Header image alt text

Kevin's Thoughts!

Maybe you agree, maybe you don't… find out!

October 22-23 Weekend

Posted by Kevin Carpenter on October 26, 2016
Posted in Still alive in 2019  | No Comments yet, please leave one

Picture

EE Last Friday kids and I planned to participate in the fall prairie burning in our neighborhood. At 8 at morning John Murphy ( Private Land Conservationist – Adair & Sullivan Counties) called me to tell it was cancelled. I stepped outside wondering what could be wrong at that beautiful sunny morning. Apparently, wind was at the wrong direction — and smoke would go to the neighbors houses. Not prairie friendly neighbors houses. Oh well, may be this week.

Kevin came for the weekend Friday evening. Inspected the chicken coop’s new roof — good, and foaming at his future office/workshop — not so good. So yesterday, at Monday, workers came back to finish their job. They left when it was already dark!

And for our weekend tasks — we just enjoyed the weather. Looked at our fields that were burned at spring, at the trees we planted: everything looks good, except we could not find the oaks we planted at the field behind the lake, because grass is so tall!
On the way back Kubota stuck at the mud, so we walk all the way back to get the tractor. Good weather — I did not mind the good walk! 🙂
Pulled Kubota, drove to the lake, stopped there to look.
Kids noticed us from the house, Frank came down to the lake too. I went back, grabbed some bread and we fed fish in the lake. Did not see anything big though.


Had some rice for lunch and Kevin left for his work week in the town. Now weather is not so good: cloudy, windy and cold. Xena and cats are sleeping in the house all day, but chickens seem happy outside, wandering around and pecking here and there.
Filled Kubota with the fuel, to be ready for next Friday, if burning will happen this time. Oh, and Kevin connected his future office to Internet!

Chicken Coop/Kids’ House Almost Done!

Posted by Kevin Carpenter on October 20, 2016
Posted in Still alive in 2019  | 1 Comment

Picture

EE

It is hard to believe today that only couple of days ago we had 90 F! Now it is cold, chilly outside. Xena is happy: now she could spend all the time outside. She could, but she won’t.

Because she still likes to chase chickens for fun. And chickens want to spend as much time outside the coop as they can too! 🙂

So, we have the routine: at morning Xena coming in to drink some water and sleep after her night watching job, and I ran out to open doors for chickens. They flying out like a flock of pigeons! And I don’t know if they like this cool weather or not, but they definitely like to go around and have some fun: they are pecking on bugs and grass, visiting Gabriel’s guinea pigs in their old chick days house that we build with Kevin at the beginning of the summer, hey are also checking in in dog’s house and even swinging on our big swings!


So we are really hope for more sunny, dry and warm days even if it is the end of October now!
Today the workers came to finish the roof on the chicken coop/kid’s house. Now rain will not shower chickens while they are sleep, and kids could spend nights in the second floor. They were waiting for this roof to have their own little house complete! All parts from the old playground that was destroyed by the wind few years ago we re-used to build something fun! Now you can climb upstairs and spend some time there on the hammock, reading a  book or playing a game, even listening some  music or watching a movie, because our chicken coop/kids’ house has the Internet! ( WiFi of course).

 

Fall Already… And Geese are Back 

Posted by Kevin Carpenter on October 18, 2016
Posted in Still alive in 2019  | No Comments yet, please leave one

Picture

(Evia’s EditionEE in the future) Summer just flew, and beautiful flowers on the prairies were exchanged with tall, yellow grass.

Grass is good too, and our lake is blue as the October sky above it, and geese are back, and our dog Xena is not sure if she suppose to guard us from these strange loud big birds.

For kids summer continues: we still have wonderful weather, playing in the woods, climbing trees, discovering creeks and always ready to splash in the lake!

 


Picture

Several snakes, couple salamanders, some unusual caterpillars were caught and then released (with littlest loss).

Fourteen chickens were raised with a lot of love and attention, but also was bigger and bitter loss. Big bad raccoon attacked our chicken coop when we (and Xena!) were in town for more then 3 nights.

 


Picture

10 calves were born and another predator — possibly coyote — stole one of them. But others growing healthy, fluffy and as cute as only Highland calves can be!

We made several videos that I would be happy to share. Another goal we had   with kids though: to practice Russian. And most of our videos in Russian.

If   you would look at our beautiful prairies, animals, birds and us and listen nature sounds mixed with our voices and background music, you are more then welcome to “visit” us that way! 🙂