Hatchlings, the trip home, Summer

Prior to our leaving the farm in Trace’s capable hands, Mama and I had set up the incubator and placed eight eggs inside. Mama’s concern for the chicks potentially growing inside those eggs was that Trace would not be able to provide adequate care for the hatchlings should they emerge in our absence. However, Mama was not at all sure who to entrust the incubator to. After much discussion and several people not being available, it was finally decided that the Burns family would take the incubator home with them and monitor the progress of the eggs. It turns out that that was a very good decision. Alissa called us Saturday morning to tell Mama that they got up that morning to the sound of peeping inside the incubator and within an hour a chick had shed the egg and was moving around in the incubator.

I did not hear if Aliza got to witness the chick break free of the shell, but she was extremely excited about the hatchling. Over the next several days, two more chicks joined the first. Since Alisa had dealt with young chicks before, they were provided excellent care. We got the incubator and the chicks from the Burns Saturday afternoon and waited on the remaining four eggs. Sunday morning a fourth little one was peeping in the incubator. Yesterday I shone a light on the remaining eggs and found them undeveloped. Those were discarded but the incubator was left in service in anticipation of Mama retrieving eggs from Nancy tomorrow. I have no idea how many we will attempt to hatch this time but with the price of chicken right now we need to raise all we can. Fortunately, Mama is onboard with raising them for meat.

Nate, Cori, and the kids flew home yesterday. Although everything turned out well, it was a harrowing experience. Per Honduran requirements, all the family got tested for COVID, but the results had not been released as early as expected so, in faith, they began the check-in process at the airport in Pensacola, but as they did so, the results were published to them. Of the six tests, Grant’s showed positive. They quickly abandoned the airport and found the nearest rapid testing facility. Cori asked us to start praying and Mama and I began to do so in earnest. Fortunately, they knew the Pensacola area well and got to a facility in short order. All tests were done. All the results came back negative. They rushed back to the airport.

Since they were arriving less than an hour before the flight was scheduled to board the attendant at the check-in counter started to refuse to process them for the flight, but after some explanation and pleading, scanned their passports, checked their bags, issued their boarding passes, and sent them to the security area. Cori was a bit alarmed at the length of the line, but miraculously, they cleared security and got to the gate just after the flight had started the boarding process. Savanna, who had obviously picked up on the angst of her parents and then understanding that they had made it exclaimed, “God is so good!”. Yes, God is so good!

They are home now. They were excited to discover that they had power at the house when they arrived. Based on communication with their friends in Honduras they had not expected that to be the case. Again, Praise the Lord!

If the class I taught yesterday is any indication of the discussion that will be required for the in-person class we will be presenting on Monday of next week, it should be a very lively class. I had eight participants in the class Monday and at one point in the class the material we were covering generated a passionate discussion of the principle we were presenting. I expect the participants next week will be equally charged up about the topic that caused such a stir earlier this week. In fact, I am presenting in two different, shorter sessions a more focused examination of that sticking point. I have requested additional time for each of those two sessions to ensure we can take the time required to facilitate the expected discussions. It should be fun. I will spend the next couple days making sure I am prepared for those presentations.

Summer has definitely arrived in North Texas. Neither unexpected nor unwelcome, the season of sweating every time you go outside is here. It was kind of a brutal blow to me and Mama as we began to catch up on chores at the farm. We will acclimate, but there was a significant change in the ambient temperatures from the time we left to the time we returned. The morning we left the farm, we were debating taking jackets with us. It was quite cool. Saturday morning as we got up to start our routines around the farm, the low for the day had already exceeded the high forecast on the day we had left for Florida only a week prior. About a 20° shift in temperature in one week. That is not unusual for our area, it just caught us by surprise after such pleasant days at the beach.

Plants are growing, vegetables are getting large enough that we will be harvesting soon, and our blackberries and blueberries will be ripening by the end of next week. A wonderful time to be on the farm.

Fun, albeit hot, times ahead.