Backwards Evolution

Our white rooster was killed this morning, and I'm really sad.  His name was Captain Fluffy and he was the coolest chicken.  He was the only yellow chick in our original five, so he got the most attention, and consequently was the tamest of all our chickens.  He would follow me around the pasture and let the kids pet him.

He figured out how to fly over the fence to the neighbor's yard to visit all of their hens and would fly back home at bedtime.  We only have one hen so he had a grand old time over there.  One time he made all the way out to the street, and was so scared by all of the cars that he wouldn't let me pick him up.  I had to get a pan of grain and coax him across the street little by little, making the school traffic stop and wait, until we made it back to our yard.  When we got close to his chicken coop he started crowing and was all proud of himself. 

I am kicking myself that I never got a good picture of him.  He was a beautiful splash color, which means that he was white with gray and black "splashes" of feathers. 

So now we have Chocolate the Hen and Oliver the Rooster.  Oliver is too dumb to figure out how to get over the fence, so I think this explains why chickens are not very smart....the brave adventerous ones get killed.  Sigh.

January

January at the Girard home:

 We had our awards dinner for the horse show series that we compete in.  Ella won the Leadline Division Championship and got a huge ribbon, a belt buckle, and a stuffed horse that she sleeps with every night.  Rand got 4th place in the Walk Trot 10 & Under Division.  He got a ribbon, new reins, and a hay tote. 

Grandpa Fisher and I went looking for ghost towns in Wickenburg.  This was at the Hotel Stanton in Stanton, built in 1863.

Ella wearing Aunt Margie's fall dress.

Ella rarely colors in inappropriate places, but at least she fesses up.  She came and told me, "Mom, I drew a beautiful picture, but it was a little rude where I drew it."  The picture is a friend's baby sister.

Two snuffly kids + one humidifier means that they are sharing a room.  Sleeping on the floor is much more fun than in beds.

Ella took two boxes, taped them together, used a little broom for a flagpole, colored the outsides, and filled them full of supplies to sail to "the Sea of Stars."  I love her imagination.