A Needed Break from Chores

Saturday mornings, as a little girl, involved PBS shows such as This Old House, Bob Vila, and Julia Child; as well as Dad half asleep on the couch with his newspaper. We children would shake him, bug him, and even try to pry his eyes open with our little fingers. We would beg him to take us fishing, hiking, camping or swimming. And, often times he would hop up and load the van for an outdoor adventure. These adventures, as well my grandparent's old trailer on the Muskingum River, instilled a great appreciation of the beauty of God's creation. I love sharing that beauty with my children.

 

Last week, we went on a couple adventures around Ohio and discovered some of God's beauty. These adventures were FREE and lots of fun.

 

Our first stop:  Brown Family Environmental Center. The children had a good time getting close with nature. They got to touch pelts, shells, arrowheads, bones, and all sorts of interesting creations.

After leaving the nature center, we headed to Kokosing River's Honeyrun Falls/ I enjoy taking the children here, because they can safely play in the creek and falls, while I can sit back and relax and take in the sights and sounds. There is also a great swimming hole nearby, but I don't feel safe playing in the river without Da to help. The kids brought their fishing pools and practiced casting in the creek.

Saturday, we headed South to Hocking County. This area is one of our favorite spots in Ohio. It is beautiful. We stopped for a swim, then went on a short hike. There are a couple of places that are touristy. One being Old Man's Cave . Old Man's Cave is lots of fun. I highly recommend it, if you are in the area. However, we like to go off the beaten path. We enjoy the less popular places, such as Conkles Hollow  Every time I've been to Conkles, I've visited the upper ridge. As a teen, I would go there with friends or my dad to jog the trails. This time, we decided to stay on the lower path. It was relaxing, much more relaxing then taking four children on a 2 1/2 mile hike on the edge of cliffs. Most of the path was concrete or wood. I prefer a more rugged trail, but this was great and perfect for those who can't get around on the rugged trails.



Da and Noah were having fun with the camera.

It was good to get away for the day. We actually had to force ourselves to put the tools down and walk away from the garden. There are certainly plenty of projects to keep us busy at home. A break was needed though. And I am so happy we took it. Sometimes, we just have to stop and get away. Everything was waiting for us when we got home Saturday evening.

Where do you like to spend your time away?

 

Links:

Honey Run Falls: http://www.gowaterfalling.com/waterfalls/honeyrun.shtml

Old Man's Cave: http://www.oldmanscave.net/



Brown Family Environmental Center: http://www.kenyon.edu/directories/offices-services/brown-family-environmental-center/
Conkles Hollow http://conkleshollow.com/

Beautiful Spring Days and a Birthday

This past weekend was absolutely beautiful.  We were able to accomplish much around the property, as well as relax and have a bit of fun.
Before the weekend fun; I took the children to a local park to play, explore, and eat ice cream.  If you are in the area, check out Ye Olde Mill, home of the Velvet Ice Cream Company. We had a good time visiting with the ducks and feeding them bread.

 

Haven't you ever tried to catch fish with your bare hands, while luring them in with bread?

After eating ice cream, we took a walk along the river and explored all nature had to offer.   

 

 

 

 

Our weekend started with much excitement as Noah turned 13! He invited his buddies over for a backyard campout. I'm pretty certain that they didn't get much sleep. I heard boys laughing all through the night and early morning.

 

 

            

   

 

The next morning, we gathered all the children into our vehicles and headed to the Velvet Ice Cream
Festival parade. 

 

Lack of sleep, an early morning trip, and a country traffic jam made for an extremely tired child. I'm not sure sleeping with a lollipop in one's mouth is a good idea. 

 

Monday, we celebrated Noah's birthday here at home. Cheeseburgers on the grill, cake, and ice cream, as well as great company and hard work around the property and gardens made for a good finish to a fulfilled and exhausting long weekend.  

 

 

 

We have a future photographer on our hands. The last pictures are Noah's.

 

O'Broody Duck

I had a feeling that someone was missing. We have lots of chickens and one duck. It's hard to keep track of everyone. Walking around the property, doing chores, I realized Drizzle was missing. I also hadn't been able to find those pretty Americana eggs. Was I missing a chicken too? "That silly little chicken must be laying her eggs somewhere secret", I thought. That was until I stumbled upon this. 

Two things were realized. 1 the duck wasn't laying the big huge eggs...poor leghorn chicken. 2 those pretty olive eggs were not the americauna's. That explains why they were always so dirty. 

So much confusion....I know. Apparently, I thought Drizzle's eggs were chicken eggs and the chicken eggs were hers. I'm so glad she corrected me.

Now, we have a moody brooder without fertilized eggs.
I am happy to know for certain that we have duck eggs.....and I know which ones they are.

Poor Drizzle. Either she needs a husband, or wooden eggs. She is not thrilled to be kicked off the nest with eggs removed.

Meanwhile, Ginger has been sitting on eggs. We're keeping an eye on her. I'm not exactly sure when she first sat, but she should have chicks any day. She is a sweet hen who broods every year. Unfortunately, we haven't kept roosters around for her to hatch eggs. Now, we have two. I think she's thankful.

I hope we can share chick pictures within the next week or so.

What's happening around your home? Gardening? Babies? Adventures? I love to hear about it all!