Our First Slaughter!

Hi all! Well, I thought this was gonna be tough to do, even though I'd seen my Dad do it as a child, but it was remarkably easy! I have to admit I am bad at cutting heads off. Have to learn to swing harder. And, don't behead near the coop as they run under it afterward! So glad he came out the other side before he died!! Otherwise I'd have been fishing him out with a broom handle. So now we have a rooster hanging upside down in a tree out back. Not the noisiest, but the one who was attacking hens when Candi put the leftovers in. Candi, Matt and Aiden all watched. No tears, but there was some cheering!

Not Enough Wood?!

Hi! Are you enjoying this beautiful warm weather? 

Have you thought ahead about winter winds to come? 

 I'm afraid I spent my summer on many things that did not prepare me for winter. 

Now, as I look at my pitiful wood pile, I wonder where I can gather more wood?

 It is definitely time to restack for hauling efficiency, then load the Jeep anywhere we see wood piled at the curb!

Damage from Neighbor Kids

Hello! Glad you came by!
 Sorry to say, but I'm stuck at the end of my drive amazed at the deliberate damage to my landscaping by the neighbor's children. 
Funny how people can watch you spend hours improving your property then allow their children to destroy it! 
 I was so upset to arrive home from work to find my landscaping rocks were missing! Then the kids told me they took them and refused to return them.
 I've now planted several Prickly Pear plants between the remaining rocks.

My Feathered Children!

Morning! How are you this lovely day? 

 I popped out to check the food and water for my feathered children and found the water was empty! After cleaning and filling it, with much coaching from the recipients, they flocked around to wet their collective whistles! This is the waterer I bought at 'Big R' in Morris when I first got them as chicks. It is, sadly, rusting already and will be replaced soon.

 Clean rust-free water is essential.

Hanging laundry... 0:)

Our campsite @ Silver Cross Field

Tonight is Rainbow Council Jackhammers Overnight! 

Candace, Matthew, Aiden and I watched the game against Kansas City. 

It was the slowest, longest game ever (or so it seemed), but we won! 

 After the game Matt and I gathered our camping stuff from the Jeep and set up our camp. 

He and I decided to sleep under the stars like a Webelo as we can always use more practice, but we did bring the 2-man tent in case of rain. 

 Well, no stars in the sky, but no hint of rain either. 

The movie, "The Sandlot", is starting. 

I need to relax with the best son in the world in the outfield. 

Have a blessed night all!

Great Service at Old Fashioned Pancake House!

Thank you so much to Stephanie at Old Fashioned pancake House on Jefferson St. for the great service on Monday morning! We had company here from Toledo and so had a big group. She was on top of everything and kept my coffee cup full. 

The baby spilled my daughter's water all over the table and Stephanie was thrilled to help clean up! She was quick with more napkins and a smile. 

We all had such a good meal and excellent service. 

Thank you again Stephanie!

An Invisible House?

Hi! 

Nice to see you again! 

This evening I am concentrating on pulling weeds in the parkway~ maybe the front 'yard', too. 

 I have the parkway all flowers with a few edibles so my house just sort of disappears. 

When I invite people over they have a really hard time finding our house. 

They drive right passed it!

 My thinking is that it is so much better to blend in right now. 

Not let people know who you really are or how much prepping you do. 

 An invisible house full of nondescript people will be more likely to be passed over.

Food & Fun at the Fair!

Matt at the Grundy County Fair

This was Matt's first experience feeding sheep and he really took to it!

Centennial Trail

A really nice hike for Cub Scouts! Xander and Matt are having a blast. So glad to hike this trail with such cool kids!

Time to hike at Isle a la Cache!

Making Lists of Work to be Done...

Well, I escaped the office and the never-ending A.C. to wander the rental properties and make lists of things I'd like to see repaired/ replaced/ updated this summer.

 It's amazing the things I notice when I take a peaceful walk with just a clipboard and pen. 

 The list is longer than I imagined it would be, and, Oh the joy of Freedom!

Enjoying a Rainy Day at Work

It's so funny how a rainy day can cloud my mind. 
Today I would've loved to stay in bed and listen to the rain. 
Just roll over and go back to sleep. 
But, work was beckoning me from across our little valley that is downtown Joliet. 
And so we are all here at work. 
Matt playing computer games, Aiden napping, Candi in her office.
And me...? 
I'm sitting here thinking about the building. 
Who's behind on rent? 
What storage closets aren't rented? 
What condition are the empty units in? 
Wonder if I should inspect occupied units? 
Think I'll sit here a spell and rethink my game plan. 
Re prioritize my projects. 
Have a blessed day, all and enjoy the rain!

Precision Practice

Well, Matt's moved up to mowing between the headstones. 

Still missing some spots, but, overall, a good job! 

 He's learning teamwork vs. joyriding. 

He wants to be one of the guys, so he must learn the job. 

 And, Volunteering is What Scouts Do!

Time to Work

Hey! We're at Oakwood Cemetery so Matt can learn the proper way to mow a cemetery.

Took a 'break' at home to make calls to prospective employees. It was so refreshing to sit out front in the hammock chair while I worked. Nice to be able to run three loads bedding and get two hung out on the lines out back. Nice to give the chickens fresh water. And, more importantly, nice to hear my son play with his friends while I worked. Now I am back at work; parked out front waiting for Candi to finish and come out. Maybe I can finish a couple hats while I wait for her?!

Pretty Deterent

Hi! Welcome back! This is one of the Prickly Pears a friend gave me when she thinned-down her garden. I am planting this at intervals around the perimiter of my property. Although it's a beautiful flower on the cutest little cactus, it is virtually covered in almost invisible thorns. The look says, 'please, come smell me and tooch my petals', but the pain to follow will, hopefully, keep uninvited guests from scaling the fence.

Post- Snack Munching

Well, they've abandoned the platter for a Narrow Leaf Plantain I just pulled up and tossed in!
Fickle little monkies, aren't they?!

Snack Time, pt. 2

Well, as you can see the children loved the snack! It's so funny to see them fight over a bit of onion or tomato! Wow, that guacamole is going fast!