25

We lost a chick overnight. I think it got under the mob and suffocated. Sad. Well, I guess we should be prepared for that. Anyway, the rest are one week old and already getting their wing feathers. They are very active and HUNGRY all the time. We will definately be reducing the flock before they are fully grown. Anyone interested? Our coop is coming along nicely. I think it will be too small if end up with 25 adult hens. Yikes. On a side note. I thought you might like to know what I do every evening at 5:00. I teach Swim Aerobics at EAC. The pool is sort of heated and has a solar cover, but the temp is only 78 degrees and the sun sets just after the class begins. I have 2 dedicated students still braving the cold. It is such great exercise without the jarring of gravity. Several of my students have lost 5 or more pounds from the class alone. It also pays me a little money to splurge on Christmas. My class officially ends Nov. 6th and I get my check Nov. 7. Great huh.

CHICKS!

Our chicks finally arrived! It was a harrowing weekend waiting for their delivery. ha ha The shipment was late arriving to Globe, so the chicks got stuck there on Saturday. Luckily we were in Mesa and just picked them up on our way home. They are SO cute. 26 fluffy, little puff balls. The are pretty quiet too. They eat like pigs, though. In 5 months or so we will have more eggs than we know what to do with. Right now they all look alike, but when they get their feathers, we will be giving them names. Darrin suggests one for each letter of the alphabet since there are 26. So, the quest is on. Give me your best ideas, and you might just get a chick named after you. I like old biddy names: Beulah, Gertie, Marge, etc. We're excited. They are going to get very ugly soon as they lose their down. Sarah says they will be dinosaur chicks then. We'll see. What we know for sure is that we will run out of room for them in the house before they are old enough to go out! This is the Globe Post Office.

NO CAMERA!

I, like Jill, am so sad that I didn't have my camera last Thursday. Darrin had called Dennis Palmer and asked if Dad could ride on his HUGE cotton picker the next time he was out. So...thursday morning Dennis calls and says he is on North Barney Ln. does Dad want to come? Does Dad WANT to come!!!??? Duh! So, we race out there and put him in the cab with Dennis (after climbing up the 10 ft. ladder) and buckle him in the jump seat. This was a 6 row, $165,000 machine with a/c, stereo, computerized controls, etc. He looked like a kid at DisneyLand. And I didn't have my camera. I think he will ride again sometime during the picking season, so my camera is in my car. He also enjoyed the weekend bachelor party. All the BOYS had a good time. Dad had requested some good old Mom food, so I did my best to make the meals like she did. They had flat enchiladas with a fried egg on top, BLT's minus the L and plus C (cheese) and potato/onion soup. Michael and Blake have never heard of enchiladas that way before. Where had they been? Dad eats so much better when he is eating familiar comfort food. Mom sure spoiled him rotten! Brooks took Dad to the mortuary and Dad picked out a headstone for mom's gravesite. It won't be ready by Thanksgiving, but a template will be available for viewing.

Cougar Fans!

Michael took a picture of Rachel and Grandpa in their BYU fan club attire. Doesn't he look fantastic. Hats off to you Rachel for bringing him out of the depths. Much love to the "football group".

Country Days

I thought I would give the native country point of view for Jill and Brad. Yes, we do this every year, but you missed something. The music at the grandstand. Every school and music teacher enters everyone in the competition and performance categories at the fair. So..here is Jesse and his 4th and 5th grade band on friday just before Dena's reception. Isn't he the cutest!? He also turned 11 on Wednesday. Of course the cake is monstrous. Can't believe it.

JOHN DEERE

This is what Darrin was born to do.

He loves to play with little kids and tractors. Curtis loves that "tator", so Darrin took him while he mowed. Then Jesse jumped on the back and there they stayed through all 4 lawns. This is just a preview of what grandpa wants to do with the John Deere. He bought a wagon that goes with it that he intends to put seats in and take all the kids for rides around the "track". The track will go underneath the zip line and around Brooks and Suzettes house. It is so good for him to have things to do. I wish I had a picture of his BYU hat and sweatshirt that Rachel F. sent him. He shows them off everyday. He is so excited to go to Utah and watch the football game.

Go Cougars!

CONNECTED!

We are finally computered again. It is rather nice, but I kinda enjoyed the lack of, too. Dad has said he would like to order the headstone and place it when everyone is here at Thanksgiving. I think that is a great idea. It looks pretty bare. I go by on my walk every morning, so it is weed free, but the little tin sign doesn't do her justice. So...are you all coming for Thanksgiving? Lela asked if we were doing something to commemorate Mom's 80th birthday on the 7th. Any suggestions? I am fresh out. I know it seems like we have a lot of time to worry about it, but we don't really. It would be good for Dad to be anxiously engaged. Moving to another subject....My yard is looking lovely. It has taken lots of hard work and sweat, but so worth is. We have battled a few pests and birds, but not too bad. I have decided that I got the farmer gene from Dad. I relax and lose myself in it. Dad has lost his desire to garden anymore though. It is so hard to watch him grow old and change. I guess we all have to do it. Have I told you about my aches and pains?

Technical Failure

Sorry about the long pause, but our computer died. We were able to save nearly everything, but have been without internet access for 2 weeks. Not much is new here anyway. Darrin's nephew, Raun, is living with us right now. He is 21 and saving to quit working and go back to school. He is the twin of Rue (currently seen on Emily's blog) I have planted most of my winter garden. I have just the spinach and brocoli left. So... I was prepping one of the planting beds and Raun asked why I was so gung hoe (hehe) about gardening. I told him that I am preparing for the "obamanation", as in an obamanation to the Lord. I crack myself up. It is a good thing cause no one else usually laughs. I am thinking about printing that on a t-shirt to sell. What do you think? I also want to print this one:
mediacracy-mediocre or low form of government manipulated by agencies of mass communication. Would you buy one? I have great ideas, but little courage. I also want to make one that says: PROUD PALIN PITBULL. Ha Ha. That is about as political as I get. I am back to teaching water aerobics at EAC. So I am brown again. And I smell like chlorine. Sorry I can't post any pictures cause they are on the old computer and this one is just a loner.

Good News!

Just thought I would share my conversation with dad this morning.
Me: Hello dad, how are you today?
Dad: I'm very good.

Did you catch that? I'M VERY GOOD!
This is a first since mom died. Every morning he either calls me or I call him and we go through the same scenario. But he always has said "terrible". Until this morning. Yipee! It is so hard to watch him grieve so deeply, but it certainly is understandable. Baby steps. Baby steps. I think maybe the weekend with Michael and Kim and the ZIPLINE was very helpful.. thanks guys.

7th Anniversary of 911 attacks.

I love this video. But the story behind it is just as compelling. Watch this first and then read the story
http//www.youtube.com/watch?v=TG4fe9GlWS8

The young man in the video is Joe Cook, and is indeed an Iraq veteran - one of three brothers from a Chicago suburb who served there. Cook was wounded in Baghdad during "surge" operations. The Chicago ABC affiliate did a story on Cook's homecoming in October, 2007.
He was badly wounded when the vehicle he was in was hit by a roadside bomb. Cook arrived at O'Hare airport Monday. <...>Late Monday afternoon, Joe Cook came home after weeks of stateside rehab.
"They're going to have to teach me how to walk without a limp, teach me how to run again. It should be fun," Joe Cook said.
He was captain of his high school cross country team but now will walk now with a prosthesis. His welcome home at the airport is being followed by a welcome home in the village of Wauconda. The village has made it a habit to welcome every combat vet back home.
"We want to make sure that nobody has the experience that our brothers and sisters had coming back from previous wars. We want everyone to feel welcome," police officer Pat Yost said.
Joe Cook said he's relaxed and looking ahead to college.
All three of the Cook brothers enlisted in the Army within six months of each other, and all volunteered for service in Iraq. Their parents say each one of the sons was determined to pursue that choice. And while the parents are extremely excited to have Joe back at home, they still have two sons in Iraq. This was posted on Aug. 27 - I don't recall the exact views then but it was a six-figure number. It's been viewed 3.4 million times as of now - I suspect that's not going to slow for a while. Is that a problem for the Obama campaign?
I HOPE SO! I LOVE THIS COUNTRY!