Peg Leg

 My husband bought me a peg leg.  The kids are thrilled and keep making pirate references.

I don't know that I would use it in public, but it is really handy for getting things done in the kitchen.  I haven't been able to do much since I can't carry anything and use crutches at the same time.  

I hope to be able to get out in the gardens with it, but at the moment the back deck has been coated with a fresh layer of paint, and I don't want to try real stairs just yet.  It also sprinkled a bit earlier, and I don't think this would work with soft ground, but maybe tomorrow.  

Beauties and the Birds

 It has come to my attention that I haven't posted any pictures of my turkey recently?

She's a sweet bird, and she makes lots of fun noises.  She's so huge next to the chickens.  

I also got some first day of school pictures for the 3 that go to public school:

Last weekend, 4 of the kids and I went into visit family.  Lydia and I had a bridal shower to attend, and the kids had a lot of fun with cousins.

My sister-in-law sat with us at the shower, and it was nice to visit with her and Nathaniel's cousin.

Later, I handed the girls my phone in the van and told them to take some selfies.  They are so beautiful!

And here are a few more chicken and turkey pictures:

The young rooster to the right of Harriet (our turkey) is no where near the size of her!  Just look at her feet!  I don't know if she will get any bigger or not.  I think she may.  She's actually younger than the rooster, and he's not fully grown.

Out of Commission

I haven't been doing much lately, because I have been resting my left foot for over a week now.  It turns out that there is such a thing as tarsal tunnel, which is in your foot/ankle, and mine is inflamed.  So I've been mostly watching my house implode from the vantage of the couch.  I really hate sitting around.  I am pretty horrible on crutches, but I'm getting a bit more mobile, and my foot is slowly improving.  In the mean time, I've been trying to direct traffic while sitting.  I did manage to teach/help Malachi and Lydia in making strawberry jam the other day.  I had defrosted the strawberries just before my foot went caput, so I had to make the jam.  Fortunately, they were great help, and we made up a bunch of jars.  It's a favorite around here, so I don't expect them to last too long.  I also put Lydia and Malachi in charge of dinner tonight, so there's that.  They make a good team.

Elijah has been working quite a bit while having a bad cold, so I haven't seen as much of him.  He's getting better, though, and he does help me out in the evenings.  Gyunay and Emry have been really good the past two days, which is nice since the beginning of the week was not so smooth.  Pilot has been working a lot.  Nathaniel has been trying to help with some of the running around for me, and he keeps giving the kids extra laundry to help me.  I have started going out in public a bit, but not too much.  Hopefully, I will be able to put some weight on my foot soon, and that will help tremendously.  I do hobble out to the porch or the deck every day.  I just like to get outside.  My gardens have been terribly neglected, and my chickens and turkey are probably wondering what the heck happened to their food genie.  The cats are aggravated that I won't climb on the roof with them.  So all of the animals are disappointed in me except perhaps for Buddy Bean, who I let roam around the deck when I sit out there. 

July Harvest Totals

 Our harvest has been pitiful this year so far.  The weather has been hard on the plants.  I have a bunch of seedlings in the playroom right now, and I am hoping for a better fall harvest.

Eggs - 203

Peppers, Bulgarian hot carrot - 2

Tatume (Mexican zucchini) -1

Tomatoes - 

        Black Krim - 1 (3.9oz)

        Mystery - 4 (8oz)

        Sophie - 5 (12.9oz)

And some cherry tomatoes, blackberries, kale, mint, thyme, oregano, sage, basil, and rosemary.

Tree Hugger

 When Lydia was little, she loved this particular tree in the park.  She'd give it hugs every time.  Now the tree is dying, so I wanted a picture of her in front of her tree:

Here is the original post, when she was two: Barefoot Kentucky Mama: Tree Hugging  I don't know why the pictures don't show up unless you click on them, but it is worth clicking to see sweet baby Lydia!

Also this week, we got shaved ice:

Malachi read Invitation to Valhalla by Mike Whicker:

We did move his bed back downstairs a few days ago.  He is healing but still sore and swollen.  Luckily, his friend is back from Alaska and visited yesterday and today to amuse him.  

Additional Vacation Photos, a Surgery, and Flowers

Last week, Malachi had surgery to repair 2 childhood inguinal hernias.

He's healing and overall doing pretty well, but it's slower than he'd like.  My parents came to watch the younger kids during the surgery, and Mom made chicken and rice soup, which Malachi really enjoyed.  He was also treated to a care package from my sister's family, and the treats my parents and his siblings picked out for him.  He's been sleeping in the middle of the living room, so he wouldn't have to keep going up and down stairs to get to the bathroom, but I think we will be moving his bed back down tomorrow.

Malachi didn't get to go with us, but Nathaniel and I took Lydia, Gyunay, and Emry to the Bulgarian reunion picnic on Saturday.  Elijah stayed home to look after Malachi, and Pilot was working.  The kids had a great time.  I was happy to see friends we had not seen in a very long time, and I was even happier to see the kids interacting like it hadn't been that long.  After the picnic, we visited with Nathaniel's sister's family for a while, went to Korea House for dinner, and headed home exhausted.  

I've had a rough time getting my garden going, with the weather and the deer interfering so much, but the flowers sure are pretty:

 

Book Review - The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kipp by Sara Brunsvold

 

I started reading this book yesterday while my son was in surgery.  I finished it today.  It is an incredible book.  Rare is the novel that leaves the reader yearning to be a better person.  This is that novel.

In turns funny, sad, poignant, and uplifting, this story follows the unusual life of a quirky Christian lady and the young reporter sent to interview her.  This story isn't just clean fiction with unobjectionable themes; it is unapologetically Christian.  Mrs. Kipp's life exudes the faith and her deep love.  I cried several times reading this book, but I left it inspired.  The story has good character development and is engaging throughout.  Well done, Ms. Brunsvold.  This book is a real gem.  I highly recommend it.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher, Revell, for the purpose of writing a review, but all opinions are my own.