ancestors . . .

Two days ago I met the woman whose mama built this house. And yesterday I got to practice yoga with her. How beautiful is that?

new old stove

So, I just couldn't deal with the furnace wall oven (which overheated by about 300 degrees) and the bang-cooktop (which shorted every time you turned it on). So I found us an old electric range with two ovens (not exactly antique but retro for sure--but fully functional, precisely heating, and no shorting). Tim ripped out the other and installed this one. The arrangement is still a bit rough, but we are loving it.

summertime . . .

The days seem impossibly long. Doesn't get truly dark until 9:30 or so. Aurora just finished her first week of swimming lessons and she has been a star! The first day she wouldn't even get in the water, but now she is blowing bubbles and kicking and says she loves her teacher!

a little poem

I posted a little something on Craigslist to the tune of "you watch my hens and I'll watch yours. free yard eggs." I've gotten a few responses. This one is like a sweet poem:

Forgive the intrusion....I so loved your ad and photo...I would jump
at this joy...but I am
in Bastrop.....but only 3 chickens...??? they are cute...
Have fun...
Catine E. Perkins

pepper

Just thought I'd post a few shots of my gorgeous new Barred Rock, Pepper. Ain't she pretty? The chickens are putting up with her, for the most part. Just a little squabbling.

camp lisa

I took the kids today to listen to Lisa Loeb play a few things from her new album "Camp Lisa" at the B&N not too far from us. Aurora loved it, adored that we got to get her to sign our CD, and was astonished that the music on the CD was "the same music that lady was singing!!!"

father's day is around the corner . . .

Make a Smilebox photobook

crafty melty plastic

Remember this fun fine-motor skill activity? Great for busy little hands.

the heat

It has been roasting hot the past week or so, and the heat will continue. But the breeze does not let up. That is our saving grace.

We had to say goodbye to our Francesca. A raccoon or cat snatched her and left her beheaded beneath some bushes in the chicken run. It is sort of my fault because I left the coop open (even though the fence to the run was closed--and, I thought, impassible) because Francesca had been finding her way out in the mornings to peck about anyway, and I did not want her to be without water or without a way of getting back under cover should she need to. (Chickens are not so smart and just because she got out, she could not necessarily get back in.) She was a good head honcho chicken and I think the other two girls miss her. They seem a little less lively, a little less secure. I think she may have passed defending them. Mostly I don't really want to think about it too much. But I do batten down the hatches at night now, and the other two biddies are too chicken to explore as much as Francesca did. We will probably build a hyper-secure run (with a top) and acquire a replacement in the next few weeks. Aurora is convinced that it is a frog that got Francesca.

Anyhow. YAY OBAMA. Some good news. What a historical moment.

libraries and linocuts (and the plague)

We have all been dreadfully ill the past couple weeks and are just now returning to the land of the living. We all ended up on antibiotics for one reason or another. It stunk. It was like groundhog day. Each morning we would wake up expecting to feel better and then--NOT. But, thanks to the wonders of modern medicine, we seem to have survived.

To pass the time, Aurora and I did some linocuts together. She is a gifted abstract artist. I think she just loves the feeling of the lino-rubber as it cuts. It is quite satisfying. We tried layering some images too, batik style, and that was kinda fun.

We also went to the Bee Cave library and Aurora got her own library card. What a milestone. We checked out "Sylvester and the Magic Pebble" and some other winners. They also had, on DVD, The Gnome Mobile!!!!! I was so excited.

building blocks

Grandma Sue gave Aurora some of those awesome cardboard building blocks (remember those from your childhood??) that will allow her to build life-size castles and such. Demolition is as much fun as construction. Now I just have to find a place to store them . . . (The pictured castle was actually lovingly constructed by Uncle Andy.)

zeppo and trend forecasts

So . . . all chickens are still alive and clucking. Zeppo did have a go at Penelope once, though, but was loudly and emotionally dissuaded. It has yet to recur.

We have had many wonderful guests over the past week or so, both from my family and my hubby's. It is a pleasure to share our home with people we love. Everybody has a perspective on our upcoming renovation and on what our priorities should be with regard to the land, the children, and the chickens. We are learning to filter.

My cousin also played in his first semi-pro soccer game last weekend with the Austin Aztex. I am so incredibly thrilled for him!

So, some of you may know that I am a bit of an amateur trend forecaster (I was dead on with butterflies, toadstools, jelly shoes, and owls, was I not??) So here are my predictions for 2008-09:
1 Missoni print stuff
2 Witchy, gothic cottage motifs (hansel and gretel style)
3 Hobnail glasses
4 Yurts
5 Hippie hair
6 station wagons, retro style, but without the gas-guzzling feature
7 Fringe (predicted this one a couple months ago and am already seeing it in the marketplace)
8 Skirts with huge pockets
9 Wrap skirts
10 Wellies/rain boots worn with everything
11 pigtails
12 travel to Germany and Belgium
13 Rainbow Brite, Smurfs, Snorks, Sea Wees (if you don't remember these, click http://members.tripod.com/%7Eseawee/seawees.html and you will be reminded)
14 lobster and greyhound motifs
15 going braless
16 steely purplish-blue (the color of cerinthe) in paint, clothes, fabric, cars
17 oilcloth (ok-this one is already starting the climb to stardom)
18 black velvet worn any time of year
19 headbands
20 silver and gold worn together
21 peace
22 Holly Hobbie

You may notice that many of these trends are drawn from the endless font of style that is my 3 year old.

adventures in chickens

We have our little flock! We have acquired three hens--Dekalb Amber year-old laying hens. Their hen house is painted barn red with a sweet door and shutters of "Woodlawn Promised Land" green. Tim cut a heart out of the new door that he made for them--a true sign that he still loves me, even if he might be feeling a little "henpecked"!

I think the girls' names are Francesca--who rules the roost with her floppy pink comb, Gwenevere--second in command, with dark plumage on her back, and Penelope--who seems a bit broody. They are a riot, pecking and scratching all about. They were raised organically in Wisconsin, but have not spent time on grass before. They seem to be enjoying it. We have yet to introduce them to Zeppo. I will post as to how that goes.

We even got our first egg from them yesterday. Aurora loves them and has been traumatizing them with her affections at every opportunity.

I got an automatic waterer for them outside, so they will never run out of water, and they have a double wall fountain drinker inside. I am currently giving them pelletized layer feed from Tractor Supply, but they do not seem as interested in it as in the small amount of organic feed I acquired from the folks we bought them from. The guy we purchased the chickens from is starting up an USDA certified organic eggery in south austin. It is a pretty cool setup. They have some acreage off of Slaughter Lane and rotate the chickens throughout the pasture. There is a little chicken trailer on wheels that moves with them for the girls to roost in at night. I'll include a shot of their arrangement. It remains to be seen whether or not I will raise these girls organically from here on out. There is some added expense. But I have learned that a lot of the commercial feed contains chicken bi-products. That's just gross.

pond after the rain

We have had some serious hail, rain, and thunderstorms in the last couple days. They have filled Zeppo's swimming hole quite nicely!

our little world

Just thought I'd throw up a few shots of our little universe here in Drippin'.

chickens and birthdays

We have had many birthdays of grandparents in our family this week. May they all have a blessed year! We were lucky enough to get to Houston to celebrate my mom's and had much fun exploring Houston newest civic development--their gorgeous downtown park with lake and ampitheater. We also visited a fantastic store called Wabash Antiques and Feed, which got me even more excited about acquiring CHICKENS!

The dude on Craigslist that I'll be getting my "Dekalb Amber" chickens from says that they've been raised organically and have already begun laying. My longsuffering husband even agreed to acquire a free old handmade playhouse off of craigslist for them to live in (attached is a shot of it on his truck!). That booger is heavy and needs a coat of paint, but it has the cutest little moon cut-out like an outhouse!

roses

The roses inside the gate are in bloom now and, oh, they are lovely. What a tremendous gift from some anonymous past gardener. Thank you!

I can't wait to unpack my book of roses and discover their names!

returned

Just returned from Florida and am so glad to be home. Many are the pleasures of the Ramada, but it does get old. The kids did love the pool, though. Brynne was a radiant bride, even though the event ended up occurring at her parent's house instead of the beach due to impending thunderstorms. I think she has found herself a wonderful, kind, thoughtful partner. Aurora opened and closed the dance floor at the reception. Didn't know whether or not she would take after her mother in that regard, but it appears as though she may.

misty morning in the garden

The broken pitchfork is what came of my first attempt to dig here in the Texas limestone "topsoil." We broke down and rototilled the little veggie patch. It is misty and overcast today.