Our little flock

Wowie wow, do chickens grow quickly...and require lots of time and attention!  I may not be up to the task of giving you play-by-plays of this adventure in anywhere close to real time, after all.  I will endeavor, however, to keep you as posted as possible on the scoop from the new coop.

About five weeks ago, 13/18 of our eggs hatched!  They were unbelievably cute, as you might imagine, and I was immediately more invested than I ever expected (surprising no one else😏).  While we were giving everyone ample time to emerge (i.e. not opening the incubator), the chicks were read to, cooed at, and fawned over.  Once they came out, and after watching a few videos about how to raise tame chickens, we did what we could to gain their affection and imprintation (pretty sure this is not a word).  This included, but was not limited to, making eye contact, holding them often, and according to Lydia, blowing hot air in their face.

preparing the brooder box
(very thankful for friends who have gone before us and let us borrow all the gear!)

All the chicks are still alive and well...and have grown into awkward teenagers!  We have such a variety of colors, though since a few are similar, it has been difficult to keep them straight.  I have considered painting their toes, not only for fun and aesthetic purposes (ha - you're not surprised), but also to help differentiate between those who are similar.  Due to the aforementioned uncertainty, as well as the additional uncertainty about which are hens (staying) and which are roosters (not allowed to stay), we are still waiting to officially bestow names.

Do not fear, though - I took newborn and subsequent milestone pictures for you, all the same.💗  There is little guarantee that any are actually the same chick in each sequence, but in order for me to sleep at night, I am telling myself they are. 😉 Of course, the most recent pictures are already dated, and they have continued to grow and change.

This one (I think...) is named "Dolly," because of her sweet demeanor.
(We sure hope she's a she...)

This one was called "Houdini" early on, because it escaped to part of the brooder box that was partitioned off and screamed loudly till it was rescued.  If she is a she, we may call her "Houdina" or perhaps do some research into Houdini's wife's name.

Lydia named this one "Robin," because of the reddish (brown) tint to her head.
(Again, we're sure hoping *she* gets to stay...)

While the growing pains of acquiring and learning new responsibilities has not always been pleasant for everyone over here, being able to love on these babies and share the miracle and joy of them with others certainly has been.  We are trying to hold them loosely (literally and figuratively) and not get too, too attached, while still enjoying the "pet" void they have seemed to fill and make sure they live their best lives here.  So, they have been on several "field trips" to the yard and garden before making their official move to the coop (soon).  

I hope that sufficiently covers it all.  Please let me know if you have any lingering questions.  We are certainly learning as we go, here, so would also welcome any advice and/or input you might have from your own chicken encounters.  It takes a village!  😁😉

Favorites of the day:

open windows

Caterpillar Chronicles: Part 2!
This one spent a few short days devouring parsley (that's where we found it in the garden) before making itself at home in our butterfly habitat. 
We'll see if this one stays in there for as many months as the previous resident!

♥

Fall ‘25

Preface:

I was recently asked whether or not "The Scoop from the Coop" was still active.  Ha!  The answer: yes, but with the caveat that it rarely reaches a priority level that allows for anyone to actually know it's active.  I also shared that I had a post sitting in "editing purgatory," because the holiday season had impeded my progress on it.  Here's that post:

This is slowly but surely becoming a seasonal blog, isn’t it? As I use it to document our life’s happenings, the timeliness (or lack thereof) speaks to the busy-ness and priorities of this season of life. All good things, but just a lot at once, and with little margin.

So, here’s a brief recap of some fall happenings:

Lydia turned 5! 
Here she is opening a couple gifts the morning of her big day. 

Her chosen theme for her first ever friend party was "unicorn, flamingo, ballerina."
We did what we could to accommodate. ;)

♥

Some of the last garden zinnias for the season and flamingo straws I'd had the forethought to pick up from Dollar Tree this summer both came in clutch!

Clearance ballerina stockings (thanks, Aunt Jami) and a unicorn/flamingo "duck" game rounded out the theme.

I'm always thankful for my brief stint in 4-H cake-decorating classes...

...and the ability to make cake dreams come true on a budget!

Pin the horn on the unicorn - recycled from one, if not two, cousin's birthday parties.

I also had a birthday!
Breakfast in bed is always a treat, but esp. with tiramisu French toast (Bryant) and gooey rolls (Dad)!

A most delicious cake was made, too!

♥

We took a quick trip to Lincoln to participate in the NWU Homecoming festivities this year.  Families were invited to a tailgate meal, band alumni were invited to perform on the weekend's concert, and there was even a music alumni trivia game (judged by a couple former (and since, retired) professors).  It was so fun to not only relive some of my college experiences with Bryant and the kids, but also some of Bryant and I's earliest memories together with our little family. 

It had been a while since we stopped in Rock Port for the traditional "meet in the middle" photo.

We stayed at "the coop" (this blog's namesake)!
The kids were obviously thrilled.  Me too!

We squeezed in as many favorites as we could that weekend, including a favorite coffee shop!

You know how I feel about a then-and-now...☺

Mannny hours were spent in practice rooms such as this, once upon a time.
This was a really sweet full-circle moment.

I used to give campus tours, so of course, we went in every building we could, including this - Old Main, where the university in its entirety was once housed.

So many feelings about playing on that stage again...but mostly: it was so fun!

The (almost) exact spot we first laid eyes on each other, and in the background, the first place he bought me coffee and the first place we ate dinner - all in the same afternoon/evening!

There is a lot I could say about these seed packets, but for now:
I collected a very large amount of zinnia seeds at the end of this growing season, because we were planning to (and did) do some work to the garden, so we couldn't just leave them to reseed like they had the last couple of years.  I ended up with way more seeds than I knew what to do with.  Shortly thereafter, I was asked to speak at a women's favorite things event at church where ladies would be sent home with gifts from a handful of different themes/topics.  The topic I was asked to share about: gardening.  And guess what I got to do with all the seeds the Lord apparently knew I would need to have collected?!  I got to share them with all the ladies in attendance after telling them all about why gardening is one of my favorite things!

Bryant and I were able to take an anniversary trip to Mackinac Island!  The island hold a special place in Bryant's heart, and as I had never been, it was exciting to have him plan this getaway and show me around.  Being there at the end of their peak season made for such a quiet, relaxing, and refreshing time.  We would love to share more about this trip, so please just ask, if you're interested!

There are no motorized vehicles on the island, so after we got off the ferry, we either walked or rode in horse-drawn carriages!

We spent a whole afternoon walking along the coast of the island.  While it was a bit chilly, the temperature and sunshine were above-average for the time of year, and for that, we were very thankful.

We love taking advantage of everything our proximity to a big city has to offer!
Pictured here: one of several symphony concerts for kids we have attended

Speaking of awesome field trips - we toured Arrowhead Stadium with our homeschool group!
(This was a really cool (free!) opportunity and such an interesting tour.  We were extra glad to have been able to take it after (months later) hearing about the Chiefs' upcoming big move!)

Again - this post is so very belated, but I am thankful for your continued unconditional interest, as well as the opportunity posts like this present for me to reflect on and remember (both now and in the future!) our life's happenings.  Time continues to pass at an alarming rate, and I try hard to not only enjoy and relish in the present moments, but also document them in a way that will allow myself and others to look back on them in years to come.  Someday, perhaps I will have something more profound, or at least timely, to share.  In the meantime, thanks for your grace.  ;)

Tardily yet happily,

Kensy

Favorites of the day:

the new coconut oil popcorn from Aldi

the opportunity to homeschool

this self-starting, hard-working girl
She asked for a box to paint so the noise-making kitten toy that is required to live in the basement could have a home.  I'd been saving a box for such a time as this, and we had the tail end of a can of paint, so she was in luck.  She asked to have her breakfast outside so she could "get right to work," and finished the job (really well) with no assistance.