Chicks of all sorts

We got a mother load of baby chicks from McMurray Hatchery! So much about this experience has amazed me, maybe nothing more than the phone call we got on a SUNDAY night before a post office holiday to let us know they had just flown in (via aircraft, not stork) and were available anytime, 24 hours a day at the Rancho Penasquitos distribution center. Oh, and they were being kept in the office since the warehouse was chilly. Say WHAT???? Yes, good ol' USPS was in rare form!

We'd ordered 30 chicks (25 in an Ornamental Layer assortment plus 4 I picked expressly, plus one "free exotic chick" was added at checkout) with plans to give most away to neighboring coops. When we opened the box, there were 47 beauties staring up at us like some Miss World of Chicks pageant. Black, Buff, Mottled, Brown -- you name it they were all there in fluffy perfection. Introducing a few of our keepers:

This is Lil Shrimp. Evie named her. It fits. She is scarcely bigger than a pingpong ball and much much smaller than her feathery friends. We think she is a Golden Penciled Hamburg.


Here is Kitty Soft Paws. She is demure, exquisitely fluffy and downy, and has that far off gaze ala Bridget Bardot. You never can tell if she's actually looking at you or not.


This is Taylor Swift. I'm sure she's belting out some Cinderella tune here.


This is UGGS. She is a Buff Cochin, or so we guess. She's named for her very lamby limbs.


This one is Brown Fuzzball. We don't have a permanent name or any clue what she is, but she is the only one like this in the bunch. She'll obviously have great gams.


This is Jimmy Hendrix. There are two Jimmys and we couldn't part with either of them. I special ordered these two. They will definitely be Silver Polishes.


This is Two Dot. She deserves a better name. Maybe you can help her out by suggesting one. She will be a Mottled Houdan. I special ordered this one, she has a 5th toe (as does Kitty Soft Paws) and will have a crested head like Jimmy Hendrix. She'll lay white eggs.


This is little Penguin. We aren't sure what she is because her looks could turn out to be many types as far as we can tell from our research. She's a cutie, though.


Finally, we have Fancy. She is by far our biggest chick, so she sinks into the wheat grass here.
Evelyn asked me today, "What's her middle name?" To which I replied, "Pants."
She will be a Silver Laced Wyandotte. This is one I ordered especially, too. They lay through the winter.

Ruby & Reyes got married

Birthday, laughter and friendship

For my non-significant-number birthday this year, Al gave me a HUGE gift - a weekend away with a few of my friends. Al stayed home for the weekend with Paige, Graham and Evelyn while I went to Florida. Six amazing ladies joined me for some real belly-exhausting gigglefests and zen moments at the Floridian. I guess it goes without saying that I wish I could have taken all my girlfriends along. I wish everyone was there for this much fun! It was restorative on every level. What a way to usher in my next year of life. This is livin!

Paige (long blonde hair, 4th image down) and I were goofing around, doing "senior year high school portrait" poses, but then hers turned out too good not to share. I'm sure she'll get me back somehow. Eek!

Christmas Elves

Jingle Bell Horse Show 2011

This past weekend all three babes participated in the Jingle Bell Horse Show, a local show put on by Lance Bennett & Scott Hickey at the Del Mar Horse Park. It was non-stop action with all three showing in multiple classes. Evelyn was in the Lead Line Walk and Trot classes (with posting on the correct diagonal), Graham showed in Western Pleasure and Equitation classes, and Paige showed in the Saddle Seat Equitation and English Pleasure classes. They all enjoyed the competition, and had plenty of good learning experiences. We also enjoyed cheering on our friends and barnmates as they competed in the "big kids" classes with cantering and patterns. We'll be there some day, so it is great to get experience with the whole show scene now.

The weather was in the 40s when we arrived each morning, but the crystal clear skies shone brightly and soon we were warm as toast in the pavillion.

THE CUTEST ELVES ON THE PLANET!
Man, I love 'em

This little trio helped put up decorations all weekend and made some delicious cookies as well. So fun seeing Christmastide through their eyes.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Catch-up and individual pics

We have had a lot going on for quite some time. We had entertained the notion of spending Thanksgiving down at the hunting camp, but with all the travel in the fall it was too much to organize another trip. So we find ourselves home in the crisp, cool air of Rancho Santa Fe for Thanksgiving. Every last member of this family has waded through a strong headcold in the past two weeks, so we could all use some restorative downtime.

The travels above included several days in Houston. Upon landing, when we all turned on our phones, mine had an urgent message from my mom that my dad was on his way to the ICU! That was the beginning of a very trying few days for him, where he had a lot of discomfort in areas not usually discussed with daughters. I cancelled my plans and dedicated several days to accompanying my mom and comforting my dad, as best I could. Kidney stones are a bitch. I should know. When I had them I was pregnant with Evelyn, so no lithotripsy could be performed. One of my dad's stones lodged itself in the path-o-pee, causing sepsis and situating itself in a likewise position where lithotripsy was not an option. A stent was put in and that freed willy, so to speak.

Daddy was stable, my sister was coming to town to support my mom, so I was able to head to Spain with Al. It was a very interesting work trip, and we were able to walk together exploring the streets and shops of Sevilla, Spain. We found treasures for our loves, and enjoyed carriage rides in the park. Idyllic! Evening were spent with advisors from around the world and we all gained perspective on global, political dynamics.

The following week I left Graham and Evelyn in the care of Ruby and Devereaux (surf/guitar instructor) while Paige and I headed out to Oklahoma City for the Morgan Grand Nationals. Paige's hard work in all the regional competitions earned her a place competiting at the national level. We had zero expectations, and thought this would be a good opportunity to garner some experience without pressure. She loved the whole thing and improved with each ride. She collected a couple of ribbons (5th place and 7th place) and a ton of experience. She and I enjoyed our time together, shopping at the newly-opened Whole Foods of OKC and finding treasures at the boutiques in Nichols Hills, as directed by my friend Lisa who hails from the area.

We made another trip to Houston for a celebrity the kids adore - Al got them tickets to see Cake Boss. This guy, Buddy Valastro, has a tv show that our gang loves! They waited in line waaaaaay past bedtime to meet him personally in the Green Room, (thanks to some tireless work by Al's assistant Emelie we were VIPs :). It was great.

So home we are. The leaves are rustling, the sun is shining, the laundry is ginning, coughs are waning, and we are counting down until we feast and then break out the Christmaspalooza.