Welcome to my pond - Swim, wade, or sit on the bank

[sourland]

Are they REALLY more mature at that age??? Not less???

Excellent question.

 

[Alaskan]

Wahahaha

I have NOT died!

So... eldest is now gone to Kodiak for school. Kid #2 is happily in Anchorage for school....

Kid 3, 4 and 5 all went with spouse for the weekend.


Leaving



Me




Alone!




The youngest 3 kids had so much fun teasing me. "So, how will you eat?" "What will you do without coffee?" "Do you remember how to do chores?" "How will you do so much church reading alone?"



Anyway... so far so good!

It has been FUN getting to eat in bed.

Getting out a ladder, at night, trudging through brush with that ladder... then having to grab a dip net and climb back up the ladder.... well, that wasn't great fun, but I did it! It was pretty funny too actually. Because I finally got the escaped chicken perching on the fence..... but then her feet got tangled on a combo of net and chicken wire, and I didn't bring my reading glasses! So there I am giggling in the almost full dark trying to feel how to release her toes! Poor girl... all worked out though!

When I put her back in the coop... I just stood there counting.... recounting... counting again... HOW many chickens do I own? What number? Think, think.... turns out the only other one that had escaped was "Old Lady Hen". Sheesh.

So there in the middle of the night... with my phone flashlight I am crawling under spruce trees.... no hen...

I gave up.

Next morning... I called the chickens and she came, I saw her! But, when I tried to catch her... well... I failed, and then the dog noticed me failing, and started chasing after my poor Old Lady Hen!!!! Off they went through the brush! That stupid dog would NOT listen....

I gave up.....

So, hours later, dog FINALLY returns to the house, which is NICE. The dog belongs to Spouse... so, I can't let it run off and die while I am in charge.

I locked up the dog, called chickens... Old Lady Hen doesn't show up.

I put my feet up for a bit.. then went to evening church services, and THERE are a group of kids at church, dressed in pants, work shoes and junky clothes!!!! hurrah! I asked the one barefoot kid to put shoes on... asked their dad for permission... then took those kids home with me!!!

I pointed to a clump of spruce, wild thorny raspberries, thick elderberries, and weeds.... I told the kids that she was probably in there some place!

So... I stood over by the chicken yard and called chickens, and Old Lady Hen WAS in that thicket!!! The kids happily crawled through all of that brush and YES, gently caught Old Lady Hen!!!

So hurrah! All safe and sound!


As to how they got out... turns out my kids, on their last chore check before running off to galavant, had NOT securely closed the coop door!!!

Anyway, all safe and sound again!

I am so happy. I like my Old Lady Hen.

 

[Alaskan]

Maybe I should sweep the bed free of crumbs... at some point......

 

[pennyJo1960]

Oh heck not until your spouse is due home at least ..
@Alaskan

 

[bobbi-j]

Wahahaha

I have NOT died!

So... eldest is now gone to Kodiak for school. Kid #2 is happily in Anchorage for school....

Kid 3, 4 and 5 all went with spouse for the weekend.


Leaving



Me




Alone!




The youngest 3 kids had so much fun teasing me. "So, how will you eat?" "What will you do without coffee?" "Do you remember how to do chores?" "How will you do so much church reading alone?"



Anyway... so far so good!

It has been FUN getting to eat in bed.

Getting out a ladder, at night, trudging through brush with that ladder... then having to grab a dip net and climb back up the ladder.... well, that wasn't great fun, but I did it! It was pretty funny too actually. Because I finally got the escaped chicken perching on the fence..... but then her feet got tangled on a combo of net and chicken wire, and I didn't bring my reading glasses! So there I am giggling in the almost full dark trying to feel how to release her toes! Poor girl... all worked out though!

When I put her back in the coop... I just stood there counting.... recounting... counting again... HOW many chickens do I own? What number? Think, think.... turns out the only other one that had escaped was "Old Lady Hen". Sheesh.

So there in the middle of the night... with my phone flashlight I am crawling under spruce trees.... no hen...

I gave up.

Next morning... I called the chickens and she came, I saw her! But, when I tried to catch her... well... I failed, and then the dog noticed me failing, and started chasing after my poor Old Lady Hen!!!! Off they went through the brush! That stupid dog would NOT listen....

I gave up.....

So, hours later, dog FINALLY returns to the house, which is NICE. The dog belongs to Spouse... so, I can't let it run off and die while I am in charge.

I locked up the dog, called chickens... Old Lady Hen doesn't show up.

I put my feet up for a bit.. then went to evening church services, and THERE are a group of kids at church, dressed in pants, work shoes and junky clothes!!!! hurrah! I asked the one barefoot kid to put shoes on... asked their dad for permission... then took those kids home with me!!!

I pointed to a clump of spruce, wild thorny raspberries, thick elderberries, and weeds.... I told the kids that she was probably in there some place!

So... I stood over by the chicken yard and called chickens, and Old Lady Hen WAS in that thicket!!! The kids happily crawled through all of that brush and YES, gently caught Old Lady Hen!!!

So hurrah! All safe and sound!


As to how they got out... turns out my kids, on their last chore check before running off to galavant, had NOT securely closed the coop door!!!

Anyway, all safe and sound again!

I am so happy. I like my Old Lady Hen.

Wait…. You climbed a ladder carrying a DIP NET?? Like, the ones used during dip net season? In the ocean?

 

[room onthebroom]

Wahahaha

I have NOT died!

So... eldest is now gone to Kodiak for school. Kid #2 is happily in Anchorage for school....

Kid 3, 4 and 5 all went with spouse for the weekend.


Leaving



Me




Alone!




The youngest 3 kids had so much fun teasing me. "So, how will you eat?" "What will you do without coffee?" "Do you remember how to do chores?" "How will you do so much church reading alone?"



Anyway... so far so good!

It has been FUN getting to eat in bed.

Getting out a ladder, at night, trudging through brush with that ladder... then having to grab a dip net and climb back up the ladder.... well, that wasn't great fun, but I did it! It was pretty funny too actually. Because I finally got the escaped chicken perching on the fence..... but then her feet got tangled on a combo of net and chicken wire, and I didn't bring my reading glasses! So there I am giggling in the almost full dark trying to feel how to release her toes! Poor girl... all worked out though!

When I put her back in the coop... I just stood there counting.... recounting... counting again... HOW many chickens do I own? What number? Think, think.... turns out the only other one that had escaped was "Old Lady Hen". Sheesh.

So there in the middle of the night... with my phone flashlight I am crawling under spruce trees.... no hen...

I gave up.

Next morning... I called the chickens and she came, I saw her! But, when I tried to catch her... well... I failed, and then the dog noticed me failing, and started chasing after my poor Old Lady Hen!!!! Off they went through the brush! That stupid dog would NOT listen....

I gave up.....

So, hours later, dog FINALLY returns to the house, which is NICE. The dog belongs to Spouse... so, I can't let it run off and die while I am in charge.

I locked up the dog, called chickens... Old Lady Hen doesn't show up.

I put my feet up for a bit.. then went to evening church services, and THERE are a group of kids at church, dressed in pants, work shoes and junky clothes!!!! hurrah! I asked the one barefoot kid to put shoes on... asked their dad for permission... then took those kids home with me!!!

I pointed to a clump of spruce, wild thorny raspberries, thick elderberries, and weeds.... I told the kids that she was probably in there some place!

So... I stood over by the chicken yard and called chickens, and Old Lady Hen WAS in that thicket!!! The kids happily crawled through all of that brush and YES, gently caught Old Lady Hen!!!

So hurrah! All safe and sound!


As to how they got out... turns out my kids, on their last chore check before running off to galavant, had NOT securely closed the coop door!!!

Anyway, all safe and sound again!

I am so happy. I like my Old Lady Hen.

That whole thing is just hilarious. When you commandeered someone else’s kids I thought I might die laughing You should’ve kept them a while, at least long enough for them to make you something.

 

[Alaskan]

Wait…. You climbed a ladder carrying a DIP NET?? Like, the ones used during dip net season? In the ocean?

Well... well... a dip net! Ya know, a... dip net...

Here, Wikipedia had a photo:

The one I used looks just like that, about that size... net part maybe a bit bigger, ... and the handle on mine is only like 6 feet. It is for standing/wading in the river and getting salmon... so the handle is shorter than a boat one. But I think that is why the net part is a bit larger... better leverage with a shorter handle, so you can manage more weight in the net.

It is my go to for chicken catching. How else do you catch chickens??

Oh! Right! Kids from church!!

 

[Alaskan]

That whole thing is just hilarious. When you commandeered someone else’s kids I thought I might die laughing You should’ve kept them a while, at least long enough for them to make you something.

They actually offered to do chores!!! They felt bad that i was abandoned!!!

 

[bobbi-j]

Well... well... a dip net! Ya know, a... dip net...

Here, Wikipedia had a photo:

View attachment 3238575

The one I used looks just like that, about that size... net part maybe a bit bigger, ... and the handle on mine is only like 6 feet. It is for standing/wading in the river and getting salmon... so the handle is shorter than a boat one. But I think that is why the net part is a bit larger... better leverage with a shorter handle, so you can manage more weight in the net.

It is my go to for chicken catching. How else do you catch chickens??

Oh! Right! Kids from church!!

I know - I wanted to be sure I was clear on what you were talking about, because the picture in my head as I was reading about your adventure was hilarious and I was hoping it was accurate!

ETA - I was impressed that you could climb a ladder with that thing! I’m not that coordinated.

 

[pennyJo1960]

I don't do ladders either ! Good morning Pond.
Back among the living.