I was busy in the kitchen yesterday when I realized that a peeping noise was coming from our family room...meaning, you guessed it! The chicks were beginning to hatch! We have 12 right now, all from brown eggs - none of the blue eggs have hatched, wierd!

The new calves are doing fine, glugging their gallon of milk replacer and cavorting about the barn during the day. At night they are put in pens so that the sheep can bring their lambs inside during this nasty weather.

Yesterday I snuck away to the big city to the American Crafts Council show - wonderful things, most too nice or too expensive for our life - but I was certainly appreciating the gifts and talents of the artists who have stuck with it. Today we went BACK to the city for some car-shopping since my van is now almost a luxury item....we looked mostly at volkswagon jetta sportwagons...they seem great with the exception of the unfortunately uncomfortable seats. We're going to keep looking however.