This morning Jason found out what was happening, and it was not at all what any of us were hoping for. He found Goldie Bean dead and the eggs gone. A snake had gotten in, likely going after the eggs, and when Goldie Bean likely tried to defend her nest, she was killed. This was not easy news to share with Alida. Nor was it easy news for any of us to swallow. I have a feeling "building snake proof brooder coops" will rise a bit higher up on our priority list before next hatching season. I definitely was feeling inclined towards a meltdown of my own, with an irrational desire to shout out to the universe how unfair it was: why, literally the day before Alida's hen was set to have baby chicks poking out from underneath her feathers, did this have to happen?
As I learned from watching Kali when she lost her bunny, Curious Hiddley, kids do this grief thing pretty well when we don't get in the way and just support them and provide comfort as we are able. Alida shed a lot of tears initially. Then she wanted me to read a book, which I did. Then she wanted to know if Goldie Bean would come back, which led to a conversation about us all coming from soil and returning to soil. Then Jason came back in (he had the baby outside so I could hold Alida) and we talked about pet hen replacement options, and Alida made it clear she didn't want a rooster, since they aren't as friendly. She shed some more tears on Jason's lap and then wanted another story. She was unable to decide if she wanted to see Goldie Bean before Jason buries her, so we have left that for the evening. Now, she is creaming me in National Parks Monopoly (though I haven't been present for any of the game as I'm in the bedroom with a sleeping baby in my arms). She keeps coming to give me updates on how many lodges she has and to show me her big stack of money, informing me of how poorly I'm doing.
We waited to share the news until after our friends left for their return to PA. It was a very short but sweet visit with my dear friend (from middle school to the present) and her three children. We filled about every minute possible with visiting, but still only managed to scratch the surface on catching up. We are dreaming of a longer visit together this fall... Last evening Terah was so sweet reaching for Erin and giving her little hugs before we went to bed. I should not have been surprised (I like her a lot too!), but Terah really hasn't gone to anyone regularly other than Jason, Kali and my mom. I've often noticed that it seems like our children can sense when we are comfortable with someone. Our girls all warmed up quickly, including Terah! The kids played soccer, tore around the blueberry patch while we picked some for them to take home, and in general entertained themselves while we exchanged as many words with each other as we could fit into the minutes we had! A long walk this morning was great, but just enabled us to start another half dozen or so conversations we didn't manage to finish before their departure time arrived. Long distance relationships are hard at this stage of life, so it is awfully nice to have a relationship with such deep roots and a level of comfort that enables us to pick back up where we left off the last time.
So this weekend was our time to host visitors from PA and last weekend we made the trek to PA to be with Jason's family - a special weekend centered around all being together and celebrating Dad's 70th birthday. I know the girls would say one of their highlights was two long stints in the pool - Kali would have stayed in all night if she had anyone wishing to linger with her. I was pretty impressed that she has slowly worked her way up to going under water. It's so neat to see her slowly challenging herself in areas that felt too hard or scary previously. She's on to plan our next family night and has chosen swimming. Another highlight was Grandpa giving a bunch of us a cart ride. It was exciting, even if it put Terah to sleep!
I really enjoyed the time a bunch of us spent out under the shade trees in the backyard just visiting and watching kids run around popping bubbles or playing at the swing set. It's such an unusual activity for me to just sit (with nothing that I need to do) and let Terah climb all over me while I visit. It was really lovely! It was a warm day but the shade and the breeze made it quite pleasant. The time we spent together singing before most began dispersing Sunday was also right up there on my list of enjoyable times. It was good to all be together!
Terah would definitely say that her highlight was NOT the car trip. Adding to the list of ways this kiddo is making her mark, and standing apart from her big sisters, is her dislike of being in the car. It's not that Alida or Kali loved it, but we never had much crying in the car. Terah is getting more entertainable (peek-a-boo is a favorite) but when she is tired and wants nothing more than to fall asleep stretched out, she is not very patient with the predicament she feels any of us could get her out of. It didn't help that the ride up included an hour plus of stand still or crawling traffic and several other traffic related delays. I was rather frazzled by the time we arrived, and felt so relieved when the return trip home was uneventful in comparison.
In the days preceding and following our trip, the girls and I made a number of treks to the blueberry patch next door. They are having a bumper crop year and the berries are amazing! We have invested a lot in blueberries for our freezer and it feels worth every penny. If nothing else, it feels like fabulous family entertainment - we don't have to get in the car, we get a little exercise walking there and back, a great nutritious snack is provided, there's a gorgeous view to enjoy and it is a family-friendly environment! What more could we ask for? Alida is great at helping to entertain Terah and feed her blueberry halves. Normally she lasts about as long as it takes us to get a bucketful, and then she is ready to either help pick (which would be disastrous for the bush) or have my undivided attention.
It's a little hard to believe July is already here. The peas are coming to a rapid end. The older girls and Jason pulled our candy and potato onions and the shallots yesterday. Garlic will be next and then our main onion crop following. I think there are some grain crops Jason will be harvesting here before too long, but I'm honestly not up to date on the status of everything outside. I can hardly keep up with getting three meals on the table daily and our family's dirty laundry accumulation - esp. as our littlest gal joins us at the table and needs a new outfit every meal. We'll possibly have a bit of a lull before our tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and green beans have us flooded with food preservation tasks. In the meantime, I'm making batches of pesto here and there, drying oregano, making lots of cheese and butter while the cows are on pasture and the milk is high in omega 3's, and cooking with the lasts of things from the previous year (I chopped up the remaining two winter squashes yesterday). We hope to try dehydrating leeks this year as we have a lot of them, but otherwise won't likely be doing a lot of experimenting. We are out of diced tomatoes, tomato juice, tomato paste and have one quart of salsa left. So let the tomatoes ripen and the chopping get underway as soon as possible! And may my creative juices be flowing in abundance to think of ways to keep our littlest entertained and happy while I attempt to put up food for the winter. I'm thinking putting her in her high chair with a large tomato might do the trick for at least a little while... Time will tell so stay tuned!
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