complete and should be finished this weekend when the ladies will make their move.

The boys really enjoy the chickens 

and today I found Sam sitting on a log by the "playpen"

 singing to them! It was so sweet. Even 

Arlo likes to interact with them and will be very gentle. He won't hold them though and when I offer he shrugs his shoulders and giggles and looks the other way.

Sadly enough we did have our first chicken mortality. The first day the ladies were in the "playpen" one of the smaller Leghorns squeezed through the fencing and lost in a race for life to Cyrus. Her life went very fast as Cyrus went right for her neck. Sam witnessed the entire event and just shrugged his shoulders and said, "That's life, Mama."

Quiet Days

After four full days at home, I am beginning to get used to the ebb and flow of what this recovery will be like.  I spend my days draped in this beautiful kimono robe that Pat gifted me just before the surgery. I feel so pretty in wearing it and don't mind greeting visitors or even walking outside by the street with it on. Yesterday was rainy and misty and in between two bursts of rain I added my red moose wellie boots to the ensemble and walked through our orchard. I felt like I was in a novel.

My days are very quiet and when the boys are awake or around the sound level increases and I find myself getting very irritated. It must be the drugs I am taking, which are substantial pain killers, because I don't remember every really feeling that way about the boys' sounds before. I would certainly look forward to the quiet times, but I mostly enjoyed and certainly tolerated it. Now I just become very irritated. 

I can't say that I am enjoying this recovery, but I do find myself feeling very peaceful and that is enjoyable. I'd certainly rather be up and about and interacting with everyone in a more normal and physical manner. However, I can finally knit and spent most of yesterday and this morning doing just that. The drugs make me too foggy to read, so I watch a lot of the Gilmore Girls and knit. Sounds great, eh? Well add in some random nausea, constipation, general pains from the surgery, sore butt from sitting and it doesn't sound as nice.

I am not complaining though. This could all be much, much worse and I have a super support system, so I'd say that all in all this is a pretty special time.

In Recovery

I am at home and in recovery. The surgery was successful and completed thorascopically with some minor complications (I bled more than they liked after the first surgery so they went back in through an original incision and stopped it all just fine).

The weather is amazing and I have been taking little walks and sitting outside. I feel good as long as my pain killers are working, tired and slow, but good. 

Everyone is here and helping a lot. The boys are happy to see me, but definitely acting differently. Arlo, especially. He's not sure I am the same woman. I know as I heal and can be with him like I was, I am sure he'll warm up to me. He's just gentle, which is good.

Feel free to call though I can't talk long and if you're in the neighborhood, I'd love to see you....