move in day

It's been a big week around here. First of all the three hennies (as they are affectionately known) moved into their new digs. Check it out ladies!

My what fancy digs. Aren't they such a vast improvement over the old ramshackle chicken tractor? Four (4!) nest boxes, two perches, a plate glass window! Hennies? Oh it seems the hennies are not so impressed. You see with their new chicken coop came a fence and these free ranging ladies are being asked to stay put (just until the gardens have had chance to mature some...promise ladies). They don't much fancy that. Why stay in a fenced area (despite the luxurious accommodations) when there are acres to roam, horse manure to dig, flower gardens to scratch and a patio to poop on? Really. So hennies play Houdini all day long and Andy and I patch holes in the fence and try to figure out just where they have squeezed through now.

Of course the very serious (must wear two pairs of pajamas and water shoes) youngest girl guarding the door probably doesn't help. If we let her I think she'd sleep with the chickens (as long as they don't get too close!).

Luckily she can't help herself and falls asleep (mostly) in her bed. Guarding chickens is sure hard work.

Oh, and the other big happening this week? Elsa switched from saying "I-wah", her very cute year-long pronunciation of Iris, to "Iris". One day, first thing in the morning. Just like that.

Tonight the windows are open and the evening chorus of frog-song drifts in. Tomorrow we'll chase chickens back into their pen, clean up the maple sap buckets, and likely play barefoot in the sand. Spring is really here. Wishing you a wonderful week.