Consolidated Kansas

[chicken danz]

My regrets Ivy. I don't think I could handle loosing one of my children.
My middle son graduated from KSU with a mechanical engineering degree with a nuclear option as well. He works for the US government now.
My oldest son went to KU, JO CO college, and graduated from Ottawa university with a degree in IT. He had to keep changing colleges to get the course study he needed for his job. Ottawa university is the only one in Kansas that gives his particular degree. He does very well.
My oldest daughter graduated as an RN. Started at KU then transferred to a nursing school in western Kansas.
My youngest daughter went to xray tech school, then KSU then dropped out to pursue a career in training horses and dogs.
My youngest son is a text book case of every mental problem that exists. ADHD, manic depressive, delusional,etc etc. He was lucky to graduate high school. I still feel they graduated him just to get rid of him. (Honestly). He went to the army and got discharged for a medical problem. Not on army disability though. Again I think they gave up on him. He has never held a job over a few weeks. He's been on virtually every medication they made and then just refused to take any when he got older. He is a very sweet young man and a wonderful father. He just can't seem to support his family. Unfortunately he married a girl just like him.
I love them all regardless.
Hawkeye, maybe you should just set the chicks outside of the house when the sun is shining and see if they can figure out how to get back in. I wouldn't do it if it were really cold.
Frizzle, I don't think I'd listen to your neighbor. Some of the fines for that kind of thing are ridiculous, and they might force you to give up your flock as well.
I loved "Oh Brother where for art thou" as well. I'm not too much into watching movies but that one was so funny. I love it. Liked the music too.
It's been another day I haven't gotten much done. Seems I've been spending hours on the computer trying to do some last minute shopping without any results. I could certainly spend some money on myself though.

 

[Trish44]

IVY, so sorry to hear about your daughter, I can't even imagine. My son also has ADHD & has struggled his whole life with it. I tried to get him treatment when he was young, but when he got older he has refused to take any medication. I wish he would because I feel like it would help him, but he's very stubborn. So he just struggles with life in general, relationships, friends, jobs, etc. He really needs to figure out what he wants to do with himself also, but he's afraid to go to school. It wasn't a positive experience for him earlier in life & he is afraid he won't be able to make it through now either. We didn't have good help in the schools with kids back then with ADD or ADHD. They just wanted them on some kind of drug & when I did put him on one they complained that he slept in class. Either he was too disruptive or he slept, they couldn't find a happy medium. He really is wasting away his life with the things he's been doing for jobs, but he has to find his own way. When they're adults you can give them advice, but it's up to them whether they take it or not.

msjfrizzle, my son also got involved in drugs & alcohol at an early age, it's common with kids that have ADD & ADHD. He finally got away from the drugs later on, but still drinks quite a bit. His natural father has had the same kind of problems though, so it's hereditary. He doesn't feel that he has a problem with alcohol, but I have watched him & he doesn't have that off switch to know when to quit like a lot of people do. He will drink until he passes out if given the chance. You just have to keep praying for them, that's about all you can do. You feel helpless sometimes in regard to your kids when they get to be adults. They're always your kids not matter how old they get & you always worry about them, but you have no control over their actions at that point. You just have to keep praying like I do that they will get on the right path & things will turn out right.

I'm actually getting enough eggs lately that I have started selling some to one regular customer, that's pretty exciting! They're still not all laying, so when they do I will have lots & lots of eggs. I have one other person that is on the list for eggs, but I haven't had enough yet to get any to them. I still haven't caught the little pullet who is laying those cute little eggs yet, so I don't have a clue which one it is. There could actually be more than one that is laying, but I won't know unless I see them. I have several that are about the right age to lay, so it could be any one or more of those.

I'm not looking forward to the change in weather coming up, not at all. I went out today & tried to do some things outside so I wouldn't have to worry about them for the next few days. I still need to go fill my feeders again, I try to fill them up on the better days so I don't have to do it when it's especially nasty out. I hate the thought of snow, I sure hope we don't get much here.

 

[msjfrizzle]

It's after 1 a.m., but I couldn't sleep. I kept thinking about the amazing outpouring of love and support for one anothers' trials

, so the only thing to do was write down what I've been thinking about!

We really are of one flock aren't we? We love our children simply because they're our children. They don't have to 'do ' anything or be a certain way to earn our love. We just love them. We rejoice and delight in their gifts and accomplishments, both large and small. When they mess up, our hearts ache for them, because we can see the potential within them, and want the very best for them. When we try to help, but they won't let us, it hurts, but we love them enough to accept and respect their independence.

I've come to believe that our children help us understand our Father's love for us. He rejoices and delights in our gifts and accomplishments, large and small, and aches for us when we make poor choices that cause us pain. He's always ready to help, but only if we allow it. In our messed up, guilt-ridden brokenness, we are loved and cherished, the way we love our own kids, only much more so! We don't have to 'do' anything or be a certain way, because we could never 'earn' the Father's love, any more than our children have to 'earn' our love.

Knowing without a doubt that you are dearly beloved, however, tends to change the way one chooses to live.

That's what this season of celebration is all about!! Have a blessed Christmas!!

Now maybe I can stop flopping like a carp and get some sleep

 

[rittert3]

Ivy and danz it son't like you both have kids like me. I had pretty severe ADHD growing up then got into a bad car wreak when I was 14, that really slowed my down and almost eliminated my short term memory, I grew up in the special ed. room at school and have that hands on way of learning most of the time. It's also almost impossible for me to pound anything in there I'm not interested in. I went to cloud county for Animal science and Livestock management and got robbed on my first christmas break and I was homesick and hating the core classes so I dropped out and had a couple kids somewhat unexpectedly (if that can happen) and still trying to find my niche 5 years latter. Hopefully I find it soon. Sounds like you both have some great kids that have really stuck in there and overcome their struggles to become successful, I hope I can say the same for myself soon. I've known since I was 4, living up there by Ivy, in Morril a freind of my dads penned up a couple hens on his sheep farm for us and we went out and got their eggs ever morning for my breakfast, that I wanted to work with animals, mostly reproduction (who dosn't love a baby), for a living. O by the way, (ADHD kicking in and why I havn't been on much this week) I found that my beagle that I've had for 4 years loves to hunt, I met some local beaglers and got him with 5 others on thursday and we had a blast I think I found another hobby to take the edge off until I can get birds again. I also, on a whim, found out some information on a wildlife control permit and its free so I think I'm going to try to pursue that to potentially bring in some extra income. Hope everything is going well and I'm sorry if I've gotten to behind.

 

[Ivywoods]

WOW! Interesting thread tonight. Keeping it chicken oriented, after my daughter's cancer started I bought the younger two kid some chickens. My daughter absolutely loved her chickens. When her houdan hen won best large fowl at the local county fair it was the best day of her life. I still remember her standing outside the poultry barn, jumping up and down and waving her hands when she saw me coming from work. She was so excited and couldn't wait to tell me.

She loved to go out and gather the eggs. It was like an Easter egg hunt every time. She was excited with every egg she found. She would feed the chickens, but honestly, I always had to check up on that. She would give one pen too much food, another pen not enough, forget to lock the gate on another one, etc. She did the best she could, though, and that was what mattered.

I miss her.

 

[msjfrizzle]

Ivy, that's such a dear memory!

Even at 56, I think it's the 'Easter Egg hunt feeling' that gives me that little thrill every time I find an egg.

I hope I never get over it!

Rittert, you've had some tough breaks. I think that knowing what you're passionate about is an essential first step, and you're on the right track. I hope the wildlife control thing will be helpful!

 

[chicken danz]

Frizzle, that was so well written. I had to wipe the tears. We do all tend to be kindred spirits. I thank God for bringing each of you here.
I credit my children for giving me many gifts because of their individual traits. All of them for keeping me working hard to provide for them, which in turn kept me from making some wrong decisions that could have ruined my life.
I have hopes of having my grandchildren come here, gathering eggs and watching baby chicks hatch. I want them to think of time at Grandma's house as exciting.

 

[Trish44]

OK, you all, you had me in tears. Danz, I read what you wrote last night right before I went to bed & I couldn't stop the tears.

Let's get on a lighter subject shall we? I let my chickens out this morning thinking that they better enjoy today, it's not going to be so nice the next few days. It's fun to watch them come flying out of the run every morning, it's like a chicken stampede!

Hawkeye, I keep getting those huge double yolked eggs from one of my Barred Rocks, I have had several of those lately. I'll bet those things are as big as a goose egg, or at least as big as a duck egg. It's been a very long time since I've seen a duck egg, so I have nothing to compare to. I would just put your little chicks out in the run for awhile, they will figure out how to get back in if they want to. It took my young ones a little while to want to come out of the coop at first, but when they did they had so much fun pecking around.

 

[chicken danz]

Just got home from town. I got up a little earlier and made a meatloaf and baked potatoes for my Mom and Dad for lunch. They like me to go pick up something for them after church but they can't afford it, so I slapped some food together while I got ready. The seemed to appreciate it. I am never organized enough to plan ahead but this only took maybe 15 minutes to prep.
I decided to come in and check my email and have another cup of coffee before I go out to feed the birds.
I guess I'll be taking Mom to church next Sunday as well. Even though I was raised going to church I don't think I ever remember going to church on Christmas day before.
I have this crazy urge to dress one of my chickens up in holiday clothing just to take a picture. Wouldn't that be cute?

 

[msjfrizzle]

Quote:
Uh oh! I think this idea could be contagious. I love it!