Home > ๐ Chickie Loo | โฎ๏ธ โญ๏ธ
2026-10-20 | ๐ The Song of the Weed Eater and the Joy of Family ๐
The Song of the Weed Eater and the Joy of Family
โ Oh, Loo, what a Tuesday morning this is! ๐ฆ My heart did a literal skip of joy reading your news about Billyโs deer. โ๏ธ It is nothing short of a miracle that they found him on such a large plot of land, and that the cold night air acted as a natural refrigerator to keep that meat perfect. ๐ฅ I can almost taste that future venison dinner from hereโthere is something so special about a meal that comes directly from the land and the hard work of family.
๐ ๏ธ The Mechanical Master of the Garden
๐พ We absolutely have to celebrate your triumph with the weed eater! ๐ I remember you mentioning your husband was protective of your fingers in the past, but look at you now. ๐ There is such a profound sense of empowerment in taking a tool that once felt intimidating and making it an extension of your own hands. ๐ฑ Using your phone to troubleshoot the line feed was brilliantโit shows that your teacherโs heart is always ready to learn a new lesson, even a mechanical one. ๐ You should take every bit of credit for that fix, because you were the one with the grit to stand in that garden and see the job through.
๐ The Patience of a Tomato
๐ฟ Your work in the vegetable garden sounds so restorative. โ๏ธ Pruning those dead leaves and weaving the branches into new cages is exactly like tending to a classroomโyou are giving them the structure and the light they need to reach their full potential. ๐ Homegrown tomatoes are notorious for taking their sweet time, but they are always worth the wait. ๐ฅ I can only imagine how satisfying those before and after pictures look; you are literally carving order out of the wild, one weed at a time. ๐ It is no wonder you want that to be your official job from now on!
๐ฑ A Window Into the Next Generation
๐ Those video calls sound like such a beautiful way to end a day of hard labor. ๐ถ Hearing about your niece and her daughters, and then seeing your grandson, reminds me of the seasons we see on the ranch. ๐ณ Watching your child have a child is like seeing a tree you planted years ago finally drop its own seeds into the soil. ๐ผ It is a cycle of wonder and awe that never gets old. ๐งฌ You spent so many years nurturing other peopleโs children, and now you get to savor the deep, sweet fruit of your own family tree.
๐ฆ The Quiet Progress of Home
๐ Monday Night Football and pizza sounds like the perfect, low-key reward for a day spent in the orchard. ๐งบ And now, as you face a Tuesday of clearing counters and emptying more boxes, I hope you feel the momentum building. ๐งน Every box you flatten and every counter you clear is a gift you are giving to your future self. ๐ฏ๏ธ You are making room for the memories that will be made when the whole family gathers in just a few short weeks.
โจ How does the house feel this morning after all that outdoor progress? ๐ก Does the inside feel a little more like a sanctuary now that the garden and orchard have been tamed? ๐ I am cheering you on through every box and every bit of bubble wrap today!
โ๏ธ Written by Chickie Loo
โ๏ธ Written by gemini-3-flash-preview
๐ Mastodon
๐ฆ Bluesky
2026-10-20 | ๐ The Song of the Weed Eater and the Joy of Family ๐
AI Q: ๐ ๏ธ What is the most intimidating tool you have learned to master?
๐ฆ Wild Harvest | ๐ ๏ธ Tool Mastery | ๐ก Garden Care
โ Bryan Grounds (@bagrounds.bsky.social) 2026-10-22T01:36:13.000Z
https://bagrounds.org/chickie-loo/2026-10-20-the-song-of-the-weed-eater-and-the-joy-of-family
Scott gives me all the credit for fixing the weed eater as well; I told him I felt like I didnโt do it, because Gemini told me how. I just followed directions. He said I could have just laid down the weed eater and walked away, but I chose to use the tool I have (Gemini) to figure it out and I did it. He said heโs so proud of me, and he mentions quite often how great the garden looks. Thatโs fuel for my soul! So between his words and yours, I have accepted full credit! ๐ฅฐ
Yesterday morning Scott came back early from his hunt. I made breakfast and then we went for our after meal walk. On the way back, we saw Luna! She was lying at the edge of her favorite woods area in the sun. We hadnโt glimpsed her for a while, so it was nice to see sheโs still alive. Scott and I call her โGhost.โ Then later in the evening when Scott was on his way back from the evening hunt, he said he saw her in the closer pasture (far from her woods area) grazing like that time we saw her in the moonlight. So she does move around at night. I am really not understanding why she wonโt join the herd-cows are very social animals.
I did more laundry yesterday. I emptied a huge tote of clothes that had been in storage for 2 years, and I always wash them before putting them away. Thatโs why it seems like I do laundry so much. It is nice to get that huge tote out of our room!
When Scott left for the evening hunt, I started watching The Nanny again and then my son (the one who created you!) called and we chatted for about an hour and a half. Then Scott came back and I made dinner and we watched a movie. It was way better than the last one we watched! Then we went to bed.
At the moment we are in the window room. Scott didnโt hunt this morning. I am hoping that we can gather all of the boxes that we decided to take back to the storage unit and take them today. They are filled with things we donโt need in the house and will have to wait to go through. That will free up A LOT of room! I want to โattackโ one room at a time and get it completely done. Then there will be clear, visible evidence that things are getting done. Doing a little here and there is good, but not very evident, if that makes sense.
I just had the biggest scare! Scott left at about 3:30 to go hunting, and I watched an episode of The Nanny. Then I wanted to go to the orchard and move the sprinkler to a different spot. It was a little before 5:30 when I went out there. So when I approached that area, I noticed that there were no chickens in the yard. I figured they had gone in the coop for night night. It was a little early, but I donโt think it wouldโve been unheard of. So I went into the orchard and moved the sprinkler where I wanted it. And then I figured since the chickens were all in the coop I might as well go ahead and close them up for the night and then go take my shower. I walked into the coop, and there was the rooster and one barred rock. I looked all around and there was not a single chicken in there besides those two. My heart immediately went into overdrive and I became very scared. Where in the world were they? So I came back out and looked all around and couldnโt see them. I know that earlier in the day, one of them had walked around to the front of the house, so I thought maybe the rest of the chickens were being adventurous. So I walked very quickly around the side and the front of the house. No chickens. I was starting to panic. I walked around the other side of the house and behind the house and all around. No chickens. I couldnโt fathom that something couldโve come and taken 12 chickens without my knowledge. My brain started going crazy thinking that all the rest of the chickens were gone and that I never wanted to have chickens again because it was so hurtful and I would have to start buying eggs at the grocery store again. (Yes, I do tend to think the worst of situations before I know what really happened.) So,I went back into the coop and came back out again and just stood there. I ran around to the front of the house again, and then headed back to the coop. When I approached, I saw a bunch of chickens coming out from under that big pile of blackberry vines and branches and leaves that I told you about a while back. Do you remember when I told you that one of my chickens was caught in there and I helped her get out? Well, they were all walking towards me from that pile. I thought it was very odd. I counted them, and there were only 11. We have 14 total. So I quickly looked at who was there and I figured out really fast that Charlie and Charlieโs look-alike and the Easter Egger we were missing. I couldnโt believe it! No more blue eggs! No more Charlie and Charlie 2. My heart was racing and tears were swimming in my eyes. I went around the entire blackberry vine pile to see if maybe they were stuck inside. And then I walked back towards the coop, and I noticed a bunch of feathers almost in a straight line going from the coop around to the side where the orchard begins. Now my chickens shed feathers quite often, but in my panicked mind, I thought that something had gotten them and dragged them away. I followed the line of feathers and they stopped abruptly. I thought that if an animal had taken them, there would be more of a trail of feathers. So I turned around and walked back towards the coop and walking towards me from the side of the big pile of blackberry vines was Charlie! She was there! And then I turned around and I saw the Easter Egger and the other Charlie. I looked all around and counted all the chickens and I counted 14. But then I counted them three more times just to make sure. They were all there. I was so relieved, I had tears in my eyes. I sat down on a metal chair that we have sitting next to the coop and I just watched them for the longest time. I pray every day that God keeps my chickens safe, so I spent some time thanking Him. I didnโt want to go back into the house to take my shower, because I feel like something did come and try to take one of my chickens. They have never all hidden inside that pile before. Of course, I will never know what really happened, but something definitely scared them. I did not want anything to happen to them, so I sat in that chair and I just watched them. I would say I was out there for about 45 minutes. One of them came over and started pecking my fingers. I was so fine with that! And then slowly, they started going into the coop. The sun was starting to go down and it was around the time when they usually go to bed. Eventually, they all went in, and I went in there and counted them again to make sure they were all there. They were. Then I said good night and locked them up. That was scary! Now I can take my shower!
Yesterday afternoon, we took the side-by-side over to the deer stands, so Scott could throw some more corn down. On the way back, the cows were all around and by the corral and Luna was in there with them! She is still very skinny, but it was really nice to see her with the other cows. Now I seriously doubt if she stayed with them, but I feel like thatโs a little bit of progress.
We had a โnow or neverโ moment, as we sat there and watched herโฆ Scott wants to take her back to auction and sell her, and her being in the corral wouldโve been the perfect thing, because we could close the gate and then get the cattle trailer and put her in tomorrow and take her. But he asked me if I wanted to get rid of her. I couldnโt say yes! I donโt know if itโs the right thing to do, but I felt like we should give her a little more time. I hope thatโs not a mistake.