New Additions!

The Hooter Homestead has some new additions - chicks! I got them today at the farm store...after making elaborate plans to travel to a Springfield hatchery to get chicks (after reading bad things about farm store chicks), I found myself in the local farm store getting some supplies. In general conversation with the manager, I discovered that they get their chicks from the same hatchery, and sell them at the same price.

So, I left with 5 Buff Orpington, 5 Barred Plymouth Rock, 2 Rhode Island Reds, and 2 Ameraucana (Easter Egg Layers), and finally 10 Cornish Cross (meat birds...which is quite an experiment I'm sure I'll be talking about).

Here are the chickies in their brooder. I'm sure they'll grow out of it quick, but hopefully it'll work for the rest of the week! Notice the chick that looks as if she's on her face - she's not dead, but literally fell down asleep. They go, go, go...then stop...then fall asleep for about 20 seconds...then go, go, go!

Tornado Damage

Well, the Hooter Homestead weathered the bad storms and tornados a couple days ago pretty well, though for a while it was pretty dicey! Marden and I, plus Sally, spent a while sitting on the floor of the bathroom wondering if the house were going to come down around our ears, and deciding that a storm shelter just might be a good idea.

This is what's left of our favorite Mexican restaurant, Letty's in Gassville. I wish I'd eaten their awesome breakfast just ONE more time, but we're hoping against hope that they rebuild. A good lesson? If you're thinking about going out to eat to your favorite restaurant, do it! Never know when it might be oblitherated...

Snow Day

Well, we didn't get much more measureable snow last night, which left us with a solid 5". Today turned out to be a pretty drippy day, as our ONE SNOW started to melt with a vengence.

I did, however, take advantage of the situation. Lucy kept taking off with their arms, but I was finally able to distract her long enough to snap a picture.