Day 3 & 4

March 29 & 30, 2013

We actually accomplished a lot the last two days. We were so busy that I took very few pictures and didn’t post until now. But we also spent time with family and friends.

It started with me just fussing over the details of the projects I already did. I ran out of edging, so I can’t get the lamp post to look quite right.

I did have some fun with the path up to my front porch. I got a great deal on some flat stones a few years back. I swept and raked to uncover them, then got an idea. I had a bag of chia seeds which I never did try on my cereal. My original idea was to plant chamomile seeds between the stones, but they require direct sun. This path is in dappled shade. Our chia pets were always supposed to stay out of the sun. So, I poured seeds all over the path and swept them into the dirt between. I thought it would be fun to have a little greenery in between the stones. I don’t know if it will work, but I love to experiment.

The funny thing was, they began to gel before I got them all off the stones. I had to spray them with the hose to release them. We’ll see how they do.

We did get the chicken coop moved into place, but broke the bottom board in the process. I moved most of the compost into the space between for the chickens to enjoy (and turn it and add their manure, get to work girls!). I read that some people never give their chickens commercial feed, just kitchen scraps and foraging in the yard. I can’t let my girls free range unless I am out there, but I am hoping to cut back on the feed quite a bit.

My dear little brother came over and pulled out a stump for me. We had been working for some time cutting down this oversized bush at the corner of the house. We spent most of a Saturday cutting it down to size and hacking at the roots. We wrapped a tow strap around it and hooked it to our SUV and tried to pull it out. It laughed at us. Hubby started the car and tried to pull it out and it did not budge.

My brother came over in his work truck and wrapped a chain around it. He had that stump out of the ground before I knew what happened. Yay! Now I have another planting bed or new location for my garden shed. Still haven’t decided which.

Hubby also got most of the broken fence down and the bamboo cut down and dug up. I wish I had taken pictures of that.

It’s been wonderful seeing my home reborn. I find it fitting that it is taking place in the spring, the season of new beginnings. As I pause to celebrate our risen Christ, I am overwhelmed with joy.

Thank you Lord for sending your Son, Jesus! Thank you for my family and friends. Please give me the strength and resources to celebrate with my family. Help me to remember what is important.

Amen

Day 2

March 28, 2013

Today, I raked leaves.

I raked and raked and raked.

With 2 mature oak trees, it's a never ending job. But, it does make for lots of free mulch. I filled most of the driveway, around the lamp post and around the bed out back.

There are several reasons I rake these leaves. It uncovers the lawn so it can actually grow. It picks up all the trash that finds it's way into the yard and then there's the free mulch benefit. It also clears all the kindling from the lawn so we can stow it in the brush pile until needed.

Thank you Lord for the energy and stamina it took and for such a beautiful day :)

Amen

Day One

March 27, 2013

My journey starts at the curb.

Not only should this please the neighbors, but it is the first thing we see when we arrive home. I have a neglected bed of roses along the left side of the driveway. I used to have 12 rose bushes that I acquired and purchased over the years. Most of them I rescued from a friend who did not want to care for them. They were in a soggy, over watered bed at her house. Unfortunately, their new home is the most inconvenient place to water on my property. Many of them have died, the mulch overgrown and decayed. It is difficult to see where the bed stops and the weedy lawn begins.

So, I pruned the remaining bushes back, pulled out the weeds and freshened up the mulch with oak leaves. The oak leaves are free and I have an unending supply. A neighbor gave me these pieces of cement garden border a few weeks ago. So far, I have spent nothing but about an hour’s work. There are only 4 roses left so I will need to plant the rest of the bed with something to help sustain my family.

The mail arrived with a notice from our local utility company. We have new watering restrictions and can only water one day a week. This is an added inconvenience, but does not make it impossible. I have a rain barrel, but it is out back. I will just have to carry water around for now.

So, what to plant in the bed? I have a large pot with Rosemary and Lavender growing in it. They are quite large and would do nicely in that location. This bed receives morning sun instead of afternoon, but if I plant them towards the road they should receive the same amount. This will be a nice start. Perhaps I can plant more flowering hers to finish it off. I’ll see what is in my seed stash.

I also repaired and straightened our mailbox and post lamp. Both items had encounters with vehicles and were tilted and broken. I still need to do a bit of work on them, so pictures will come later.

We thank you Lord, for such a successful start. Thank you for beautiful weather, energy and plentiful resources. Please continue to bless my endeavor. Amen.

 

Suburban Neglect to Homestead

March 27, 2013

Welcome! You are invited to follow along as I take control of my little piece of the planet. Since I will now be working from home for the foreseeable future, I need my home and yard to work for us too. People on the spectrum need order, peace and nutritious food.

Much of our corner lot is a collection of misplaced plants, unfinished projects and honestly……..just plan neglect. I hope to conquer our jungle and turn it into something that nourishes my family spiritually and physically.

I also need to accomplish this for next to nothing. I have already acquired so many items for my chickens and gardens that I know it can be done. I plan to work hard, barter, yard sale and Craig’s List to get the job done.

But first, I lift this endeavor up to you Lord:

Father God, thank you for entrusting me with this beautiful piece of your creation. Thank you for spreading oaks to shade and climb. I love the size and location, the lush plants and flowers. Please forgive us for not being the stewards that reflect our love for You. We love You Lord.

Beginning today, help me to shape this into the nurturing environment I crave. Give me the strength, endurance and resources I need. It is the desire of my heart that this plan is your will, not mine.

In Jesus name I pray,

Amen

Tears and Hot Chocolate

March 6, 2013

My boy is growing so much this year, and in so many ways.

When we came home from school today, Kyle immediately grabbed the leash and announced that he was taking Percy for a walk. When we got this dog, it was difficult for him to handle all the energy a 10 week old puppy can dish out. He would try to play with him, get scratched or nipped, then stomp off to his room to read a book or something.

Now here he was offering to spend time with the dog, go outside and actually walk down the street without being prompted. I do suspect he was trying to avoid dealing with the news I had given him on the ride home.

Earlier that day, I went into our den to get the vacuum cleaner. We keep our pet gerbil, Goldie there on Kyle’s desk. Whenever I am in there, I take a peek to make sure all is well. Normally, I tap the cage door and she peeks out at me. I usually give her a pumpkin seed or one of the unidentified pellets from her seed mixture. She particularly liked the pinkish ones.

Today it was very quiet in there, so I tapped the cage door. I could see her curled up in the shred at the bottom of her cage. She didn’t move so I tapped again. Nothing. She was gone.

I picked Kyle up right after school. I wanted him to have plenty of time in the evening to shed tears and say his goodbyes. There would still be homework and evening chores, so it would be better if he met with his friends another day.

I told him in the car while we were still in the school parking lot. Even though she was almost 5 years old, he blamed himself for not taking better care of her. Now he was taking this walk before he chose to go see her.

He was only gone about ten minutes. I was surprised and asked if everything had gone ok. He said it did, but he decided to turn around before he reached the end of the road. “There was a girl walking in front of me. She kept turning around and staring at me. I think she thought I was following her and I was freaking her out. So, I turned around early.”

Something people with Asperger’s have difficulty with is reading social clues. Especially, non-verbal ones. The fact that he noticed that he was making her nervous, even though she didn’t say anything to him is a huge step forward for him.

So, now it was time to take care of Goldie. He approved of the box I found, but insisted on putting clean bedding in it for her. “That’s to apologize to her for not taking better care of her” he said. I chose a place in the garden behind the gardenia. He liked the idea that the bush will have white flowers soon. I had dug the hole already when he came out with the box. Then he suddenly decided she needed a toilet paper tube in there with her and ran back inside.

You see, empty toilet paper tubes were the only chew toy Goldie enjoyed. We spent more money on that silly little rodent than I ever dreamed I would. But she ignored every chew block, biscuit and stick we got her. Finally, one of us stuck an empty toilet paper tube in there for her to crawl through. She promptly chewed it to bits! From then on, we couldn’t use tp fast enough for her. Sometimes I would even bring one home for work.

Kyle was back outside in a few moments and gently put the box in the hole. He took the shovel from my hands and covered the hole with soft dirt. He gave it a couple pats and looked at me. I raked the mulch over and gave him a hug. Then we walked inside.

In the kitchen, we made hot chocolate. We whipped some cream, heated the milk and stirred in the chocolate. As we sipped together, we talked of hot chocolate and how to make the best cup. No more was said of the little golden ball of fur that had gone on without us.

Dear Lord, thank you for my wonderful son. I pray he will continue to grow strong, wise and to be a man chasing after your heart. Amen

Aspie Friends

My son has a friend. A best friend, a very special friend. Someone he can be himself with, obsess over video games, talk in rapid fire monotone while pacing the floor with his DS in his hands. Basically, someone he can be autistic around.

They met in 2^nd and 3^rd grade. They are the same age, but his friend is a year ahead of him. He is very smart, so his parents gained permission to enroll him in Kindergarten early. He and my son were in a combined second and third grade class and a bond was formed.

A year later, his friend switched schools. The two remained friends, going to each other’s birthday parties and hanging out during school breaks. They continue to be friends to this day, even though they are in eighth and ninth grades. My son is still in a small Christian school; his friend is in a magnet high school.

They can go for weeks, even months without a chance to speak to each other. But when that call comes, the joy on my son’s face is unmatched. He will snatch up the phone and march to his room and stay for hours if we let them.

Most of the time, my son acts and speaks pretty normal. He has learned over the years what normal is supposed to look like. He can sit quietly, pay attention in class, make eye contact and even extend his hand when meeting an adult. I am so proud of him.

But when he is interacting with this one, special friend, everything is different.  My soul is torn apart by emotion as I watch him joyfully slip back into his autistic behavior. My heart soars to see him so happy, but breaks with the reminder of how different he really. My prayer for aspies everywhere would be for them to find that one special friend.

Peace on Feather Beach

Feather Beach is the name of our chicken enclosure. Thought I would have some fun with the fact that I use a sand floor, live in Florida and have some beach decor to spare.
I love my girls! And like any good mama I don't like to see them fight. I especially don't like bullying and seeing blood drawn. But, that is sometimes the world of chickens.
We have 5. A golden comet named Haley (my husbands pun) a black giant named NightWhite (she had a single white feather on each wing until she started to lay. Kyle named her.) Snowy is one of 3 easter eggers, white with black flecks, Sadlie is a lovely buff color and has a beard. And then, there is Raven.

 

Raven is EE#3, mostly black with white flecks, I think it is called penciling. She has never wanted to be petted, picked up or handled in any way. As a chick, she would often seem to push her sisters around and try to be first at everything. Kyle named her because the markings on her head when she was a chick reminded him of a bird of prey.

When they began to lay, she seemed to settle down a bit. Still bossy from time to time, but nothing serious. Until this past weekend.
She seemed more agressive than usual all week. Then I noticed her picking on NightWhite. I saw her jump on her back and attack her a couple times, so I chased her off. Friday evening I saw that Nightwhite had a cut on the back of her neck. I went to the feed store and got some Blue Lotion to put on it. The deep blue covered the bright red wound and even had a simular iridescence to  her beautiful black feathers.

But her safety was short lived. The next day I had just finished putting in a bed of onions when I heard loud cries from the pen. I looked up just in time to see Raven on NightWhite's back. I ran to the pen and she got off, but Nightwhite did not get up right away. She did however when I got the pen open. She flew to the highest roost. Since she was safe, I was determined to get Raven out of there and away from the rest. I got a hold of her and put her in my travel cage. Just enough room in there for her,  a perch, food and water, but not much else. I did not feel right to leave her in there for long.
NightWhite's neck was torn open again. With Fred's help, I poured peroxide on it them more Blue Lotion. I needed a better solution for the night. A friend of mine loaned me a decent sized cage that was missing a side. Fred and I attached it with bungee cords to the side of the pen. Raven spent the night and all of next day in it.
When I came home from work, I saw that Raven had knocked her water over. I let everyone out so I could watch them interact. I tipped the waterer back up and Raven spent the next several minutes drinking from it.

 

I put the rest of the girls in the back yard and put Raven in the pen by herself. I left her drinking yet more water and went inside for a while. About a half hour later I heard her calling. I went out and let them all free range together for awhile. There seemed to be no problems, so I put them in the pen together for the night. Last I checked, they were all lined up on the perch for the night.
Peace has once again returned to the coop, for now :)
From what I am reading, and others are telling me, sometimes you need to isolate an agressive bird for awhile. Hopefully, they peace will last until we can enlarge their area.