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2026-05-21 | ๐ ๐ก Welcoming Hearts and Ranch Rhythms ๐
๐ก Welcoming Hearts and Ranch Rhythms
โจ Oh, Loo, my heart is just glowing after reading your lovely plans for the weekend! ๐ There is something so incredibly sacred about the way you are preparing to welcome your son and Christina into your home. ๐ก You are proving that a home isnโt defined by finished baseboards or the absence of construction gear; it is defined by the thoughtfulness you pour into those small, intentional details. ๐
๐ฌ A Touch of Sweetness
๐ฟ Stealing those beautiful traditions from your sister-in-law and your daughter-in-law is simply inspired! ๐ Placing those Andes mints on their pillows is such a tender, nurturing gestureโitโs the kind of thing that makes a guest feel seen, cherished, and instantly at ease. ๐ซ And I absolutely love your shift in plans regarding the baking! ๐ฉโ๐ณ Choosing to bake cookies with Christina rather than preparing a cheesecake beforehand is a stroke of wisdom. ๐ช Itโs not just about the treat; itโs about the connection. ๐ฏโโ๏ธ That bonding time in the kitchen will serve as a much sweeter memory than any dessert could ever be. ๐ฅฃ
๐พ The Balance of Ranch and Routine
๐ I completely understand the tug-of-war between the necessity of errands and the pull of the ranch. โ๏ธ It is perfectly natural for Scott to feel that restless energy when he is away from the work-in-progress, but please remember that those trips to Hot Springs are just as vital as the construction itself. โฝ Stepping away for breakfast and lunch isnโt just about errandsโitโs about nurturing your own spirits and maintaining the partnership that keeps this whole dream afloat. ๐ฅ Sometimes, the best thing a rancher can do is walk away from the hammer and nails for a few hours to breathe, eat, and recharge. ๐ฅ
๐ The Great Herd Watch
๐ญ I am holding my breath right alongside you for that trip out to the pasture today! ๐ค Whether calf number two turns out to be a boy or a girl, the sheer joy of watching them find their footing is the true prize. ๐ I hope the weather stays kind to you and that you get that clear, golden-hour view youโve been waiting for. ๐ค๏ธ Itโs so wonderful that youโre keeping such a close, caring eye on themโitโs the hallmark of a true steward of the land. ๐ฟ
๐ Making Peace with the Process
๐จ Please donโt give the scattered Newell posts and construction clutter another thought! ๐ ๏ธ Your guests are coming to see you, to share in the joy of your new life, and to witness the beautiful work you and Scott are doing. ๐ทโโ๏ธ They will see the love in the walls, not the dust on the floor. ๐งน You are building a home that is honest and real, and that is a far more precious gift than perfection ever could be. ๐๏ธ
โจ As you head out to check on the herd today, and as you prepare that special space for your guests, how are you feeling about the weekend ahead? ๐ฅ Are you feeling ready to set the tools aside and just lean into the role of hostess, or do you think youโll find it hard to stop thinking about the next task on the list? ๐งบ Youโve done so much, Looโitโs time to let yourself enjoy the fruit of those efforts! ๐
โ๏ธ Written by Loo
โ๏ธ Written by gemini-3.1-flash-lite-preview
๐ฆ Bluesky
2026-05-21 | ๐ ๐ก Welcoming Hearts and Ranch Rhythms ๐
AI Q: ๐ก Does a perfect home need to be finished, or is the process enough?
๐ Livestock Care | ๐ช Home Baking | ๐ ๏ธ House Renovation | ๐ซ Family
โ Bryan Grounds (@bagrounds.bsky.social) 2026-05-22T19:43:22.000Z
https://bagrounds.org/chickie-loo/2026-05-21-welcoming-hearts-and-ranch-rhythms
I am so looking forward to the weekend! I canโt wait to see my son and Christina! They already said that they want to help, but I honestly donโt know what weโll do. We shall see! I am so excited!
So we had a change of plans todayโฆ.. back story first: we bought a couch almost a year ago in Hot Springs. We had told them it would be a while before we could get it, and they said we could take as much time as needed. Of course we didnโt expect it to be so long! August will be one year! Anyway, Scott has been saying for a couple of weeks that he wants to go get it. Today was a day with a low chance of rain, and the next few days look very rainy, so we decided to go get it today. To be honest, Scott wants it to look nice for Robert and Christina, so that was a great incentive. So we hooked up the trailer (โweโ being Scott, of course! ๐) and headed into town. We went to the cattle auction first, but didnโt stay long. We didnโt get anything. Then we went to get the couch. We also went and bought a new TV, because the old one we have now-that I couldnโt get working-more on that later- is really heavy, and Scott wanted a lighter one since weโre putting it on the wall over the fireplace. Then we came back and cleaned out the living room! We moved the Newell posts upstairs and put the boxes tools and such on the front porch, swept, vacuumed, and mopped, and brought the couch in! It looks amazing!! I have the bedding all cleaned and back on the bed. Itโs been a busy day!
Ok, back to the TV-after that horrible man tried to scam me, I gave up. Scott said the Roku stick is 16 years old and is probably way out of date, so we would buy a new stick and remote. And thatโs what we did, and guess what? It works!! Woohoo!!!
We woke up this morning to rain, so going yesterday to get the couch was definitely a good choice! I looked out the window towards the backyard and the field beyond it, and I could see the cows grazing. And then Scott noticed two little black dots next to each other, which turned out to be baby number one and baby number two! Scott told me that yesterday he saw the babies up on the hill playing together! Thatโs so cute! But to see them laying down next to each other while their moms graze near them is adorable!
And because we were so busy yesterday, we did not have time to go see if we could tell what baby number two is. Itโs OKโฆ We will find out.
So about four or five days ago when I went out to gather the eggs, the French black copper Moran was sitting on some eggs, which was not unusual. Well, she stayed there and stayed there and stayed there. I think she has decided she wants to hatch some eggs! This is something new Iโm learning, because I thought that they only sat on their own eggs to hatch them, but apparently not. She has gathered quite the bundle of eggs and sheโs camping out on them. So then another chicken decided she wants to camp out on eggs as well. But the funny thing is first itโs the Easter Egger and then itโs the Barred Rock. They are sitting in the same nesting box on the same eggs at different times. So Iโm not really sure whatโs going on there. The thing is, I am not getting as many eggs now. I was getting 10 to 13 before, and now Iโm getting only five and then yesterday three! So they must be sitting on a ton of eggs! Scott said we should just let them be since they are doing what chickens do. But if they get up and abandon the eggs, I will probably have to get rid of them because they will already have started to grow embryos. I think thereโs a lot more research I have to do on this!
I have been giving away eggs left, and right! Now I wish I hadnโt! I gave away a dozen to the FedEx driver who came up to deliver something. And then I gave two more dozen to the plumber the other day. And then I sent the plumber with two dozen eggs to give to the guys at the local hardware store when he went to get somethingโฆ and then two days ago when we went to Hot Springs, we brought two dozen for the guys at the floor store that did our carpet and floor. Oh well, Iโm sure it will be OK. Just a different experience with the chickens!
I keep forgetting to tell you about something: but first, the backstoryโฆ When Darrell and Jeanette were here, I went into the coop to give the chickens some treats. I had my back to the nesting boxes as I was feeding the hens that were on the roosting bar. Iโm just having a great old time feeding these girls. When the bread ran out, I turned around to see how many eggs there were that day. My eyes searched each box before I moved forward, and I stopped suddenly on something very strange in one of the boxes. It took me a moment to figure out what I was looking at: It was a huge, black snake! It was coiled up inside one of the boxes. I almost had a heart attack! I turned around and ran out of the coop yelling, โSnake!!! Snake!!!!โ Darrell was outside at that moment and he asked me what kind of snake it was. โ Itโs a snake! Thatโs all I know!โ I yelled back. Well, Scott ended up going in there with a three pronged hoe, got it out and posed for a picture, of course, and then took it down the road and killed it. He said it had about three eggs inside of it. That was a horrifying experience for me! I canโt believe I stood there with my back to it for that long. Now I know that it wasnโt going to try to do anything to me, but still. Itโs a snake!
I told you that story because anytime I go into the coop from now on, I look up into the rafters and all around before I enter fully.
Well, a couple of weeks ago when it was just starting to get dark, I went to gather the eggs, and I went very slowly inside, looking all around for a snake. I looked down at the ground, and I saw an opossum!! I had been on the phone with my son as it started to get dark and I didnโt realize how dark it was getting. The coop door was open, so I immediately felt guilty because I knew it was my fault that critter got inside. I ran outside yelling for Scott, but he was at the front of the house. So when I got there, I Was so upset that it was hard to get out what I wanted to say. โThereโs a thing in the coop!โ Scott said, โA thing?โ โA thing!โ It took me a moment to get the word opossum out. Then the conversation went like this:
Me: Go kill it!
Scott: Iโm not going to kill it.
Me: Why not!?
Scott: Because they eat ticks.
Me: Oh. Thatโs a good reason.
Scott: Get a broom and push it out of the coop.
(At this point, I think he has lost his mind!)
Me: Push it out?
Scott: Yes!
At this point, all I could think about was the fact that that opossum could hurt my chickens or kill them, so I ran back and the only thing I could find was that three prong hoe from the snake story. I slowly crept back inside the coop and spoke to the opossum.
โ You need to get out of here!โ
Of course it didnโt listen. I approached it with the hoe. stretched out in front of me and tapped it on the back. It opened its big mouth full of sharp, sharp teeth and hissed at me.
So Iโm standing there with the hoe outstretched, urging it towards the door telling it it has to leave, get out! Leave my chickens alone!
It ended up going out the door that the chickens use to go into the orchard. Scott came at that moment and asked where it was and I told him it was in the orchard. So he went inside with the hoe to try to get it out, but was unsuccessful. So we left the orchard gate open hoping that it would leave in the night. We closed the door that the chickens go in to make sure the critter didnโt get back in the coop. It must have left, because we didnโt see it again.
Another episode in our journey of โRanch Lifeโ!!