Moving On...

 

There have been plenty of "moves" here this week.  First up, this hen became a mama:

At least 2 chicks have hatched, and she's still sitting on eggs, so there may be more coming.

The ducks moved into their new area.  They are getting used to it.

These two enjoyed their last day of school with a special lunch out:

This little turtle has been making regular appearances in our front yard:

And the chicks keep growing.  We harvested 5 meat birds so far.  Only 18 more of those to go!

And here is a closer look at a turkey poult:

I'm really enjoying the turkeys.  They are inquisitive and friendly.  The ducks don't like me.  They are very apprehensive, and they don't much like us around despite me visiting them, giving them treats, etc at least 3 times a day.  The chicks and the turkeys are always glad to see me, though.

Ducklings

First of all, Gyunay had his surgery last week.

He has recovered nicely.  The swelling has gone down to almost normal, and the bruising is minimal.  He is starting to tentatively use his little arm a bit to steady paper or other very light things, although not the tip.  He is completely off medications, and he reports no pain now, although of course, we are still trying not to bump it at all.  He is very excited that he is allowed to shower again.  (He still can't submerge his little arm in water, but he couldn't shower at all for 3 days, and my super-clean little boy didn't like that at all!)

                           And now, on to ducklings.  And a shot of a box turtle in the yard:

The ducklings grow so fast!  We have let them have little swims in their pool:

The ducklings are really cute.  They are still totally freaked out by me, but they are really cute.  They are getting more feathers in every day.  

Lastly, I wanted to note that my King Tut peas are growing:

Yes, I really did buy the seeds just on the name and the story.  Hopefully, we will like the peas, although I may be the only one who eats them.  Legend has it that the peas were found in King Tut's tomb and taken back to England by Lord Carnarvon.  More likely, the peas came from Lord Carnarvon's estate in England, but in any case, I couldn't resist planting them.

 

Natural Bridge

The treck up to the Natural Bridge was steep and quite a work out after a day of hiking and a meal with margaritas, but it was worth it.

The views on top were spectacular.

 

Emry's First Communion

 A couple of weeks ago, Emry celebrated his first communion.  I'm a bit behind on posting all the pictures!

Suspension Bridge and Lizards

I took pictures of these cute little Eastern Rock Lizards for Lydia.

This suspension bridge spans the Red River.  It's a really pretty place, and we had it to ourselves.  There weren't a lot of people out on the trails on a weekday in April.

 

Ultimate Car Tunnel

 Back when Malachi was little and barely said anything at all, he loved car tunnels.  He would gleefully shout from the back seat, "Car tunnel!" every time we went through one.  He even named one of his toys (actually a boat on wheels) "car tunnel".  When he was upset, driving through a car tunnel usually brought him out of it.  In the Red River Gorge, we went through the ultimate car tunnel:

It used to be for a train, but now it is a one-lane road for cars, carved right through the rock.

And yes, every time we went through it, Nathaniel and I exclaimed, "Car tunnel!"  

I really want to bring Malachi through it sometime.

Thurby and Ducks

 Nathaniel and I went to Thurby!  My mom made my hat for me:

And in other news, the ducks are growing really fast. My sister and her kids were here this weekend, and they loved the ducks!

Today, I moved the rest of the chicks out to the little yard, so the brooder only has ducks and turkeys now.  All of the poultry seem to be doing really well!

I still have lots of pictures to post, so more posts soon...

Beautiful Appalachia

 

As I mentioned, Nathaniel and I managed to get away for 3 days last week.  We had never been to the Red River Gorge, and we thoroughly enjoyed it.  I was amazed by the beauty.

These pictures were right behind our cabin!

The fire pit had a rock overhang above it, so if it had rained, you could still have a nice fire.  And here is the walk up to the cabin:

And the cabin itself (photographed from the parking spot):