Band Camp Week June 4-10th, 2017(Core H Wk21B) First Parade (Rockford)

Band Camp Week 

June 4-10th, 2017

First Parade: Rockford Parade on Saturday, June 10th

 Hello, Friends!

This week was a complete blur!  Everything all hit at once.  On Friday, Dd spent the night at her friend's house and when we picked her up on Saturday her eyes were mucky and red.  We assumed she had Pink Eye and had an online chat with a doctor to get the antibiotic eye drops.  Then on Sunday, her throat was red and really swollen.  We brought her to the Immediate Care and had her throat swabbed for Strep Throat, but the results were negative.  Monday came and she was due to start Band Camp and she still didn't look any better after taking the eye drops for 48 hours.  Tuesday morning I called our health place and they said they could fit her in in the afternoon.  I picked her up 15 minutes early from Band Camp for her appointment.  The physician's assistant that saw us figured her problems were all due to allergies!  She prescribed a new eye drop for allergies.  Wednesday morning, after taking the eye drops overnight and she did look a tad bit better.  The other problem that was going on at the same time, was her acne medication caused a "flare-up."  I called the dermatologist and they called in an order to help with that! By Friday she started to look a little better.  Boy, when it rains, it pours!!!!

Driving and Booksale Prep:

I spend my week driving Dd to and from Band Camp this week.  Next Monday is the annual homeschool used book sale, and I've paid for two tables like I did last year.  I pulled out box after box of books that I've got stored in a spare room.  I spent the whole week deciding which books to keep or sell and then pricing each book using blue 'painting' tape (the kind that peels off easily).  I was so happy that we had finished our Rec Room and I could use that room to do all my sorting, organizing, pricing, and boxing.  

Animals:

This week I saw that young fox back in our yard again....I've not been letting our chickens free-range as much, if at all!  Our back fenced in run is now full of plantains, dandelions, and other greens for the chickens to eat and they don't 'need' to be out and in danger.  I saw a Scarlet Tanger and, for the first time, a Gray Catbird!!!  

Chickens:

We found our first EGG from either the Tetra Brown or an Amber Link!!!  It was smaller and darker brown than our Buff Orpington or Black Sex Link eggs are. 



 I've also started bringing out the young chickens, two by two, and putting them in the chicken runs with the older chickens.  I'm SO glad to say that the old chickens have accepted the new chickens without much effort.  I haven't brought over the small Bantam chickens yet--the tiny rooster has such a huge ego that I'm very afraid of how Zeus might respond?!?! Yikes.

Ducks:

The ducks are spending all day outside; swimming and sleeping in their kiddy pool.  I have been foraging greens for everyone, but especially for the ducks.  Two or three times each day I put in a few handfuls of greens into their pool water.  The ducks continue to scratch me up and are pretty much stinkers.  They are being aggressive to the chickens too.  I still haven't found much to like about these Peking ducks that I bought b/c Dd *thought* she would love them so.....

Flowers:

The Peonies bloomed all week!!! Yay!  I planted four new plants this spring and only two came up. 



 The peony bulbs and plants that we planted either last summer of last fall all came back and are doing well.  THe other highlight of my spring; the RED POPPY's bloomed this week too!!!  I think we had 8 blooms this year.

Academics this week:

Band Camp:

6 hours each day M-F

(Alto Sax)

Dd also did some piano practice.



First Parade:
Saturday in Rockford

Chores:

Chickens, Dishes, and Cat

Fun Reading:
Prudence by Gail Carringer

Doctor Visits:

Three!

If you are curious, our current count: 

2 ducks, 

2 Bantams, 

2 Isa Browns, 

6 Tetra Browns, 

6 AmberLink, 

9 Black Sex Link, 

4 Buff Orpington hens, 

1 Rooster-Buff Orpington.

While viewing the parade, I saw the best "Miss Marple" house!  Here are a few pictures I took of it.  I thought Chelle might be interested in an American neighborhood house; mind you, not all houses are this pretty!

The rain gutter had a neat brass lion head on it.

.............