One of the things around home that makes me smile lately is that my baby chicks have been adopted by two broody hens. The hens were so frustrated with trying to set and raise a brood in the nestboxes in our henhouse since we kept taking their eggs that I decided to pop them into the cage with my chicks and see if they would settle down into it and mother the chicks. Since it has been such a cool summer it is handy to have two hens adopt the chicks. They keep the chicks warm and there is no need for a light for warmth. It will also be nice when it comes time to blend the new clutch of chens in with the older hens. The foster mothers will protect the chicks and keep the old hens and rooster from attacking them.

Besides the practical aspects, I'm happy to watch the two broody hens be soooo proud of themselves and so happy to have accumulated a nice batch of babies. It does look kind of silly for the two hens to be trying to fit 29 chicks under their wings and now that they are comfortable with each other and with the batch of chicks they  often have little chicks climbing all over them, including their heads and necks when I go out to feed and refill their waterers.

Other than that the peas are plumping up in the garden, a handful of strawberries have ripened, a second batch of rhubarb is gracing my kitchen counter and the old hens are laying lots and lots of eggs. The summer squash seeds have not germinated and the cucumbers came up but are sitting there not making any progress. The cool weather is not so good for groiwng those kinds of things. The tomato plants are slowly getting bigger but not blossoming yet. Day lilies are starting to bloom and the sweet pea blossoms are opening up today. I have a planting of them together along the bank above the driveway. I like the way they look with the bright orange sticking up out of the bright and pale pink blossoms and the swirls of green leaves too.
 
My cherry trees are starting to inch towards ripe fruit. It is late this year too.

I'm still basking in the afterglow of our Fourth of July holiday weekend. It was lots of fun to have a bit of time with our two grandsons who our oldest daughter and her hubby brought to visit. The kids loved the ducklings, kittens, cats, chickens, Guinea Hens, Chickens, pen of chicks with broody hens. We went fishing and both boys managed to catch a fish . Which was no small feat for Big Grandpa to pull off as he was the main helper with the two year old and the one year old fisherman. The one year old was pretty excited to watch the fish swimming around in the bucket after they were caught and proceeded to toss our extra bobbers in the bucket with them and then into the creek below the dam. Big Grandpa took off his shoes and rolled up his pants to retireve them with a smile after I discovered where they were now.

We enjoyed the parade and fireworks and a picnic in town by the deer park. Our little one year old grandson insisted that the deer were dogs. He was certain that they were dogs and would not be persuaded to even try to say the word deer. He did mange to say chicken, cat, kitten, duck, grandpa, down, up and lots of others but not deer. Every time I pointed to the deer and told him they were deer he answered dog,dog,dog dog dog. Also when the fireworks began he frowned and intoned bad bad bad. It was fun to listen to both the boys and to share the day with our other offspring who manageed to carve out time. Another married daughter who is pregnant and her hubby came to the parade and picnic and their baby performed right on cue so her sister got to feel lots of kicks and squirms during the picnic. The sons in law had great discussions about birth and why is is scary and exciting from a guy perspective. Our youngest got to share her hopes and dreams with her siblings and we all cheered for son who was in two local parades, including the one we watched.


 

    Here's the link to the  wedding flowers  as botanyhead posted on her blog!

  This afternoon our neighbor dropped her baby off for Song to keep an eye on while she tackles her list of tasks so I'm writing this blog to the tune of Gemini's children's songs to which the baby is singing goo goo goo ahhh while Song bounces him and cuddles him. The birds are piping up with their spring songs outside the window each time the cd switches to the next tune. It's fun to have this little visitor this afternoon. I think we get as much as we give in this babysitting plan. It perks the whole household up to have a neighbor drop by with her baby!

  Isn't that how a lot of things are?
 
  You get as much or more than you give.

  This past weekend as hubby and  I were preparing to skip downstate to go to a wedding of a friend I got a phone call from my eldest offspring, who was heading there to do the flower arrangements, boutineres and corsages. "Could you skip out and pick some lilacs for the bride?" she asked. I was really excited and relieved to get that call because at that point I did not have a clear idea of what to give the bride and groom for a wedding gift other than a jar of maple syrup. So Song and I took a trip to a couple of old pioneer farmsteads in our area which have been deserted for a couple of generations to pick armsful of lilacs just beginning to open. Then hubby and I stuffed the car with our weekend togs and the posies and headed off on our adventure while Song headed to her mystery party and our aging cocker spaniel held down the fort by himself with help from the cats, kittens and chickens!

  Our gift of flowers and time spent later that night making arrangements with our eldest then more time the next day baby watching and helping to arrange the arrangements at the church We had to juggle the grandkids back and forth as well as the flowers to get the bouquets in the right spots before the young couple exchanged their vows!  But again all that giving made me feel more full not emptier. It was fun to do something for several somebodies who needed it.

  On the way back from the wedding  and reception we stopped to buy lunch meat, cheese, bread and fruit for our Sunday afternoon meal we expected to have with our middle child who has been busily moving back to the north and for the meal I had promised to help the teenagers prepare for themselves on Sunday night. Our time was filled with a rush to the next thing as we stopped on our way back north yet another time to pick up our recent college grad so she could be with us at the Sunday service we would be attending to install my son in law in his new position in a neighboring town as youth and child director for a congregation there.

  Then Sunday I lined up and smiled and prayed and smiled some more as I watched the installation and toured the new apartment home where the two are poised to become three and are feeling their way into a new start in a new place. I was there along with my son in law's parents, hubby and three of my offspring. The head pastor treated us to a lunch of pizza and ice cream cones after the two services. I left my daughter with a cantaloupe to enjoy later which I had brought along to be part of lunch. But we didn't need it or the pasta she was planning to cook since the pastor provided a spur of the moment lunch for all of us at the church!

  Which brings me to another thing I've been pondering lately.

  God provides in some odd ways sometimes.

  It's fun to watch really.

  I often hold up needs and ask God  what is going to happen to make this possible.

  This past week I have seen God provide not only a way to give a meaningful gift to a bride and groom, an unexpected  meal on Sunday afternoon,  some meat to fill our freezer, plants to fill out our vegetable garden, wild mushrooms, and  leeks, some things to put away in my present box for graduation,Father's Day, birthday, and Christmas gifts. Some  of these things have been free and some have been at a tremendous savings, like the sewing machine I picked up at a yard sale for $10,  and the big box of diotomaceaous earth for a couple of bucks which will help to rid my garden of slugs this summer.  One of the more  interesting things happened Sunday night as I was waiting for the teens to get back from the service project they were out doing. I noticed somebody had brought two nearly dead bouquets of flowers into the Chapel kitchen and left them. Since I had some time on my hands I took the two bouquets apart and made a smaller arrangement out of the still good Stargazer lilies and some greenery. Later that night  I gave  it away with instructions to bring the vase  back to the kitchen when the flowers fade. I made another little bouquet of dried yellow roses and pinned that on the bulletin board outside the church kitchen. One person's trash became something somebody else could treasure! It only took a little time and listening to my Father's voice.

Jeremiah 33:3 (New International Version)

³ 'Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.'