We got 4 inches total!!!
Beside a bunch of disappointed humans??? Hopefully a real SUMMER!!! The last few years our nicest weather has been in May. Weird I know. But very true. This year we've have had April in May. YUCK. It wouldn't be so bad but we also had April in April. But finally now at the end of May it seems to be warming up. Gardens are being planted, grass is growing. The moose and deer are still not calving. Which, I believe, is late. Mosquitoes are back. But not badly back. Do-able. And by that I mean that when I go outside the mosquitoes don't all try to carry me off. I have one or two pestering me but not 100. Which is a real blessing. This is the 1st year in the last 28 that we have had snow here in May. It took 2 days to melt and wasn't cold enough to kill any plants or grass or trees. It just snowed. We have had killing frosts in May lots of times, frosts that can even kill the trees leaves but this is a 1st for snow this late in May. (it was May 19th when it snowed). Bindy was a very happy cow as she got GRASS!! She knew it was time. She bawled and bawled for 2 days while trying to look hungry enough so that maybe we'd take pity on her and let her out to eat all that grass. Papa waited til the grass was ready and then did she ever pig out!! 
Forrest likes the grass as well. Unfortunately his brother Snowball was found dead in their pen one morning. After playing the 'what if' for several hours a dear friend told us. "They say the only thing sheep do well is die!" How depressing but how true. And she would know. She raises sheep. After I told the kids he was dead. J told L that it was alright. He would share Forrest with him. That touched L and I and J has proven up on it already. What a sweet heart!! They also want to get more sheep next spring. That is, so far, the plan. Forrest is already doing a great job eating poplars and cleaning up in the small areas that Bindy doesn't really fit in to. Here he is by the greenhouse. He's been rubbing on the white peeling fence. Silly sheep. 
Beside a bunch of disappointed humans??? Hopefully a real SUMMER!!! The last few years our nicest weather has been in May. Weird I know. But very true. This year we've have had April in May. YUCK. It wouldn't be so bad but we also had April in April. But finally now at the end of May it seems to be warming up. Gardens are being planted, grass is growing. The moose and deer are still not calving. Which, I believe, is late. Mosquitoes are back. But not badly back. Do-able. And by that I mean that when I go outside the mosquitoes don't all try to carry me off. I have one or two pestering me but not 100. Which is a real blessing. This is the 1st year in the last 28 that we have had snow here in May. It took 2 days to melt and wasn't cold enough to kill any plants or grass or trees. It just snowed. We have had killing frosts in May lots of times, frosts that can even kill the trees leaves but this is a 1st for snow this late in May. (it was May 19th when it snowed). Bindy was a very happy cow as she got GRASS!! She knew it was time. She bawled and bawled for 2 days while trying to look hungry enough so that maybe we'd take pity on her and let her out to eat all that grass. Papa waited til the grass was ready and then did she ever pig out!! Forrest likes the grass as well. Unfortunately his brother Snowball was found dead in their pen one morning. After playing the 'what if' for several hours a dear friend told us. "They say the only thing sheep do well is die!" How depressing but how true. And she would know. She raises sheep. After I told the kids he was dead. J told L that it was alright. He would share Forrest with him. That touched L and I and J has proven up on it already. What a sweet heart!! They also want to get more sheep next spring. That is, so far, the plan. Forrest is already doing a great job eating poplars and cleaning up in the small areas that Bindy doesn't really fit in to. Here he is by the greenhouse. He's been rubbing on the white peeling fence. Silly sheep. 
Grandma on my bike pulling E and R in the cart. Below is E running for the cart in hopes of a ride. Her hopes were realized in the top picture. She was so excited!!
3's a crowd, or so they say, these 3 little Griggers seem to be having a great time. 
R caught in a bubble. I didn't even try for this picture... total fluke. 
The whole crew (-Papa and L and I.) having fun with bubbles in our front yard.
Morgan 'getting' bubbles. Hey R maybe you should put her in Karate!! She looks like she's in the middle of a move!! :) The empty box behind her was from the dishwasher. The kids had been using it for a playhouse but it had been rained on and so later in the day after our hot dogs the kids and Papa burnt it. M was shocked!!! They voted and she was the only one who wanted to keep it. Auntie R says M never gets rid of ANYTHING and she couldn't believe that they burnt the box!!! 
Grandpa and Grandma also brought bubble wand thingies and everyone had a great time blowing bubbles, letting the wind blow bubbles, popping bubbles and chasing bubbles. The boys also found out that Auntie R is great fun on the trampoline!!
L attacking Auntie R. She would lay really still on the trampoline and they would get closer and closer and closer and then she would jump up and scare them. They loved it. L was the only one of the 4 that would turn and attack instead of run away. He'd run two steps then turn and yell and jump on her.
This is him with his "birthday." Some of you may remember that before the kids birthday we take them into the local $$ store and they get to pick plates, napkins, cups and one 'special thing' for their birthday party. Normally this cost us less then $10 and makes the day for the child!! L has always called these things 'his birthday' and they wait in the 'birthday bag' until the party when he gets to open them and put them out ready to use. He really wanted a tiger cake. 1st it was a white tiger with black strips. Easy I thought. Then he changed it to a orange tiger with black stripes. EEEK. But it worked out. When I finished with the cake L came over to have a look and said. "Where is my tiger!!" and I thought OH NO. But I'd taken a picture of it, it really did look little like a tiger from close up, and he was very happy with it after that. He, as you can see, was VERY EXCITED!! :)
Here is a picture of the group of children. The T family came to help us celebrate and M&A and family also came later for cake. Uncle K and Auntie A and M and C came the next day to surprise him. Grandma and Grandpa F missed the party but we saw them a few days before the 'big day' so that was great. The T family has 3 children. A girl and 2 boys all with T names (the Papa and Momma have T names as well) and they are all 1 to 3 months younger then our oldest 3 children. They all get along great as well. So we always have a party with the T family. Oh and their last name is T too :)
Here is L blowing out his 'ducks' one of the things he picked out at the $$ store. 
Exciting days are here again. OK. Well. Most days are exciting around here all year round. But spring time is REALLY exciting. The snows pretty much all melted. As amazing as it sounds the green grass grew up around the snow this year!! We barely had a 'brown season' at all. The grass is not long enough to put anything on it yet but it's coming fast and today's rain will sure help. We ordered 200 Cornish meat birds, cocks only as it actually cheaper that way!, and we've spent a couple days getting ready for them. The brooder, we are using the chicken barn this spring as our plans for a straw bale brooder got pushed back another year in the spring rush. I tacked up chicken wire to separate the barn in half, stapled a clear bag over the only window, piled shavings, and generally sealed the barn with paper feed bags. Then I got two garbage cans full and waiting (one of water and one of feed) and placed them in the other half of the barn for easy access. Papa took some left over tin and rounded out the corners so the chicks won't pile up. If you don't do this they will pile up in the corners and the ones on the bottom with die, a night of piling and you can loose a LOT of birds. I saved eggs for several weeks and hard boiled them. We always feed our new chicks hard boiled eggs mashed with cream for the 1st several days after hatching. We find this gives them a considerable head start and we have very few deaths. The cream is where the nutrients are in cows milk and so we mix that in to get those great nutrients into the chicks quickly. They love the mix and go crazy for it. I'm glad they like it. To me the smell of cooked eggs gets in to my nose and refuses to leave. YUCK. This time the pot of 'mush' is staying OUTSIDE. I searched the place over and finally found the chick waterer's and feeders and got them in and ready. Papa took the Travelall to town and picked up a mini bag of feed from a local farmer. We'll likely go through a few mini bags of feed and Papa makes sure the protein level is right for the age of the birds. Papa made us some lights to hang low to keep them the right temperature at all times. And then we were ready for chicks. Just in time too.. 
R, after the first shock, really liked the chicks. She was very gentle without being told which amazes me. She is a little mother-er already!! E, below, was SO PROUD of these 'peepers' as you can see. You would have thought she'd hatched them herself!!
L wasn't too sure about the whole 'big deal' which doesn't really surprise me. He'd much rather see a backhoe or some kind of equipment. But he did want to hold one and did enjoy it. So maybe it'll grow on him. J, below, loves the 'peepers' and could hardly wait to hold one. When anyone comes over he's right there asking if they want to see our chicks. Several of them have and he takes great pride in them.
