Calmer Skies are prevailing these days

Which is a good thing? right?

My Borderline friend moved this weekend which has been an immense relief. She's back to speaking to me, but since we only see each other in passing at school now it's a huge improvement.

So.. in other news.. the Solar plan hit a few bumps. As with everything in our lives, once you get through the bumps it will work out to our benefit, but it's the getting through the bumps that is the tricky part.

We have 3 new pets:
Parmigiana, Rosie, and Nugget. They make eggs. I put a few pictures up on facebook. They're UGLY right now.
The coop feed store that has chicks has not been able to keep them instock. Alot of crazy live-off-the-land nuts are coming out of the woodwork and so we've been to the store countless times and each time they were out of everything except Guinea fowl and  ducks. Now we've had Guineas before and, uh.. no. that's not a mistake I'm repeating in this lifetime.

So we got what was available that we weren't likely to kill - gown laying hens. They had gotten in 100 3 day old chicks the day we got there last, except 3 day chicks while adorable need things like heat lamps- which we're not putting in my kitchen, thank you. Having a rabbit live in my kitchen is enough weirdness for me. 

Anyway.. I really liked the idea of having chickens.

However in practice I heard how much better fresh out of the chicken eggs were from store bought eggs. And I thought "great. I don't really like eggs, must be because they're from the store"
No. No. No.
I should have asked "Whaddya mean.. better? better how?"

It's because the flavor of fresh egg is so much more pronounced.
UGH. so not only do I not like eggs, I like fresh eggs less than stale 3 week old eggs.  It's not like feeding goats different food changing the flavor of their milk.. I can't feed the chickens chocolate and get Cadbury minieggs. (IF ONLY that could happen, I'd be one happy girl)

At least the kids like them.

No coyotes have gotten to them and once they get their feathers back in from their molting process they'll be less ugly.

And.. the kids are getting a new experience and skill set- raising chickens.

Speaking of kids.. 

They're counting down the 12 days left of school. And today Kayla was in tears that kindergarten will end, she'll have to spend all summer out of school and then go into first grade. Seriously. I can't wait this this one is a teen. Everything is such a big dramatic deal.
Of course she's been in school so long that she's picked up the class' habit of not listening the first time to what the teacher says so when I said "KAYLA! you need to listen when I'm telling you something" she replies "what?" 
One of us might not make it to see her teen years.

Sonia's class is putting on an end of year play "Geology Rocks!" an "extraordinary musical" where she plays a fern. Apparently it's not a speaking part.

Joey and JonMichael are boys. They had a friend over and spent 3 hours sword fighting and then nerf gun dart shooting. And that was their good behavior. JM actually has handled the chickens the most. I thought for sure he'd kill them the first day, but nope... he'd pick them up, handle them, toss them around and then when bored with it put it down and attack another. I see a new skill set in his future- circus animal wrangler. Or perhaps he can run the  "chicken race" show at county fairs.

But otherwise, we have the last night of Awana tonight- the Awards night. And soon we'll be on Summer vacation from all responsibilities.   What's better than homeschooling or public schooling? Summer vacation.