And We Have....Two Eggs!

So excited! I went out to the coop tonight and put some scraps from the kitchen in the run & found our first egg! So I opened up the lid to the nesting boxes in back and there was another one!  I know they must have layed them sometime after noon today. Our old neighbors, Bob & Pam stopped by on their way back from MN to visit, and Bob & Steve checked out the nesting boxes & no eggs then.

The middle one is a extra large egg from the store.

So, like Steve says...they are finally earning their keep. Good thing too after Bubbles (the rooster) nailed Steve on the arm when he opened up the coop door this morning.  He seems to be getting more  aggressive lately. Mostly when he is inside the run. The other evening, Tigger (the kitten), wandered into the run while some of the hens were in there. Bubbles cornered him & started pecking him! I rescued him & he is okay, but will keep an eye on Tigger around Bubbles now.  A couple days before that, we had another incident with the chickens. Steve & I were both busy in the yard. We had let Vinnie (the dog) out earlier & while we weren't paying attention, he decided he wanted a chicken dinner. I saw him chasing the hens & Steve & I both went running. Luckily, the one he made contact with got away with only a mouth full of feathers gone. He hid in the woods for a while & then came back out. So we now have animal rules here at the farm. Vinnie is on a leash when the chickens are free-ranging & Tigger isn't allowed near the coop.

Tigger discovered trees yesterday. Steve only has to rescue him once with the ladder. :-)

We have been busy for the last couple weeks here at the farm now that the coop is finished. Two new outside doors installed along with three storm doors. One storm door to go along with some misc. trim work on the outside doors & garage doors. Then it's time to get our woodpile in order. I hate to say it, but they are predicting a frost the middle of the week here.  Hope they are wrong. Lots of tomatoes still on the vine, the beans aren't dry yet, the few pumpkins we have aren't ripe & almost all the cabbage is still in the garden...I'm not ready! We picked apples off one of the trees yesterday & got four five gallon buckets full. I sorted them tonight & two buckets will be for sauce & two for eating. I have already picked quite a few apples and made sauce (canned & frozen) and finally, after wanting to do this for a few years, canned pie filling. My canning shelf is filling up so Steve will be making me some more shelves soon.

We are still on baby watch. Kristin is due on the 14th but we are hoping the full moon (and her many walks) will bring it on. :-) Can't wait to meet our new granddaughter. I had a great visit the last weekend in August. Tim's mom had a luncheon for Kristin that Saturday. It was at a really cute restaurant and the food was great. While I was visiting, I got to see two of her friend's & their little girls. It was fun seeing Jaelyn with the other kids. I think she will be fine with  a new sibling.

Having fun withe the monkey puppet

Kristin's friend Jen, Evie & Jaelyn

Jaelyn playing with her new kitchen from Grandma Lori.

Son Shane is now on his trip out West. He has wanted to do this for years & finally made it happen. The farm was the first stop. It was nice to spend a couple days with him. Next stop was his friend in Minneapolis & they went to the lake that we always go to every summer to fish for a couple days. I talked to him last night & he was an hour from Montana near Theodore Roosevelt State Park. He will be gone for about a month.

Shane & me in front of his Scamp trailer

He has many friends that he is meeting along the way & I'm sure will make many new friends, too. It is a dream fulfilled & I am so happy for him.
Well, that's all for now. I'm still not done crocheting a blanket for the baby and need to get busy. It's hard having a kitten & crocheting at the same time :-)