1. I have really amazing and funny friends. And it would be really amazing if they all lived close enough to hang out all the time. Alas, that is not the case, and so we text. The other night, I learned about chicken shaming. I think Petunia needs a sign. That darn rooster escapes the run every morning around ten, and poops on my picnic table while crowing her (his) brains out. Here’s your sign…

2. Speaking of roosters. I put the call out on Facebook to see if we had any local friends with “processing’ experience. We’ve decided to “dispatch” the Twins. Yes, it’s a very real event and I should probably stop speaking in euphemisms. We’re going to kill two of the roosters and put them in the freezer to eventually eat for dinner. I feel very calm about the decision, and I think that’s good. J doesn’t seem at all bothered by the actions to be taken; his only worry is having sharp enough tools to be humane. Even the Facebook chatter has been really supportive – lots of input from experienced friends, though sadly, no one local enough to join us for the day. We’ve done a lot of reading, but part of me really would like to have someone here who has done the deed before. I suppose we’ll have to wing it.

3. Our apple tree has no apples on it. I’m not sure how or why, but every single one wound up on the ground, rotting before I could scoop them. The pigs next door have benefitted, for sure: I dropped off another pan of slightly bruised fruit just this week. We’re guessing it’s the drought that caused them to let go and fall, but we’re no apple experts.

4.  We went looking for lighthouses last weekend, and wound up on an island. It was Open Lighthouse Day here in Maine, and my mother-in-law was visiting with her husband, so we decided to be touristy. J took us down to Portland to hop up the coast, stopping at five or six lighthouses along the way. Or at least that was the plan. We parked the car, and bought tickets for the ferry, and somewhere in the middle of the bay, J realized that there were no lighthouses on the island we were headed to. Oops. So we enjoyed lunch together (they were out of lobster!) and then ice cream (Swee’s first cone), and rode the ferry back to the mainland. We did eventually make it to the Portland Head Light, half an hour after the museum closed. Still, a nice day out and about.

5. Hornworms! Good gracious, these buggers are gross. They cling to the tomato plant when you try to pull them off, and then squirm in your gloved hand with a heft that made my stomach crawl. We found four yesterday, the first I’d ever seen in person. Our chickens weren’t interested in eating them, so I wound up just squishing them with a rock. That was a decidedly nasty experience as well: they actually pop.

6. More local eating. We finally investigated a local farm stand that we’ve driven past a thousand times. It’s not right on the road, and I was hesitant to explore on my own at first. But I found a bit of time where I was out and about without the girls, and decided to check it out – and I’m glad I did! Great produce and flowers. We’ve been back several times already.

7. Seven years ago Monday, I walked with my father down the aisle of a tiny stone chapel to meet a skinny, nervous boy at the same altar where I was baptized twenty-seven years earlier, and where my own parents were married just a few years before that. Behind me sat almost every person who had been influential in my life. Next to me stood my best girlfriends, the ones who taught me how to be a girlfriend. In front of me, my own uncle helped our pastor give the message and imparted his wisdom for our journey ahead. The photos look like I heard every word, but really, the only thing I remember is the hand that squeezed mine through the service. I never dreamed then that one day we’d end up here, or that our story would look like this. And it hasn’t always been easy (is it ever?), but he’s never let go.

Where is your story taking you this week?