4-28-12 Kites and Kittens

by Tori

This week has been comparatively calm. Earlier in the week was nice but yesterday was pretty cool. Tuesday we sang at Restmor and did some errands. Wednesday evening we went to church and Thursday we didn’t go anywhere. Yesterday morning Dad went to the post office early to get our chicks. Around 8:00 I went out on Mom’s request to feed all the mother cats (four now) and looked at the chicks. One of the tabby mother cats was climbing the wire trying to get in. I chased it away and assumed the pen was cat proof like it is every other year. About a half hour later Josh wanted to see the chicks so Jacob, Ben, Josh, and I walked down to see them. I was telling Ben about the cat climbing the wire as we walked into the shed and then we look in and there sits the same cat calmly cleaning her whiskers. Around her were scattered a bunch of dead chicks. It turned we were only five short so, counting the extras sent by the hatchery, she couldn't have gotten more than ten. Seven were scattered around her barely touched. Needless to say we were not pleased. Jacob and I looked around and found several small holes where a cat could squeeze through and Jacob fixed them. Aunt Sarah came out for music practice at 10:30 and Mom and I went out for lunch and errands at 11:00. We got back at quarter after 2:00 and last night Dad and Mom went out for their anniversary.

Jesse putting honey on Josh’s toast. Josh won’t eat jam – not sure why – as everyone else loves jam.

 

Mother Spanky.

Ben sank the fire pit down to the edge of the bricks for Mom on Wednesday.

Kate flying the new eagle kite. The chickens were so funny when it flew near them – they would run squawking like crazy back to their coop. Ha. We’ll see what egg production does in the next few weeks. Such trauma is not good for them!

Another mother cat (the chick killer).

 

 

Wild black mother and three of her four kittens. These are the kittens that keep falling out of the haymow. Kate and Ben put up a little wall so they won’t fall out anymore.

 

Mom took the little kids up to see the kittens too.

 

Thursday morning mother gray cat (formerly named Theodore)(now is Theodora) had her kittens in an abandoned cardboard box. The far right kitten is dead, so she only has four now.

Spanky and her litter of five.

Thursday afternoon was beautiful. We had the most problems getting this kite to fly nicely. It was up pretty high when it dove straight down over the telephone wires and across the road and barbed wire fence. We were like, “Oh no!! What are we going to do?” I went over and launched it straight back up. It took off, snagged on the telephone wires, wrapped around the wires about three times, unwrapped from the wires, took off, then dove down into the orchard where it disappeared briefly before rising back out of the apple trees. After that it flew fine.

The big troublesome kite.

 

At the homeschool convention Dad & Mom got three pocket kites. They are very small and fit in your pocket when folded up. We had some trouble getting them to fly at first but once up they flew good. Ben has the big kite here and Sarah has a pocket kite.

Josh with a pocket kite. He let go of it at least four times. Once it flew into an apple tree but the other times it didn’t get caught anywhere. Jewel let hers go once and it snagged on Josh’s string. It ran to the top of Josh’s string, where it finally stopped. It took awhile to get them untangled.

 

The big kite is the highest and the other three are pocket kites.

 

After supper we walked down to the lake.

 

Catching tadpoles.

Throwing rocks in.