Orchard Fires and Hatching Chicks

This picture popped up in my Facebook memories.

What has happened?  Where has six years gone?

I would like to see me just try and put button down shirts on the boys today.

Sometimes, if my knee is fussy, I can get the kids to feed Hazel a bottle.  HD went out and fed her the other day while I was rehabilitating myself in the hot tub.  He was shouting to me during the ordeal about how cute she was and how we should go into business flipping bottle calves.  When she was all done with the bottle, she started in again on her usual abuse and violent fury of trying to get milk out of a human.

HD:  Mom!  She is still hungry!

Me:  She is always like that!  I forgot to tell you!  Sorry!  She is going to knock into your legs the whole time you come back.

So he came up with this plan.

And it was a good plan.

There are a few outdoor projects we are working on.  One such project was called:

“Let’s not have to weed the orchard.”

We took our ridiculously large 100×40 garden and made about 2/3 of it an orchard.  The back 1/3 is for berries and weeds.

I purchased eight yards of bark and the dudes spread it around in the orchard.

Take that, Weeds!  It is basically a very large bark orchard with a few measly trees scattered about.

At one point during the bark spreading, the orchard was on fire.

Yes.  ON FIRE.

Me:  What are you doing?!

Boys (rolling eyes):  We have to burn pine needles, Mom.

Me:  What?  No!  What?  No!

I don’t even know anymore, Friends.  I don’t know how they know to do that and how they started a fire and how they didn’t burn our entire plantation down.

I do not know.

Nothing burned except pine needles.

David, Kate, and the boys took down our old chicken fencing this weekend in preparation to build higher fencing to keep the chickens in and the puppy brothers out.

Rest assured, the puppy brothers will slay chickens if given the opportunity.

But I have a dream!  I have a dream that I can walk out to my cute chicken coop with a wire basket and gather pretty multicolored eggs to feed to my moody teens.

Also.  David hung my new chicken coop arrow sign that I received for Christmas from Ma and Pa.

It makes me feel happy.

Because I am basically like Ms. Frizzle, of Magic School Bus fame, I was able to video a chick hatching for my online pupils.

My own children could not care less, and like, duh, Mom, we have seen a chick hatch before.  They were trying to eat lunch and furious that I was asking them to be quiet while I filmed the miracle of life.

But my students!  They think it is magical!

This five day old calf is already taller than 7 week old Hazel.

David:  I don’t know, Taylor.  Hazel is pretty small.  We might not want to keep her.

Me:  She will be my best friend forever.  Don’t ever take her away from me.

Because, seriously.  After being in town all day, what could be better than going out into the back pen, calling out for a calf, and having a calf run happily to you?

Nothing.  I submit that NOTHING is better than having a Hazel.