In earlier American rural life, communities raised barns because many hands were required. These events occured in a social framework with a good deal of interdependence. Members of rural communities often shared family bonds going back generations. They traded with each other, worshipped with each other and celebrated with each other. Barn raisings were an integral part of life and socializing.

In our modern American life, communities don't mean nearly as much as they did back then. It is our family's goal to bring a sense of community back to our lives and those lives that touch ours.

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Check Back

For those of you who check this in the morning, please check back this afternoon. I have wonderful photos to share with you, but also a toddler who is having a rough night and making it difficult to get anything written. Here is a sneak peek...

Monday, September 26, 2011

Mountain Bluebird

    I love birds. Black-capped Chickadees. Red-tail Hawks. Bald Eagles. Northern Flickers. Western Meadowlarks. American Kestrels. Owls of any kind. These are some of my very favorites. A recent favorite is the Mountain Bluebird. These birds are prevalent around here, however, I have failed to get a picture of one. They are skittish, nervous little things. They like to fly out in front of the car though and I hold my breath in fear every time. I love to see them fly. They are like little pieces of the sky broken free to brighten up the day. Here are some stock photos courtesy of professional photographers via Google. Or you can check this site out for more amazingly beautiful pictures. http://www.superstock.co.uk/stock-photography/mountain+bluebird.


Sunday, September 25, 2011

Hello Again

    Wow. I have totally been M.I.A. this month. I would like to apologize, except that really, I don't want to. I have been enjoying my lovely, relaxed, rainy September after the heat of August. September has flown by though. The children have started participating in a homeschool science co-op that meets every other Thursday or so. They also take an art class at the Creamery, http://creameryartscenter.org/ , which is the same place I do pottery. Or should be doing pottery. Because I haven't really been doing that either. I am settling in at the new place and nesting. There are so many things to be done before this birth and winter arrive. We have been trying to get permanent structures figured out for all the animals. The rabbits and chickens will be sharing a home and we need to make it large enough for the additional poultry that will be joining our flock next year. The chickens are doing great and are fully matured now. We are getting an average of a dozen eggs a day. We have been able to sell their eggs on a regular basis, which is helpful when it comes time to buy more feed. Meme and Papa decided they wanted a few more chickens and since we were giving them eggs anyways, we decided to just give them some chickens. So on Thursday we took three of our ladies down to them to join their current flock of four. This leaves us with fifteen. Still a flock of significant size.

Our rainy view from the deck

    Our other big news of the month is the rushed trip I had to make two weeks ago to the ER. Thane tipped over backwards out of his seat in the front yard and landed smack dab on a huge rock that is part of our retaining wall. The cut was worrisome enough, but what scared me more was not knowing what his brain was doing in his skull. Head injuries scare me. Hubby was at work, but thankfully only in Hotchkiss, which I had to drive through to get to the hospital. He cut his day short and met me at the hospital. Nana and Papa live about five minutes from the hospital and were able to meet us there to take Spencer and Maycee home with them. After a long wait and a popsicle, Thane received one staple in the back of his noggin and was released. We made it outside in time to see a helicopter take off. This distracted him enough that the staple was quickly forgotten. After a week we took him back and had the staple removed. He is no longer in any pain, but will tell the story of what happened to anyone who asks him anything. "Hey Thane, how are you?" "I bonk head, rock." "What did you do today?" "I bonk head, rock." "What would you like for dinner?" "I bonk head, rock" "Are you ready for your bath?" "I bonk head, rock." You get the picture. Sometimes he brings it up out of the blue as we are grocery shopping or reading a nighttime story. I hope it does not traumatize him too much or for too long.

Poor baby noggin

A well-timed (for us) takeoff of the helicopter enthralled the sweet boy.
    Other random things have happened this month, but I feel like I am done playing catch up for now. I am sure that October will be a more exciting month and give me a lot more to write about. 
More nakedness from the toddler. This time with a backwards Darth Vader helmet to accessorize.

Delicious and colorful potato hash to go with our eggs for dinner
Maycee lost another tooth this month.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Thirty Weeks

I am thirty weeks today. Only nine or ten weeks to go. I can't wait to have Iris join our family.