Our Labor Day

I hope everyone had a wonderful Labor Day. I did. Our day started with Abby coming into our bedroom and announcing, “Mommy it’s daytime now!” We got up and spent our day laboring. Our project for the day was to finish building a chicken coop.

Labor Day was always like that when I was growing up. I remember often canning peaches on that day. In fact my mother went into labor while at the orchard buying peaches. My sister was born on Labor Day, and my dad went home to can the peaches by himself. I called my dad yesterday and he was installing a door for someone. My dad can not sit still. He is over 65 and can work circles around anyone I know. He makes me feel lazy at times, and I am a busy mother of three children under 3 ½.

After a big breakfast, we got socks, shoes, and hats on all the kids, and went out to work on the chicken coop. We had started the frame of the coop last week. This is how it looked when we started.


It is small so we can move it easily around the yard to give the chickens fresh ground to scratch and peck at. I can not let them run free here. I have lost many chickens to stray dogs that come through our property. Hopefully, this will protect them from the dogs, and protect chicks from cats. Our cat recently killed one of my chicks. I knew that could be a problem after I saw her bring a squirrel for her kittens to eat, but last week she somehow got out of the house while I had the chicks running loose in the garden. It didn't take her long to find and kill a chick.

Abby loved handing Daddy the screws. We soon put and end to it because she was playing with them and losing them for us.


Shortly after we started, some of Rueben’s relatives came by and helped us. They were looking for help with algebra homework, but Gabe put them to work first. The more help the quicker it went.


The kids thought it was a play ground for them. They were constantly climbing in and out of the coop.


They did help hold the plywood while Dad "made noise" (cut with the saw). Rueben was back home by this time. He had spent the day with his mom. What is it with teenagers and wearing black? Rueben and his teenage relatives were all wearing black shirts and working out in the bright sun.
Robert here is helping Dad hold the board while he cuts. Robert took his job seriously. He is wearing his sisters hat. She was still napping inside, so she didn't care. I was glad he put one back on. I was concerned about them getting sunburned. I was the one who got slightly sunburned, not the kids, but then I am the one with the fairest skin.

Abby is awake and they are back at it, climbing in, under, and through the coop. Josiah is busy trying to keep up with them, but Mommy left some wire in his way.


We got as far as the ramp for the coop. We still need to make a door for the chicken's entrance and a gate for me to have access to their yard.