Hatching Workshop

 

I did something so far out of my comfort zone – Public Speaking!

Last year a cousin got me connected with the Ag Dept. of a local junior college for selling my fertile eggs to teachers and homeschooling parents to be able to participate in hatching for their annual Spring Fair.  Then, in December I was approached by Patty from the college, she asked if I would be interested in helping with a Hatching Workshop.

Of course my first response was to laugh incredulously.  No way am I getting in front of a group of strangers to teach them!  But then I thought a bit, reached out to my good friend, Carrie (who happens to be as chicken crazy as me, my enabler), and Midge to ask if the two of them would be interested in going with me.  The promise I used to hook them both was that I would OF COURSE do the majority of the speaking.  Both were game.

SO okay, we’re in, let’s do this!

February 6, 2016 arrived much faster than I thought it would when I agreed to be the hatching “expert”.  Oh my goodness the three of us were nervous.  I did not prepare a written talk, I much prefer to just go with the flow.  I have hatched enough to have a good base of know-how but I am far, FAR from an expert status.

That said, I am so pleased with how the workshop went.  As promised I ran my mouth did the majority of the talking.  Carrie piped up when I would miss a detail  now and again. She also handled the candling demonstration, since she is a bit fanatical about candling.

Midge, well, I put her in charge of the camera on my iphone.  Much to my chagrin, she actually recorded a few minutes here and there. Here is a highlight reel.

As nervous as I was, I had a wonderful time and we received terrific feedback.  So much so, that I am game for hosting next year’s workshop and have even offered the use of our home so folks can see a backyard set up, and have better visual aids with my birds on site.

 

Things

I have been silent on the blog front for a year now.  Things happened in 2015, things that are worth mentioning.  I just needed to take some time to myself to work out a balance in my life.

So here is the high(and low)light reel of 2015 –

The biggest thing that happened was the loss of two of the kindest, most gentle souls I have had the pleasure of calling family.  We said goodbye to great men, my stepdad Ki, and our Grandpa B.  Both were major blows to the family and both are so deeply missed.  That’s about all I am going to say on the subject as I can’t see to type through the tears that still well up when I think of these two wonderful men and how very much they meant to me.

Another big thing that happened – I finally got my Handsome Husband to the doctor for a top to toe check up.  There it was discovered that he needed to make a 180 degree change. It was frightening to hear that he had some serious threats to his health and I can now safely say that he jumped head first into the necessary changes and did indeed pull a complete 180.  He is now the picture of health and balance.  The choices he has made since seeing his doctor have led to many ripples in his pond, ripples that reach far into the ponds of our daughter, our friends, family and even my own pond.  There is a new invigoration that has become infectious.  In all the years I have been at his side, the current one is turning out to be the greatest thus far, releasing a new hope, and energy in all that we do and dream about doing.

Those three are really the big life changers that happened in the past year.  Of course there have been the usual life curve balls, but every year offers those kinds of hurdles.  Ones that only seem insurmountable when you’re staring them in the eye, but once over them you look back and realize it was nothing more than a rock to which we have move aside, gone around or merely stepped over.  The good that has come from the past year makes the lesser trials easier to shrug off.

These are the important things.

Good things, like learning to make cheese and butter and kefir.

Cultured butter

The beginnings of feta

Yogurt cheese

The fun things, like an impromptu family weekend road trip full of spontaneity and surprises.

Family Selfie in the Castle

Elephant Seals

Playing with our food in Morro Bay

BBQed oysters

Not like feeding chickens

Hot never looked so glamorous

What’s shakin’ at Anderson’s Pea Soup

Weekends away with great friends, discovering new places, finding beauty in the surprising places and creating lasting memories.

Accomplishing things, like conquering that pressure canner, building a fabulous canning cupboard and filling that cupboard up.

Turkey & Veg Soup; Beef in Red Wine

Chicken Bone Broth

Strength building things, like finally flying alone for the first time (me), which then led to the best week spent with my mom driving from northern Washington State back to So Cal.

“When in Rome”

ELK!

Special things, like spending time with our most adorable niece,

Chicken Feed mixing supervisor

Who says grocery shopping has to be boring

adopting a spunky new family member,

and finally meeting my farm crush, Rachael of THE FARMSTEAD, after 3 years of online stalking friendship.

These are the things that make the bumps, hills and mountains that we come across worth the struggle.

These are the ONLY things that matter.