Sorry it has been a little while since my last post but I have been having some computer issues, hopefully they are worked out now. It is August 1st and summer is in full swing-the heat waves, the afternoon thunderstorms, the mosquitos! We finally have our first pig, a beautiful all black female weighing about 50lbs. She has been named "chancha" it means simply, female pig in Costa Rica. We discouraged the kids from giving her a more elaborate name as she most likely will be a Christmas ham and several servings of bacon before long. We finished her new pen today and installed her pool and raised bed. She seems very pleased with her new accomodations and certainly Fatima is, she was not enjoying being chancha's roomie one bit. The goats have also been given new pens. My friend Tina gave us 13 iron hog panels for helping her move a huge pile of them and traded a bit of chicken wire too. We built them identical pens together but seperated by a hog panel "wall", so they can be close with out getting too close. They too seem to be pleased and comfortable with the new housing arrangements and Fatima's appetite has improved immensely and thus her milk production has too. She is showing signs of being in heat and we are debating breeding her . Her gestation will be about 4 months putting her delivery around December. If we are gonna breed her we need to do it now or wait til December ,so she doesn't deliver in sever hot or cold temperatures. The rabbits are also getting frisky but they take less time to carry to term so we will wait itl september to breed them, to ensure their "kits" have milder temperatures to endure and therefore a better chance of survival. Speaking of survival, we have 3 female ducks missing. 3 pekins and a rouen female. I am greatly disturbed by this but alas there is  little I can do. 1 by 1 they began disappearing late last week so last night we rounded up the remaining 5 and penned them up along with the geese. This does not seem to please them one bit as they have enjoyed their free ranging lifestyle with gusto. until I can figure out what happened to the other 3, these 5 will remain in their pen. Like it or not. Chickens are doing well, last of the magnificent 7  (original pullets purchased) are starting to lay-finally. Lost a Java hen 2 days ago-I believe she was eggbound. Not much you can do really.It was sad and a hard loss for me as the Java's were/are my favorites and very difficult to acquire too.
                                            School time! Oh my gosh, the kids (2 of them anyways) will be returning to public school this year. I am beside myself with this decision. Owyn is a very social creature and here tucked away in Gods country she has made no new friends to speak of and is lonely for playdates & musicals and school plays and the hub-bub & hustle of hallways and classrooms. I empathize, I understand, I aquiese. i registered her today. It was hard, I choked back a tear and felt my breath catch in my chest. I will miss our morning routine of flash cards and reading exercises and watching her do math. She is a math whiz. It will be lonely this year. Lyala too is leaving the nest and striking out for public education. She is attending the technical highschool so she can take culinary arts classes at the adjoining college campus. I am proud of her, for following thru and not being scared. She is taking a big step and I know this and even though I want desperately to shelter her and protect her, I have to encouage her and let her go. I have to let her do this, it is integral in her social developement and maturity too. This doesn't mean I have to like it , but I will be supportive and helpful and hopeful and proud. I will step back a bit and give her some room to grow, to develope. Kieren has put his foot down and refuses to give public school a second thought. He is very cozy sleeping late and lazing around all day after and between lessons. he doesn't do well with schedules and regimentation. I am debating sending him against his will, for his own good-but my heart tells me he will decide for himself soon enough, that right now he needs to be home. Only time will tell for sure, so we wait, we pray, we hope.
                               Bills are beginning to pile up, the $500 for the truck premium after the accident took a big bite out of our finances. We are struggling to make ends meet and it looks gloomier than ever. Property pymt will be 10 days late but theres nothing we can do about it. And the internet/cable bill is looming over us like a dark cloud on a sunny day.  For some reason I am not worried about it. It will work out. I have tattoos booked for the last 2 weeks of the month and if we can hold on til then we will buy ourselves 1 more month. Thats all we can ask for: the chance to keep on keeping on.  Life is good. I am surrounded by the people I love most in the world, we have food, we have clothing, we have each other and everything else is just gravy.                                  
                          This fall promises to full of new experiences and suprises and I am eager to feel a chill in the morning air again and see what the future holds for us. Each new day is a new adventure-good or bad, we are learning from it.