Happy Birthday Preston!

It's hard to believe that it has been a year already since posting this picture of my new great nephew Preston. From this tiny little bundle,

To this adorably handsome little boy!

Ever the ham,

which he received from his sister Jenna, shown here modeling my niece's sunglasses!

Coop Almost Done!

We are almost done with the chicken coop! Having enough days of no rain has been a problem, so every mild day Ken and I could get was spent on building and painting. We still need to finish the window and screen on the back of the building, put on the flower boxes, trim the inside section of the door, and add the weather vain.

The box on the side is for nesting, the chickens access from the inside, giving them more living space.

My chickens? No. My niece next door and her husband also decided to raise chickens, and got theirs already. Here they are about six weeks old.

I'm so excited, and can't wait to pick mine up the first week-end in June!!

The Hollow Tree

In our side yard, we have a beautiful old orchard that is many decades old. Three pear trees, two apple trees, and a mulberry tree still bear fruit. This tree, though, is special. It's totally hollow, yet still throws these beautiful blossoms every spring, and delicious snow apples for fall picking.

When the triplets were 4, I took these pictures of them standing inside it's hollow trunk.

Now, 5 years later, I had them awkwardly climb back in to see how much they've grown.

Jacob,

Jason,

and Jordan happily obliged! And Jordan had me take this last one, which is a real hoot!

They want to continue the tradition yearly, even when they have to squat, which I think will be the case next spring!

Magnolia Blooms?

Ah my sisters magnolia tree, in full bloom! Unfortunately, these are last years pictures. Just as the blooms were ready to put on there magnificent display this year, the winds blew all the blossoms to the ground. So Kathy, here is a look back, as we look forward to next May!

Sunshine! PLEASE!!

This has been one of the strangest winter/summers I can ever remember. Here we are half way through May, and the weather is still more wintry than springy. Today was no exception. With temperatures in the mid 30's, and wind that went right to the bone, it seems that spring, is eluding us. So tonight, when I looked out the window to see this sunset, it gave me hope that maybe tomorrow will bring us a little sun. That would be such a welcome relief to this crazy season. How are you coping with the weather where you are?

What's up with Blogger?

What happened with Blogger!? I notice my post from yesterday is gone, along with any of yours that were posted yesterday. The notice came up for some time saying they were doing work on the site, and then everything disappeared. Anyone else notice!?

Bubbling Boys

My triplet nephews received these neat bubble wands, and Jordan wanted to share the excitement with me.

Jay Jay had fun chasing them around the yard,

As Jordan put on quite the show!

Toby's Big Day Thursday!

V Day for Toby is Thursday! Last week was his pre-op appointment, but I couldn't get him into the crate to take him, Ken startled him and he ran. So today he went, and Bart told the girls to put him onto the Thursday surgery schedule, even though he has three major surgeries that day. He said the sooner the better, and though it isn't a guarantee he'll stop spraying, in most cats it does work. Bart also explained that spraying isn't a sexual thing, it's psychological, and very stressful for the cat. Then we had a long talk about Lucy, and how hard it was to go into the exam rooms after visiting her there. He was so empathetic, and talked about how bad it was when he had to put his dog Hannah down because of cancer, and that he misses her terrible. As I've said before, no one can beat this guy. I wouldn't take my "kids" to anyone else.

The real religion of the world comes from women much more than men-from Mother's most of all, who carry the key of our souls in their bosoms.
Oliver Wendell Holmes

Dear friends and family, I wish all of you a wonderful Mother's Day, filled with love.

Chicken Preparations!

While at my brothers house, we ordered our chickens! It was so fun, like kids in a candy store. We browsed the folder containing pictures and descriptions, determining which breeds and how many of each we wanted. I'm anxiously awaiting the arrival of 10! He's stocking up on more meat chickens, and a few more hens.

So with a little more time to complete, Ken and the triplets worked diligently on the coop. It was fun watching their enthusiasm as they took turns with the drill.

My babies arrive on the 27th, then will come home somewhere around the 2nd weekend in June.

Meantime, we'll be finishing up their new home. The boys picked out the paint color, and soon the roof, door, windows and window boxes will be added.

I'm hoping the boys can come along with me to pick up the chickens! They've been a big help to Ken and I, and it would be fun for them to go along for the ride!