Wonderful Day!

I had my sister for a day!  I haven't seen her much - last summer for a day or two and then probably two years before that for a few days.  She's been living in Europe and recently moved back to the states and was in Hawaii visiting our parents.  It was very nice, although all those words I don't get to say much (being with kids all day and mostly being a quiet person) came pouring out - I hope I didn't bore her.

My son had a lesson down in Hilo for a couple of hours, so I drove around with my sister, looking for a red ti leaf plant.  Apparently, my son needs it for a class.  I saw lots of hybrid ti plants (green and red mixed) but the really nice all red ones were all in people's yards, and I wasn't quite at the point of stopping and asking if I could pick....especially since he needs a WHOLE plant, not just a leaf or two.

I usually have luck looking for vegetation down Railroad Ave., but today, all I found was a very starved and dirty puppy.  I stopped the car, called the puppy, who came running over, popped him in my car and drove him to the Humane Society.  He had ticks and was covered in excrement.  I didn't want to take him home because of my own dogs, and if the vet at the Human Society can cure him, he will be a lovely puppy for someone - he looked to be a pit bull/hunting dog mix.  I really think someone dumped at the end of that road in the forest.

We have been letting our chickens out during the day - and it has been harder and harder to get them back in - it isn't that they don't want to get back in, but a few will get stuck in the horse stall and not be able to figure out how to get where they are supposed to be, and I end up chasing creatures this way and that - forget herding cats: herding chickens amidst sheep is much harder.  One of my girls is getting broody, so I marked all her eggs with a sharpie and then reach in to get the new eggs out every day.  Really hoping she will sit the whole 21 days.  I would love to have some chicks!  In the past, my buffs have sat for like 19 days and then get up - which is so irritating.

I need to catch up with everyone else's blog.  It's been difficult since my internet has been spotty in the evenings, and when I try to load pages, it says the pages aren't responding.  I would love to have very good internet out here.

The kids had a good bonfire last night, and I see that my husband corralled some of the boys to use the chainsaw they brought over to chop up some of our overgrown, low hanging cypress branches - it will be nice fuel for future bonfires.

My eleven year old took it upon herself to make French Silk Pie.  I drove my sister to the airport, and left her to it - it is a fairly big project for a kid who has never made a pie crust.  I told her to wait, but she thought she would just get through it on her own - because sometimes my "wait" turns into "not today" and then "maybe next weekend".... I suppose I had better go check in on her, because it is not only a pie crust, it is a baked pie shell....  As I ran in from the airport run and then ran out to feed and chase chickens - I checked her various steps.  She was doing okay at that point.  At least, I talked her out of the meringue - that would be tricky on your own for your first pie.  We have a lot of eggs, so maybe we'll try that tomorrow.