Paul completed football last week. Each game, he's had at least one good tackle. At the final end of the season, he was doing more and engaging more in the game. Since he has not played football before, this is a great improvement. The coach told me he was the most improved player this year (and that he didn't immediately realize he'd never played before) and one of the "most coachable" kids. That's great, isn't it? Paul decided to go ahead and do wrestling. He can wrestle and do basketball also. I've wanted him to wrestle because of the MMA experience in New Jersey.

I've had some interesting "chicken" updates ...

The Barred Rock Rooster has simply "had it" with Maggie. If he had hands, he'd make that "had it up to HERE" gesture that humans make. Instead, she poked at him one too many times this morning, and he just took out after her - his neck feathers ruffled out, claws at the ready. She stood her ground for about a nano-second, and he must have pecked her, because she was running my way, whining "he's being mean to me." I've never had trouble with any of the roosters, but all the chickens like me. The rooster is safe as long as he sticks with intimitating the dog - he'd better not go after The Man because The Man is the wielder of the hatchet...

The little chicks are so cute. They are way fluffier than the older ones were, I think because they have been out in the cold more. They have their own little flock. The injured chicken is much better and back in the "general population." I decided the little chicks were old enough to be out more, and immediately, the mother abandoned them. Oddly enough, the injured hen tends to come back into the enclousure during the day - The Man thinks she doesn't want anything to do with the roosters. I think she's figured out the babies are still fed in there, and there's less competition for the food. In any event, the babies can go where the larger ones cannot, and so they have discovered the garden. The dog can't get in there, and they go in and peck at the fallen tomatoes and have a good time. It has been very instructive to watch them and see how chickens would do this if they were more on their own. Now, my task will be to convince the little ones to go into the coop when it really gets cold, but I have some time for that. We haven't even had a killing frost yet, which is wonderful.

This is for the women ... I bought my wedding dress. It is sort of a gold colored "evening" dress with a fitted top and a full length skirt. I'm so excited! I've ordered the cakes - two sheet cakes and a "groom's cake" with (don't tell Mike) the logo of his old bar on top. This was his daughter's suggestion, and I think it is great! The main cake will have a gold colored frosting, so I guess my "color" is gold. It will be good for the winter wedding. It would be too obvious to have Red and Green for a Christmas wedding anyhow. Life is moving along just fine ...