3 eggs in the coop this morning when Beth let the chickens out for the day. A note about free ranging: we don't. We used to be pretty lax about letting them out but we paid dearly for it when we lost 3 chicken ladies to what we assume was a fox. Our chickens have plenty of room, space for dust bathing, perching and fresh picked grass and veggies on top of layer pellets. Just a personal choice but not only do we rely on the eggs as a food source but also every animal lost here is the loss of a family member. Beth started the sprinkler on the garden only to find that it wasn't functioning properly. None to worry, farmer Dan is on the case! This morning we are thinking about our Berry Popsicle candle that helps support the Pediatric Stroke Warriors. Pediatric Stroke is on our minds everyday because Mae suffered a stroke at birth and we deal with the effects of it day to day as we help Mae to develop the muscles and control of her left hand left foot. Today we will travel to Glastonbury, CT for an orthopedic appointment where we will admit that Mae barely ever wears her leg brace. She hates it, we hate it and honestly life is easier without it. Not only does she fall more and can't kneel to play, but we get lots of questions about what happened to her leg. We know people don't mean it but explaining that it helps support and stabilize her leg while helping turn her foot out gets old. While it is a great opportunity to explain to people about Pediatric Stroke, we have other means of talking about it and raising awareness.
Mae's appointment went ok. She doesn't care too much for her doctor as he is a big guy and kind of scary to her. He is great with her and a great doctor, she's just Mae. The doctor said there is no sense in her or us stressing out about the brace as she seems to do great without it (aside from tip-toe walking). We will see him again in 9 months for a followup.
Dan went off to work and Beth and Mae headed home. Hooray, two more eggs in the coop! Beth and Mae headed out to do some apple picking with Grandma, Auntie Kate and cousin Sean. Back to the house with a load of local veggies. Dan gets home from work and Grandma and Grandpa came over for Venison hamburger and hotdogs on the grill. Mmmmmmm. Dan will finish up this batch of layered Smores candles and probably do a batch of Maple Nut Fudge candles. Wax started in the melter. Time for bath time with sweet munchkin Mae.