Laid up

Well, it looks like I've found the time I wanted for blogging. I'm currently on hospital bedrest due to hypertension and the fear of pre-eclampsia. Even if I get to go home tomorrow, I will be spending the remainder of the pregnancy in bed. I'm currently at 33 weeks and I'd like to make it another 3-4 but my blood pressure seems to have other ideas. Thankfully the baby is growing well and is very active.
With this time I will try to bring you up to speed on our homestead. My husband and I always have the best intentions about blogging as things happen, but, well....moving on.
Our chicks are now about two months old. We lost another one, probably to a hawk soon after we let them start free ranging around the yard. We fenced them off again until they managed to find a way out of their yard on their own-Mom in the lead. Now they've all moved into the main coop with the other hens and spend their days grazing the yard with their aunts. And all the chickens have adjusted to our new mouser, Butters, who so far has only killed a cricket, but I'm sure will be an effective deterrent against mice this winter... if he ever stops napping.
Although our spring and summer crops were dismal, our fall crops are coming in nicely. Lots of carrots, lettuce, peas and broccoli are peaking out. We managed one more nice pumpkin before the entire plant succumb to beetles and with cool weather finally approaching, hopefully, Tony will get a pie or two made. (And bring me a slice.)
Tony's unemployment has led to lots of improvements around the house finally getting done; many relaying on ingenuity to make up for lack of funds. And as fall birthdays and the holidays rapidly approach,we are working on creating more thoughtful gift ideas for family and friends. Thankfully, because we have always been conscientious in our spending the kids have not noticed a change in lifestyle and are a bit puzzled when Tony mentions getting another job.
We closely follow news on the economy and have to laugh at articles that try so hard to instill buyer confidence or insist on real change after elections this year. Both parties are to blame for this fiasco, and families like ours are struggling as the mud is thrown.
My medial bills and Fulton's are the largest unknown expense that seems to keep throwing our books out of wack. Weekly, new bills show up- a specialist co-pay we missed or a deductible on labwork from months ago. As the deadline for Tony's insurance coverage quickly approaches, we're investigating all our options and hoping the state programs cover us as well a they claim to. That is, if they ever return our calls.
So dear readers, thank you for checking back with us. Please continue to keep our family in your prayers, and know we do the same for you.

Autumn Revival

And just as I predicted-BOOM, it's September. We're getting back into the swing of things (aka new school year) and I've been mentally hashing out several entries. Tony and I hope to get back to posting ASAP. Check back later this week-I promise! Until then, a wonderful quote from "The Duty of Delight, The Diaries of Dorothy Day."

"I have fallen in love many a time in the fall of the year. I mean those times when body and soul are revived, and in the keen clear air of autumn after a hot exhausting summer, I felt new strength to see, to "know" clearly, ... to look upon my neighbor and to love. "
-October, 1969