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Nine 4-week-old buff orpington pullets, six 4-week-old barred rock pullets, six 4-week-old rhode island red pullets, three 7 1/2-week-old rhode island red cockerels, and three 2-weekish-old rhode island red cockerels(we think). And by God's grace, they are living together under one roof in harmony. What's that? Why the purple stripes? Did someone breed your chickens from parrots? No, no. It looks like it though. Around the three-week mark, the barred rocks and rhode island reds started picking on the buff orpingtons as their little feathers started being kind of pokey-outy (yes, that's a technical term). So, after rescuing 7 out of 9 tiny yellow birds from the cannibalism of their flock-mates, i decided to go ahead and spray the blue wound-kote product on all of their necks and tail-feathers for prevention. It worked too. I think they like me. What do you think? The flock is currently housed in this wonderful (i really love the design) outdoor brooder that my husba...

A discussion on another blog some months ago got me thinking about what God thinks about lying. It has always puzzled me a bit that Rahab, the harlot, lied to the guards for the Hebrew spies, and this was counted to her as righteousness - indirectly i think. Other examples come to mind of people throughout history, known for their integrity and often Christians, who we think must have lied. For example, the Quakers in colonial times who smuggled and hid escaped slaves and the people who hid Jews from the Nazis. If a Nazi guard asked me if i knew of the location of any Jews, and i had 25 hiding in my attic, but i told the guard that i knew nothing, did God count that as sin? Anyway, this got me looking. And so i asked my parents, who did a little research for me in their wonderful study books. And they found some interesting information. As you may know, the Hebrew language is very complex, so when the Hebrew text is translated to English, scholars have the difficult task of trying...

I haven't blogged in a while. After the great excitement of finally having a chicken grow old enough to lay eggs, said beautiful chicken was abducted by some wild predator and made to be a short and unkind dinner. The finality of that sort of thing, specifically after all the grand trouble we had trying to keep our six chickens alive and healthy (and our ignorance and ill-preparation causing much of the problem), the final defeat of it made me sad. I suppose it didn't make me sad, exactly. But i was, nonetheless, sad in response to this defeat. I don't like to write so much when i'm sad. I guess i'm just not a share-your-sadness-with-the-world kind of person, or maybe i'm too prideful to let you know i'm sad until it's over. I don't apologize for being sad, really. I think acknowledgement of loss and a time of sadness is appropriate and healthy. I just don't really want to write home about it (or anywhere else). Today, i am happy. Today, ...

What do I want to change about healthcare? Surprisingly (perhaps) I have a pretty short answer for this one. Of all the possible complaints and difficulties any American might have concerning how he or she receives healthcare in this country, my biggest problem is the seemingly overwhelming assumption that the federal government should be the entity from whom a solution must come. There seem to be about a thousand rumors circling as to what the new hypothethical healthcare bill may entail. There are some ideas I don't have a big problem with. There are other ideas I feel I would nearly give my life to protest. But with all of the prospective policies, I have one problem: that the federal government of the United States would institute them. ***** The portion you have just read was the entirety of my submission for SixPerspectives this week. Be sure to check out that blog for the other perspectives and join in the discussion. Here, i will share more. You can call me a lunatic ...

This is no expose or anything. I received this advertisement in the mail today from Viking Pools , whom i have no reason to suspect is anything but a completely upstanding corporation. Simply, the image on the cover made me laugh. A little misleading, perhaps? Getting a pool from Viking Pools or anyone else probably won't make your back yard ever look exactly - or remotely in the same universe - like this cover. But nice imagery, Viking Pools. And good for a laugh.

Each week, SixPerspectives has a new topic for discussion, and i often have the pleasure and privilege of sharing my perspective for the weekly submission. I have a hard time keeping my opinion to the preferred 150 word limit, so i have decided to expound here. Please check out SixPerspectives and read the other 5 responses submitted on this topic. Topic: Do you give money to the homeless guy? Well, I guess I have to ask, “which homeless guy?” I don't have an absolute answer to this one. As a Christian, I have a barrage of scriptures and scriptural principles banging around in my head, ”. . . do unto others . . .,” “. . . be wise as a serpent and harmless as a dove . . .,” “. . . give to him to asks . . .,” “. . . be a good steward of the Lord's money . . .,” and so forth. As a human being, I recognize that “the homeless guy” may or may not actually be homeless, may be about to spend my money on liquor or drugs, may be homeless by choice (those who choose to withdraw from s...

I have been concerned about my chicken. She has been singing the "i laid an egg song" for a solid month, but i never could find the eggs. I knew it was possible that she hadn't started laying, but i really thought she probably was.....somewhere. Then today, i was waiting for James to get home from the store so we could go see his dad, and i went outside to look at the chicken but couldn't find her. So i went searching, and i found her huddled up behind some plants next to the side of the house. At first i thought she was sick or injured or something. And so i tried to pick her up, and she kind of stood up, and then i felt them.....EGGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And i kept sticking my hand back down there and kept coming up with more eggs. SEVEN in all! Which means she's probably been laying for at least a week. At least i think that's what it means. She h...