checking in on xanga, looking for missing pictures

I have not abandoned xanga, indeed I still love it for all that it is and am discovering the new (to me) features. By way of a quick update on themes covered here before: there are even more new chicks born about a month ago, also cute, named Spanky, Van Gogh, Freida, Carlito, Oreo and Sarah. I'm working on my book proposal which is the next stage in the (looong sloooow) publishing process.We're having a great CrossRoads year, still going strong even in the doldrums of late winter. Kids are good, Greg is good and that's all for now I think.

For all of you who faithfully followed the chicken saga of the past few months, here's a funny thing.  A few weeks ago I'd noticed that one of the chickens "Falcon" wasn't around. I'd not seen her for a number of days and informed the big people (not wanting to upset the little people unless I was sure) that she's probably been somebody's dinner. We have lots of hawks and foxes around so it only makes sense that we'd eventually lose a bird or two to a predator.So yesterday morning I went out to feed the animals and I heard I high pitched distress sound, I thought maybe it was a baby chipmunk or rabbit that had gotten separated from its mom. It sounded like the noise was coming from the corner of the porch but on further inspection I realized it must be under the enclosed portion. I dutifully got out my flashlight and peered through the cracks in the floor to see if I could see anything, I glimpsed that sheen of feathers and started to have a guess, and indeed Falcon had made herself a nest and was sitting on not only her own eggs but eggs a number of the other chickens had laid as well. I opened the access panel and crawled on elbows and knees to get her and her chick out, there were actually two chicks by the time I got the brooder box all set up again and got under the porch to get them . That was yesterday and now there are six fluffy little peepers and one more egg is starting to hatch.

It was very cool to get the day old chicks in the mail back in February but watching a mother hen with her own chicks is a whole different experience.She teaches them things! How to drink, how to scratch and peck for food. It's all very cute.

So yeah, here we go again