Sunday January 1st 2012

-14 C this AM.
It was hard to get up early this morning after staying up to wish in the New Year.  R made it until just before midnight.  After declaring, "I'll play the winner of the game", he promptly fell asleep face down on the carpet beside us... When the chess game was over we sang Auld Lang Syne to him before we carried him off to bed. However he was the first kid up this morning so he and I headed off to church together but when we got there we realized SS had been cancelled and so we were early for church service.
After lunch H, R and E flew around, looking at the cows.  The kids and I except for E walked down to the stackyard where they are each making a fort on top of the different hay stacks. When H and R came down we played Hide and Seek Tag and Sardines...Bee is a good seeker, but not such a good hider, she often gives us away with her wiggles. Ace is good at going up the stacks but pretty cautious going down, I think he remembers the fall he took off the top.  G was hunting pigeons, there are too many of them roosting down in the old shed there. I don't think he really likes to kill them. They are surprisingly beautiful birds, their feathers are so glossy and colorful.
I have 38 fresh chicken eggs sitting on my counter tonight.
 
"I can never take for granted again...an egg,
Such a perfect package,
Smooth, brown shell protects the dark yolk and white within,
A quick meal for me but.... a whole day's work for a hen."
IW
For now, omelettes and baking but in Spring...a bunch of fuzzy, new chicks to look after again!
I love being able to finish chores in half an hour or less these days but still I kind of look forward to the busyness of Spring.