Oh boy! Things have sure been busy here. I can barely pull myself inside in the evening to cook dinner. But, oh, what fun! Vaughn turned two on Saturday! Two! I can't believe it. Can you believe it? We had a house full of family here to help us celebrate and then we went to the annual Spring Tailgate Poultry Swap again this year which is becoming a birthday weekend tradition now. This time we came home with ducklings and 4 new bantams! No goats, but check out my Taurus Farmer boy. He didn't ask to feed this goat he just took the bottle and started. See that egg in the right hand corner of the picture? The hen laid the egg while he was feeding the goat. He collected it and handed it to the man. I probably could have left him there for the afternoon to help out. He's two. I adore him.
I find our lifestyle overwhelmingly fulfilling but seeing the rooted learning of nurturing, responsibility and confidence in action swells my heart to the point of almost bursting. Perhaps I overlook that in our daily chores sometimes but it really stood out as I watched Jorn, Simonne and Vaughn navigate the swap with such confidence and joy. Going from seller to seller until they found just the right bantams, the ones that spoke to them on a level which deserves more cultivation these days, the gut.
And the heart too of course. Jorn picked out this mating pair of bantams that he and Simonne are holding in this picture. They are so beautiful although you can see how well camouflaged they are blending in even to the busy-ness of their shirts. After passing up many, many bantams Simonne walked right over to the most elegant ones we had seen all day and declared them hers. These pictures don't do them justice. The hen is not white she is like a pearl or a moonstone. The male is a shade of gray artists would use for the softest of moody skies. Watching them walk through the field is magical.
But oh, those ducklings! They have stolen all of our hearts! I have never planned to keep ducklings but I have also never really planned anything so they are really just where they belong I guess, eh? Kimba and Simonne keep them entertained. And speaking of planning we asked our party guests to bring along a plant with them to start a garden for Vaughn. With three kids toys are just not necessary. We were supposed to break ground on the garden at the party but there was still a threat of frost so now it's time to put some planning into action. It is going to feel so lovely to watch a garden grow for Vaughn given by family and friends. (Deep sigh) It was a really wonderful weekend.
