Before we could even snap a picture of our gorgeous guy, our dogs got to him and left him not dead, but half-dead yesterday morning. Please keep these details from my midwife if you know her and talk to her regularly, because I know they would make her very sad, but that's how it happened. Our dogs are not exactly chicken killers; instead, they think chickens are toys they can play with and pluck feathers from. So poor Mr. Macho was left lying naked and bare on a chilly, windy morning with a half-torn wing. Yes, it's sad, and very depressing, and what happened next was the worst part.
I had to put him out of his misery.
This is the first time I have ever, ever killed a living animal on purpose and it was something I hope I don't have to do again. It is not something I want to get used to, or to develop a tolerance to. I firmly believe that if we all (read: if I) had to kill our own meat, most of us (I, anyway) would be a vegetarian.
My dear friend Karen was able to console me through the freaking out part, talk me through the actual deed, and make me laugh about it afterward. That is a great friend indeed and I won't soon forget how kind she was to me yesterday. She continues to make me laugh with her rendition of the story, so if you know her, you must ask her about it. She has a flair for comedy that is hers alone, a little subtle dance she does of pushing the boundaries of appropriateness so you can find the humor in a no-good, rotten, very bad day, while holding back just enough that your heart doesn't break. For this gift, I am thankful.
On a brighter note, we had a wonderful pre-Labor day party with our friends and a nice Labor-day party with our family. Everyone admired Jeff's outbuildings and fence, and we even used his larger lean-to as a rain shelter for Sunday's lunch.
Jeff was given papers this week letting him know that he is being laid off and his last day will be November 4th. So we're trying to prepare as best we can for that. We are selling his old car to buy a tractor and pay off our credit card. Then we're giving the credit card to one of my friends to hang onto in case we need to rent a car. This way we won't be able to charge anything all willy-nilly.
Jeff will be spending his time trying to build us a pole barn between our property and our neighbor's property. He's excited to expand on his skills. We'll be doing a totally handmade Christmas this year, and I'm quite excited about that. We're trying to prepare for a Jersey cow as well, as the majority of our food bill seems to be spent on dairy products. And, Jeff is going to try to hunt us a deer. I hope that he does better with the killing than I did yesterday because I hated it. And mine was mercy killing. His could be much worse on him.
I started an attachment parenting Yahoo! group out my way, so if you know of anyone in my area, I'd love it if you'd pass along the address.
Also, if you don't subscribe to my other blog, I wanted to mention that the coupon books that are distributed at Whole Foods, Mambo Sprouts are now available to be mailed directly to your house for free. Saves me a trip to Whole Foods since I don't like to go there anyway, but do enjoy many of the Mambo Sprouts coupons.
And finally, my scratch-food blog, Supper In Seconds has a whole new look and is about to get an email subscribe button. With luck, it will be there before this message reaches your inbox, if you're subscribed here.
My scratch cooking skills have grown by leaps and bounds since I've been out here since running by the store at the drop of a hat is no longer a viable option. I've become rather impassioned of late with sharing some of my recipes and shortcuts since it's my firm belief that for most folks, scratch cooking has to be quick or it won't be a daily option.
Most of my pics this time are from our most recent park day back home. I'm really appreciative of the community of mamas we had back home and have been quite missing the easy companionship that comes from years of knowing each other's stuff. We're pretty excited to get back in the regular Friday swing next week.
Much love to everyone during these beautiful Fall-ish days!
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