Catching up again!

Time to get everyone caught up again on the happenings at the Hoosier Country Homestead.  I was all ready to post late last weekend when we discovered our internet had ceased to function. By the time we were back up and operational, I was into the work week at my "away" job and am just now getting a free evening to get caught up.

"Papa" reads to his little girls

Last weekend was a largely a 'grandchildren' weekend.  Whenever we are inside, there is always a stack of books for Papa to read to little girls.  The favorites seem to be "Go Dog, Go", "Bubble Puppy" (from the Bubble Guppies TV show), "Daisy Gets Lost" (about a little duckling), and "Just Go To Bed!" (A Mercer Meyer "Little Critter Book" -have to the 'the voices' right on that one) with "Go Dog, Go" and "Just Go To Bed!" being the most read.  There are also songs to sing and tea parties to attend.


We spent quite a lot of our time outside, too.  In the morning we looked after the chickens and the girls got a chance to feed the birds some scratch.  They 'helped' fill the feeder and put down some more shavings for bedding.  We have some rubber boots for them to wear while they are here, and they love to put them on and go the "farm".

They love the chickens!  They weren't too sure about them eating out of their little hands, though.

Like most little ones, they love to help.  Time to get more feed!

Time to add some pine shavings to the coop!

No worries about getting dirty here!  They were eager to get in the coop and do some work.  I had the birds shut out and they went to town getting the new shavings in all the corners.  We did a REAL good hand cleaning when that job was done.

After that we went down to the garden and to let them do a little harvesting.  There wasn't much ready, but we made sure they got to pick what they could.  They were especially excited to hunt for pea pods that were full and ready to pick.  There were a few picked that didn't quite make the cut, but we still had a ball.

We also went to out to eat a real sit down restaurant, did some shopping for chicken feed and a few groceries.  Finally, because we're Gramma and Papa, we took the girls to Diary Queen.

Two little girls' first garden harvest.  It didn't take the younger one long to discover peas fresh out of the pod are yummy!

No hot summer day is complete without a little time spent cooling off.  Gramma and Papa were spectators for this sport.  We also had one of the sprinklers set up for them to play in.  It was so much fun watching!

Heaven and Harmony discover the water right out of the hose is a little chilly!

They wanted a water slide and set one up for themselves.  They did have a good time with it!

Finally, after the (future) grandkids and son-in-law headed back home and the 'old folks' had time to recover, we got some more time in the garden in the next few days.  We got a bit of a late start onour planting so we're a bit behind most of the rest of you, but De got our first canning done.  We'll have LOTs of those by the time the green beans and tomatoes are all done.

And so it begins!

What a wonderful weekend!  Seeing things through the eyes of a child is such a great way to get a fresh look at the marvels of God's creation.  Once again, we are blessed!

Col. 1:9-12,

Mark