So I ended up getting some meat chicks today. I had no idea how easy it is to grow your own chicken to eat. I got 5 birds that will be butchered when they are 8-10 weeks old, or when they reach about 5 pounds. I got Light Brahma chicks for this purpose because they were what was available. I may get some Cornish Cross chicks when they become available because they are the best for eating.

It is amazing the size difference between the new chicks and the chicks that are a week old. They seem to be getting along fine now, though I am reluctant to put them together and have them sort out a pecking order only to pull 5 of them away to butcher in 8 weeks. This is my first chick experience, and I just want to do a good job.

I just looked, and all 10 are alive and happy, so I must be doing something right.

As a part of my gardening project, I decided that I was going to get some grapes. We have lots of room in our backyard that gets light and that are serving no real purpose now.

I bought 2 year grape vines, and put them along one edge of the fence. I built them a bed and filled it with clay and compost mixture. The bed is made out of old bricks that I recycled. I really like them there. I was considering putting some asparagus in with them, but it turns out that asparagus and grapes don’t get along very well. I am still thinking about it though!

I am excited about the grapes. I almost want to name them.

I still have some work left to do on the bed though. I need to put bricks in the back to keep the dirt from falling through the fence, and I am hoping to get some mortar to plaster the bricks all together because it is not as steady as I would like. I will get the mortar if it is inexpensive.

What a fun project.

Daphne and I went on a long walk today in the sun. As I was walking back, I noticed along the side of the road where the grass meets the pavement that there were shiny trails that wound round and round. They were everywhere.

I realized that these are the tell-tale signs that little slugs walked those paths. It was a random and funny thing to think about.

Somehwere along the line, I hurt my back pretty badly, and I have had a hard time walking, carrying Daphne and doing other tasks that need to be done.

I finally gave in and went to the chiropractor yesterday. He did a really good job adjusting me. I felt a lot better after, but I was definitely sore. Today, I am really sore, despite taking 6 times the regular amount of cal-mag that I take. My back feels better to some degree, but I think I may not be all the way better unless I go back to the chiropractor in a week or so. I hope it improves before then though, because I really would rather stay home and keep my money.

I spent some time with a friend on Saturday. We went to a potluck with a bunch of ladies that had had babies at Andaluz (my birth center).

My friend brought her young daughter and a friend in the car, and they spent the majority of the time entertaining her.

When Daphne did something funny, my friend’s daughter said, “Mom, mom Daffodil….”

I guess Daphne is easily confused with Daffodil. I think it is a really cute nick name!

I have been ready to make this blog post for some time, and she has been holding me off.

About a month ago, I noticed that Daphne had white bumps where her next three teeth would come in. Judging by the way that the other teeth had come in, I guessed it would be no less than a month. They have been moving in and out for some time, but finally one of them broke the skin yesterday to become a real tooth. And so, we now have tooth #6. That makes three on the top and three on the bottom.

What a proud mama am I!

It turns out that Daphne is really a picky eater.

Before I went to New York, I was avoiding giving her grains of any kind, and I was doing a good job. She loved vegetable puree. There wasn’t a veggie that she wouldn’t at least eat some of.

Now, she has eyes only for crackers and Cheerios. I don’t get it. I am going to try to make some more purees so that I can keep introducing her to new foods, but she is being really picky.

There is one exception. She will devour a banana if given half a chance. I find it to be very funny, and I have made it a firm policy that I keep bananas in the house!

She will also eat apples, but in her picky ways, she has decided that she does not like the skin, and she will spit it out if it has skin on it!

Avocados seem to be one of the best foods I have found, and getting her to eat a quarter of one before bed has helped her sleep through the night better!

I am putting together the garden. I really have almost everything I need to get some beds made. My friend and I got together, and we are going to get dirt. It turns out that the company delivers very quickly. I will have a pile of dirt deposited in my driveway today. I suppose I had better get everything ready to really finish it up eh? This is very exciting for me. Our backyard may actually turn into something wonderful soon!

Note: I wrote this before bed last night, and I am transferring it here now. It is being backdated. This is within the rules of Blog 365. I am still on track here. I can’t believe I have made it 2 whole months!

I guess that I have been snuggling with Daphne a lot since she was born.

Jared and I discovered some time ago that she thinks that when you like something that you put your forehead on it. She does it to the dog, and it is really sweet.

Tonight, I was showing her the baby chicks. She is fascinated by the chicks, and I was checking them to make sure that they were all OK. I picked the last one up and showed it to her. She used one finger to pet the chick, and it was very loving.

She was really excited dancing around trying to get to them in their box because she thought they were so cool.

After petting the chick for a while, she tried to put her forehead on the chick to let it know that she liked it. It was very endearing. Daphne likes the chicks.

This has resulted in a lot of hand washing, but it is totally worth it.

For some time, I have been wanting to get baby chicks. I waited through the cold winter without any, and watched to see when they would become available. The good news is that they became available last week, and I got my chicks 3 days ago.

There are five of them. I got five hoping that three would survive, but it turns out that they are all thriving, so I may just have five chicks on my hands.

They are very cute little balls of fur and feathers.

I have never had chicks before, so this is fun. They still don’t have names yet, which is odd for me. I am looking for really good names for them.