What's the best way to thank someone for giving you a helping hand when you needed it? By paying it forward!!!
Nine years of no water - now we have water, and our Amish neighbors spring that supplies their house with water has dried up - do to lack of rain. Thankfully, it's raining all day today, and supposedly tomorrow, so hopefully that will fill their spring back up for them.... In the meantime, we've been hauling water back and forth to their house for them. It feels wonderful to be the one to do the helping instead of being the one that everyone wants to help!
I like it on this side of things!
Now, onto the news from this past weekend - as ya'll know, we went to Ohio Nationals! Kid free this year!!
Let me back up - we were NOT going to go this year. Then Becca found out that Foley's from Kentucky were coming - and folks, IMO they have THE BEST Blue Laced Red Wyandottes in the US....
So immediately I told Becca, "We're going! Find out WHAT if any BLRW they have available and HOW MUCH?!"
Becca was wonderful about tackling that assignment, and assured me that Mr. and Mrs. Foley would be bringing some BLRW for me to pick through - but not just ANY BLRW, but BLRW from their TOP TEN that they had held back for themselves!
Let me explain: They raise out about 200 BLRW chicks each year from their own stock. As they grow, they weed them down to 10 pullets and 10 cockerels, and from those, they only keep the best 6-8 pullets and the best 2 cockerels for next years breeding.
So, the birds they brought for me to look at and choose from were from their top TEN!
When we got there, I was - as I was last year with the Silver Laced Brahmas - a woman on a mission. I had no interest in anything BUT finding Foleys. I've been drooling over their birds for two years, and I had told Mrs. Foley, "I am NOT leaving Nationals without BLRW from you!"
As it turns out, Mrs. Foley found US!
I went with the intent to get a pair, because at the price they quoted I could only afford to get a pair. By the time we met up with them, and I asked about price again, they had basically reduced the price of a pair to the price for ONE! So, where I had gone to purchase a pair, that money was now enough to buy FOUR!!
So, I chose a nice blue cockerel who has a great mahogany color laced with blue, 2 blue laced pullets, and one black laced pullet (because she had awesome mahogany color and she laid her first egg on the way home!)
I am excited to report that I also have a picture of me with Mrs. Foley - but at the last second her husband leaned in and got in it, too! It's a nice photo, and as soon as I can share it with everyone (darn broken down computer!) I will!
The Foley's are WONDERFUL people!
There were other birds I had arranged to get at Nationals - a pair of Snowy call ducks from toni, another BYC'er, plus a pair of bantam Salmon Faverolles, from buffbeauty on BYC - and the surprise of my day is her birds came from the very same show breeder I talked to at Nationals last year, so I have birds from the line I wanted!!! We also found a nice pair of Quail d'Anvers, so I bought those, too, and the last purchase of the day was a blue fawn/grey pied pair for my blue fawn/pied call duck breeding pen.
Then it was off to visit Javamama - and that was just awesome!
First, I must say, there are a couple stories that just CANNOT be shared about our visit with Javamama - not without the pictures that is! But I will say this, she has the craziest hen I have ever seen (hint: I named her Lesi while I was there), and I want to know what in the world were her neighbors THINKING?!
Javamama, do you have that christmas tree up yet?? Something needs to block that view!

(and don't worry, I'll share the full hilarious tale once I can post the illustrations to go with it!)
She has the most adorable pair of mini manchas! and I'm looking forward to maybe getting a little buckling off her next year. I took a lot of photos of her goat set up, so I can give some ideas to E about what needs to be done for my goats....
Her Welsh Harlequins didn't seem thrilled to have human invasion into their yard - or interrupting their nap in the yard!
She served us a delicious pumpkin cake and some hot and strong coffee (with real cream!) and then we sat for two hours in her livingroom and just chatted - oh, I do mean after we got the grand tour of all her suburban shenanigans!
AND while we were there, someone knocked on her door and asked if they could borrow an incubator for some bearded dragon eggs!!! The three of us cracked up laughing after she'd shut the door, and I said, "That's never happened to me!" to which she replied, "It's never happened before here, either!"
It was a real enjoyment to sit in another likeminded person's home and talk and joke - even if I did almost get sucked into the Harry Potter movie on the T.V. twice....
OH! and she has a lava lamp from the '60's! She was definitely an old lady, and the lava part - well, it just looked um....well, not like it should! I told her she should name that lamp "Aunt Flo"
It was hard to leave - as one could sit at Javamama's and visit half of forever!!
On Monday, I met yet another BYC'er and picked up three Coronation Split Chicks from Tom Dean's line to add to my small flock that I'm trying to build up.
Other farm happenings:
On November 6 we had a frolic, and our Amish neighbors helped us get the entire shell and the roof up of the add on, minus the exterior wall cover.
Yesterday we picked up the T1-11 to go on the exterior walls, and our Amish neighbor came over to help us get it all on before the rains hit. This is the same Amish neighbor we're hauling water for.
Today, I've not done much of anything except regular chores.
This coming Saturday is our housewarming, and I've got to finish planning what to serve food wise for that.
OH, and yesterday, I got 12 2x4's at Lowe's at HALF OFF! Means I bought 12 for the price of 6!!
Earlier this year I said 2010 was going to be our year - and it was. We've truly been so abundantly blessed this year - even with the bad that has happened - all the good has truly outweighed it!!