Half-Pint bought an incubator about a month ago; and though our first batch of old eggs failed (and oozed and gave us grief-read that story here), our female mallard began to lay fresh eggs. We dutifully began daily collecting and storing them between 40º and 60º (after carefully reading up about it). You are supposed to only store them for up to seven days before beginning incubation, so two and a half weeks ago we put them in. After six days, we carefully held them up to an altered toilet paper roll with a flashlight shining through one end (called "candling") to find fine veins and a small gray shadow in all seven eggs. Half-pint was grinning from ear to ear for the entire day. Mrs. Duck continued to lay eggs, so we continued to gather. There were only six eggs laid in the next week, and five of them proved to be fertile (showing veins and a shadow). Still we were very excited with our possibilities. She proceeded to lay one more egg that we are yet to candle. Now comes the tricky part. We have three batches of eggs at three different stages. The first batch has continued to grow (we candled them at 13 days with the second batch...they have a much bigger shadow and nice veins), and are due to hatch around Nov. 13th. However, it is recommended to stop turning them for the last three days (so they can get their bearings), which means we need to remove the turner (apparantly the little buggers could get tripped up in that and croak). We could turn the next two batches of eggs by hand for three days, but half-pint teared up at that suggestion because humidity and temperature is critical. You aren't supposed to disturb the incubator lid even to add water (for humidity) during those three days. This leaves me wondering if we will turn Half-pint's entire room into a sauna for three days, try introducing Paddles and Puddles to half-pint's room to finish the laying process (in a dog kennel, mind you) or recruit Charlotte to come and keep the eggs warm (she LOVES laying on eggs). I'll keep you posted on "As The Duck Waddles". We had more ducky happenings this week thanks to Mr. Blue Eye's costume.
Our new town brought new Halloween traditions. We attended a fabulous library party on the 21st. On Halloween, the children around here go trick-or-treating on Main Street at the businesses which stay open late (till seven according to the local newspapers). It was supposed to start at 5pm, and we arrived at 6pm. Apparently, they didn't read the newspaper because by 6:30 when the children fizzled, the businesses shut their doors. I felt sorry for the kids that showed up at 6:45pm to find no one out (Carrie had to pee at that time, so we used the public toilet at the Chamber of Commerce who also had shut their doors early, but took pitty on my dancing turtle). This brings me to our costumes. I do not buy pre-made costumes anymore. I stopped two years back when Half-pint insisted on making her own pumpkin costume from Charles' orange T-shirt. I quickly got over the fact that it wasn't perfect (Would others feel sorry for my poor child without a mom to step in and make a costume worthy of Pinterest?) and revelled in the uniqueness of it. Store-made costumes are usually more expensive, and I've seen how creative my kids can be when I've helped them bring their dream to life. With that said, I've also lived through the years of very young children incapable of creating their own costumes...and I do NOT judge moms that need sleep more than a few dollars spent on a costume (and some who buy on clearance for the next year or at rummage sales). This is just what works for us. Mr. Blue Eyes donned a beard (attached to his camo hat...12 in. of plush brown fabric thanks to Joanne's for $2.99) and full camo. He held his rubber ducky to chew on for a complete Duck Dynasty ensemble. Puddles and Paddles wanted to go along, but I said no. He met up with 3 other Duck Dynasty boys, and they graciosly posed for a picture with him. Gracie asked to be Rapunzel, for which I attached strand upon strand of yarn to a yellow headband. She went to the party at the library but began puking Halloween day. She stayed locked in her tower with Charles. However, Charles came up with the brilliant idea of letting her trick-or-treat at our bedroom doors from the candy we had gotten while out. She ended up with a full bucket, and my heart brimmed with pride at our girls' generosity. Carrie went as a snapping turtle; and although I cut out her shell, she decorated it by spending two days coloring it with markers. Half-pint went as a pirate, and created an elaborate ship complete with lego people walking the plank. The ship only went to the library party though. We feared it would've shipwrecked on the sidewalk. Mary decided to dress up as "Autumn" (the season) complete with a leaf boa, and braided bun for her cardinal's nest. It was so much fun to watch them design and create!
This past week has seen a lot of late nights, like Halloween. One of them though was thanks to Half-pint's Awana store night. The kids are awarded Awana bucks for memorizing verses, and once a month, they can purchase fabulous prizes for their hard work. Half-pint purchased a complete sea monkey kit because, "what is a farm for except animals?". After our last mishap with the duck eggs, I stayed up till midnight to help research everything we needed to know about the sea creatures. It began when she insisted on distilled water, which she insisted was crucial and found somewhere on the internet information page she had looked at (even though I found nothing on the included packaging about it). I love learning, but I prefer not to do it at midnight. Still, the little specks that they are (they are the size of a period) still are rather interesting though, and I look forward to seeing them grow. I will keep you posted on "All My Sea Monkeys", and I promise to even include a picture or two.
It looks like there's going to be an explosion of life here on our prairie, even though winter is fast approaching. It should make for an interesting season. Please feel free to share your thoughts or expertise on any of these topics. I'd love to read it.
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