A Chicken Tractor on Steroids.........

I spent this afternoon getting ready for "the girls"....

If you remember back in March I posted pictures

of a chicken tractor I wanted a friend to make for me.

Well.....this is it.....

on steroids....

It's technically still a chicken tractor....

it will just have to be moved with the truck each time

instead of wheeling it around by hand.

I think "the girls" will be happy at any rate!

Mmmmmmmmm......

Quiche....!

Dumb Crook Story....

We had our own 'dumb crook' story today......

There were about twenty five of us standing around

on the side of a back road waiting to complete our

yearly obstacle course drivers training that was

set up down a side road. There was a large sign placed 

at the side road stating: Sheriff's Office Training.

Most people driving by slowed to see what was

going on....a few slowed down and asked if

 they were supposed to stop...

...and then along comes this little dude who

stops...rolls the window down...and says:

"I don't have a license." I'm guessing he didn't 

read the sign and thought it was a traffic stop.

To top that off when we ran his name through

the system he had outstanding warrants.

Talk about having a bad day....

Did we have a big belly laugh over this?

What do you think........

of mysteries and magic....

ol'  mr bluebird appeared to be the recipient of his mates

wrath this morning. her scolding was so loud i went outside

to see if something was bothering their nest.

i guess she was a little upset that her 'chillrens' breakfast

was late......

"we speak of mysteries in our squawks

and magic in our chatters.

if you would slow to natures ebb and flow

you would hear what really matters."

~madeleine walker

blessings......

 i spent some time at the creek meditating today.

it's a wonderful solid rock creek bed that looks like

a mountain stream. i always find great comfort there

and feel enveloped by the power of the rock.

 this beautiful creature graced me with her presence.

her color is magnificent....

 according to Ted Andrews in Animal Speak:

"the dragonfly represents the power of light.

life is never quite the way it appears...but it is always

filled with light and color. dragonfly can help you see

through your illusions and thus allow your own light

to shine forth. dragonfly brings the brightness of

transformation and the wonder of colorful new vision."

 this little water snake eased out to see what i was up to.

"they represent rebirth...resurrection...initiation...and wisdom.

snakes are symbols of change and healing. they have speed

and agility....so those who have snakes come into their life

will usually find the changes and shifts occur quickly and are

soon recognized and defined. when snake comes into your

life you can look for a rebirth into new powers of creativity

and wisdom."

and tadpoles.....these little frog babies....

frogs have an ancient mythology about them. being

amphibians with links to the water and the land...they

are often associated with the magic of both elements.

they represent transformation through water and sound." 

light...new vision...creativity...wisdom...

transformation through water and sound...

aho....i am blessed...

the birds and the bees......

I had two of my young grand daughters.....five and seven years old....for the day today. We spent the morning inside playing and chatting. I got them a couple of brown paper bags with handles and let them color them before lunch promising them a "nature adventure" after they ate. 

They had baby carrots and broccoli to dip in ranch dressing with their lunch so when we started our adventure I took them outside and let them each pull a carrot from the garden and explained where carrots came from and how they grow. I told them how broccoli grows above the ground and carrots below. We went around the garden smelling all my herbs....rosemary....lemon thyme...mint...basil...and regular thyme.

As we walked around I showed them the honey bees on the clover and told them to watch where they stepped so they wouldn't be stung or kill the bees. I explained how the hive looks and how bees make the honey for their winter food. Later I let them taste fresh honey. I took them to the butterfly bush and showed them the bumble bees and explained the difference. They wanted to pick a flower off the bush and I let them each pick one explaining how they should only take one so the butterflies and bees could have food. I also told them to always thank the things in nature when they picked something or found a gift like a bird feather.

As we walked around they filled their bags with gifts of lichen...nut shells...little shiny rocks. We found a bird nest and I gave it to one of the girls and got another from the house for the other.  We sat on the porch for a while and watched the birds at the feeder and a pair of bluebirds making trips to their house to feed their babies. I explained how male and female birds are colored differently so the male would attract the predators and the female could get away. I told them the names for the birds at the feeder....cardinals...finch...and nut hatches.

When we came back inside I gave them each an old wasp nest to add to their "prizes". Both had picked up a stick to carry back inside so I got them each a feather and tied them to their sticks with streamers of multicolored yarn to make "fairy wands". We spent the rest of the afternoon granting wishes and sprinkling imaginary fairy dust on each other.

When their mom came to pick them up she asked me if they had behaved. I told her they had and we'd had a good time. I looked at the girls and said "We learned a lot didn't we?" Both gave a big YEAAAAAH! I told them to tell their mother what they learned. The oldest piped up and said......."We learned about birds and bees....." Well......their mom looked like Linda Blair in the Exorcist. Her head swung around towards me....she placed her hand over her heart....her mouth fell open....she had a look of horror on her face....she was speechless! I burst out laughing so hard that tears came to my eyes. When I could finally stop laughing I started telling her about the honey bees giving us honey and the colors of the birds....... Once that was clear she had a good laugh too. I don't think I'll ever forget the look on my daughters face!

fantastic fungi........

about paul stamets

via fungi.com

I'm gonna whine a little here...
i DO NOT like this new blogger format.
sometimes it takes FOREVER for the type to show
up and it wouldn't let me scroll down enough to change
the color of my link..........
just saying!!!!!!!!!!!!!!