The Front Porch Swing

[lovingmyhens]

Hi,

RachaelS, this is not directed at you. You had apologized (even tho I don't think you said anything wrong). Ms. Jellybean is leaving BYC. She was attacked on the Texas thread again....why? Because she doesn't have any chickens yet. She has planned and plotted to get her birds and then things happen. She is a single mom raising 2 or 3 boys. We all have been in this situation where your goal is to get a new washing machine, etc. Then the car breaks down or the roof springs a leak and you can't get the washing machine. This lady has had her share of problems this year. Bam, Bam, Bam She keeps picking herself back up and stays positive. I am just upset that people can be so cruel. I love every person on this "Front Porch'. You guys are great or 'the cat's meow'!!

I am trying to get her to come back to the 'Front Porch'.

Bee, thank you for the prayer. We need them every day and every hour.

Lisa

I invited Missjellybean to this thread after she was, for whatever reason, blindsidedly (is that a word?) attacked in the Texas thread. I do not know her nor do I know any of you guys, but she seemed to be in the same boat as I am, single, no support from family or ex, and children who tend to take advantage of their mothers. My heart had a soft spot for her. She works two jobs, and still seems to not be able to stay afloat in this boat that God has put her in.
One thing that I am constantly reminding my students and my own kids, is that words are like toothpaste-once you squirt it out, you can't shove it back in. Sure, you can apologize. but the toothpaste is out. A poster I keep up in my room at school says "A person may not remember what you say or do, but they will always remember how you make them feel."
If you go back and read her posts on here and on the Texas thread, you will see that she does a lot of reading and investigating. I can't find anywhere that she says something she has found is the God's Bible truth. Even the most expert of experts of anything is going to make mistakes.
I emailed her because I want to keep that connection and she said "I try, but I just can't seem to get it right".
Makes my heart hurt.
For those of you who are married, think about doing everything in your life alone. Raising your kids, making ends meet, sharing ideas and thoughts and fears...with no one. Wondering how you are going to pay for something that breaks or leaks. Having desires for your life and not being able to find the way to make those desires come to fruition because life just keeps kicking you just when you are about to get to your feel again. After I divorced, it was months before I remember to get the trash out on trash day. I'd hear the truck and run around trying to get all the trash out to the curb before they got there, or I'd be leaving for work and see all the trash cans out by the curb. If I wasn't running late I'd rush back in and get what I could. Sometimes, 2 or 3 trash days would go by before I remembered to get it out on the right day. It wasn't my job before the divorce.
I used to be a stay at home mom and it was the joy of my life. I was so blessed to be able to have that time with my girls before I divorced. But now, oh how I wish I could get my 3rd grader off to school...fix her hair and be home when she gets here. Be able to cook a good dinner before it is bed time. Play games instead of grading papers. Live in a nicer neighborhood so she can go to a better school.
Not be exhausted by 8. I wish we could take vacations.
But this God's plan B for me so I just do what I can to make our life the best I can given the circumstances. I am not looking for sympathy-don't want any. But maybe a little understanding about a life most of you don't know about.
As far as MissJellybean giving advice that is not well founded in fact and backed up by years of research, well when I was looking into getting chickens, I read EVERYTHING I could about back yard chickens. I talked to people that had them and I read some more. I took all that I found out and crossed my fingers and hoped for the best. And I realize by reading everyone's posts that my situation with my chickens is not the same as yours, or yours, or even yours!
But if someone is thinking about getting chickens and reads one person's posts about some ideas and thoughts and then takes those ideas and thoughts as Bible truth about chickens, well I think they deserve what they get. They didn't take the time and effort to do the research needed when investing in a venture like chicken rearing. Just like getting a dog. You don't go to the pound and take home just any dog without doing the research needed to even figure out if getting a dog is the right thing for you.
Some of my favs:

Proverbs 12:18
There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
Proverbs 16:24
Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.
Proverbs 21:23
Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble.
Proverbs 19:14
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Saturday. I have soccer and tutoring this afternoon. Is that a grill over there I see???
Let's get it fired up tonight and I will bring some steaks-love yall

Melanie

 

[lovingmyhens]

I better not be a grandmother at 37!! I know my mama said the same thing, but I've tried hard to break the cycle and not let my daughter fall into my footsteps and be another 'bad' statistic. But should she make those same choices, I will choose to love her through it and be the best grandma ever! So far, she still think boys suck eggs, so I'm good for a while lol

The little girl I am raising is not my own...God blessed her in my life when she was 10 months when her momma couldn't take care of her. Momma was 22 and Keiki was her 4th child. Anyway, Keiki is now 8 and a few years ago her momma and I were talking (we are good friends and she lives down the street from me) and she said something about Keiki being pregnant when she was 16. After all, Keiki's momma and grandma both had kids that early. I, and my older girls, just looked at her and said, well, that won't happen. That is NOT going to be the expectation in this house. Our church believes and teaches purity until marriage and that is what we will go with. She said, well ok, but it is in her genes. Umm no. My older girls are proud of their purity, 23,21 and 20. And we will teach this to Keiki. Yea, things happen but it is NOT an expectation that she will wind up pregnant at 16 (actually her momma was first pregnant at 14)

 

[lovingmyhens]

Oops, and speaking of grandkids, I totally forgot that I was going to post this last night. Took Jenny to the doctor, and Miss Kendra was having a great time in the waiting room - she can get that chair going. She gets excited and because she's stronger on the left side than the right (or is it vice-versa?) she often goes in wide circles. So today was the first time she deliberately steered the chair straight over to something that caught her eye, got it off the table, and then settled back to enjoy it. All it took was that one time - after that she'd drop whatever she had and go get herself something else to play with. Yippeee for Kendra!!!

She is precious!

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

I think there are a number of single moms in this thread. I'm single, but I don't even have kids.

 

[lovingmyhens]

LOL.... Actually the previous flock I bought from a local guy. Most were really good fliers in a pinch. I guess Landrace is the term.... Allowed to free roam and breed at will and the survivors were the ones that got to contribute to the gene pool. The owner was a hatchaholic too. So when he advertised chickens for two bucks a piece I went to go get me a flock.

So I go over there drive my car up a back road and here is the remains of an ancient egg farm.... Only one coop/barn was still standing and the only reason it hadn't fallen down was it didn't know which way to fall. He came out with a net and a big grin and a net. When he realized i didn't have a cage.... he laughed and brought out a section of old layer cage.... about four feet long.

I pointed and he caught.... it was great. He picked me out a couple of roos too very nice pretty ones. While he was corraling Chickens there was one hen just standing there kind of Bemused.... no tail feathers. He walked by her and asked me if I wanted this roo too? Ignorant as I was I said.... "Thats a ROO?" "Yep"... I said sure.

I came home with ten hens and three roos. Waylin, Willie, and Bubba. Waylin had a beautiful masterful crow he was the boss.... Willie had a crooked crow Started with his head up and delivered it down to the side.... Bubba just stood and watched.... those three roosters were a daily form of entertainment. Each did their jobs of keeping watch over the girls. I had at least four broodies in that bunch and quite a few of them layed blue eggs.

One day I was down with Asthma induced by Bronchitis.... So I was laying on the mattress on the floor I didnt have a bed frame then. Using my nebulizer between Naps. The slider to my room was open and every once and a while I could hear a hen Awwwk....? Awwwwk....? I look up and there is Henny Penny scopin out of my room..... had just stepped inside the room. I whispered shoo and tossed a wad of paper at her.... off she skittered. Awwk.... Awwk... litlte black hen gave me the stink eye form outside of the door then scurried off. She was cute a good broodie and about big enough to set on five or six eggs.

I was awakened from my next nap with a BLOOD curdling scream..... I heard the flapping from the side yard and Here comes Willie being chased by Waylin.... OMG... Here comes Bubba.... walking along behind. He had the demeanor of someone watching a movie... a vaguely interesting one. Laughter and Asthma.... NOT a good combination.....

Now out here in the California desert we have quail that have those top knot feathers... cute little buggers.... Fat too because of all the chicken feed they helped themselves to. They would sit along the dog kennel panels and fuss at me when it was feeding time. But they have such a beautiful song... Kind of like resonating bells....

So I hear Waylin doooodle dooo his masterful crow from one side of the yard..... Then I hear Willie with his high low Doodle dooo from the other side of the yard. Off in the corner I hear a lilting musical crow but really it sounded like someone had taught a Quail how to crow. That got me out of bed.

I tiptoed to the door I didnt want to scare the quail away... And there was Bubba Facing the rocks.... standing there no tail feathers ( they never grew in)..... but where was the Quail... I looked further into the rocks Sometimes a male will get high up in the rocks to sing his song.... Just then Bubba Flapped his wings and Doodle dooed the loveliest crow I have ever heard. It was him.... That was the day I changed his name from Bubba to Elvis.



For what its worth.... My episodes of illness dissipated after I moved to that house. My old house was a sick house.... sigh.

deb

Deb
You and Blooie have a way with words that makes me sick with envy!
Melanie

 

[enola]

I am only going to post about msjellybean leaving this site once and will not mention it again.

She has a full plate in her life that is for sure. She came to this site because she thought she had found people she had things in common with. She thought she would fit in. She was coming to find some comfort in her chaotic life. Unfortunately she did not find what she was looking for. She was visciously (cyber) attacked more than once.

The following is my opinion and I do not wish to he attacked for it......... If you have to use pm's to tell them what they should or should not be doing, maybe you should think long and hard about what you are going to type. People forget that what you type can be seen/interpretated in the wrong way very easily.

Seeing someone's face and body language really shapes a conversation and prevents bad feelings.

Sure she should not have pasted the pm for the whole world to see. BUT if the pm had not been sent, this whole problem would not have happened.

I am sorry the pm was sent........I am sorry she posted it for the whole world to see.......but I have to admit that the pm would have upset me, too.

I applaud Rachel for apologizing, that was very kind, and I am positive she is truly sorry, unfortunately it was too late.

I just hope all of us learned from this unfortunate situation.

Thank you Bee for your prayer, we all needed praying for.

 

[lovingmyhens]

I think there are a number of single moms in this thread. I'm single, but I don't even have kids.

I often wonder what it would be like to not have kids. I love mine dearly, but because I have obeyed God's call to take care of my youngest, I am unable to leave Katy. I do not have legal right to her and so I have to stay where she can go visit her dad, when he decides he wants her to visit.
My older 3 are grown, and yet often still act like kids. Tiffany is 23 and says she is moving out this summer as she has just got a job teaching kindergarten. But we will see! She and I butt heads about who should clean what and my dining room is a total wreck from all the stuff she is buying for her classroom. I don't know...sometimes, I just want to sit down on the swing, glass of tea in one hand and Ben's head under the other and just-be.

 

[RedPulletMama]

The little girl I am raising is not my own...God blessed her in my life when she was 10 months when her momma couldn't take care of her. Momma was 22 and Keiki was her 4th child. Anyway, Keiki is now 8 and a few years ago her momma and I were talking (we are good friends and she lives down the street from me) and she said something about Keiki being pregnant when she was 16. After all, Keiki's momma and grandma both had kids that early. I, and my older girls, just looked at her and said, well, that won't happen. That is NOT going to be the expectation in this house. Our church believes and teaches purity until marriage and that is what we will go with. She said, well ok, but it is in her genes. Umm no. My older girls are proud of their purity, 23,21 and 20. And we will teach this to Keiki. Yea, things happen but it is NOT an expectation that she will wind up pregnant at 16 (actually her momma was first pregnant at 14)

Yes, it is definitely not expected here either. I would love her regardless, but I never want her to think it is ok to get pregnant outside of marriage. Our church also teaches purity and the day my husband took her on her 14th birthday out to dinner and gave her a purity ring and had 'the talk' with her, I cried like a baby. If only maybe my mom or dad had cared enough to talk to me like we talk to her, maybe things would've been different, but then I wouldn't have her in my life and I wouldn't be who I am today. That kid changed my life. God is sooooo good, even when I don't understand what He is doing, He is always working things out for my good. What's even better is that on this thread, we have prayer support and can openly talk about God. Most people don't want to hear that. I now have the most amazing husband and 5 kids! We are always broke, but always blessed Here is a pic of all my kiddos taken yesterday. My oldest son hates having his pic taken, so don't mind him lol.

 

[enola]

What aa lovely family! I share your son's feelings about having his picture taken.....

 

[BantamFan4Life]

Good morning everybody!