Easter

Well, we managed to have a completely secularized, non-religious Easter this year despite my best intentions to do otherwise.  <sad sigh>  I will do better next year.  Perhaps focusing more on the whole season of Lent and on Good Friday would help.  Then, there wouldn't be so much pressure to "be religious" on Easter Day.  Even though the day was a complete failure from a religious perspective, it was a perfect "favorite childhood memories" day.  Here are some highlights.

Hunting eggs at Nana's and Papa's

In the car and on the way, Claire stated that she was too old to hunt for eggs.  However, the sight of the brightly colored "spring spheres"made her forget she was too old, thankfully.

Cody faces a serious quandary.  Should I keep finding more eggs, or can I stop and satisfy my raging curiosity and see what is hidden inside each one?

Time to go riding!  Life in the country is great.  Clay has the governor set low.  They have a wide open wheat field.  No trees or obstacles to run into.  If they flip over, (worst case scenario), they will have <10mph momentum and a soft cushy bed of spring wheat.  I'm okay with this...I think I'm okay with this....uhhhh, there they go....I'm not so sure I'm okay with this!

One reason I LOVE attending a small country church:  watching the children go up and perform a song, with motions of course, every religious holiday.

After performing, the children were released to Children's Church which consisted of a mini carnival, eggs, prizes, rabbit shaped sugar cookies, etc. etc.  Okay, so our church may not score very high on religious edification, but from a parent's perspective, what I saw was a room full of ordinary people, volunteering their time and money with no expectations of pay back.

We may be guilty of glossing over the death/resurrection of Christ, but I think we nailed I Cor.13:4.  Love is patient, love is kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.  Love never fails.

Let's Try Guineas

After losing our geese, we went back to Atwoods to buy replacements.  Unfortunately, they were out.  So instead, we decided to try our luck with guineas.  I can't believe I didn't take any pictures of them when they first arrived!  We moved them to the outdoor barn around the first of May.  Here are pictures of them at around 3 weeks old.

A Sad Day

As Clay was leaving for work, he noticed a lifeless goose carcass beside the barn.  Upon further investigation, it was discovered that everything that slept in the barn that night had been massacred: all 3 geese and 3 Americauna chickens.  We were devastated!  I felt an unusual animosity towards the perpetrator--we're still unsure exactly who it was.  I understand the need to survive is what usually drives a predator to take one bird for an easy meal.  I don't like it, but I understand it.  However, whatever this was went beyond catching a good meal.  It didn't stop killing until it had killed every single thing leaving several uneaten carcasses behind, almost as if it had simply killed for sport.  That is deeply disturbing.

We did have 5 hens and our rooster locked in a different coop and they were unharmed.  So, we're down to only 6 poultry, our lowest number ever.

Teaching the Goslings to Swim

Follow mama!

That's right.  Come along little ones.

Now you've got the hang of it.

Hey guys, that was fun.  Let's do it again.

What Is Pink by Christina Rossetti



What is pink?  A rose is pink,
By the fountain's brink.

What is red?  A poppy's red,

In its barley bed.







What is blue?  The sky is blue,
Where the clouds float through.





What is white?  A swan is white,
Sailing in the light.









What is yellow?  Pears are yellow,
Rich and ripe and mellow.



What is green?  The grass is green,
With small flower between.





What is violet?  Clouds are violet,
In the summer twilight.

What is orange?  Why, an orange,
Just an orange!

When the Frost Is On the Punkin/ James Whitcomb Riley

We studied two poets this term: Eugene Field and James Whicomb Riley.  We spent most of the term on Eugene Field poetry and the selection that Claire chose to memorize was very long.  Therefore, we only spent three weeks on James Whitcomb Riley.  With such limited time, we decided to only memorize the first stanza of this poem.  The coloquial pronunciation makes this poet much more difficult to recite than other poets--almost like memorizing in a foreign language.  We had fun with it, though.

We actually grew these "punkins."
What great jack-o-lanterns they made!

When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock,

And you hear the kyouck and gobble of the struttin' turkey-cock,

And the clackin' of the guineys, and the cluckin' of the hens,
And the rooster's hallylooyer as he tiptoes to the fence;
O, it's then's the times a feller is a-feelin' at his best,
With the risin' sun to greet him from a night of peaceful rest,
As he leaves the house, bare-headed, and goes to feed the stock,
When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock.

Goslings

We were going to order some white embdens from Meyer Hatchery, but Atwoods had these for $8 each so we couldn't resist.  The sales associate did not know the breed, but I'm guessing these are white embdens.  The children, especially Claire who picked them out, are just bursting with love for these newest additions to our family.

They are set up in our downstairs bathroom for now.  We'll start putting them in the barn on warm days in a few weeks.

Constantly eating and drinking.

Night, night!

I'm amazed at how much they eat and drink.  They are certain to grow very quickly.