This week in review

This past weekend was our last speech and debate tournament of the season.  The last tournament is really large and is very competitive.  Thomas had varied results.

In the debate speaker award category Thomas placed tenth out of 114 competitors.  He was very pleased to get a gavel.  His debate partner Mikayla also got a gavel.

The guy here with Thomas  is an OSU law student.  He has been a mentor for him for several years.  He has been a good influence on him.  Our family has come to really appreciate Elliot.  Someday we will even vote for him when he runs for Congress!

Here is Thomas with his debate partner of two years.  They had a good run and won two tournaments and were in other semi-finals.  They worked well together and had a good influence on each other.

Here is Thomas with his hardware from the tournament.  He has a speaker's gavel, a sweepstakes medal and a first place plaque.  He had a very successful year!

I like this picture of DH and Thomas.  Thomas looks so much like his Dad.  

Thomas won first place in Impromptu Apologetics.  He did a great job!  He spent a lot of time studying Josh McDowell's book, 'More Than a Carpenter'.

Michelle took this picture.  There were millions of dandelion fluff balls to choose from.  Our yard needs to be mowed soooo bad, but it is just too wet.  Lots of dandelions here!!!

Here is another picture of our beautiful dandelions.  The moth liked them.  I saw a bird land on the stem of a dandelion.  It slowly bent over.  Then the bird flew to another dandelion stem and was able to hang onto it and while eating the fluff off another one.  It was such a tiny bird.  I am going to see if I can figure out what it was.  It was only slightly larger than a hummingbird.

The chicken coop is finished.  It only needs a chicken exit and ramp built as well as the nesting boxes installed.  Paul installed a window in it today.  It is very close to usable.  Now he is studying how to set up the electric fence.

The hens are doing well.  They roam all over the yard and sometimes into the neighbors yard.  They are not living there anymore so I guess it's ok.  We will be fencing them in soon too.
 

Here is one of the blueberry bushes we transplanted from the other house last fall.  It is looking well and has lots of blooms on it.  Yeah!!!

The garden is looking good.  The bare spots are where a robin dug at it.  You can tell because it pulled up the straw from underneath.

Here is the next bed I will be planting.  I am hoping my brother brings some of his beautiful aged manure very soon so I can finish the bed.  My tomatoes are overgrowing in the basement and need to be planted yesterday!

The shallots have all come up now and looking good.  The yellow color on some is merely from the reflected light of the sunset.  The plants are healthy.

The flag irises are starting to bloom.  They are really pretty. Mostly yellow and purple ones so far.

Over the winter, the herbs that Paul and I dug up and moved to the farm, all died.  It was very sad.  I was trying to figure out where I was going to get more and how to do it.  Then, when I was down in Amish country last time, one of my patients offered to section her herbs as they were so big so that I could have some starts.  It was such a blessing!  They look really healthy and all I need to do now is get that herb bed built so that I can plant them.  At least for now, they are happy in their barrel bottom.

I bought some rhubarb to plant in my apple tree guild.  They have done well and are happy while they wait for me to plant them.

Here is a sunset from the other evening.  It was so beautiful and then to have it reflected off the pond was twice as nice.  If you could see a larger view of this picture you would see the glow of the sunset lighting up the dandelions in the grass. Our Creator does such awesomely beautiful things.  I love our place here on the farm!!!