A weekly update

Last week I found a nifty idea from A Magical Childhood to do for the kids. I made playdough then squirted a blob of color in the middle and pinched the playdough closed to hide it.

This was an activity that lasted a good while out in the yard and one to keep Chooj strengthening his hand muscles with all that smashing and squishing.
Our friend Jane came to the farm this weekend to visit. She's one of those people it's really easy to have over because she fits right in. Unphased by a naked Chooj, she watched the kids swim in the pool then read "Aunt Nancy" books to them. When I returned from a work-related presentation, we brushed the horses then had an early dinner.
One thing I've noticed with our 8 free ranging chickens and now one duck is the lack of bugs. We dosed the dogs and cats with flea and tick stuff a few months ago and haven't seen but a couple of ticks since. Still, there is the occasional weird thing they pick up - like this dead frog this rooster took off with like it was some sort of prize. Yuck.
Here's a photo of G.G.'s two babies now three weeks old. Our neighbor wants the black one. They're just now at the point where they're playing and hissing and getting awfully cute.