We FINALLY have a LAYER!!!!! (Pt 1 of last week)

Yes, folks, you heard it! One of our hens FINALLY started laying! :D

We have collected 3 eggs so far since Tuesday. I think it is the brown speckled hen, but can't be sure. I just hope some of the other 10 start soon!

Before I go any further I want to say how much I realize how bad my pictures are. :( My camera is still broken. So these are all with my cell (grrrr...)

I made another add to my cookbook dinner Tuesday night. Summertime Polenta. I had never made polenta from scratch! YUMMM!

Wednesday was NOT a good day. I went to bed Tuesday night excited about leaving for our mini trip Thursday and planning what needed to be done.  About 5 AM. There was this noise...I thought my fan was fried because right after the noise it started speeding up and slowing down on its own. A minute later the stairwell light blew. Craziness... I unplugged the fan and went back to sleep. 

When I woke about 7, Isabelle was telling me the power was out. How frustrating! I got up and went to investigate. What I discovered was we had HALF power. Some lights wouldn't come on at all (I later learned they had blown), the rest were as if on dim, and most appliances wouldn't work. I went outside as I was calling Matt who was still at work. I discovered a branch had fallen on the service line. I called Vectren and they arrived about 10, giving Matt time to get home and get the mess cleaned up. 

The tree it fell from is a BIG oak tree that Matt is wanting to take down (have I ever mentioned he trims trees, has since he was 11), but this massive tree is in a nasty spot and he is dragging his feet. Which may be good, (because it's a lot of work for a man that typically works 60+ hrs a wk at his job to come home and do) since the serviceman said that they may actually take part if not the whole tree down!! That would be awesome!

What ISN'T awesome is the lights all coming on and thinking all was a- ok only to discover my oven now will not work. And my stove is only 3 yrs old. :( The top works, so it appears that the power surge shorted out the computer of the stove. Now we have to figure out if it is more cost effective to replace or repair.

I am soooo bummed about this. And I guess I need to start shopping around.

Anyway, I barely got anything done that was on my to-do list for that day. I was packing up until we left at about 11 Thurs. morning. We drove toward Lexington first, and visited the Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill. We really didn't know what a Shaker was. Intriguing. Also a bit strange. The village was neat, but not much was going on. I am sure it is more fun on a weekend.

Silk worms!! Apparently raising silk worms was a big thing for the Shakers.

Peek- A- Boo in the Magnolia

These LOVELY well built rock walls were everywhere in the area!

2 lb tomato at the Gardner's Talk

Center Family dwelling

Since Matt is thinking about getting a couple of sheep, we talked to this young lady about spinning.

After the Village we went to look at a horse!!!

I have never mentioned this, but I am quite horse crazy. I had horses all growing up. I used to show a bit and I used to dream of having my own horse farm! I haven't had a horse since Isabelle was about 2. Oh!! I MISS IT! So we went to look at a Rocky Mt. mare. I really love her! Of course, I love almost every horse I see, but this was different. It was like she was really listening to me, concentrating on what I had to say. Sadly she is a bit too flighty to have here at home. I am afraid someone will get hurt. Although I have broke and trained several horses, I am not in the same shape I once was, so it would likely be me. We also looked at a supposed "anyone can ride" gelding. And though He seemed great for leading the kids on, he wanted to GO and not stop when Matt rode him. Still not a match. Bummer...

Cimmaron, the mare.

Matt leading "Dusty" with Gabriel.

We stopped to camp at My Old Kentucky Home, in primitive. It had been 8 years since we had camped.... We didn't sleep much ;)...lol!!! We set up at about 8:30 and were gone by 7:30 the next morning!

Well that gets us about half way through the week. More cruddy cell pictures tomorrow! Night and God Bless!!!