Brave Chicken (How's that for an oxymoron?)

After talking with an acquaintance at the farmer's market in Webster this morning, I decided to be brave this evening and leave the door to my chicken coop open for a little bit. One hen was braver than the rest. After looking out the door and checking things out for a few minutes, she decided to venture out. The rooster was not the bravest bird in the bunch, but since he is supposed to be the leader, he came out too.  I sat back in the grass with my camera and watched.

I've been told that once the flock is used to their enclosure, they will automatically "go home" at night. They didn't wander very far from the door this time, they weren't out very long, and not everyone ventured out. One silly chicken got confused and forgot where the door was. She kept looking at her friends inside and then proceeded with an attempt to fly through the chicken wire. In her confusion she ended up on the backside of the cage where I followed her back around to the door and she hopped safely inside.

More exciting than chickens was the arrival this afternoon of our Minnesota people. Jim, Michele, and Austin arrived at about 1:30 pm. Austin looked a little shy and unsure at first, but the apprehension quickly melted away. When he saw the toys, the chickens, and the cats, he decided it was an alright place. And he hasn't even caught up with the cousins yet. Wait until that happens!


We're going to have a fabulous week.
:0)

The Arrival

Our Minnesota family arrived late this morning with one hungry and tired little boy. He wasn't too sure about this strange place, but after a drink of milk, a little bit of lunch, and a nap, he was smiling again.

We're taking it easy this evening, watching "A Christmas Wish" and drinking tea while the little guy wanders about kicking giant Lego bricks, making the dog a little bit nervous and checking out the light switches. He's too much cuteness wrapped up in one package!

Martha's Bit's and Bobs

Here they are. I'm tempted to call them the "Minnesota Leftovers," but that's not really true. They aren't leftovers at all, just stragglers. Dessert comes at the end and it isn't leftover.

Dogs are forever hopeful, even when they know the chances of a handout are slim to none.

One miffed horse. We called her over and didn't even have something as simple as a sugar cube. You can tell she's annoyed.

The Como Park Zoo, which James and I visited on Saturday. There's a spotted cat sleeping in the crevice of the rock.

Monarch at Como Park in St Paul.

Daddy hugs. They're the best.

Helping Daddy weed the flower bed.

Silly Daddy...

How he melts my heart.

Saying goodbye to Grandpa.

Going home again.

The Minnesota Zoo

Who doesn't love a trip to the zoo? I hadn't been in years, mostly because the cost is astro- nomical, but we were blessed by one free admission to the Minnesota Zoo when we visited with Jim and Michele who were given a zoo membership as a gift.

It was a rather quiet, but beautiful Thursday afternoon with sunny skies and summer- like temp- eratures. There were no crowds to fight and most of the animals were out in the open where we could gawk at them without a problem. (I can't understand the purpose of charging admission to a zoo where the animals are always out of sight...)

We enjoyed a wonderful relaxing afternoon together.

 The Minnesota Zoo is full of wonderful statues and sculptures of animals. I found them intriguing. I'm presently wondering if they are the real reason admission is nearly $20 for adults. I don't suppose they were all donated.

The highlight of the trip was our visit with the lynx kittens. They were fairly certain my little grandson was either a playmate or perhaps dinner. They made Austin a little uneasy when they tried to grab him through the glass of their enclosure.

 He found Grandpa's arms to a safe and reassuring place to recover and soon he and Grandpa were "monkeying around" with the cats again.

There hasn't been much going on this week, so I thought I'd catch you up on vacation happenings instead. Besides, some of these pictures are too good not to share.

Minnesota

A little boy in Minnesota stole my heart last week. I fell in love with my grandson, and he fell in love with his grandpa...

James, who had originally planned to drive to Minnesota, decided, just before my departure for California, to fly instead. Our Southwest travel points made flying more cost effective, and also enabled us to help provide our son and his wife with a few tools and materials to do some work on their new house. James passed on the family tradition of buying a ladder for the new homeowner (like my dad did for him) and Jim immediately used it to clean out the gutters.

We went to the zoo, ate meals together, visited coffee shops, played with our grandson, and enjoyed some gorgeous weather.

 It's always hard to say goodbye, even when I think I'm ready to be home again. Now I find myself missing a small child with curly, brown hair, blue eyes, and a captivating smile.

Off and Running

Well, kind of.... My faraway son is on his way home again, finally. The flight out of Rochester was scheduled to leave on time, ... until they arrived at the airport anyway. Maybe it was the weather this time. We did get a rather nice snowfall this afternoon. Southwest has been having a lot of delays this past week and rather than leaving at 5 pm, the departure didn't take place until 7:33 pm. That's a long wait with a 5 month old baby.

It was another whirlwind visit. We packed Christmas, New Year's and an early birthday celebration into just five days. We stayed up much too late, slept in strange beds, and threw any semblance of a normal schedule tot he wind. Now we gather ourselves together and make a grand attempt to jump back into our everyday routines.

It's always hard to say goodbye, especially not knowing when we'll meet again. Thankfully, we have pictures to bring these days back to memory, and we remembered to take a picture of this little one with each of our moms.

Safe travels, sweet child!

Tongue Tied

I am tongue tied. There is so very much to write about my week in Minnesota but I have no clue how or where to start. It was another amazing vacation with gorgeous weather and lots of time to "decompress". We saw or visited everyone on our list, had plenty of time to snuggle our new baby, and even packed in an afternoon at the Renaissance Festival. We stayed home, read and relaxed, wandered about in parks, and ate on patios. I caught up with old friends, new friends, and blog friends. I didn't ride a roller coaster, but I did ride an airplane. I didn't go to the beach, but the Renaissance Festival was just as much fun. I ate a turkey leg, toured a cathedral, sneaked inside the North Western Casket Company, and went for a walk around the block. It was a nearly perfect week.

I'm sure that in the days to come I will find the words that appear to be lacking today, words to preserve some of the blessings showered upon us this past week. For now I will simply say that I am overcome by how the Lord has blessed my son this past year. We couldn't have asked for anything more.

Welcome to the World!

He has made his way out of hiding and into his mother's arms. Welcome to the world, Austin Scott!

My son had a good cry after his little one arrived. It's been a long wait in so many ways, and a year of seeing life's greatest wishes granted. I am blessed to see his hopes and prayers answered.

He's a little guy, this new grandson, 7 pounds 5 ounces, and somewhere between 17 and 18 inches long. I have to rely on others for pictures this time as I won't be getting close enough to take pictures for another several weeks. No matter the distance, there is always a sense of wonder at a new grandbaby, and I always find a reason to feel teary.