Well, tonight the neighbors on either side of me met "the girls" (a.k.a. the chickens). My neighbor to the right of me loved seeing them and went and got her son to come out and see them. Olivia and I got our picture taken with Black Road, a friendly hen. I gave her a half dozen eggs and she thanked me and said they would eat them tomorrow. :) My neighbor on the left kind of had a "huh?" look on her face when I introduced the girls to her. She was curious about them, said she never hears them, and that she never knew they were here! She and her husband will be the next to get a half dozen. Gotta keep the neighbors happy! I'm loving my home this summer especially! Not only am I getting good eggs, the heirloom tomatoes are beginning to look ripe, the red peppers have little red peppers on them, the comfry (for tea) is doing well, as is the mint (you really can't kill mint). I'm not sure about the watermelon, if that will produce fruit or not seeing that we planted them a little late. Olivia has eaten all the green beans off of our one little bean plant (we started a seed last fall and it is still in its pot, alongside a fig tree (well, maybe "tree" is pushing it!) that I planted from the pit of a fig I got at the Santa Cruz farmers market last March while I was with my TM teacher. So all in all, things are going very well. Still "playing" with and in my garden, having fun with the dogs, cats, chickens, rabbit (great fertilizer!),and, of course, enjoying Olivia and our swimming at the pool near our house. We go to Michigan for the Berrien County Youth Fair in two weeks where she will show said rabbit and her llama Bandita. Keep your fingers crossed! Not worried about the llama, but the rabbit has been enjoying food this year! So yeah, things are going very well. I'm loving it!

What a great weekend I've had so far! Friday night I went to hear monks chanting at Lighthouse Yoga in Evanston. It was beautiful! There were moments when I seemed to transcend that yoga room. It was an incredible experience. And this morning I enjoyed eggs from my girls! And I had yet another double yolker, which makes it 5 double yolkers since I started getting eggs from my girls (around a month!). I see it as a good sign. It's amazing what is happening when you talk care of animals. I have been trying out rabbit manure (POO!) as a fertilizer to see how it does, so I put it in two areas of my backyard about two weeks ago. When I let the girls out to scratch and forage, they seemed to be drawn to that area and started scratching. Wouldn't you know, but that area had so many fat earthworms in it!! It was really cool to see! So I know now that rabbit manure would be good in areas of ones yard that needs to be aerated and get nutrients. I can't wait to try the chicken manure next! That is supposed to be nitrogen rich, but has to break down a bit before used. I am thankful for the things I am learning on my small farm in the city!

Just a quick post to let everyone know OUR CHICKENS STARTED LAYING EGGS!!! Olivia and I were soooo happy to see the first little egg in the coop! You would have thought it was the perfect Christmas gift received!! And, when I cracked one open to make Fullers French Toast (an old french toast recipe my Grandpa Fuller made up), the egg had two yolks in it! I took that as a good thing, like an omen for prosperity! Yaaaay chickens!

What a great summer so far. Family. LOTS of family lately, and I love it. Dad and Christine visiting from Florida. Family coming together to welcome home my sister and her two daughters. Food, love, conversation, laughter. My sister, mom, two nieces AND my daughter sharing a dinner at my table. More love, food, conversation and laughter! My daughter eating nearly two ears of corn. Memories. Love. Family. I feel like the luckiest person alive for this.

I love Dr. Seuss. The messages in it are great for kids, and a wonderful reminder for adults, too. This is taken from his story "HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!" Today you are you! That is truer than true! There is no one alive who is you-er than you! Shout loud, "I am lucky to be what I am! Thank goodness I'm not just a clam or a ham Or a dusty old jar of sour gooseberry jam! I am what I am! That's a great thing to be! If I say so myself, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!"

Favorite time of the day.

Mornings. They have got to be my favorite time of the day! I usually sit on my back porch with the pups looking out over the garden. Today, like the past few days, I've been treated to the fragrance of fresh lilacs- they smell so good! I also listen to the sounds around me. The birds at the feeder. The neighbor with her new baby on her back porch sweetly talking to her. The goings on of "the girls" (a.k.a. the chickens). It's a good time to just be. How about you? What's your favorite time of day?

Yep, it hit me. I think I am a hippy! Why? Well, for one thing, I'm trying to live as organically as possible. Sheets on the bed? Organic cotton. Milk for O in the fridge? Organic Skim. Even the sugar is organic. And not to mention the new additions to the back yard. And my love of gardening! And not just the active act of gardening, but the joy of sitting back and watching the happenings of the garden. I am thrilled that I've seen bumble bee's! And even a cool looking bird that looks like a chickadee, but with a black and white head. I even want to build a little deck of sorts in the garden to meditate on. I guess living in Chicago wouldn't make me a real hippy, but maybe an urban hippy! And that's ok with me. I love my city!