Family History Friday -- High School Edition

What high school did you attend?

Blackfoot High School

What activities did you participate in?
A Capella Choir, Madrigals Choir, Debate, Track, Tri-Hi-Y

What kind of grades did you get?
I got decent grades.  I think I graduated with a 3.87 or something like that.  I did take a few AP classes, with AP English being my favorite.  Skip (Mr. until we graduated) Gardner was our teacher and we all thought he was pretty hot.  I'm pretty sure he was.  He was also a very inspiring teacher.  He asked thought-provoking questions and encouraged us to explore them through the written word.  I know my love and (if I can claim any) skill in writing is thanks to Mr. Gardner.
I remember walking into his classroom one morning after reading Of Mice and Men and saying, "I really have no idea why you had us read that book.  I just don't get it."  Mr. Gardner smiled and said, "Well, I guess you'd better read it again."  And he meant it.  And that day in class, he had written as our journal prompt, "Julie Rose asked me today why we should read Of Mice and Men and what we are supposed to learn from it.  What would your answer be?"  Writing in my journal that day wasn't as easy as some other days.  I did read the book again and, although it still wasn't a favorite, I saw it through different eyes and was able to discover some meaning that I hadn't received the first time through.
What I really learned from the experience, though, was that my teacher really listened to my concern and cared about my question.  Mr. Gardner always had that knack, and I'm certain most of my high school friends reading this post will add an amen or a story about 'Our Captain.'  (I shouldn't write about how we used to do each other a favor by dropping our pencil so our friends across the room could watch Skip bend over and pick it up for us....I shouldn't, but I'm going to anyway).
One other memory of Mr. Gardner I must record, he used to read us "A little Fulghum to end the day..." on Fridays.  We loved those great stories and one in particular, about a tuna fish can epiphany still guides me on occasion today.   

I've been working on little thank you gifts for the kids' school teachers this afternoon -- our teachers make a tremendous difference in our lives. I'm so grateful I had so many excellent teachers who encouraged me to be better than I was, work harder than I needed to, and take the things I learned internally, allowing them to be a part of me even today.

Le Poule

Thank Google for that little bit of Fronce' there.

Anyway, in just a few short weeks, our chickens have gone from this:

to this:

to this:

{insert picture of enormous, beautiful, fully feathered chickens....HERE....}

And this little girl just as fond of them now as she was then.

She loves to go out to the coop Stanton built and let the chickens out into their run.  She loves to sit and stare at them as they wander around pecking for food off the ground.  I think there's a bit of solace her little soul receives when she's around animals.

Speaking of the coop Stanton built, here it is, the Coop de Ville:

 Stanton built it off the side of our existing shed.  The open part in the back is a covered wood shelter and inside there are 4 nesting boxes and a 4 level roost.  Their food and water hang from self-regulating feeders  in the ceiling.  The chicken door on the bottom opens from a pulley system on the side and the chickens have the full run area to get exercise and sunshine.  There are two people doors, too.  One leading to the garden so it can be mucked easily (fertilizer for the garden!) and the other out to the cement walkway for easy access in the winter.

We've had a lot of fun with these little pets.  They've been just perfect for us.  And we're getting six more chicks on Thursday!

Random Kid Pics from Early March

On one of those few nice days in March, Brigham, in his Superman costume, had to be outside painting rocks.  It rained not long after, but he sure enjoyed it while it lasted.

She knew she'd be in big trouble if she got caught out of bed, so Lily found a safe alternative.

Cannon Hat.  My kids all love this game.

 It's amazing to me sometimes just how easy it is to entertain children.  Just a little chocolate pudding, that's all.

One Bite at a Time

I was just looking over the ol' blog here -- it's been since early March since I did any serious life updating and since early April since I've blogged much of anything.  It's feeling a bit overwhelming.  I suppose the only way to deal with it is just one bite at a time.  So, here goes.....