Field Trip to the Zoo, Mom Went Too

A First Grade Field trip to the Zoo, so Mom went too (that's rhymes!).

(Just so you know, he is eating his poop.  Good times.)

(I look worn out, and it's only lunch time. )

Spring Break 2015: Sedona, Arizona

Jon at Rock Slide State Park - Ride #2 from Lindsay Walcott on Vimeo.

Walcotts aren't speedy hikers from Lindsay Walcott on Vimeo.

Tiger into the Pool from Lindsay Walcott on Vimeo.

We Grew Two

Our garden didn't do very well this year thanks to a giant woodchuck.  Seriously, I never new they got so big.  I don't think I ever really even saw one before.  I'm not a fan.  
That stinker was living the high life eating both our garden and our neighbor's.  He lived in ours too, so there was a huge burrow underneath; our garden didn't have a chance. 
Our neighbor eventually took care of it and even excitedly sent us this proof picture, but it was just too late for most of our garden.  
Except for two (yes, only two) mid-size pumpkins.  They were just perfect for our kids. 

Cottagecation 2014: Mooooo!

The Country Dairy

The Summer of the Ducks

Our ducklings were getting huge, so we made our playhouse into a temporary duck house.  That didn't last too long.  This week we released them.  We weren't sure how that was going to go, but it went OK.  The four are now three, but that wasn't a shocker to us.  We've been told that raccoons are a tough predator for them at night.  The ducks can't fly yet, but it shouldn't be long.  They are staying in the backyard and swimming in the pond. They don't want to have much to do with us (no more house and no more food). For now, we just watch them, and that's fun.  

The ducks are definitely my back to school summer story.  I can't believe we raised wild ducks, but we did.  The summer of 2014 will always be the summer of the ducks.  

John Ball Zoo

Riding a camel for the first time...all three of us :)

Swimming Success

Duckling Update - 10 days old

The Walcott ducklings are 10 days old now, and they're a bit bigger.  

We're starting to warm up to the idea of moving them into the garage soon.  They don't always add the best aroma to our kitchen.  We figure they won't need the heat lamp much longer especially because the garage is so toasty warm.  We give them food and water a couple times each day.  We clean out their tub daily, and we've been giving them a bath in the orange bucket.

Walcotts Make Way for Ducklings

If you know me at all, you might read this post and think it simply has to be fiction. Let me assure you, it is not.  This Walcott Family is indeed raising five ducks!  They are in a tub in our kitchen, and as I type I can hear them squeaking and drinking water.

Here is how it happened: We've been watching a mama duck and her nest for many weeks.  It was up north.  It was in landscaping very close to a basement window.  This past weekend, the eggs hatched.  At some point they fell into a basement window well.  We were able to watch them from inside, and we quickly realized there was no way they were going to get out.  While mama was away we carefully and quickly put in a piece a wood to serve as a ramp.  We watched and waited, and we were quite proud of ourselves.  Mama Duck returned and gathered them up and then headed towards the water.  Two of the ducks made it out and followed her, but that mama never looked back.  She left, and she never came back.  We kept our distance, watched, and waited as the ten remaining ducks became a group of five.  We can only assume the others got out, went in search of Mama, and inevitably didn't make it.  When we were finally ready to leave, we were all kinda sick about the ducks. We did some research trying to figure out what we should do.  There were no good options.  We were watching "Survival of the Fittest" play out, and it was painful.  We determined if we left the five remaining ducks where they were that they would certainly die.  It was cooler; they had no food and no mama.  

None of our cottage family and friends wanted to put any pressure on us, but it was clear the Walcott Homestead was the perfect relocation for them.  We didn't have much time to think about it, but we just scooped them up and took them home.  I sat in the front seat with five baby ducks in a tub on my lap all while thinking I was for sure a bit crazy.  

We stopped at Tractor Supply to get the essentials.  We've done quite a bit of research.  Lots of folks raise ducks actually, but it still seems quite weird to me. Yet, here we are, and we're all in.  We'll see this to the end, whenever that might be.  The ducks are doing well: staying warm, snuggling, playing, eating, drinking, and pooping. 

Jon will tell you between the ducks and the basketball hoop it is a Father's Day he will never forget. I didn't plan for it or see it coming, but I guess these ducks just became my summer project.

We Go Every Year

Every year we graciously get invited to the Bethany CRC Picnic at Teusinks' Farm. Every year we go, and every year we love it.  It's a kick off to the summer tradition. Both kids were into riding the ponies this year. Tilden is still talking about how she was a cow girl and rode her pony, Beauty. Yeehaw!

Yehaw! Tilden Rides A Pony from Lindsay Walcott on Vimeo.

Crazy at the Critter Barn

I took the day off to go with Brighton and his class for an all day field trip to the Critter Barn.  Crazy times.  Good times.  Dirty times.  Stinky times.  Whoa! 

Coincidentally, we also saw Mr. Chops just before he died.