So busy...

 It's been over a month since last I checked in here.  There has been plenty going on, and I need to update a little.  In May we enjoyed a visit from my uncle and grandmother.  Grandma Fran is all over the kids, and Uncle Cliff is so funny, the kids enjoy their visits very much.  Cliff took us out to eat--in honor of Sebastian's birthday--to the same BBQ place we went to with them last year (incredible ribs and cole slaw!).  Grandma Fran will be 88 next month, and plans to come for an annual visit for as long as she is able to do so.

 Our hens have been laying well, but yesterday there was a sudden drop in egg-count, and so we need to go on an egg-hunt and find where the girls may be leaving them.

The kitty above is Jake.  His sister Lizzy went missing last month, and he's been a little lonely without her.  We are guessing that a car or coyotes took her.  she was around 8 years old, which isn't bad for a barn cat who hasn't set foot inside any structure other than a barn her entire life.

Fiona, our Jersey, is due to freshen any day now.  She is bagging up and moving around very slowly.  It will be nice for us to have our own milk again, although less nice for Sebastian, our primary milker who will have to go back to work, and Gabriel, who will be milker-in-training.

 We drove to Franklin, TN for what was a first concert for our kids (a drawback of rural living is that it is a bit tougher to get to cultural events).  Music City Roots, live from the Loveless Barn, is aired on radio weekly.  We drove an hour and a half to get there and ate Little Caesar's Pizza in the van to save money!) and had a wonderful time.  Our main reason for going was the indie band Scythian.  I am a huge fan of theirs, as are a couple of my kids, and it was a delight to watch them live for the first time.  We had to leave before the very end of the show, as Gemma was beginning to fade.

This past weekend we went to the Chapel of Divine Mercy for an ordination Mass.  Ordained to the priesthood was Deacon John Broussard, CPM.  The photos above are of his first blessings--to his father, to his superior, Fr. David Wilton, CPM, and to his sister, who suffers from cerebral palsy and whose sufferings she attached to her prayers for her brother's vocation.  It was a beautiful Mass.

In other news, the drywall is up in the new Patch O' Dirt farmhouse, and next week the taping and finishing of it will be started.  Bret has hired that work out, and is working a few jobs to pull in some money before he gets going on doors, floors, light fixtures and trim.  It's neat to see it with the interior walls finally up!

And it is the end of an era:  we got a mini-van.  We are getting ready to sell our 12 passenger GMC now that everyone but Gemma is out of car seats, and we purchased a Chevy Ventura.  It should cut our gasoline costs in half, which, if you live in the middle of nowhere, can be considerable.  However, if you happen to be in our region and looking for a dependable gas-hog for your burgeoning family, email me and I'll hook you up!

We are getting ready to celebrate Father's Day on Sunday with a cholesterol-laden meal of pork ribs, beans, potatoes, corn, maybe coleslaw, and a cheesecake for dessert!  Too rich for me--I'll likely stick to the sides and pass on the cheesecake...every time I eat too many different things at one setting, I end up with a stomach ache and feeling miserable.

Oh--and I'm still running 6 miles, 3 days a week.  But I decided on Monday to see what I could do, and I went 8 miles, non-stop!  I was pretty excited, having been a non-athlete all my life.

And that's all the news worth telling.  We'll see when I make it back here!