Bonnie, how lovely to see you but so very sorry to hear your sad news. He fought a brave fight and was lucky to have you at his side until the end. Hope you are taking care of yourself.
Opa's place -Where an old rooster visits with friends
- Thread starter Opa
- Start date
I am working on it. Keep getting sideswiped by out laws from years ago interfering. I can only take so much and I guess I do have some weak spots where I can't tolerate conflict. I would be ok if not for that.
This is hubby's territory as mine is on the other side of the nation. So he has been our world here. We feel isolated and alone now. I can deal with my huge loss as I figured out that he has become a part of me over the years and he is so ingrained in my thinking that I don't really feel the need to ask him questions. He always knew stuff I didn't, read all the news, knew latin so knew more meanings of some words, etc. We shared back and forth a lot, so I miss all that. I guess we could talk back and forth and keep each other company or agree on comments to what we were viewing on the telly.
So I could get through this time if it weren't for the in laws and the out laws causing problems. Need to be a shoulder to the daughter more often now as she found these feelings unexpected. Guess her life the last 10 years has been having to get home to check on Pa and worrying about him when she was away and now she feels tossed about on an ocean without a paddle. Big growing experience, far to young even at 19....
In a few months I expect to be at my old farmhouse and not affording internet, have to find a good battery for the puter and drive into town 12 miles to get internet or maybe the library 8 miles away. Expecting a major economic downturn now he has passed. If I just knew in advance how everything would settle out it would help.
Just found out today that I get 2 of our 3 cars and the 3rd one will be held in 'the estate' depending on the terms...so that is a bit upsetting when one is non functional, one is the daughters car and one is mine...guess I'm giving the estate the non working vehicle and forget about having it fixed and selling it to generate income!
Today I visited my chickens and fed out and watered them. The hen house got to free range for a while. They have a nice big roomy coop to hang in safe from predators otherwise. Two bags of feed later, can't wait for warmer weather but also living there daily as I read that chickens can eat 60% or more of their needs free ranging.
Guess that means I can get some more, no, just gotta get ahold of that chicken math.....
Care all, Bonnie
This is hubby's territory as mine is on the other side of the nation. So he has been our world here. We feel isolated and alone now. I can deal with my huge loss as I figured out that he has become a part of me over the years and he is so ingrained in my thinking that I don't really feel the need to ask him questions. He always knew stuff I didn't, read all the news, knew latin so knew more meanings of some words, etc. We shared back and forth a lot, so I miss all that. I guess we could talk back and forth and keep each other company or agree on comments to what we were viewing on the telly.
So I could get through this time if it weren't for the in laws and the out laws causing problems. Need to be a shoulder to the daughter more often now as she found these feelings unexpected. Guess her life the last 10 years has been having to get home to check on Pa and worrying about him when she was away and now she feels tossed about on an ocean without a paddle. Big growing experience, far to young even at 19....
In a few months I expect to be at my old farmhouse and not affording internet, have to find a good battery for the puter and drive into town 12 miles to get internet or maybe the library 8 miles away. Expecting a major economic downturn now he has passed. If I just knew in advance how everything would settle out it would help.
Just found out today that I get 2 of our 3 cars and the 3rd one will be held in 'the estate' depending on the terms...so that is a bit upsetting when one is non functional, one is the daughters car and one is mine...guess I'm giving the estate the non working vehicle and forget about having it fixed and selling it to generate income!
Today I visited my chickens and fed out and watered them. The hen house got to free range for a while. They have a nice big roomy coop to hang in safe from predators otherwise. Two bags of feed later, can't wait for warmer weather but also living there daily as I read that chickens can eat 60% or more of their needs free ranging.
Guess that means I can get some more, no, just gotta get ahold of that chicken math.....
Care all, Bonnie
- Thread starter
- #5,343
Bonnie, I can only imagine how difficult your loss must be. Even when expected it is still a hard cross to bear. The memories of the life you shared will be what will take you through the coming months and know that you will be in my thoughts and prayers.
I was glad to read that your Welsummers are doing so well and perhaps later this spring I would love to buy some pullets from you. I need to introduce some new blood into my flock.
I was glad to read that your Welsummers are doing so well and perhaps later this spring I would love to buy some pullets from you. I need to introduce some new blood into my flock.
Bonnie, I am so sorry about your husband as I read it from FB! At least you were taught well by him and having him as your support makes a world of difference!
As for your Welsummers, with all the combination of lines and you are mainly getting to the goal of darker eggs. That is one of the finer points! I know you had to cull HARD to get the results you want out of them and take it from there. And once you got things sorted with the Welsummers, getting the eggs darker than their parents ever did, and trying to go for the SOP, you would be successful maintaining your very own lines. Opa's birds are very good, indeed and glad you incorporate his Calicowoods lines in there. Each one of us have a different goals and preferences, some are successful and some are not. We can rave about how good our birds are but bottom line, it is WHAT you want in your stock and run with it when it is successful. Sure we all make mistakes and re-start again with better birds or go back to the original flock and try again.
It is hard to "downsize" to settle estates but you would be glad to lighten up the burden and start a new chapter in life when you are good and ready to go. Glad your daughter is doing well and do keep her close, much closer, particuarly in this time of grieving.
We never can stop being parents, even when the kids are gone and having their family of their own. It ends when we die but our blood still run in the future generations of our kids. It is neat to look into the family tree, to look at resemblances, dislikes and likes, longevity, early deaths, what they did in life....neat to pass those stories down to them in what your own parents told you (and your grandparents). They ate horses, didn't they??!!!!
As for your Welsummers, with all the combination of lines and you are mainly getting to the goal of darker eggs. That is one of the finer points! I know you had to cull HARD to get the results you want out of them and take it from there. And once you got things sorted with the Welsummers, getting the eggs darker than their parents ever did, and trying to go for the SOP, you would be successful maintaining your very own lines. Opa's birds are very good, indeed and glad you incorporate his Calicowoods lines in there. Each one of us have a different goals and preferences, some are successful and some are not. We can rave about how good our birds are but bottom line, it is WHAT you want in your stock and run with it when it is successful. Sure we all make mistakes and re-start again with better birds or go back to the original flock and try again.
It is hard to "downsize" to settle estates but you would be glad to lighten up the burden and start a new chapter in life when you are good and ready to go. Glad your daughter is doing well and do keep her close, much closer, particuarly in this time of grieving.
We never can stop being parents, even when the kids are gone and having their family of their own. It ends when we die but our blood still run in the future generations of our kids. It is neat to look into the family tree, to look at resemblances, dislikes and likes, longevity, early deaths, what they did in life....neat to pass those stories down to them in what your own parents told you (and your grandparents). They ate horses, didn't they??!!!!
Opa, I have the 2012 hatch that is pure stock. It is a mix of all the bloodlines, though. Hatched out of largest darkest eggs, but the hens were all the lines. Still need to get the overwintered cockerals out of the henhouse as they were ameraucanas. have to build some coops yet. I actually looked at the project I started a couple weeks ago in good weather.
We picked up his ashes today. It feels better to know we have them home. Spent the day working with the photos, daughter scanned them in at WM and 144 prints later she put together 2 albums for the sons that live on the West Coast.
It has been a very quiet week. The evening was spent listening to the last 5 cd's he selected to listen to and daughter watched her 'baby' videos, our video camera was acquired for her birth and broke when she was 5 or so...pleasant to hear his voice talking to his new infant.....
Take care all, I feel strength in sharing. I just really miss him and wish he didn't have to leave this earth. He was such a good guy...
We picked up his ashes today. It feels better to know we have them home. Spent the day working with the photos, daughter scanned them in at WM and 144 prints later she put together 2 albums for the sons that live on the West Coast.
It has been a very quiet week. The evening was spent listening to the last 5 cd's he selected to listen to and daughter watched her 'baby' videos, our video camera was acquired for her birth and broke when she was 5 or so...pleasant to hear his voice talking to his new infant.....
Take care all, I feel strength in sharing. I just really miss him and wish he didn't have to leave this earth. He was such a good guy...
Ewesheep, I don't think any of my grandparents ever ate horses...I can quite honestly say that. More likely mutton, though...and plenty of chicken. Our roots are in the land and among farmers and carpenters and french trappers and wagon train leaders just the short haul though from the virginias into Ohio and Illinois, not the long haul across the plains.
My roots came out of Britain and from Germany from the haughty clan Kincaid of the scots through Ireland and England into the East Coast on both sides of my family, melded with the Lees that were all wild violin playing french trappers down into Illinois from Canada. Joined with the Matlocks and the german Thomases. The Thomas family came over from Sachsen Germany to New York to Wisconsin and Grandma made it all the way to Washington state as a young woman and grandpa lee made it out there from Illinois. On Dad's side it was back to Germans that made a deal with Catherine the Great of Russia to farm the land between the Black Sea and Russia and maintain their language and religion. 50 years later Peter the Terrible decreed that they had to convert to russian and the russian church or leave the area and the youth migrated to America coming all the way to Scotland, North Dakota. Dad made it out with the railroad job to Washington State and met mom.....Quite a little history...
I do get a bit off topic now and then. Sort of a mixed up state of mind lately. Probably why the upstairs bathtub is full of 3 week old Ameraucana chicks....they are just shy of stretching out into the 'bigger' size of chickies....
Care all. Bonnie
My roots came out of Britain and from Germany from the haughty clan Kincaid of the scots through Ireland and England into the East Coast on both sides of my family, melded with the Lees that were all wild violin playing french trappers down into Illinois from Canada. Joined with the Matlocks and the german Thomases. The Thomas family came over from Sachsen Germany to New York to Wisconsin and Grandma made it all the way to Washington state as a young woman and grandpa lee made it out there from Illinois. On Dad's side it was back to Germans that made a deal with Catherine the Great of Russia to farm the land between the Black Sea and Russia and maintain their language and religion. 50 years later Peter the Terrible decreed that they had to convert to russian and the russian church or leave the area and the youth migrated to America coming all the way to Scotland, North Dakota. Dad made it out with the railroad job to Washington State and met mom.....Quite a little history...
I do get a bit off topic now and then. Sort of a mixed up state of mind lately. Probably why the upstairs bathtub is full of 3 week old Ameraucana chicks....they are just shy of stretching out into the 'bigger' size of chickies....
Care all. Bonnie
- Thread starter
- #5,347
Yesterday I had the joy of listening to what I feel is the most beautiful sound there is..........the sound of children laughing. What I have also come to know is that the age of the children has nothing to due with how that sound makes you feel.
Two of my three sons live in southwest Missouri, over 800 miles from me, and sadly I do not get to see them as often as I'd like. Joe, the oldest, travels all over the country as a sales representative for Royal Canin dog food. Over the years he has become quite knowledgeable in animal nutrition and animal husbandry. He has become so adept that he is in constantly in demand as a speaker for organizations and clubs speaking about canine nutrition or canine health and reproduction.
On Friday he was working with a group of kennel owners in Indiana and found out that his scheduled lecture on Saturday was much earlier than normal and that he would be able to conclude his business by 4pm. Since his flight to Dallas Texas wasn't until noon today and he was only a 2 1/2 hour drive away he decided to come home and spend Saturday night with us.
What a joy it was to have him home if only for one evening. David and his wife Amy, who live only 10 miles from me joined us for supper. Granny was thrilled to have her oldest two grandsons reminiscing about the summers they had spent with her and my father. Hope's youngest son joined us as well and to listening to the sound at the dinner table was definitely a joyful noise.
When Joe called on Friday to make sure we would be home he said he would take us out to dinner. I thanked him and replied that dinner at home would be much more enjoyable. He agreed and said home cooked was always better than the restaurant food that he must eat far to much of. I try to always keep a few smoked chickens in the freezer so dinner was just a matter of popping a couple in the oven. Add asparagus spears from David's garden that I flash froze last year with some pasta in white cheddar sauce along with hot butter dip bread sticks and we had a meal fit for kings. A vanilla cream frosted chocolate cake with coffee topped off the meal but the greatest dessert served last night was the sound of my happy laughing sons.
Two of my three sons live in southwest Missouri, over 800 miles from me, and sadly I do not get to see them as often as I'd like. Joe, the oldest, travels all over the country as a sales representative for Royal Canin dog food. Over the years he has become quite knowledgeable in animal nutrition and animal husbandry. He has become so adept that he is in constantly in demand as a speaker for organizations and clubs speaking about canine nutrition or canine health and reproduction.
On Friday he was working with a group of kennel owners in Indiana and found out that his scheduled lecture on Saturday was much earlier than normal and that he would be able to conclude his business by 4pm. Since his flight to Dallas Texas wasn't until noon today and he was only a 2 1/2 hour drive away he decided to come home and spend Saturday night with us.
What a joy it was to have him home if only for one evening. David and his wife Amy, who live only 10 miles from me joined us for supper. Granny was thrilled to have her oldest two grandsons reminiscing about the summers they had spent with her and my father. Hope's youngest son joined us as well and to listening to the sound at the dinner table was definitely a joyful noise.
When Joe called on Friday to make sure we would be home he said he would take us out to dinner. I thanked him and replied that dinner at home would be much more enjoyable. He agreed and said home cooked was always better than the restaurant food that he must eat far to much of. I try to always keep a few smoked chickens in the freezer so dinner was just a matter of popping a couple in the oven. Add asparagus spears from David's garden that I flash froze last year with some pasta in white cheddar sauce along with hot butter dip bread sticks and we had a meal fit for kings. A vanilla cream frosted chocolate cake with coffee topped off the meal but the greatest dessert served last night was the sound of my happy laughing sons.
That all sounds so wonderful Opa - and glad to hear Granny continues to do well.
I agree Sam, there is nothing better than watching you children reminisce. I also love watching the grandchildren while they listen to their parents. Their faces at each story are priceless!! It sounds like Granni is feeling much better. That is so good. Have a great week.
I love to hear that te boys are doing so well! And Granny too!
Similar threads
New posts New threads Active threads
-
Latest posts
-
-
-
-
BYC's 52-week Photography Challenge. Week 4: (Jan 26 - Feb 1, 2026). Theme: Books!- Latest: azurbanclucker
-
-
-
Latest threads
-
-
-
Spontaneous Sex reversal in Chickens- Started by GodLovesU
- Replies: 1
-
-
-
-
Threads with more replies in the last 15 days
-
-
-
-
BYC's 52-week Photography Challenge. Week 3: (Jan 19-25, 2026). Theme: Hot, Hot, Hot!- Started by Blue Raptor
- Replies: 44
-
-