Fowl Play Afoot At Farm

     It appears that I have ordered boots just in time...although we've had a barn since we moved in July, we are officially turning into a farm (in my mind). My second eldest daughter burst into our room with a huge grin on her face Saturday morning. She announced, "We just bought ten baby chicks and two mallard ducks!" She and my hubby had gone to a local farm store, and they happened to have chicks in. My second eldest delights in animals more then anything, so this was like Christmas in March. I have to admit that they are pretty cute, and we will definitely use the eggs. My hubby and daughter have been talking about chickens since before we moved to the country.  I've always been a huge animal lover as well, but I can't look at an animal the way I did as a child without seeing the potential work attached anymore. I'm slowly turning into my mom...she would call this maturity. The picture included is of me with one of the chicks I named Charlotte. When I put my arm in their pen last night, she happily perched on it. No one else was allowed up which makes me think she is the boss. (The jury is still out on whether or not this is a girl, but I think Charlie would be a great rooster name if my she turns out to be a he.) I know my girls will be happy to take care of them, but I'm less thrilled about the inevitable life-span of chickens.
        Harley was our first pet (here's his story).  Then we added two cats to our lives after we moved to the country (originally there were three--here's what happened to my sweet Giselle). Now we are adding chickens. We keep adding animals that want to eat each other. Looks like we'll need to add some insects to our pet list if we want to complete our "circle of life".
        Psalm 90:12 says, "Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." We all need to be aware that today can be our last. We need to make it count. This is something I struggle with. I get too caught up in the piles of laundry and neglect going outside to enjoy the sunshine. There is a balance, and today I'm trying to find it. This concept of numbering your days was brought especially close to home when my husband's forty something friend had quadruple bypass this past week. That's awfully young to have something that major happen to you physically.  He's doing well considering, but he could have had a very different ending. We don't know what day will be our last.
        Today, I'm going to make time to go to a playgroup and spend a little more time with the chicks and my kids...instead of my washing machine. What will you do differently today?