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Today was officially Memorial Day. Every other year the local parade goes by our house. This was our year! A half dozen fire companies came through--of course the boys LOVE it! Jim has worked the last 2 years on Memorial Day, but this year, Monday was his day off. So it was nice that he could enjoy the holiday with us.
A favorite past time--jumping off the swing! Love trying to catch those mid-air shots!
Catching Jared in mid air!
Occasionally, my boys will work cooperatively together...A week ago, Jim and the boys started putting up the pool. It went very slowly because we were using creek water using a sump pump that uses a regular garden hose. Since we were taking it UP the hill, it came out of the hose at about 1/4 of it's regular force.
After about 6 inches and 5 hours, we shut the pump down for the night. In the morning when the boys went to plug the pump back in, they found an empty pool! Nobody thought to take the hose out of the pool, and gravity took care of the rest! Who knew! After running all day on Monday, the pool was full. We threw some bleach in that night and the boys got to play in it the next afternoon!
Preparing for the mats to put under the pool
We found use for the trampoline that broke last year. We used the jumping surface to put under the pool! Jared is cutting the rings off!
The distorted "goggle face" makes me laugh, but at the same time it creeps me out!
Last week we took the boys to Fun Plex. Their 2 aunts, my sisters--gave them gift cards LAST year for their birthdays. They played mini-golf and went on the go-karts.
Jim with Owen. In these go-karts, Owen has a steering wheel so he can also "drive", but he really has no control.
Nathan speeding by!
Jared speeding by!
Preparing for the mats to put under the pool
We found use for the trampoline that broke last year. We used the jumping surface to put under the pool! Jared is cutting the rings off!
The distorted "goggle face" makes me laugh, but at the same time it creeps me out!Last week we took the boys to Fun Plex. Their 2 aunts, my sisters--gave them gift cards LAST year for their birthdays. They played mini-golf and went on the go-karts.
Jim with Owen. In these go-karts, Owen has a steering wheel so he can also "drive", but he really has no control.
Nathan speeding by!
Jared speeding by!We're still working on getting boxes made for our Square Foot Gardening method. Things had to wait until we knew for sure where we wanted to put them. After knowing that, we'd know what size to make. Jim had made a 16 x 2, but we didn't have a place to put it, yet...
This section I wrote last Monday 5/24. I'm telling you the date for a reason: I've been reading a LOT about raising laying hens. Still working on Jim. He's been very skeptical about it because we don't have much room and he wants to move. So do I, but I think we should do something NOW, if we can! Most of the books I've been reading deal directly with small urban or suburban flocks. It can be done here, but we'd have to check with our neighbors to see if they're okay with it since we're not in an agricultural zone. They say that chickens are less intrusive and less of a problem than many neighborhood dogs! You just have to take care of them and keep their living quarters cleaned! We'd love to do meat birds, but we definitely don't have the room for that. I'm trying not to bug Jim about this.
Now here's the update: On Wednesday, Jim got home from work early. We walked around outside and talked about where we were going to put garden boxes. After a while he went inside. When I came in, he wanted me to see something on the computer. He'd been looking for Youtube videos about raising chickens. He explained to me that God had been working on his heart about doing it here and now. He REALLY wanted to do it now. So that evening, he spoke with our neighbors on both sides. One couple reluctantly agreed, and the other couple was all for it. We were very thankful. The next day, I was itching to get started and order "stuff" related to our chicken project. But thankfully, I didn't. Later that night, Jim opened an email from our neighbors--the ones who weren't thrilled about our idea-- explaining that they had to reconsider and do some research on their own before agreeing--they were concerned about the noise, the husband's allergies, etc. That was Thursday night. For 3 days, it really brought me down. And yesterday afternoon, I was a nervous wreck--not having any idea what the final answer would be. S0 last night (Sunday) Jim re-visited with them, and they said yes--with conditions. Oh well...
Now here's the update: On Wednesday, Jim got home from work early. We walked around outside and talked about where we were going to put garden boxes. After a while he went inside. When I came in, he wanted me to see something on the computer. He'd been looking for Youtube videos about raising chickens. He explained to me that God had been working on his heart about doing it here and now. He REALLY wanted to do it now. So that evening, he spoke with our neighbors on both sides. One couple reluctantly agreed, and the other couple was all for it. We were very thankful. The next day, I was itching to get started and order "stuff" related to our chicken project. But thankfully, I didn't. Later that night, Jim opened an email from our neighbors--the ones who weren't thrilled about our idea-- explaining that they had to reconsider and do some research on their own before agreeing--they were concerned about the noise, the husband's allergies, etc. That was Thursday night. For 3 days, it really brought me down. And yesterday afternoon, I was a nervous wreck--not having any idea what the final answer would be. S0 last night (Sunday) Jim re-visited with them, and they said yes--with conditions. Oh well...
We ended up putting the 16' x 2' box up along the property line between us and our "reluctant" neighbors. This way, I can TRY to hide our chicken yard with climbing/vining plants that we'll trellis. They live in the upstairs of their house, and they can see EVERYTHING on our property. Even with an 8 ft. fence between our back yards, they can see it all because they're above it. It's frustrating. But I can only do so much.
Every few days, I take our kitchen scraps and put them through the food processor to break them down for our compost bins. If we didn't need it ASAP, I wouldn't take the time to do this step. Wish we had started this 6 months ago!
Chickens are going to love kitchen scraps too!
My beautiful friend Tami and her youngest of 8, Levi!That's all for now. Until next time...
blessings, joie
blessings, joie
1 comment:
Very wise to check with your neighbors! I really respect them too for being honest and for the two of you working out an arrangement that allows both of you to find a compromise. Your concern for your neighbor is a testimony to the Lord and a great teaching tool for your children. A person can never go wrong caring about their neighbors. Can't wait to see your arrangement and the harvest of eggs to come. I also can't wait to see your yield from your garden-working on all these things right where you are is terrific. I think that your summer is going to be so special this year!
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