Bottom of the Totem Pole

I wasn't insulted when the chicks chose to follow the kids around instead of me. In fact, I thought it was pretty cute. But things have hit a new low... when we are all together, they follow the DOG. They follow her around the yard, around the house; when she lies down, they lie down between her two front paws.

Maybe they haven't seen her enormous, wolf-like teeth. Maybe they don't realize that she weighs 75 pounds more than they do, and could crush their hollow bones in a single swipe. Or maybe they have perceived that she is the sweetest, gentlest dog, and would probably protect them with her own life. She plays this role for our kids; why not for the new babies too.

Parents Already?

The chicks seem to have adopted William and Aislinn as their mother and father. We took them outside again this morning, and they followed the kids around like little ducklings:

Smile, breathe and go slowly

According to zenhabits.net, here is a distilled guide to living zen.

less TV, more reading
less shopping, more outdoors
less clutter, more space
less rush, more slowness
less consuming, more creating
less junk, more real food
less busywork, more impact
less driving, more walking
less noise, more solitude
less focus on the future, more on the present
less work, more play
less worry, more smiles
breathe

One of my favourites is "less consuming, more creating". But they are all true words to live by.

Farmer Fashion

I've got to get me one of these t-shirts:

Living Zen?

We're trying to get back to a simpler way of life. And while adding the chaos of farm animals to our lives seems like a step in the wrong direction, it brings us back to what truly matters - taking care of each other, providing for our family, spending time together, living by the work of our hands. It seems like a foggy concept in Orange County, but we can't let our physical location dictate our existence.

We are trying to teach our children what is important in life. And amidst the busyness and after-school activities, homework and running around, hopefully it will sink in.

Welcome to The Great Outdoors

The chicks went outside today for the first time in their young lives. They weren't too sure about the whole concept of freedom, though, and stuck pretty close to Indira and I. And by pretty close, I mean on top of us.

But their curiosity slowly got the best of them, and they ventured onto the grass. Of course, that was when Indira opened the patio doors and let Ginger out. But I shouldn't have worried. She just plopped herself down on the grass with us and let the chicks scope her out. They aren't afraid of her at all. What a happy little family we have!

Operation Marchand Farm

'Jay the extremely strong hauler' was here this morning to remove what he said was between 5500 and 6000 pounds of concrete from our side yard. How he can do that without sustaining either a hernia or a coronary, I have no idea.

But Phase 2 of Operation Marchand Farm is now complete (Phase 1 being Phil's long hours of actually jackhammering up the concrete several weeks ago.) Here are shots of the side yard now. The long narrow row of dirt will be our vegetable garden, and the grassy area will be turned into a chicken coop and run.

Today the chicks are one week old. In honour of this milestone, I went looking in the backyard to see if I could treat them to a bug or a worm or something. No luck. But given my extreme aversion to bugs, I may not have looked as thoroughly as I should have. Sorry chicks -- I love you, but I draw the line at scrounging for creepy-crawlies.

William is enamoured with the babies, from an emotional and a scientific standpoint. We are keeping a scientific journal of notes, records and findings, and plan on making this venture into a family science fair project in the spring. He and I weigh the chicks every day and chart their progress. But he also just loves cuddling with them.

Amazing Creatures

The little ones are gaining weight before our very eyes. Two days later and they aren't the fuzzy little babies we brought home -- they are chickens in the making.

China's wing feathers are coming in at an incredible rate. And Snow Angel's beak-eye coordination is astounding -- she picked a small fly right out of the air and ate it. Only five days old and her instinct is unbelievable.

Our Son the Aggie

Our 8-year-old son William -- following in his father's Agricultural Engineer footsteps. Here is the chicken coop he designed for China and Snow Angel:

And just when I thought our lives were crazy enough...

The little babies are asleep cradled in my arms, and I can feel them breathing peacefully. We have all had a whirlwind day, and the little ones are tuckered out. But they peep mournfully when they are away from us. So I am typing one-handed and keeping them close.

We named them Snow Angel and China. Snow Angel is a Buff Orpington and her name is a collaboration between William and Aislinn. China is a Brown Leghorn, and her name is a tribute to the Barenaked Ladies.

The kids -- and the dog -- are fascinated with the new members of our family. They all just want to be together.

The poor little ones are back in their chick brooder so I can go to bed, and they are back to crying. I hope we all get some sleep tonight.