The Little Joys

Just a quick post to honor my favorite holiday,  Thanksgiving.  Here's a pictorial peek at the past couple of weeks, and some of the things that have brought me such joy.  

Meet Elizabeth, the most docile, sweet, soft, and beautiful chicken.  She is sleeping on Caeley's knees, soaking up the sun on one of the warm days we had recently.  She likes to be cradled like a baby, belly-up, and scratched on her neck.  It puts her right to sleep!

See what my children look like when they are unsupervised?  Apparently they have the Photo Booth program on the iPad down pat!

We started taking the chickens out of the garage for exercise.  They were really scared at first, and used me as "base."  I certainly don't mind being "mommy hen."  They don't call me Chicken Lady for nothing!

By far the best picture I've ever taken.  This is THE reason I love fall and I love living where we live.  This is the church we were married in and this is one of the last trees around that still has leaves.  

If I had had something better than my iPhone with me, these pictures could've been really cool!

Crunchy, colorful leaves!

Stay a while!

The Grand Applesauce Adventure!  My first time making applesauce.  Spent all day Saturday with two of my friends and we got about 80 quarts done!!  I can see why families, particularly mothers and daughters, aunts and grandmothers, etc. were so close in the olden days.  Spending all day together at tasks like this gives you lots of time to talk, tell stories, and learn about each other!

The chickens being introduced to the garden and helping fertilize before Spring!

Can you see 5 chickens?

Meet Frightful and Nelly.  Two of the biggest scaredy cat chickens ever.  But they have cool feathers, so we'll let it slide.  (Frightful got her name because her feathers have grown in all weird--they stick up on end instead of laying flat.   She looks frightful and acts frightful!   Nelly is named after the phrase "Nervous Nelly.")

FINALLY OUT OF THE GARAGE AND ONTO GRASS!  I was going to wait another week to move them, but the temperatures look decent this week, and we were ready to have them OUT.   Our garage was beginning to smell pretty nasty.  The chickens were completely confused after the move.  Here they are wondering what is going on.  

Their new feeder and waterer, which they won't knock over about 50 times a day.  They are also big enough so I won't have to refill them 2 or 3 times a day like I was doing with the chick feeder and waterer!

The view from the brooding area down the ladder into the caged area.

These Leghorns are so precocious---always the first to try new things, the first to come over when called, the first to get the sunflower seed snacks.  They need a bit more taming, though, and are super prone to flying away.  I am anxiously awaiting the day when their bodies are a little heavier and their wings can't take them so far!

Friends by the First Fall Fire! 

Lunch at Panera--one of our favorite "city treats."

I hope that you have found joy in some of the little things in your life lately!