City Girl's Lesson

We had a bit of excitement here on Saturday. I should probably back up and start at the beginning.

On Friday evening, Bo brought the kids over for supper. I went into Super-Granny mode to keep track of them all while they ran havoc over the Lazy B. It was really a nice evening - a bit cool, but not bad. With the daylight savings time, the kids were able to play outside for a good while.  Toby and I grilled pork chops and roasted potatoes for an excellent meal.  Then the kids rode the 4-wheeler lots.  They played with the new baby chicks and kept me hopping to keep up with everyone. When it started getting dark and a bit colder, we came in to paint and then watch a movie.  Mr. T is my painter these days.  We had a lesson on mixing color, which he caught onto easily. Mr. J, the baby, is still a bit rough with the watercolor, but he has to do whatever his big brother is doing, so I suffered through him jabbing at my paints and stabbing at the paper.  He also seems to be a lefty.

Eventually, Bo took the boys home and left the girls to spend the night.  We watched a bit more of a movie before I found myself nodding off.  I remembered to take the GGS outside to see the big full moon - the last blue moon until 2020 - before going to bed.  As usual the GGs got up at the crack of dawn excited to be here.  We drank coffee/milk and waited until the sun came up before we headed outside to chase the neighbors miniature horse and check on the chicks.  The mini horse is a paint in the rumpus. He has been here since my birthday in early March. He likes my mares - as if he were big stud.  The GGs had it in their heads that they could catch him and take him back where he belongs.  Silly city girls! They chased him all over the Lazy B.  I'm kind of glad they did not catch him, because they would not have known what to do next. Anyway, they gave up and went to check chicks.

This is where things got exciting.  While the girls went to check chicks, I took my shower and got dressed.  Toby was out with the girls in the barn.  Then I heard frantic screaming at the dog (my mom's little fox terrier). I thought something had happened to my dog, but then I saw GBN1 run by yelling. She was pretty upset. It turns out that while playing with the baby chicks, GBN2 turned and showed the dog the chick - as if handing it to him. Being a dog, he thought he was being handed a treat. He snapped up the chick and took off running. A chase ensued, but there was no way to catch him once he had his treat. And there was no chance for the chick.

Toby eventually got the dead chick from the dog. I got GBN1 to come in the house. She had blood on her jacket, which turned out to be a cut on her wrist - from who knows what. I got her bandaged up, but she was pretty upset with the dead chick and her sister who handed the chick to the dog.

It was a good time to go to town for breakfast - something to change things up.  We went to Eastland's for a big breakfast burrito with fried jalapenos. Yum.  GBN1 was not happy, but she ate a big breakfast.  We took the GGs home.  They wanted to go to WF with us, but that was more than I could handle. Grandma gets tired.

You know, we have always been upfront with the GGs about farm life. Things die. Coyotes eat cats and such. We did explain that chicks die very easily - that's the reason we got extra chicks. Still, it was an eye-opener to see it happen before your very eyes and for it to be your own fault. A good lesson!