outside

A few glimpses of our outside from this week:

Our remaining chicken flock (quantity seven) had mostly stopped laying eggs. We put them on craigslist and a man with a superb handlebar mustache came and took them away. The next day our chicken-farmer friends brought over our 20 new Rhode Island Reds in three yellow crates. Here are the kids awaiting the arrival:

While they were here our chicken-farmer friends also broke the bad news that we have skunks. We knew we had skunks in the area because about six months ago a skunk sprayed the side of our house (a horrible way to wake up I assure you) and then a few months after that a skunk got into our next door neighbors house through the cat door and sprayed inside.  But apparently all these little holes scattered throughout our yard? They said skunks.

So the skunk news, in combination with the fact that two neighborhood cats have gone missing since Atticus died (David and Ema's Axel being one of them), we have been discussing the idea of getting a new dog a bit more seriously. 

We finally thought ahead and bought wood for next year instead of scrambling to find dry wood at the last minute. It's very exciting and looks beautiful (in a country sort of way.)

And lastly, the kids and their neighbor friends building a fairy house in the moss down next to the creek. It is such a joy to watch them build these, and it brings me right back to being a child...