What a weekend!

What a weekend!  After a week of working the 'regular' job I got a weekend to get back to reality, and get back I did.  Where to start?  Let's start with projects.

Back in Business!!

My little tractor has tires again!  It turns out new tractor tires like that are harder to come by than one (or at least I) would expect.  After a week or so on order they came in.  I got both real wheels off and loaded them up in the truck to have one of our local tire places mount them up.  I don't put fluid in my rear tires, so I can just handle them by myself.  As I was putting them on I learned two important things: 1) On one side the pin that goes though the hub and the axle to keep the hub from drifting around was missing allowing my hub to 'free float' in and out.  Only the grace of God prevented that wheel from coming off entirely.  2) Keeping your "eye on the ball" works for tire changes as well as baseball.  Unfortunately, I let my eye drift for a little to long.  At my age I'm a bit too old to show off my 'boo boo',  but the tire didn't stay balanced upright as I thought it would, and when it fell over it one of the cleats 'barked' my left shin.  After sitting for awhile I was able to get back at it, but I'm going to be sore for awhile.  You know it can't be good when your 5 year old future granddaughter tells you "Papa, your leg is all swolled!"  In the end I got everything set up safely and tires on the tractor.   One job done!

Papa was feeling a little brave that day

 The next thing I did was 'turn to' on the chicken coop.  By this time the future granddaughters were up, fed, and ready to help Papa.  The two of them are 3 and 5, and they are very busy girls.  At that point I was cleaning up some lumber I had used for concrete forms, and needed to get the old nails out.  My help kicked in and "came to my rescue".  We got the nails pounded back through where we could get the claws on them pull them out, and between the three of us managed to get our lumber clean.  What a joy it was working with the little ones again!  My 'baby' turns 21 this weekend, so it has been

"One, two, three, PULL!"

awhile since I've gotten to work with that kind of "help".  I think the math works out this way:  With this level of skilled help it takes about three times longer to get the work done.  At the same time you have four times more fun doing it, so in the end you come out ahead.  Success is more than just getting the work done.  At one point I was scratching my head on how I wanted to frame up the nesting boxing.  The older one asked me if I still working and I told her "Yes, Honey.  Building things requires a lot of thinking."  Her reply was to get those hands on her hips and tell me, 'Well, let's get thinking then!"  Did I mention they like to stay busy?

Frame for the nesting boxes

Seriously though, they grow up SO fast and the opportunity to do things like this with them don't come near often enough.  These are times to be cherished!  In the end I did get a decent start on getting the boxed framed up.  I'll be taking a good look at the pics over at "5 Acres & a Dream".  Dan and Leigh over there are a good bit ahead of me.  I've already gotten some ideas for a roost when the time comes and will be checking out their laying boxed when I'm done here.  I think they will go quickly from here.  I am noticing I'm going to have to either find a way to set the date on my camera or turn it off.

Papa gives in and off we go!

There was one other thing the youngest of the two talked me into.  She wanted a ride on tractor! The older of the two takes a while to warm up to new things, but the younger is always up for something new.  Of course, Papa was happy to oblige and off we went!




  






 The girls did get to see the chicks that will eventually inhabit this project this weekend.  Here are couple of pics of my niece showing the girls how to carefully handle a chick.  The girls and my future son-in-law live in a what is essentially a suburb of Indianapolis so this is the first time they've been able to do this. They were very impressed!  They also got to color eggs with their Mamaw, but I don't have pics of that.  









Sunday I attended our Sunrise Resurrection Day services we are able to hold in the walled pavilion at the local high school farm.  We all attended Worship and Sunday School (we call the adult version 'Adult Bible Fellowship' but it amounts to the same thing), and afterwords  joined the extended family for a family Easter celebration dinner.  We were down several due to illness or travel to other locations and 'only' had 28 of us there.  What a blessing to celebrate our Savior's resurrection with four generations of extended family!

I do hope your Easter weekend time was as blessed as ours was.  It's easy to remember and be thankful for His sacrifice when we are showered with so many blessings.

Col. 1:9-12

Mark