At the T.R.E.E. House

before I brought out the girls

for the campers to pet

and pass around, Piper showed the class what he had learned in school. And, thank goodness he didn’t embarrass me in front of all those people. He did great! So during the break,

we got to wander through the museum

and make some new friends…including a cowboy

wearing white tails.

They showed him some of the really neat stuff available for them to play with.

He even got to try some of it out, and

we took a spin in their pretend police car.
Piper had a blast! And guess what? SO DID I!

Don’t worry, it’s not what you might think. Friday Nancy and I went to the T.R.E.E. House to be a part of their Vet Camp.

Actually, they invited Nancy. She invited Piper and me. Then I volunteered to bring some chickens.

I brought two hens and some chicks. They liked the hens, but they REALLY liked the chicks. The only problem was that there were about twenty-five campers and only five chicks. Sooo… I had the boys and girls sit in a circle. Then I handed a chick to five children equally spaced around that circle.

I told them that when I gave the signal, they were to pass the thing to the person on their right. This went on until everyone in the circle had a chance to hold a chick.

I can’t speak for the chicks, but that circle of campers had a ball. So, incase you ever find yourself in a situation where you need to pass a chicken…this method works pretty well…just sayin’.

Mornings like this

always remind me of Mamaw and Papaw Simmons. The busiest part of their day was between daylight and lunch (which they ate about 10:30). They had both worked for a living as school teachers, but when they retired, they lived for a living. As a young child, I was fascinated by the rhythm and rhyme of their daily routine.
Mamaw and Papaw stayed busy…but not like we do today. They seemed to know just how much was enough. Then they shut everything down and sat on the porch until the mosquitos got bad.
Being an artist, I am aware of how the expressive content, or the message of a work of art is affected by how well certain design principles are executed. These principles are balance, proportion, rhythm, emphasis and unity. Mamaw and Papaw Simmons were artists who had a command of these principles. They didn’t draw or paint or sculpt. Their medium was life…and they were masters.

I purchased Tandy,

with the intention getting her certified as a Therapy Rabbit…and we’re working on that. I thought she could do the circuit

with Piper and me. I think that will happen, but first, I need to convince Piper to think of her as a co-worker instead of a snack.
Anyway, on Saturday, Tractor Supply, along with K9 Academy, hosted an awareness

for Working Dogs For Vets, and Nancy invited Tandy and me to sit at their booth. I accepted her invitation, not only because of what they were promoting, but because I needed to take that rabbit for a test drive to see if she might be a good candidate for the whole therapy deal.
The girl came through with flying colors! Maybe it was because she lives with a dog and two cats. Maybe it was because she gets loved on by my three grandchildren. Maybe its just in her DNA.
There were some people whose day she seemed to make, and I want to share them with you.

Nothing seemed to phase her…..

not even Thunder stepping on her blanket and sniffing her snacks.
I think she’s a natural.

Time sure has a way of speeding by. One day we were holding the twins on our laps and riding them around the property on a golf cart. Now, they have learned to drive the thing and are giving us rides around the property.
Day before yesterday, I squeezed in between them for one of those rides.
Denton, as usual, was the first driver.

As he was turning onto one of the old nursery roads he said, “I pray the Lord that the next time we go to the Dollar Store, they have…(he named two Transformer figures whose names I can’t recall.)
I just looked at him kinda funny.
Looking straight ahead he said, “If they’re there…it will be a sign from God.”

The boys spent most of the day with us on the fourth. A lot of the time we were outside, and that was possible because it was cooler, with very little humidity.
Joel pulled up corn stalks

and put them in the front end loader to take to the goats, while Hudson and Denton

played in the bean tunnel.
That went on for a while, then Denton suggested that we visit the story tree.

This time we brought some books. Denton read a while,

and I read a while. And then,

we just visited and enjoyed the nice weather.
I had my camera with me and Denton decided that he wanted to take some pictures, so

I showed him how to hold the thing, gave him a few pointers on composition, and away he went.

For the most part, he did pretty good.

He alternated between taking pictures of Hudson and taking pictures of objects.
And finally, because he is seven, and a boy, he took several shots

of hog poop…for evidence that hogs had been on our property…like we needed more proof to support that theory.

Here’s the deal. In early May I purchased

three Silkie chicks. Why three? Well, when the lady at the feed store asked, “How many”, that’s just the number I blurted out.
Since it was a straight run batch, I was hoping for three hens. Or, two hens and a rooster. But, after two months,

I still don’t have a clue what I’ve got.
With Silkies, its difficult to determine gender. You’ve got to know what to look for concerning combs, wattles and feather patterns.

It would be nice if you could just turn them over and look for certain gender related landmarks. But, come to find out, “THOSE” are on the inside.

I’m hoping beyond all hope that among my feather footed friends, there are more hens than roosters. If there is more than one rooster, then I’ll need to separate them, or take bets from my neighbors on which one is the better fighter.

Neutering is also an option, but that might bring about a discussion very much like the one when Joel called home and asked what was going on. I said, “Well, the cat had surgery.” He said, “Susan, we don’t have a cat.”

So, if it turns out that I have more than one rooster, pray about bringing one into your home as a companion. You know where to find me.