Back and Forth Across the Pond

I've not written lately, because there's just not a lot to write about. We're busy, don't get me wrong. But who wants to read about my daily expeditions into long-packed boxes, possession culling, and closet organization? We continue to get rain close to daily, so we still don't have the chicken coop finished. It has to be finished by August 25, because I start grad school then and I can't have chickens unattended in the house for three days a week! We currently have the ten big babies in the double kennel we used to use for Copen, and the Phoenix babies in the three-bin brooder. The Phoenix babies are so called, because they're named after members of Harry Potter's Order of the Phoenix/Dumbledore's Army. Anyway, having the big birds in a cage-type house rather than an enclosed brooder changes things a lot. Chickens are dirty! I have layers of dust in the dining room like you wouldn't believe and the downy feathers get everywhere! I vacuum twice...

Steve participated in his first race on July 4th, the Celebration 5K. Nearly 1100 runners (1078 to be exact) arrived bright and early for the race. A couple of our friends joined us there. Steve did very well. He finished 251st overall, and finished 29th out of the 63 men in his age group. He beat his personal best, averaging just under 8 minutes a mile. His final official time: 24 minutes, 45 seconds. Impressive. Especially when you consider Steve's been running for just two months. Here are some photos from the day: Steve's all rested and refreshed as we arrive. Don't let the calm exterior fool you. He was a live wire all morning. You can't really run without something to keep the sweat out of your eyes and some good uptempo running music. Here's Steve kitted out in his do-rag and headphones. He couldn't find his ear buds. Your runners for today's event: Steve, Melanie, and Melanie's devilish husband. The chaos right after the starting cannon. It took ...