Our First Egg!!!

Yesterday morning I was SOOOOO excited to find our very first egg laid by our chickens! It's a brown egg, so we know that our first layer was not a brown leghorn nor an Ameracauna.

Last week, I had prepared their nestboxes with straw and fake eggs, but thinking that we still had a few more weeks before we'd see any eggs. Our chickens are 18 weeks old now and from all the resources I've spoken to and read from, 20 weeks and older seemed to be the average chicken age to expect backyard flocks to begin laying.
It is still winter here in the mountains, but we have been experiencing warmer days and we do keep a light on in the henhouse 24/7, but only as a heat source to keep the water from freezing and to also keep the hens warm.

They say that happy chickens lay sooner and more often. Well we do feed our chickens well, they enjoy lots of fresh air and exercise, no stress from trying to evade hungry predators and they also get loads of attention and affection.

Whatever the reason, we do have our first egg....even though it is quite the little thing! hehe Isn't it cute?!!

Mountain Sunset

Out here in the mountains, east of Albuquerque, our days end a little earlier and our sunsets are brief and not usually as spectacular as what folks see from the high desert. But somtimes we do enjoy some pretty ones.

These photos were taken from our balcony.(Click for larger views)

I've Been Tagged!~Archive Meme

Ok! One of my new blogger pals, Christy of Farm Dreams, tagged me for the Archive Meme challenge.
I didn't think it was going to be as hard as it was just to choose one link for each question, so I broke the rules.
And most people who really know me, know that I don't follow the masses, especially if the rules don't help me explain myself. I'm not the kind of gal who enjoys using a #2 pencil to scratch out the chosen circles on tests. Sometimes there are more than one answer to give.

So, I did manage to follow one rule/catch, but made a few 'extra' additions.
Enjoy!

Here are the rules:

Archive Meme Instructions: Go back through your archives
and post the links to your five favorite blog posts that
you've written. ... but there is a catch:

Link 1 must be about family.

Christmas 2007

This post is all about my favorite way to spend time with my family: simply, peacefully, joyfully, in-the-moment, and especially for Christmas. This post also shares some of my favorite things that bring me joy, too, namely our llamas and chickens. I love the family photos that were taken by one of our friends and mountain neighbor's, Tom.

Link 2 must be about friends.

Ranch Open House

This post shows just how far my family has come in our 2 1/2 yr struggle of pain and suffering. And it shows how we are healing surrounded by the support of our friends and family. My husband John planned this surprise open house barely a month after we moved into our new mountain home. It was quite a challenge to prepare for while unpacking, but the joyous gathering of so many of our dear friends made my entire family feel so loved.
And, best of all, were two of my very best and most dearest of friends, Margie and Jessie, who flew all the way from South Carolina to New Mexico (carrying a gorgeous wooden stool, as a house-warming gift, hand-made by Margie's husband from a tree found on their own farm).

I can't think of any other friends that make me laugh as those two do. When we get together it's as if no time has passed and it just feels so right.
Sometimes it's such a challenge for me to make friends...all the small talk, politeness, planning, talking, scheduling. And I hate not feeling like I can let loose and be myself. My two friends and I always let-our-hair (and our guards) down every time we are together. There are no pretenses, no games played, no gossip. Just joy, laughter, honesty, love, devotion, silliness, seriousness, and a true concern and care for one another. Shouldn't all friendships be as beautiful?

Link 3 must be about yourself, who you are... what you're all about.

I won't say anymore. These posts speak volumes:

Woman Work
Maya Angelou
Knitting
Flumbra
Hawk Watch

Link 4 must be about something you love.

Sandia Mountains

The first time I drove through the Tijeras Canyon pass and into the sparkling city of Albuquerque was over 16 years ago. From that first moment of laying my eyes on the majestic and powerful Sandia Mountains, I knew I was home. I felt like I had traveled all of my life just to arrive here.
When I worked for both USAirways and Mesa Airlines at the airport I always had a clear shot of those breathtaking mountains every day. Each day I watched the sun come up and over those mountains. And then I oohed and aahed as the sun set red and pink and made those lovely Sandias glow as if from within.

I never tired of that view. And so we bought a house with full unobstructed views of the Sandia Mountains from almost every room inside. The mountains always interested me. They changes throughout the day caused by shadows, light, snow, storms and clouds.

I know I'm not alone in my feelings because many people are also drawn to these mountains. I feel a spiritual bond and magnetism whenever I'm near them. And even when we moved away for 7 years due to a job transfer, my thoughts and visions often went back to my glorious Sandia Mountains.

When our lives changed and we knew we wanted to live in the country, I thought we would move closer to the mountains, actually right below them. But God had different plans for us. He wanted us to move INTO the mountains. And that's where we are. And I still feel that spiritual and powerful strength, but they are now all around me and not pulling me anywhere.

And I have to add these two extra links to close this post (they just cement everything together):
Sandia Art
Sandia Views

Link 5 can be anything you choose.

My Birthday

This post is just a thankful one, that I survived turning 40 years old. And that I don't feel over 40.....and that most people don't believe that I'm over 40 either. Now that's a joyous blessing!



I think this is a great way to circulate some of the
great older posts everyone had written, return to a few great
places in our memories and also learn a little something about
ourselves and each other that we may not know.

Post your five links and then tag five other people. (I'll be working on that tomorrow!! Watch out!)

At least TWO of the people you tag must be *newer acquaintances
so that you get to know each other better....and don't forget to
read the archive posts and leave comments!

Moonlight Llama Dancing

(Some tiles, of our two llamas, that I recently painted during a homeschool ceramics workshop)

The night before last was a crisp, cold evening with the brightest, whitest moon in the sky. Here at 7100 feet in the beautiful mountains of Central New Mexico it's easy to feel as if you are a part of the sky, not just walking below it. But with the moon shining so bright, I felt as if I was on stage, and I was beckoned outside to participate in the show.....

My body left dark shadows in front of me as I walked up to our barn between the inky shapes of pinon and juniper. When I arrived at the barn, our two llamas, Cataleya and Catlinite seemed pleased to see me, and both greeted me with a nose rub and a soft breath to my face.

I stepped into the tack room for a moment and rooted around, not really doing anything in particular, when some odd scuffling noises and soft humming drew me back out into the barn. What I saw filled my heart with joy!

The moon shone brightly over the llama's pens, as if they were being spotlighted in our own outdoor theater. And both llamas were dancing.

Their feet tippy-toed back and forth and around in circles, barely touching the earth. At times they kicked up their back legs or their front while twisting their entire bodies sideways.

Their graceful necks arched, curved and twisted up and down and reached up to the sky, as if they were a part of an ancient dance known only to their own kind.

I felt honored that they permitted me to watch and I made sure not to interrupt such a magical moment, afraid that it would end too soon. I really didn't want the dance to stop, even though I was chilled to the bone from the cold night air. I felt sure that noone would ever believe me that such large, odd looking animals could dance so beautifully and gracefully.
I was annoyed at myself for not bringing my video camera. How wonderful it would have been to capture that moment forever on film so I could prove to everyone what I saw, and play it over and over to bring back that magical evening under the bright, shining, winter moon.

Unfortunately, I will have to be satisified with only the memories in my own mind and heart, and I rather doubt that a video could have ever fully captured such a magical moment anyway.
But I do hope that my llamas honor me with another moonlight dance very soon.

One thing is for sure, I will never turn down a walk to the barn and pasture under a brightly, shining moon ever again.