It seems that turtles have become quite the popular pet around the farm lately. A few weeks ago while I was mowing, I found not one, but two, beautiful box turtles. Our Chicken Girl was super excited. She quickly examined them to insure they had no injuries from the mower and then proceeded to tell me that one was a male and the other a female. I was most impressed with her knowledge of these cute little critters and was silently thumbing through my science folders in my brain trying to remember when we studied about turtles. Finally, I just asked her, "How do you know so much about turtles?" Her response was, "Mom, Noah and I watch the Discovery Channel a lot." Well, I guess that goes to show that not all TV is bad for you. At least she didn't say, "The Turtle Man"! Lol!
The Turtle Habitat
Hey, I can't get out!
I have to say, living on a farm really allows you to enjoy God's creations on such an up close and personal level. And in our case, seeing things through our children's eyes forces us to stop and really admire the intricate details that we as adults just take for granted. I mean, seriously, who knew what cool patterns and vibrant colors were on a turtle shell or how beautiful their eyes were, glowing like a bright orange sun. Oh, and then to watch them create their very cool grass caves to hide in, sticking their cute little heads out periodically to check things out or to see what treat was left for them. It is truly amazing to examine the complexity and sheer magnificence of God's awesome handy work.
Aren't they cool?!
Meet Steven
Merinda is a little shy
It was fun to spend time with these great creatures but after a month in the Turtle Habitat, it is time to say goodbye. Be free our friends and do what you do best, BE TURTLES! Lol!
And they are off!
Steven says he is headed to the woods
Merinda spotted Papa Roo's garden
As the title indicated, this post is all about turtles. There seems to be a direct correlation with the mower and turtles. Yes, you guessed it. As I was mowing yesterday I found, not one, but two, box turtles again! This time they were smaller. Who knows, maybe they are Steven and Merinda's offspring. Today we are going to put together a nice little Turtle Habitat for Little Bit and No Name (yet). It will be fun to enjoy them for a few days until we release them back into nature to do what they do best, BE BABY TURTLES!
Little Bit and No Name
The coolest turtle we came across is this beautiful, in it's on way, Common Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentine). Apparently the Common Snapping Turtle is an ancient species. supposedly, these creatures hung out with the dinosaurs, so says the internet. I can honestly say I have never seen a turtle this large living a life of freedom. It's pretty cool!
Mr. Snapper
Some people say turtles are slow, but the snapping turtle may say that people are the slow ones! This big guy or gal was crossing one of the country roads so we stopped to make sure he would not become road kill. I was laughing hysterically watching my son try to get it out of the road when my daughter piped up, "Mom, you should be video taping this!" Great advise because now I can laugh over and over again. Unfortunately, I didn't capture the moment when this turtle leapt off all fours and made a huge lunge at its rescuer. I don't think Turtle Man would have approved of our method but hey, the turtle did live to cross the road another day and in my book, that is a success story.
Next time you come across a turtle, I encourage you to stop and look at this magnificent critter through the eyes of a child!
Papa Roo's garden welcomed us with a nice surprise when we arrived home after our 2 week road trip. As soon as the RV was in park, it was out the door and over to the garden. Our little farm had received lots of rain during this time and it was obvious that the plants indulged themselves with the liquid gold. Everything had bolted, so much so that we no longer had any walking paths.
Wow!
Look at all of these tomatoes!!
First Carrot!
Squash and Onions
Check out the basil!
Jack and the Bean Stalk Oh wait! That is a sunflower!!!
Over the weekend, we decided to harvest the potatoes, onions, and carrots. We need the room to plant new stuff. Guess I will be buying my new pressure canner sooner than expected :)
Oh, yeah! Look at these potatoes
Carrots
More potatoes!
Lots of onions!
Our first harvest of the season!
Papa Roo and Chicken Girl
showing off their bounty!
New seeds already in the ground!
Father's Day on the Quad L Farm was a success! We had an awesome time praising and worshiping our God at Stafford Crossing Community Church, then off to Carl's Ice Cream for some dessert before lunch. Lol! Then it was an afternoon outdoors with our chickens and working in the garden. And finally, at Papa Roo's request, we finished the evening with a homemade venison pot pie. It's pretty cool when you make something from scratch and all the ingredients were harvested on the farm, to include the venison. I must say, I love our life here on the farm.
Today is Sunday, 16 June, 2013. It is considered a special day because the calendar says it is. Father's Day is a day to celebrate, however, I think everyday should be a day to celebrate our dads. Why do we need one designated day? So I challenge you to take a moment everyday to let your daddy know how special he is, not just on Father's Day.
On October 12, 1998, I said goodbye to my daddy as he went to live in his eternal home with our heavenly father. I am so thankful for the man my dad was. He loved my mom and me with all his heart. He was kind, gentle, and willing to give the shirt off his back to anyone. He taught me what real love is and always had time for me no matter what he was doing. He taught me to hunt, fish, and make the best dumplings you have ever put in your mouth, among many other things. When Papa Roo and I started dating, at a very young age, my dad treated him like his own son. He was always giving us advise and supporting us in our dreams and goals in life. Looking back, there are a few things I wish I had done more of, like say the words, "I love you" more often. The one thing I wish I had done more than anything was to share with him that he was going to be a grandpa. At the time, dad was so sick and my mom was so stressed, we made the decision not to tell him that God was working out the details for us to be parents and him to be a grandpa. He left this earth not knowing and I so wish I would have shared the news with him before God called him home. What I would have given to see the expression on his face. Six weeks later, while emotions were still sensitive to our loss, God gave us a beautiful gift, our son. It didn't take long for me to see mannerisms of my dad in our little bundle of joy. Adoption is a true miracle that only my heavenly father could put together with such intricate details. Thank you God for thinking of all those little details that brings a smile to my face, even to this day, when I see my dad through my son's little mannerisms. Happy Father's Day Daddy! I wish I had a photo to post here but I sadly have to admit they are all packed away in one of the many photo boxes that we have not unpacked on this move.
This post would not be complete without saying Happy Father's Day to Papa Roo! He is the love of my life, my soul mate, my best friend, the father of our children, and the spiritual leader of our home. He strives really hard to be the best husband, father, and provider he can be. He is an awesome mentor for our children. He teaches our son what it means to be a spiritual leader of a home, how to treat a lady, how to hunt and fish, and how to be a man. He also leads by example what integrity is and what respect and hard work looks like. For our daughter, he always makes her feel like a princess. He is her super hero! He treats her like the young lady she is and makes her feel special. He listens to her, prays with her and teachers her all his gardening skills. He even plants flowers just for his princess. When he gets home from a very long day of work, no matter how tired he is, he always takes time to spend with each of them individually. Sometimes he plays games or listens to stories just because that is what they want. Yes, we are blessed to have Papa Roo! He definitely wins the award of Father of the Year in our eyes!!!!! Happy Father's Day!
Yay! We are officially Hudsonites again!! As the end of our military career is fast approaching, we are being proactive in making plans for our next season of life. We have talked about many places over the years that would be great for retirement, from Colorado to Okinawa, Japan. We love so many places and have made great friends all around the world but in the end, family has pulled at our heartstrings the most. And in this case, Texas is truly where our heart is. We are moving back to our home town where we will be close to my mom. She may be 86 but she is a little firecracker and a great example to see that just because you may have some birthdays behind you doesn't mean you cannot be active in your community. I know she is very happy about being able to spoil her grandkids on a more frequent basis. Both our kids are excited about being closer to their cousins and their aunt and uncle. This may not be our final retirement location but for now, it is our first "civilian PCS". For our military followers, you will understand what I am saying. We do have moving/traveling in our blood. A thirty year habit may be hard to break. Lol!
Some may be asking, "What is going to happen to your little farm and all your chickens and animals?" Well Quad L Farm and Homeschool will be moving to TX too! Obviously, we cannot take all our chickens with us but we may have to pack up a couple of our favorites. There are some legality issues that goes with moving poultry across state lines. Something we did not know when we moved here. Oops! Papa Roo is already working on a business plan for our family farm. We want to bring fresh vegetables and eggs to our new community as well as introduce them to pasture raised chickens and rabbits. We see our farm growing into a great business for folks in East Texas to get "farm to table" fresh food. It will be hard to leave our place here in VA. The property is beautiful, our landlord is one of a kind, and the friends and memories we have made are priceless. One thing that will not be missed is the good old I95 commute and all the traffic. I think the everyday game up here is, "How many cars can you fit on an interstate?" Lol! Over the next ten months, the kids and I will be making several road trips to TX as we prepare our new piece of property and home. There is some remodel work to be done, a pond to be dug, chicken coops to be built and ground to be plowed. Next May will be here before we know it.
Our Troll Bridge :)
Beautiful East TX
Let our next adventure begin! We are so excited about what God has planned for us in East Texas!
PS....Our broilers are just a few weeks away from processing and Papa Roo's garden is growing by leaps and bounds. I will post pics soon.
