Ah another hunting season begins!

It is obvious to anyone who drives by the house or comes for a visit, it is hunting season here in Virginia. The remnants are all over.

Not sure why this happens, when they do have a "hunting/mud room" just off the slider in the downstairs. I've been told for the past 22 years of marriage that I need to just bear the chaos during hunting season. And I guess since we've been married for 22 years that is what I've done.

So, if you plan to drop in at our house for a visit during hunting season, please understand.

My life and I love it!

As you know by now we have been raising 12 chicks, 7 black stars and 5 red sex links. Well, what I may not have mentioned was not long after getting the chicks we bought 2 red sex link pullets so that we could have some of our own fresh eggs right away.

2 of the chicks have turned out to be roosters and not hens. Yes, 2! I know I had mentioned the one, but now we are sure that we have 2. One black rooster and one red rooster. Leaving us 12 able little hens to lay us eggs.

Because we live in an isolated area without traffic or close neighbors we allow the chickens to "free range"/wander at will. A couple of weeks ago, we aren't sure what the culprit was, but something took one of the chickens. Checking over the flock showed we were down a pullet hen. It was a sad day!!

Mike went right to work trying to trap the heathen animal that may have done the deed. No luck! However, silver lining in the story, a few of the chicks decided they were old enough and begin to laying their own eggs. Giving us roughly 5-6 eggs a day now.

This morning while the kids and I were starting our morning routine we heard a LOUD cackle from the woods! Jacob and I went off to investigate. I scared off a Coopers Hawk, but didn't hear or see any sign of the injured hen. No wonder the traps weren't yielding the beast!

My son was a young man on a mission. He grabbed his gun and waited to see if the villain would return. Just as he was about to give up, and had returned to the house. Again another LOUD cackle. What? She was still alive? He ran over yelling, scared off the hawk once again, and set to work trying to find the little frightened hen. He even took the hunting dog out on a leash to aid him. After a good hour of searching he turned up nothing. We continued on our day figuring we were now down to 10 hens and 2 roosters. Counting up the remaining chickens showed we had lost a black one.

One of the things you do as a chicken owner, who has free range chickens, you find yourself counting little hen heads to be sure they are all still accounted for. On a day that one has been compromised this happens several time in the day.

So this afternoon on one of my many head counts in the day much to my chagrin... I find 13!! What? 13? I count again, and again, and again. Yes! 13! The same number we had when first arising this morning? Not possible!! But, there she was the black one we thought we had lost. Her feathers a little ruffled on the belly, but just fine otherwise. I AM so Happy!

It is these little things I know most people must scratch their heads at and think, "She really needs to get a life." But, this is my life, and I love it!

I suspect this won't be the end of our dilemma or run in with the dreaded hawk, but for now we have evaded any loss.

Counting My Blessings

I love my life! Yes, I am truly blessed. A husband who works really hard to provide a decent life, and allow me to be at home with our kids and home school them. Three beautiful, healthy children. There is no place I would rather be on any given day than right here at home caring for my family.

In fact, some times I can go 2 or 3 days without ever having to get in the car. And you know what? I like it that way.

Some people may say, "You poor thing." or "You really don't have a life." But, you know what I think, "What a blessing."

So today I am spending time in prayer thanking God for what I have, and for making me so happy with my life.

Catching Up

It has been over a week since I blogged? Can't believe it. Really haven't been that busy other than school, house work, knitting and the usual stuff.

Knitting Update

Finished a pair of socks for sister Laura's friend Moe. So, I've made a little more money to support my yarn habit. Although I haven't bought any yarn yet, I hope to soon. She even placed another order for a pair of socks for their priest to be a Christmas gift. Maybe I should spend more time knitting since it is making me money. Hee hee! (Any excuse for an addict.)

I casted on a sweater for brother Joe to give him for his 50th birthday, which will be in November. It doesn't look like much yet, but here it is. (Joe if by chance you are reading this, ignore this and let it be a surprise please!)

On the Home Front

Back in May, if you can recall, we got 12 chickens.

Right from the beginning my kids believed that one little chick would turn out to be a rooster. They even named him "switch blade". (He is the one in the back with the white dot on his head.) I didn't want to believe it.

And then... one morning while letting them out of their coop I could hear a faint crowing sound from within the coop. Sure enough! We have a rooster! He is kind of pretty, guess we'll keep him around.

Now that the days and nights are cooler we have our windows open and get woken up every morning to "cock-a-doodle-doo". Repeatedly!!!

Family

Today is mom's birthday. Happy birthday mom! Her and dad shared a birthday. Dad was 6 years her senior. This is her first birthday in 52 years without him. She will be in my prayers all day.

Happy birthday dad, to you too. From heaven I'm sure you will be watching over mom today.

Nature's Fun

Yesterday Mike and I took the kids out exploring to find a place, a couple of people had mentioned to us, called Panther Falls. Located not far from the Blue Ridge Parkway, approximately 4 miles down a winding, dirt road in the Washington National Forrest, you will find a small make shift parking area. From there you hike down a trampled path about a half mile to find a beautifully hidden brook that opens up into some great waterfalls and deep swimming holes.

Mike and I aren't brave enough, any longer, to adventure into the waters, but Jacob and Haley had fun. Faith really wanted to go in, but we only allowed her to get her feet wet. It is much too dangerous for someone so small.

When we first arrived, other than a man and his dog, we were the only ones there. It seems to be a place the local college students like to hang, so by the end of our visit there were several people enjoying God's water slides.

Supporting the Habit (Addiction)

After sending my sister Laura a pair of socks, just because she asked. She commissioned me to make a pair of socks for her mother-in-law for a Christmas gift. These I sent a few weeks ago.

Now she has commissioned me to make a pair of socks for her friend's birthday present. I casted these on the the other day for that.

This is fun making a little money from doing something I would do anyway and love to do. It isn't enough to pay any bills at the end of the month, but it will help support my love of buying yarn. Tah hee hee!

Longing to Completion

I had been admiring the sweater pattern A Cardigan for Arwen for several months, and just couldn't find a copy of the magazine that had the pattern in it. So, I watched and admired all the other knitters on Ravelry knit up the sweater, longing for my own.

Then at a going away party given by my friend Jen, who owns an incredible yarn shop back in CT, Woolworks, Ltd. all the women I would knit with on Thursday nights gave me the pattern and the yarn I needed to make it. What awesome women!

Although it took me a year to start knitting it and a month to finish it, here are pictures of the finished product.

Thank you Thursday night knitting friends back at Woolworks, I never would have been able to do it without you.