We went to a picnic yesterday at a friend’s house. Besides an incredibly fun zip line (yes, we’re looking into one…wheee!), Neko found this big snail. She carried around with her the whole night, and Kate C. was kind enough to let us take it home.
It will be returning to its nature home shortly, but in the meantime, it is much beloved.
I was about to get on the exercise bike this morning when my phone rang. This was bit alarming, as it was 7:00am, and I only had my phone because I use it as a timer.
“Hello?” I answered cautiously.
It was the Post Office. Our chicks were in. Which was quite a surprise, since I hadn’t expected them until Thursday or Friday.
But here they are. They’ve already made a trip to school to meet K/1/2. They have been loved and cuddled and then cuddled some more. I hope not cuddled too much. The kids cannot get enough of them.
We had one who wasn’t looking too good this morning. I wasn’t sure she was going to make it, but by this evening she was looking perky, despite her small size. They’ve all been named (cross your fingers we don’t lose one): Fluffy, Blob, Mosh, Professor Cluck, and James. Despite their boyish names, they are all girls (we hope).
My favorite new fact about chicks is that it’s a bit like hanging out with a bunch of narcoleptics. They’ll be in the middle of doing something and then all of a sudden they just sink to the ground and pass out, in the most bizarre places and positions. Apparently, this is perfectly normal.
I’m also surprised that I find them to be extremely calming. I really think I could just sit and watch them for hours. Toddling about, stepping all over one another, and passing out cold on the feed bowl. It’s really quite zen.
I apologize now for the onslaught of cute chick photos you all are about to endure. I’ll try to mix some cute kids in there while I’m at it.
Who knew?
All our tadpoles went kaput. I suspect we had some bacteria in our water. I suppose this is why toads lay several thousand eggs at a time, eh? The batches at Susie’s and the school are both doing fine, so Susie passed on a fresh batch to us.
Well, other than Shep’s cold, which has left him sort of sad and sniffly, and made us have to cancel brunch plans with Duncan’s family. (That last part almost sent the whole day into a black hole of doom.) But Shep, ever the trooper, never complained once.
But other than that? Perfect.
Trip to the garden store. Vegetable seeds planted (better late than never). Overcame my OCD and let the kids pick out all the flowers for the window boxes on the swing set. They did a fantastic job, and it looks beautiful.
Neko spent hours (and I mean hours) chasing butterflies. Her crowning glory was this swallowtail.
Tom gave me a respite this afternoon, and I went to work on our own Secret Garden.
Now he’s off to a lecture, and all the kids were in bed by 7:45pm.
Perfect. (Or as perfect as it gets around these parts.)
It blows my mind that less than a week ago this thing didn’t even exist, and then suddenly here it is. A tadpole. Mother Nature is pretty impressive.
What did you do to celebrate Easter?
Somewhere in the midst of our day, the kids made their way over to the small pond. From the distance, I saw Neko moving toward us with an exciting find. “I found a toad!” she cried. “With a baby on its back!”
Long story short, that was no baby.
She had found two American toads in the midst of laying and fertilizing eggs. After some coaxing, she returned them to the pond. But after a bit of patient waiting we were able to gather some toad eggs to bring home. Who knows if we’ll see them through to full toadhood. But in the meantime? We’ve got some very excited junior scientists on our hands.
We headed over to Duncan’s house for dinner. The sun was about to set, so the kids squeezed in a quick visit with the sheep. (Which, wheeee! Sheep! I’d have a whole farm full of animals if Tom weren’t here to keep me in check.)
Then there was this great ramp, which was excellent for running and leaping.
And the hairless rat, which Neko held the entire time we were there and tried to smuggle into her shirt and take home.
For the grown-ups? Moroccan stew and good company.
