Chickens Live Here and Other Events

When you walk in the door you know that chickens live here. The chicks' rapid growth collateral fallout is an olfactory event. They're still cute.





After a few damp, teen-years, Missouri summers with a chicken-feather stuffed pillow and the 1000 baby chicks raised one spring in my brother's bedroom, the odor is familiar and maybe is why I think chickens are my friends. (The 1000 baby chick story is for another time.) As I sit here, Wendy's chicks are pecking on the sides of the cardboard box they live in. There is nothing there but cardboard so I am guessing they like the sound. Maybe, they are tapping out a code, organizing to rise up and free themselves to run through the house. Or fly?

The cold spring is definitely over, fans from the Saharan attic are appearing one-by-one throughout the house. Frezz appreciates the one I set up for him and me here in the living room

...but it's a damp heat.

You, of the Desert Southwest, are probably scoffing.

Backing up to last weekend, Aidan had his final concert of the season that took place in the Perelman Theater in Verizon Hall. They made good music. Here's the last movement of the last piece...

Taking a bow...

Out on the street Buskers hustled to their own drumbeat...







The next morning, Monday, Keoni headed to NC to visit his friend Caroline and her family at the beach where they stayed; now returning up the coast to Connecticut with a history tour out the window of their car conducted by Caroline's dad.

Keoni sent a beach picture to love...

A pause here: To reflect on the long friendship I've had with Jean. She is on the West Coast and is reaching her final days in hospice care and the gentle ministrations of her loving daughter with her almost-three-year-old granddaughter sometimes along. I am sad and at the same time gladdened we could have had this long time to be friends.

I think about her as I sort through keepsake type things wondering who in the world would want such-and-such item. You'd think I'd down-sized enough by now, but that isn't completely the case. There are those nine boxes that came on the Greyhound bus almost three years ago. A few of them contained things I definitely wanted to keep (and sadly, a couple of them were broken), and some that there wasn't enough time to pare down further. I'm practicing diligence in redistributions of the contents as I consult the Universe and free them to Her directives.

Walks now are assisted by a swath that Wendy mows along the fence lines around the property. It also makes less opportunity for ticks to brush onto me as I go along.

Everywhere people mow their lawns and encourage their plantings and flowers. The mowing is olfactory balm. The flowers are eye-candy...

The R & J Market on Allentown Road added this room onto their store.

And at Marge's...

It's now hard to imagine the snow so deep that the red-leafed tree was barely peaking.

Leaves of Grass, Ticks, and Chicks

Yesterday, I had the windows in my bedroom open. Yea! Springtime has finally won her struggles with winter. The nearly daily rain stopped for a bit, too, and walks in the afternoon commenced marred only by the presence of a tick--twice--after walks. Luckily, they could easily be brushed into the commode before they took a taste. I'm left to wonder what the blood thinner I take would have done to them,

Aidan came with me on some of the walks. We enjoyed the grassed fields a lot. Aidan demonstrates his enjoyment...








He used my camera for a bit...

Aidan appreciated the fields we tramp through and snapped this...

...and this...

...and this...








The empty paper towel tube I set aside for recycle became fodder for Aidan's imagination and he demonstrated "Re-use" and saved the planet one bit of refuse--at least for a little while...







In other news, the household has welcomed 15 baby chicks from the Cackle Hatchery in Lebanon, Missouri. Starting with the boxes; the first came from John's work and sits by a window in the living room, yes, the living room since the whole family wants a chick experience several times a day. Me, too.

Fifteen of them with a hatchery assurance they are female. All praises if it is true. Another Amos rooster wouldn't get my gold star. As you can see Amos the Rooster in Tucson lives on in my memory and not in a good way. Well, I guess I'll admit he had great shiny, black-with-color-tints feathers when he hadn't molted them in the heat and run around featherless.

Keoni, home from school, helped with the unpacking
.

Wendy says the darker ones are Americanas, and I forget what the others are called though one breed lays in winter.  I remember the rest are varied breeds, so it will be interested watching what develops.

First sip of water!...

...and now we know how to take lots of sips of water.

Just a week later, they are still just as popular.

Toby had his comeuppance and had to go to the veterinarian for his annual. Being an outdoor cat fecal samples are impossible to collect, but, no worries, he rewarded all with a sample on the way to the vet office. Of course, he has worms. We knew that. While he free feeds on the excellent dry Wilderness Blue Buffalo diet at the barn, he dines on rats and mice. And birds. (Don't think about that!)

All cleaned up and immunized, Toby is ready to go home. He is now "very mature" at 17.9 lbs.

Keoni made plans with Seth Trumbore and Peter Lockman for another mini-concert this summer at our church where Seth is an Assistant to the Music Director.  Keoni photoshopped a poster for them...

A varied presentation of seasonal-themed pieces. They have a following now and many have asked if they'll play again this summer. Nice.

A little kitchen cleanup awaits as I often help at that end of the goat-milking process. Wendy is faithfully caring for and milking every single morning. Quite a production taking place

Besides the leaves of grass, there is the pond to think of. Lots of reeds growing giving ample protection for the frogs. The water splashes with them as we approach it, almost never really seeing one.

Keoni carried home from school his beloved violin, a groaning, seam-popping, check-in bag and a melodica. That is, a musical instrument made all the more ridiculous by its other Wikipedia names--pianica, blow-organ, key harmonica, free-reed aerophone. His first evening home in his new capacity as a McDuffie Center for Strings Sophomore he demonstrated the 1950s invention's capabilities...

He, no doubt, has all this lung power from a week of campus Zombie vs Humans games as he prevailed that last week of campus life by outrunning the Zombies.

Aidan has one more month to go in seventh grade. I see a letter on the refrigerator that he has distinguished himself by appearing on the Honor Roll. To add to his increasingly busy agenda, he successfully auditioned for the Heifitz summer camp. Wendy shared the two videos he did with Seth accompanying that won him the spot...

Last Friday, I returned to Philadelphia with Yvonne, the friend who gave Aidan and I the tickets to the Friday concert a short while back, whose husband couldn't attend and we enjoyed a rainy day train trip into the city, a beautiful lunch, followed by beautiful music. Returning, we capped off the evening at a church potluck.

City Hall and umbrellas.

Low cloud ceiling.

Yvonne and umbrella.

Shoutout to Yvonne and Kirk: Thanks, for the tickets and good times!

Back home this week, the local arborist who rescued Toby from the tree the first time our first PA winter, won Wendy's tree-trimming job. These two trees in this land of trees were deeply in need of attention. Actually, since longer ago than the family's presence here. The big maple by the house lost a large center before we came and the mulberry by the barn showed signs of disease by its spotted leaves during our first summer here. I am sad about that. They are friends.

Sunday morning saw John busy on assignment. The old tree stump in the yard removal was up to him and his feathered helpers...

Lots of grubs to add to their diet.

John and the boys went after some bricks and made a fire-pit of the site.

Fire pit.

Happiness was a walk again with both of the boys.

The rain has prevented mowing so the dandelions have had bumper crops everywhere this spring including Rhapsody Ridge...

Dandelion seed heads are as pretty as the yellow blossoms...

...it's after the seeds are scattered that they look like foundered ship masts.

Everywhere there are shades of green that haven't yet been named. Blossoms and red leafed trees shout for attention against the backdrop.

In other animal interest stories, a truce has been struck between Patches and Toby. He no longer tries to chase her away and she pretty much ignores him. There is peace in the barn and on the Gaza Strip. He still won't tolerate her on the porch. But, hey, that's okay.

Toby and Patches. Never thought I'd have them in the same picture.

I think I've untangled the photos and videos and my mind enough to post a few words and confirm life here in Pennsylvania is bounding forward--before I bound away to a Spiritus board meeting. That's the church newsletter board of five people, so don't let the implications of "board" meeting in any way inflate your opinion of me. The editor Louise does huge amounts of editorial, writing and grunt work with the esoterica submitted by various of the congregants and yours truly.

Of course, I have the grandmother's view of the events Saturday, mentioned earlier, to post which includes some of Aidan's work. Before we go there, I wanted to say that last Thursday Aidan and Wendy were invitees to Kimmel Center to attend a rehearsal of Yo Yo Ma with the Philadelphia Orchestra complements of Aidan's teacher Gloria de Pasquale's own cello presence in the orchestra. So, lots of music from the tiniest of students to the grand master of cello himself, Yo Yo Ma.

Saturday's "Cello Play-In" included many, many of the young cellists in the area. Members of the Philly Orchestra's cello section are sitting among the students, too.

If you count the bows raised you get the answer to how many students were there. 

Tuning up. That's Mrs. de Pasquale standing, blond page-boy haircut. Aidan is high on the back row second from the right.

Enter Yo Yo Ma.

 And Aidan's screenshot view...

Plus his video...

A little repartee among Ma, Maestro and students. Some discussion about the pronunciation of San Saens which I can't properly spell here lacking the little dots over the "e". Aidan is at top of far right.

Ready, set...

Go...






The Swan.

This is copyrighted so there will be ads appearing in compliance with YouTube's ethics and rules. The cellists (with harp and piano) played a number of pieces together including the Suzuki Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. 

Afterward, cello buddies check out Aidan's video...

And, it's time to go home...

With Philly's finest on duty.

The rain let up enough by Monday afternoon to enjoy the season springing forth.

Wendy's new lilac has two blooms.

Crooked Creek Road. Whatever these "weeds" blooming along the road are named, they are healing the sides.

Look who's visiting!

Sorry, for the wobblies on this one, but exciting to try getting this bunch. Their tracks are everywhere and they seem to get their water from the frog pond which is still hopping.