When you look at the calendar and see that it is the one and only day in the month of August that you don't have to drive up and down the Key Peninsula several times? You stay home. And get stuff done. No one can accomplish what Mark Downen can accomplish on his day off, especially now that the kids have entered the Golden Age of being helpful AND capable.
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| The porch is partially stained, but where is everyone? |
This is what they got done: sealed the chimney bricks (Ian) and the bricks by the front door (Fiona and Daniel), started a goose shelter (Mark and Evie), stained both decks (all the kids), and gave the turkeys bands after clipping their wings (Ian, Mark, Evie).
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| Fiona wanted a picture of the feather on the wind. Mark was like, "What the heck are you doing?" |
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| Lula, pretending to fly |
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| Fiona, no fear while face to face with three Toms |
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| Trippy Skippy, the girl who fell asleep after running her top teeth through her bottom lip |
Mark has all sorts of farmy projects going on with his birds. He has nine geese now along with 26 turkeys. Seven turkeys are headed for freezer camp here pretty soon; they are broad breasted whites and are not meant to live very long. The rest are heritage breeds that Mark hope will produce for us next spring. This is why he is banding their legs, so he can keep track of which bird is doing what.
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| Daniel couldn't stop catching turkeys. Mark wasn't happy. |
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| I love this picture of Mark putting his turkey down just as Daniel is picking his up. Daniel was sent out soon after. |
After the turkeys were done and the sun was off the back porch, the kids got back to work staining. We had a really good day today. My job was to make applesauce. The trees are producing like crazy. I sauced two laundry baskets full of apples and that was just part of one tree. Jason makes my job difficult and with the porches being stained I couldn't let him outside to play. He sure is cranky about that tonight!
