hump day nuggets :: and then there were six

hump day nuggets :: little bits of the season in photos and words about the last week

It's true that I like to romanticize the fact that we live in the country and pretend that I mostly fit in.  This week was a lesson in humility and putting myself in check.  Who am I kidding?  I was born and raised a city girl and as much as I try to expand my horizons in the animal-husbandry department, I am snapped back to reality every few months and reminded of the fragility of life and my role in it.

nuggets.

:: Indian Summer.  The temperatures hit the high 90's in Valley Ford last Wednesday and it was seriously scorching at our house.  No wind and no air conditioning rendered me sleepy and useless by mid-afternoon.  Luckily, I received an email from a friend in Bodega Bay to meet her at the pool after school and I jumped at the chance.  The boys quickly jumped in and started a fierce and aggressive water polo match with a tennis ball.  Ouch.  Gave an entirely new meaning to the phrase "in your face".  Water gun warfare was next and creative diving rounded out the afternoon.

:: Production.  The hens have been laying regularly and providing us with an abundance of eggs.  G has grand plans for his egg money.  Skim board is at the top of the list, along with Star Wars Lego sets.  This wish list is constantly being updated.

:: Word.  This boy has been a reading non-stop this week.  He checks out around five books from his school library each week and ends up only reading a few of those selections.  He peruses his personal library for favorites and stacks them at the end of his bed, retrieving the next one on deck as soon as he's near the end of the one currently in his hands.  We also visit the Marin Bookmobile twice a month and he amasses more graphic novels, reference books about mammals or nature and the occasional "baby book" that is easy reading.  His teacher announced that he is now allowing the students to check out books from his classroom library and that really excited my little bibliophile.  

:: Sunflowers.  I planted these beauties late this summer from seeds that were a little wet and moldy.  I planted anyway and hoped for the best.  I got the best.

:: Yard Sale.  We had a neighborhood yard sale this weekend and I noticed late on Sunday that Grady was trying to sell his parents.  $3 each.  No refunds.  Sold as is!  Nice try, young man, nice try.  And While I don't frequent many garage sales, I sure did have a bunch of stuff I wanted to unload.  My hopes were high and quickly dashed by the end of Saturday when I surmised that I would probably not be selling most of my wares but, rather, donating them to the local thrift store.  Either way, it motivated a purge in our household and that was a good thing.  It also gave me a rare opportunity to visit with my neighbors and spend two days with my son without a long to-do list of things that needed to be done.  There were still many thing to be done, but the list went out the window this weekend.

:: The weather started to change Saturday morning and we had short, intermittent showers and then bursts of sunshine and puffy clouds.  I worked on my tan and read an entire novel this weekend, so all was not a loss.  I also got to watch Grady in action and interacting with strangers.  He was priceless and invited many people to his art show, as well as trying to sell one of our chickens for a dollar (no takers).

Game of Jenga is way better than any Playstation

:: Rain.  Well, the week ended with dark, ominous looking clouds hovering overhead.  On Monday, it rained all day.  What a difference a week makes.  As I type this, we are having a downpour.

:: Pranks.  I am only now beginning to understand the humor and shenanigans of an eight year old boy.  The potty humor, the endless knock-knock jokes and the pranks are non-stop.  The fact that he keeps planting the same snake in or near my bed every single night is serious fun.  I give him the requisite scream or squeal and he is rolling on the ground laughing until I think he's going to hurt himself.  It does not get old for him.  I actually love it, but pretend to be appalled.

Soccer season is almost over.  Grady is over it, but I loved it.

Tomato porn for your viewing pleasure

5 ounces vodka, 1/2 drop of vermouth, shaken w/ two olives.  Yes.

:: Chicken nuggets.  I know, I know, bad joke.  A lot happened to our flock this weekend and I'm sad to say we now have only six hens.  We lost Brownie, one of our oldest hens, and Miss Tricky, the egg-hider I mentioned last week, to a raccoon this past Sunday (or should I say real early Monday?).  It's a long, icky story and in the end the raccoon was accidentally locked in the hen house overnight and stuck on a pole up near the ceiling.  One of the hens was maimed and the other killed on the spot.  Steve had to finish the faceless hen off at the break of dawn and then try to figure out how to get the crazy raccoon out of the hen house.  

I'm happy to report that I had the wherewithal to call our ranching neighbors and ask for help.  I mean, let's face it, we are not chicken farmers and needed the big guns.  Literally.  Our kind neighbor came over, shot the raccoon and even took the bloody remains of all those little animals that perished with him.  He is my new hero.

What do you buy a man that kills a raccoon for you?  It's going to be a tough thank you gift for sure.

Grady immediately took to illustrating the murderous raccoon

The hen house has been reinforced and reconfigured.  Another lesson on the circle of life has been given.  My husband and neighbor showed me that I'm a wimp when it comes to raising animals on this little, wild, one acre plot of land that we own and love.  I'm having a hard time with the loss of two of my sweet little clucking hens and feel real bad that I played a part in the raccoon having access to their home.

The boy processed all of this beautifully, as children often do.  I guess I will follow his lead.

Happy hump day.