Follow Up Friday…on a Saturday

Follow Up Friday … on a Saturday because I forgot to hit "publish"


Haven't done a Follow Up Friday in a while. Obviously it's been too long since I forgot to actually publish this one.

Anyhooo….

We are still in Colorado.
It occurred to me that I may not have actually addressed this point.   The plan was originally to come to Colorado for the fall semester of school.  (No. 20 Lite: Move)
Bunny and Belle had such great time and adjusted so well (State Champion Cheerleaders!) that they campaigned to stay through the end of the school year. 
Belle will graduate from Salida High School in May.  
I'm not sure they realized that the fall was the "lovely weather" time of year and by staying they signed on for  the "cold, snow, ice, more cold and lots of mud" time of year.   But Spring will come and in the meantime we are managing.

Speaking of Spring, the seeds got planted (No. 39) and I have been told by more than one person that growing tomatoes from seeds is not an easy task. We shall see.  
Here are the pots on the sunny (but not today) windowsill waiting to sprout. 

We still have chicks and they are trying to learn to fly.   
EEK!

Top to bottom: Juan, Steve, Franklin and Right: Pablo

Two of the chicks are Buff Orpingtons (Steve and Franklin) and two are Rhode Island Reds (Juan and Pablo).

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Juan and Pablo will look like these 

Rhode Island Red HENS eventually.

From the beginning it was obvious that the Reds were going to be true to their breed as they have been a little bit bossier.  "Rhode Island Red chickens can be feisty and independent, and their seemingly endless curiosity can get them into trouble." That would explain why they occasionally peck at the Orpingtons and why when startled yesterday one of them FLEW to the top of the box they are in.   Apparently full grown chickens aren't much for flying but the youngsters can get quite good at it. I keep telling Bunny she is going to walk into her room one day soon and there will be four chickens pecking around her carpet and not in their box.

Steve on the left and Juan on the right.

Juan is a Rhode Island Red…note his darker feathers. 

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This is a full grown Buff Orpington.

They get these lovely fluffy butts. 

Almost wish we could keep them that long.

Pablo (bottom) and Steve (top)

It's really hard to get baby chicks to sit still for photos.

The Buff Orpingtons are winter hardy (as are the Rhode Island Reds) and have sweet personalities (unlike the Reds).  The breed originated in Orpington, Kent, United Kingdom in the late 1800's which explains the silly name.    I love that they get fluffy butts when they are grown….pretty sure Bunny was not aware of that when she purchased them.

Anyway, the chicks are fun and we have enjoyed watching them.  I don't think Bunny will have any problem sending them on to their new home once they start to escape as she can't sleep in the same room with them now. They peep peep peep all night and she has nightmares that they are going to take over her/the house/ the world.  They should be gone by next week.

And…

I took care of my own little personal energy crisis by spending yesterday outside at the Hot Springs.

Mt. Princeton Hot Springs- we just plopped ourselves in the river.

Water temp is about 102º depending on where you sit. 

We have a new neighbor (No. 49: make a new friend) and her daughter was visiting so we all decamped to Mt. Princeton Hot Springs for an afternoon of sun and Vitamin D followed by a yummy dinner in town at The Fritz. 

I came home with a bit of a tan and very relaxed, ready to tackle the rest of winter. 

Happy weekend. 

Odds and Ends...No. 8 and No. 49

Odds and Ends:

Working on No. 8 Redux  and also on
No. 49: Make a New Friend

(An old and a new challenge off my list.)

Last week my niece and her sweet husband had an adorable baby girl, Avery Jane. I can't wait to meet her but it will be a bit before I get to do that.
And that's okay.
By the time we see her in person she will be at that adorable cuddly baby stage and beyond fragile newborn.
But isn't she a beauty?

Avery on her birthday!

No.8: Make Baby Quilts Again has already been done (see here) for Avery's cousins but I did not want Miss Avery to feel left out. 

I am almost done with it and here is a little preview. 

Pink! 

I'll post a full pic once it has been delivered.   Don't want to totally spoil the surprise.

And Boy! Do I have a lot of pink fabric left over. Anyone need a baby quilt? For a small fee (actually a pretty large fee) I will happily make you one.

I've also been working on No.49: Make a New Friend.

This could be a hard one.   

I am in a new place so I was destined to meet new people and I have met lots of people-but meeting someone doesn't make them a friend. 

And there is that fine line between meeting someone and being friendly and meeting someone and being stalker-ish.

But I have met some wonderful people and I have been amazed at the kindness and inclusion I have felt. 

Having teenagers has certainly helped.  It truly does take a village to raise kids and all mamas can use some extra help.  Especially when we get the "But EVERYONE is doing it!" line.  

This came up last night and I was so happy to have Facebook messaging already set up with some of the other mamas. A quick message revealed that no, not everyone was going to be doing it. 

"It" in this instance was driving 3 hours away to a soccer game and either driving back another 3 hours through the mountains at 10:30pm or staying the night in a hotel and driving home in the morning- missing a half day of school.   No parents included. 

I don't think so.

And fortunately the other mamas didn't think so either. 

(Credit to the amazing Anne Taintor 

for this little mash-up of saying and photo. 

One of my favorites.)

Maybe not to full friend status yet- but I sure do appreciate people I can call on. 

Working on No. 49.  Just in case I have a body that needs to be disposed of.