Illinois...

[Faraday40]

Thanks to @chickendreams24 's hospitality, the kids I had a wonderful end to summer.
We went on a road trip....


We toured her fiance's family's farms & learned about some of the big machines and some of the science behind corn. The kids enjoyed climbing on everything, of course. I also laughed because one of their favorite things was taking a drink from the well. (They've never seen one before.)

Then we went to her grandma's house for a picnic. I baked some breads & they shared some delicious peaches and Amish friendship bread for dessert.

After that we went to another farm with animals. I enjoyed our host's sense of humor when the kids asked an animal's name...
Dog (DD's fav animal there) = someone abandoned him there, so he figured the dog was a bum and named Hobo.
Donkey = named Jack
Cat = named MeowMeow by a grandkid


A great summer day!!!

 

[chickendreams24]

Everyone,

I have just received word that my Aunt Connie(honorary Aunt/family friend) from Texas lost her son today in a freak accident.

Apparently he cut his finger and passed out at the sight of the blood trying to apply a bandage. He then fell and hit his head. He is on life support while the family says goodbye but is brain dead.

He leaves behind a daughter that just turned 13, a long time girl friend/fiance, a mother, a younger sister and other family and friends. He was 34 years old.

Please pray for his family and friends.
His name was Daniel.

This as you can all imagine has come as a very great shock. As Connie is originally from around us and they still have family up here we are all also mourning and wishing we could be there to comfort them.

 

[Molpet]

so sorry ...
prayers for comfort

 

[chickendreams24]

Thank you
@Molpet for the prayers for comfort we appreciate it so much.

 

[cavemanrich]

@chickendreams24
Totally sad.. Prayers...

 

[Faraday40]

Everyone,

I have just received word that my Aunt Connie(honorary Aunt/family friend) from Texas lost her son today in a freak accident.

Apparently he cut his finger and passed out at the sight of the blood trying to apply a bandage. He then fell and hit his head. He is on life support while the family says goodbye but is brain dead.

He leaves behind a daughter that just turned 13, a long time girl friend/fiance, a mother, a younger sister and other family and friends. He was 34 years old.

Please pray for his family and friends.
His name was Daniel.

This as you can all imagine has come as a very great shock. As Connie is originally from around us and they still have family up here we are all also mourning and wishing we could be there to comfort them.

I'm so sorry your family/friends are going through this. it's always tough when life ends so unexpectedly. Our prayers are with them.

 

[Faraday40]

1st day of school!

Decided to have one last summer outing yesterday & drove up to 6 Flags. Great day! The sights of children in strollers, the heat of the sunshine, the smell of funnel cakes & sun block, and the sounds of music, carnival rides, and laughter made it feel like a day in mid July. My little DS grew up a lot over the summer. No more kiddie rides for him, and he's going into 2nd grade! Although everyone's excited to get back into the school routine, I will miss my kids.

This morning took everyone by surprise. The dogs looked at us strangely as we tried to let them out 90 min sooner than normal. The kids were groggy & bumping into walls. The chickens were delayed due to the need to drop the kids off. Personally, I thought I was doing OK. I had showered, packed lunches, & even checked the backpacks before leaving the house. After getting back home, doing the chicken chores, and spending a few min in the garden, I tried to slip a few pea pods in my pocket. Oopps! I had put on my pants backwards. I wish I had noticed that BEFORE meeting the other moms & new teacher!

 

[cavemanrich]

@Faraday40
Your DS is same as My GS. Going into 2nd grade also. He also grew a lot over the summer. He is also honest with me and says he prefers summer vacation over school..
They usually visit most weekends, and just before they leave I release 1 or 2 Chinese paper wish lanterns. Every one enjoys watching them float away. Seems adults out enjoy the young ones.

They fly quite high depending on ambient temperature also. Last about 10 minutes or less. They are safe. When fire goes out they slowly fall back down.
@megpie021 JFYI I am in excess of 5 miles from the airport.

 

[Junibutt]

Everyone,

I have just received word that my Aunt Connie(honorary Aunt/family friend) from Texas lost her son today in a freak accident.

Apparently he cut his finger and passed out at the sight of the blood trying to apply a bandage. He then fell and hit his head. He is on life support while the family says goodbye but is brain dead.

He leaves behind a daughter that just turned 13, a long time girl friend/fiance, a mother, a younger sister and other family and friends. He was 34 years old.

Please pray for his family and friends.
His name was Daniel.

This as you can all imagine has come as a very great shock. As Connie is originally from around us and they still have family up here we are all also mourning and wishing we could be there to comfort them.

So sorry to hear about your loss. May his soul rest in peace.

 

[Faraday40]

Fox question:
Yesterday morning I found a nice big hole next to the chicken run.
Today I walked out & surprised a red fox while he/she was trying to get into the coop. Nothing like walking through the back door of the garage & standing 10-15' away from a fox! It had pulled off some wood trim around the door last night, but nothing functional. Because I surprised it, the fox ran about 100' further back and then proceeded to try to get to my 9wk old chicks in the chicken tractor - who were safely in their sleeping box. It was standing on the tractor's roof & scratching at the sleeping box. I sent my dog out & he gave it a good scare. The dog is still out there now, as well as the roosters, while the hens free range inside our fenced yard.

My question is what to expect next? Also, is there more I can do?
(This is a neighborhood, so shooting it is not an option & probably illegal anyway.)