A peaceful weekend at home

After two weeks of tumultuous travel, illness, and loss, it was time for some stay-at-home, low-key family time. Friday, the kids and I spent a good chunk of the morning down at Don & Rita's farm, giving the horses carrots, visiting the hens and broiler chicks, and pulling weeds in the strawberry beds with Rita while the kids played house in their gazebo. Then we spent the rest of the day at home, working on projects, mowing the lawn, and playing.

Cora's morning "project"

This rocking horse gets its daily workout at our house

Cora with "her" kitty, Crouton

(from L, clockwise) Shiny, Reneenee, Foy Rin Jin, Bisoux

On Saturday, we started our weekend construction project -- a "nursery" extension on the chicken run. Here's Nate working on the door:

The framed addition, before it started raining

On Saturday evening, we had an impromptu barbecue with the Eldermires, who Nate happened to see down in Brooktondale when he was picking up my old bike that failed to sell at our other friends' yard sale. After dinner, we all jammed in the living room with our instrument collection. The boys took over the drum section:

Silas and Wyatt's drumming inspired us all to grab instruments and play

On Sunday, we put the chicken wire around the new structure, and went to a birthday party (Nate and the kids) and a "blessingway" (me), which is basically a hippy version of a baby shower that involves poetry and blessings and yarn webs and tea with scones (it was delightful and I felt very female-empowered afterward).

One funny thing happened after the kids' nap on Sunday: Cora emerged from her bedroom, all sleepy eyed and rosy cheeked, and padded past me in her socks as I finished a batch of cookies (to fill Nana's pineapple cookie jar!). She said, "Hi, Mom," as she went into the kitchen pantry. A moment later, I heard the sound of liquid splattering. I ran into the pantry and Cora was sitting with her bottom over the edge of the laundry basket as if it was the toddler toilet, peeing into the dirty laundry. What a surprise for all of us! She was still half asleep and confused as Nate gently carried her to the real toilet and we cleaned up the mess, giggling.

Last photo: the new chicks are getting pretty big. They spent a lot of the weekend outside, being carried around in buckets and pushed in wagons by the kids:

Six chicks, three of which we'll keep, in front of the lettuce garden
that the big chickens recently decimated by taking a dust bath in it