a note..

so i have to be honest and say that i have too much on my plate.  so for the moment i am taking a step back and putting the blog aside.  i'll sporadically be on facebook though and adding photos occasionally.  i really appreciate you time. 

til next time,
farmer mom

title change..

farmer dad and i were talking about what we call the different ducks.  we have the original, the baby ducks, then the baby baby ducks.  it was starting to get confusing.  so we have decided to change it to flock 2 and flock 3.  the originals will stay the same.  it is still a weird thought to think that we have 51 ducks.  that is a lot of ducks! 
the flock 3 babies are growing so fast!  i love watching them grow. i've been having a cup of coffee with them in the morning. at first they go around peeping and then they settle and watch me as i watch them. it's a wonderful quiet moment together.  we want them to be comfortable with us and morning coffee seems to achieve that.  see their latest photos here: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.439570242770473.103883.391559430904888&type=3.

til next time,
farmer mom

a week and a day...

it's weird to think that we have had the baby babies for over a week now.  my have they grown! especially their  beaks.  at first their little beaks were so small, maybe the length of my thumb nail.  now, they are longer, way longer. their little legs are starting to get thicker and more solid.  plus they are all becoming little whoppers.  to touch and see this change is amazing to watch and be a part of. i'm happy to be able to share it with you.

til next time,
farmer mom

p.s.
sorry for having to post a link ( http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.437630922964405.103476.391559430904888&type=3) to the photos.  i've used all my free photo ability here for the time being.  luckily though there is facebook.

yesteday...

...our church provided farmer son 2 with an interpreter during service. it was so awesome for him to have that option and so awesome for me to have that time in service to worship and not feel the pressure that i should be signing. unfortunately he really wasn't interested in the service being signed.  bits and pieces he wanted to watch but he rather look through the worship bags provided.  i can appreciate that.  i am grateful though that the effort was made.  she then joined him in sunday school, gave everyone a signing name and taught the entire sunday school away in a manger in sign. that woman is awesome! the entire time i kept thinking how blessed we are!  we belong to a community where everyone is embracing us and our new language... sign language.  it makes me tear up just thinking about it.  it feels so awesome to belong to a community where people care and are embracing our son and family in such a positive way. the road ahead just got that much easier.  our support team just grew some more.  i am beyond grateful. 

til next time,
farmer mom

today...

here are anakin 2, pretty, green lantern, super girl, aqua man, explorer, new power ranger, spiderman, darth vadar, chewbacca, ahsoka, princess leia, senator amidala,ewok, ewok 2, word girl, sweeter, jango fet, han solo, boba fet, aqua girl, wolverine, storm,  and black spider man plus some other moments of the day.

til next time,
farmer mom

baby duck report...

hello to all.  i hope everyone had a good thanksgiving.  we did a lot of baby duck loving yesterday.  it was a day that i was thankful for. 
 it saddens me to say that not all of our beautifull babies made it.  3 were dead when i open the box.   green arrow died a few hours later, and will died, too.  will's name was lover first (farmer son 1 named her) but she had such a will to live that we changed her name.  she tried so hard!  even though it was just a little time of knowing her, she touched us. hopefully everyone else will survive.  they seem to be doing great!
farmer son 1 put it perfectly.  he said that he was sad that will died.  but he was so happy that we had everyone else.   i agree with him. it's sad that death is part of life, but it is also something that make you realize what you have and to appreciate and focus on that.   i hope that our life here on our homestead  will give them a greater appreciation and awareness of the world around them.  i like to think so. 
tomorrow we are doing a lot more of baby duck loving with a ton more pictures and i'll share the other 25 names with you.  the farmer sons named them all.  goodness help me. 

til next time,
farmer mom 

meet the future egg layers...

til next time,
farmer mom

tomorrow...

got an email from the hatchery- the baby ducks have shipped.  we should get them tomorrow. o the anticipation is getting really difficult.  to think that our little babies are in transit- can't wait to meet them and hold them.  take an abundance of pictures and watch the grow.  o man!

til next time,
farmer mom

moment of harmony

til next time,

farmer mom

today...

deliveries were made.  5 full dozen to jolie's and 7 half dozen to fresh pickins.  that feels good!   happy eating to all!

til next time,
farmer mom

today...

i have a rose...

til next time,

farmer mom

posie...

til next time,
farmer mom

the padawans and i....

from left to right- farmer son 1, myself, farmer son 2

til next time,
farmer mom

november 10, 2012

i wanted to apologize for the lack of posts.  the last month has been great- our house has been filled with family, filled with love.   the growing farmer sons nana banana and papa drove down from pa to celebrate our yearly halloween party with us.  the dressed up and everything! nana was of course a banana and papa was a red hat lady. it was absolutely awesome to see them and i'm extremely grateful for all their help.  then this past week we were blessed again with the farmer sons auntie visiting us from wa.  she was going to help us with the baby ducks and make a duckumentary. instead we worked on the expansion of the orchard and hung out. farmer dad and i even got in a date for the first time in two and a half years.  some things change when we have visitors but for the most part we stick to our routine, we have too. there is only so much wiggle room with animals.  it's so amazing that they all wanted to take a "working vacation" and were more than willing to help. thank you!  we are so fortunate to have these people in our lives.  we love ya'll!

today it was back to the four of us. i can't say that we didn't feel the emptiness of missing everyone, but having an absolutely gorgeous day outside definitely helped.  we continued our work with the orchard expansion.  we cut prairie plants and farmer dad added posts. here is photos of our day...

i didn't take a photo of where we quit.  we didn't finish, but made good progress.

this is our man cutter.  farmer dad taped it because we have the tendency to break them.  this seems to help a bit.  then later after we whack everything back and let it break down a bit we cut it with our awesome tractor (thank you friends!  we love it!) 



i noticed this awesome prairie plant along the way. sometimes a field mouse would run by and i would yell.  not a fan.  but i have to imagine that the little creature is at least 100 times more scared than i.  when i was out there i was thinking of how grateful i am for this day, for the ability to be able to spend it with my family, to be outside and moving my body, and be surrounded by nature.  sometime around that thought i noticed the spider eggs. i couldn't in good conscience simply whack them back.  that meant almost certain death and   i was  almost completely confident that they are black and yellow garden spider eggs, which is one that i appreciate.  the farmer son helped me relocate them outside the future expansion and i hope they will hatch in the spring. 

after we were done working, we played some t-ball and then i embraced the moment of the remaining flowers feeding the fritillary butterfly (thank you for the proper identification of that one- i haven't stopped saying it since i've learned it).  please excuse the abundance of pictures, i really couldn't help myself.

it was a great day over here, i hope the same for you.

til next time,

farmer mom