Nothing about today as gone as planned. It was way more fun than I had planned though.
I was in Emporia by 8:30 this morning. I stopped at the ATM to get cash to buy baby chicks and then went and picked up two grandchildren. We drove to pick up a girlfriend of one of the grandchildren and then went to Bluestem. We got there at 9:00. There was a long line of people waiting to buy chicks. They started selling them at 9:00.
The kiddos stood in line for me while I went and got feed and needed supplies. I came back and they hadn’t moved yet. Tagen and his girlfriend went and found a heat lamp and bulb for me. When he came back the line still hadn’t moved.
It took over 30 minutes to get to the front of the line. Then I found out that I could only get 10 chicks unless I had pre-ordered. I didn’t know anything about prep-ordering so could only get 10. The guy gave me an assortment of breeds, we paid and then headed home. The guy that sells them will be back in March. He gave me the date and his phone number so I can call on the Tuesday of the week he is coming and I need to pre-order the other 20 I want. He said demand is very high right now and he is having trouble keeping up with the demand. He warned me to be patient trying to get him on his phone as he is tied up all day taking pre-orders.
The grandkids helped me get the heat lamp put together and hung. The chicks are upstairs for now. By the time they are a week old I will either move them downstairs into a bigger space or put them in the coop outside, depending on the weather.
The chicks have finally settled down and are quietly peeping now. They sure were noisy when we got home. We dipped their little beaks in sugar water and they perked up some. All seem to be eating and drinking OK this late afternoon. The grandkids had fun picking one out at a time and loving on it. Hopefully I can keep all of them alive, we shall see. It is not unusual to lose one or two when they are so little.
I fixed pancakes and scrambled eggs for the kiddos once we got the chicks settled. After I got the dishwasher loaded after breakfast, I baked a double batch of chocolate chip cookies. They are Tagen’s favorite, especially hot out of the oven.
By the time I got the cookies baked and the dishwasher unload and loaded again it was time to fix lunch. I fixed old fashioned macaroni and cheese. I didn’t have any boxes on hand but had the stuff to make it the old fashioned way. I fixed some ham sandwiches to go with it and called it lunch. They all three ate it and went back for seconds so I am calling it a success. Another load of dished got started in the dishwasher.
The kiddos watched a second movie and then I took them back into Emporia. They took home left over macaroni and cheese, two ham sandwiches and a bunch of cookies. We had a fun day and they were very well behaved today.
After I dropped the kiddos off I went to Walmart to pick up my new prescription of thyroid medication. Last year I paid $87 for a 30 day supply, this year it is $143. Yikes! I will now take it seven days a week instead of four or five so will need a refill every month. May need to get a job soon! The price is with my prescription insurance. It would have been over $400 without insurance.
I picked up a few more groceries. I used a half gallon of milk today with the kiddos here. They each drank two glasses at breakfast time and then I used the rest of it making the macaroni and cheese. I forget how fast kids go through milk. I rarely use a half gallon before it expires.
I haven’t gotten any cleaning done today yet. I am really tired this afternoon. I had trouble sleeping last night. I took a sleep aide but it didn’t seem to work last night. A high school student passed away yesterday. I know her dad and I kept thinking of her family all night. What a tragic situation for all. It is so cruel to have to bury one of your children. Tagen and Ellexia both know the family and we talked about it off and on today. It is hard for adults to process, let alone the kiddos.
Can’t decide if I am going to take a nap and then get up and clean or just call it a day and go to bed very early and get up early tomorrow and clean. I did get the eggs boiled and the ham salad made today but still have lots of things to prep tomorrow in addition to cleaning the floors and bathrooms upstairs. We shall see what I do.
As I was driving home from Emporia this afternoon it started raining ice pellets. My windshield wipers froze up and had trouble keeping the ice off the windshield. I was surprised it rained. Grateful for the moisture but we didn’t get much before it stopped. We are to get more rain over the weekend. Hoping it warms up and it comes down as rain and not more ice.
It was fun having the grandkids help with the baby chicks. We had a nice day together. They pitched in and helped me out. Tagen carried the heavy sack of chick feed and Ellexia carried the heart lamp. The girlfriend carried the chicks in for me. It feels good to have chickens back on the prairie. I have missed them. Chicks are a pain in the ass for a while but they grow fast and before I know it I will be back in the egg business.
Grateful for the time with the kiddos today, grateful to have chickens again, and grateful for what moisture we did get today.