Jeremy and Lucy

Picasa Album Here are some photos from this weekend.  You can see in some of them just how close Lucy is letting Jeremy get to her.  Then in a few others, you see Bessie pushing her way in for the choicest bits of alfalfa..... There are also a few photos of the new "Earl" (needing to be named--any suggestions?) with his ladies.  He's doing a good job of being on the alert for anything flying overhead, and for checking out every speck on the ground.  When he finds something really delicious, he makes a chortling little noise and then stands back proudly as all the hens rush over and devour whatever speck it might be.  There's a bit of chivalry there, with all the roosters, that is fun to watch. The chicks in the incubator started hatching yesterday, with 8 being hatched by bedtime.  Now there are 19.  They weren't due until tomorrow, so it was a nice surprise to see them all hatching healthy and strong.  Jeremy and I have been calling up the stairs to each other all weekend "Hey, another one is ready to hatch!!!  Come down!"  We've been able to watch quite a few break out of their shells this time around.  It never ceases to be amazing to watch new life happening. We have two 1st grade teachers at Immanuel who will start incubating some of our eggs by the end of this week.  2 incubators, one in each classroom, and 3 dozen eggs in each one.  All the chicks that hatch will find their way back here before Easter Break.  I'm hoping that their hatches are just as good as this last one was for us, because the joy and excitement on the kids' faces is just priceless!  Some of the kids still talk about watching baby chicks or ducks hatch at their 8th grade banquet or at graduation.  ;) Prayer request updates: Bess' back quarter seems to be less clumpy, and maybe not as large (it was never grotesquely swollen, but just enough for concern to my untrained eye).  Milk samples will be sent to the lab this week.  Thanks--I know a lot of you are praying for her infection to heal and/or to not be staph.  Every day as the milk comes out a little less clumpy from that quarter, I just want to sing!  I actually did, the other night.  The radio in the barn was playing "These are the Days of Jehovah" and I couldn't help myself.  The radio is always on, supposedly to keep raccoons out because of the noise, but I love hearing the Christian interviews and songs when I'm out there working. And for the carpal tunnel syndrome:  I ordered 2 night braces for my wrists, to keep them in a healing position.  I tend to sleep with my wrists flexed or curled, and that seems to aggravate the symptoms rather than letting it heal during the night.  I've been consciously changing my sleep position when the tingling in my hands starts, so that my wrists aren't curled towards me, but are laying relaxed across my stomach instead.  Two mornings in a row the numbness and almost unbearable tingling has been either much less or not there at all.  Thanks again for all your prayers on my behalf! I counted the months until Bess' calf is due, and realized that I'd better do some research to find out where the calf is in development.  She's due in June, so she's past the half-way point!  It will be interesting if I can find some kind of drawings or illustrations to see how the calf is growing inside her over these next few months.  Of course, I'll share if I find some good descriptions. Enjoy the photos in the Picasa link below.  Watch for Jeremy's joyful little smile as he feeds Lu and pets her head. Time for one more baby-chick-check downstairs and then off to bed.   Laura.