Our friends, Leslie and Michael, who departed for the icy wastes of their homeland last year dropped in over the Memorial day weekend for a visit. Michael and Kaylynn hosted a bbq and game night at their place Sunday night Earlier in the weekend we practiced for a spelunking tour/expedition we're planning to do next month in South Dakota. A requirement to go on the tour is being able to fit through an 8.5" X 24" passage. To practice I attached a board to the legs of our coffee table 8.5" above the floor and then we took turns trying to squeeze under. Jean beginning her approach Wriggling through Suck in that butt! And I'm through Michael powers through. Damn that skeletal structure.

My parents hosted a craft day for the ladies in our Sunday School class at their place. Even with the heavy rain Saturday morning we had a good turn out. There were several craft options including planters, candle holders and signs. Kaylynn, Mari and Jean lay out their planters. Regan using the miter saw to trim off a board for her planter. Kaylynn staining her planter with boiled linseed oil. Eva using the drill press to make a candle holder. Anna working on a shelving unit Kaylynn's completed planter. Jean's candle holder Jean made this sign for our neighbors' newborn.

After the floor dried completely I applied a thin (1/4" - 1/2") layer of a sand/clay mix (approximately 80/20 ratio) over the entire floor to fill in cracks and provide a base to lay some saltillo tiles in the entry way. I also used  the mixture as grout between the tiles. After about a week it had dried out and I entered the final phase of sealing the floor. I applied several coats of boiled linseed oil to the earthen floor. The oil hardens upon drying making the floor more durable and reducing water absorption. The last layer has dried. Time to seal. Applying the boiled linseed oil was pretty quick and easy. I would just pour some oil on the floor, let it soak in for a few minutes and then wipe it around with an old rag. It took less than an hour for each coat. The biggest danger with boiled linseed oil is that as it hardens it generates heat. You have to be careful with disposal of rags as they could spontaneously catch fire. After applying the second ...

Over the Easter weekend I made a few modifications to the quail tractor including upgrading the water reservoir from the half gallon coffee can to a 2 gallon bucket, reorienting some doors and adding a loft dust bath area. I transferred the males and a couple of females into a vacant chicken brooder at my parent's place and moved the newly modified tractor and seven quail hens to our friends' and their new wards' house. Luxuriating in the new loft dust bath First egg! Our friends sent us this picture on April 20th while we were at Big Bend. That's just shy of a month since we got the quail putting them at 5-6 weeks old. Now they're getting 4-7 eggs a day.  Today I found seven eggs in the quail brooder at my parent's place. Fried quail eggs