Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween from Lynch Homestead! May your day be spooky, your treat bag full and your nose and toes stay warm!

Birds and Bushes

When I was looking for a house with the husband I was so excited for a home that was all ours, a home where we could do whatever we wanted, where investments would be our own and long term. We could finally do things like plant an orchard and put flowers in the ground, things that we hadn't be able to do in a rental house. One year later we are settled into our home and we are doing such things. We have poured ourselves into our home and getting it to the state is in now. Imagine then how it felt when, after all this hard work, someone/thing is starting to destroy things. I tried to talk to the person, I talked to others, I cried angry tears, I yelled out of frustration (in the privacy of my own home to my husband, not at the people) and now I'm just not sure what the next step is. 

Lets say you planted some lovely bushes in your front yard. These aren't just any bushes, these are the bushes you have wanted for so long! They were expensive, they were researched, purchased from the most reputable seller, shipped at no small fee and looked after daily. They were growing beautifully until one day when you came out to find the neighbor's dog had dug up and destroyed one of your bushes. What do you do in that situation? I decided to approach the neighbor, after all I had told them in advance about these bushes and asked them to keep their dog out of my yard out of fear it would destroy one. I didn't imagine that the neighbor would become so defensive and flat out deny what I had seen had even happened. Fast forward a few weeks later and the same thing happened again! Again I approached the neighbor this time to be greeted by more hostility. I was told that I should put my bushes in the back yard where the dog wouldn't be able to get to them behind the fences. I couldn't believe what I was hearing! The nerve of some people! I should put MY things in my BACKYARD so your dog can be in my front yard?!? I was retelling the story to another person and before I could finish they actually said to me, "you're just going to have to keep them in your back yard." ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? Am I just crazy? Am I the only person who thinks that I should be able to do and have whatever I'd like wherever on my property that I please without fear of someone's dog coming onto my property and destroying it? 

Lets change the context a bit and see if it changes your opinion. Lets say that they aren't bushes but kittens, sunning themselves in the front yard against the fence. If a neighbor's dog comes onto your property and kills you kitten does it change your opinion? Does it make it your fault for not keeping your cat in the back yard? Does it negate what the dog did? Are the neighbors not liable for the damage?

They aren't bushes that the dog is destroying and it isn't kittens, they are my chickens. The ones that I raised from chicks, that the girls and I have cared for, the ones that are feeding my family. I researched the types of chickens, I researched the care of chickens, I have made educated decisions on how I would raise and care for these birds based on what is healthiest for them and, in turn, us as we consume eggs and eventually meat. Our chickens free range on our 2 acres where the majority is fenced and occasionally they hop the fence to eat the fruit from a crab apple tree in the front yard. These yards are not stacked on top of one another as in the suburbs, there is substantial space in side yards as well as from the house to the street. These chickens hang out within a few feet of the fence line well onto our property. On two separate occasions the neighbors dog has entered our yard and taken a chicken from along the fence and drug it into it's own  yard where he kills the chicken. We have no legal right to shoot the dog once he is on his own property so we have tried to talk to the neighbor to solve the issue to no avail. Does the fact that it is the chickens being killed change your opinion?

We made a point to introduce ourselves to the neighbors as we moved in, brought Christmas cards and gifts, wave as we see them because having relationships with our neighbors was important to us because 1) we have small children who will inevitably be talking their ears off, kicking balls into their yard, riding bikes down the street etc 2) I'm a social person and I like to reach out to people and a sense of community is important to me and 3) because we knew we were getting chickens and the person who previously lived in our home liked to welcome neighborhood dogs into her yard with treats and we knew that needed to stop for the safety of our future chickens as well as my sanity (because I despise stepping in dog poop when we do not have a dog.) Every neighbor responded well to our requested to keep their animals off our property... except the one. We battled and battled with that dog to finally break the habit of being in our yard and worked tirelessly to close every hole in the extensive fence line. We made every effort on our part that we could to resolve the issue without conflict yet the neighbors find us to be the problem, not their dog.

I'm frustrated with the situation because it isn't getting better and a second dog ate a chicken the day after the last one. I guess I don't see the difference between a bush and a bird, my yard is my yard. Because my birds a food source for us does it make it okay for a dog to eat them? Is the neighbor no longer liable? I understand that there is a risk in loss because we choose to free range our chickens, however unless my birds leave my yard I feel there is a responsibility on the part of the neighbor for the loss due to their animal entering my yard. Simply making a real effort to keep the dog on their property and an apology would have gone a long way. Now that we realize this is going to continue to be a continuous issue we have some decisions to make. Do we go against what we decided and enclose our chickens, taking away all their freedom, having to compensate with more store bought feeds and overall making them more stressed by the confinement? Do we document and try to get compensated for our loss? (we have invested a pretty penny in these chickens) Do we take one on the chin and keep going? 

Rest in peace "Elsa Chicken" #1, 2 & 3

Pretty in Plaid Birthday Party

We had so much fun celebrating birthdays with a joint party for the girls this year!  We decided to try this after our poor December baby was having little attendance to her parties and the weather is so unpredictable in November that planning an outdoor party is a bit of a gamble. There is a small enough age gap that at (almost) 3 and 5 we can still get away with such things. Our girls are pretty easy to please, give them some cake, a few friends and some room to run and they are down to party.

We hosted a Pretty in Plaid bonfire in our backyard where we roasted hot dogs, served chili and corn bread, raced horses, popped candy-filled balloons and celebrated my babies . The girls had fun hiding in the tee pee, stuffing their faces with marshmallows. That, coupled with the much anticipated races on stick horses and running around with their friends, pleased the girls. The adults got to sit by the fire and sip seasonal ales while filling their bellies with food. There was a cake this year (not cupcakes, which according to Amelia are NOT cake and do not count on birthdays) and two very happy girls blowing out candles!

I got to put my craftiness to work this year making invitations, practice my hand lettering with the envelopes (long live handwritten letters!), sew a little with the tricky tee pee and I even did a little paper mache for the confetti eggs. It was just enough handmade details to make my heart happy!

Cheering on Our Boys in Blue!

We are very hometown proud when it comes to sports teams. We would never think of cheering on anyone other than our Kansas City Royals and Kansas City Chiefs. We rock our shirts on game days and chant along with the best of them. This year it has gotten a little more serious. Our Royals were the winners of the Wild Card game, went on to win the ALCS and are playing in the World Series. THE WORLD SERIES!!!! So needless to say we have had to bump up our game to show support. In addition to much sleep loss due to late games we have made sure to wear the same shirts that obviously led to previous wins, rocked some blue nail polish (and added some gold for bling as we furthered), toasted the Boys in Blue, yelled 'MOOOOSSSSEEEE' a lot (mostly because it's fun) and we've even eaten our share of blue food. Needless to say, we are having a lot of fun cheering on our team!

Party Planning for Birthdays 2014

Party planning for birthday party 2014 is under way! I Love party planning with a capital 'L.' It's kind of my thing. List making, creating, cooking, entertaining, I swoon! This year we are trying something different and having a joint party for the girls and we are doing it before either of their birthdays. In previous years we have celebrated with individual parties close to their birthdays, which has always been fun but also a lot of work.  With their birthdays falling in/close to the holiday season it seemed less stressful this way and easier for our guests to attend. We will see how it goes this year, maybe it will the first of many celebrated this way! An added perk to celebrating early is the weather (fingers crossed) will allow for an outdoor party which will mean we won't have our house bursting at the seams or have to spend too much money renting a space. 

Fall is my favorite season so I'm excited to embrace it for the party theme. Cool weather, warm clothes, hearty foods, does it get better than that?  Now if you will excuse me I'm going to plead with my children to take a nap so I can immerse myself in all things fall and fill up a new notebook with list after glorious list!  

Chicken & Waffles: An Update on The Ladies

From the moment the tiny chicks arrived at our home an adventure began. Our girls have loved caring for their chickens and watching them grow. It started easy enough; feed, water, clean, repeat. We have watched them grow from little puff balls into beautiful, full grown chickens with full combs and waddles. When The Ladies hear the back door open they come running and they follow us all round the back yard. The girls refer to themselves as "chicken mamas" and they take great pride in their chickens.

Cinnamon Queen