Scattered Sundays

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Last week at Jack’s soccer game, a yellow jacket flew into my shirt and stung me in my armpit!

The yellow jackets had been annoying for the entire game, but I hadn’t done a single thing to this predator and he certainly didn’t have consent to be in my dang shirt!

It hurt a ton but mostly caught me by surprise and I yelled “ouch, what the heck”. When we realized what happened, my MIL told me to take off my shirt so they could see if the bee was still in there. Troy and I still giggle about the idea of me ripping off my shirt while a bunch of 12 and 13-year-old boys were on the field.

The field had nice bathrooms so I ran in and confirmed that 1) the yellow jacket had fled the scene of the crime and 2) the place where he had stung me was pretty red and itchy. I haven’t been stung by a bee in probably 20-25 years and was surprised I had forgotten how annoying it was.

My sister had some wipes that are meant for bug bites (she has sugar blood and bugs find her DELICIOUS), but somehow that made it sting MORE. I took an Advil to help with the swelling and knew I was just going to have to deal with it until I could take a Benadryl at bedtime.

I woke up the next morning and the Benadryl had worked its magic and the sting site was feeling fine. But about midday, that spot started itching like crazy again. And it’s been itchy daily ever since.

I think that was a coked-up murder hornet that got me. I should have realized what was happening when I saw him wearing a tracksuit and he was talking super fast about opening a revolutionary new theme restaurant.

We got a new chicken this week! It’s not how we planned to add to our flock, though we (really, it’s me) have been trying to find ways to add new chickens to our crew. I think we got our last new ladies two years ago, and many of our chickens are going through henopause and aren’t laying as often.

We cannot raise chicks due to Troy’s allergies, so we get creative about adding new chickens that are large enough to be safe when introduced to a new flock. This new chicken found us via a friend.

Her young daughter had bought the chicken for herself, but after 24 hours, their chickens were absolutely intent on destroying her. Their coop is very small, and typically when you introduce new birds it’s best to introduce 2-3 at a time. Because chickens are aholes.

They were too worried to keep her with their flock and offered her to us. I was worried about introducing a single chicken, but we do have a larger coop and a lot more space in our fenced run. At the very least, she would have a fighting chance of avoiding the majority of the bullying.

I built her an insolation pen outside of the chicken’s fence so that she could be separate from them but still see each other. It went as well as could be expected and I didn’t see any of our girls puffing up or freaking out.

My plan was to introduce her in a few days. She had other plans. After escaping the pen three times in a few hours, and trying to get into the chicken’s yard, I finally just opened the gate, gave her the Hunger Games salute, and wished her well.

It went mostly fine. There was a little pecking here and there and some puffery but mostly everyone was just busy digging holes and being absolutely dumb, as chickens do.

I had forgotten how much work new birds are. They need to learn the ropes and the routine, and it’s up to me to teach them. I went out at sundown to make sure she had figured out our automatic coop door. I didn’t want her stressed out or outside overnight. She’d be trash panda food in a flash.

I’m so glad I went out there because I found that ding dong about 12 feet up on the roof of the coop. Note to self: clip her flight wings, ASAP. It took me spraying her with the hose to get her off the roof.

And then that punk kept running into this 1-foot space we have between the coop and a retaining wall. It took me spraying her with the hose again to get her out of that space, and then I chased her around the yard for about 20 minutes before she finally figured out her way into the coop. Phew.

She did come with a name (Onyx Fluffy Cheeks) and while it wouldn’t have been my first choice, it seemed wrong to change her name. Plus, chickens are DUMB, and don’t even know they have names.

Her last flock pecked all the feathers off of part of her back, so we sprayed the space with Blue Kote to camouflage it because chickens are hateful and go nuts at the sight of injuries. They get more aggressive around wounds and blood because repeat after me: chickens are aholes.

Jack and I got our new and improved 5G this week. I’m thankful for all the nerds that worked on this. The improved protection and cell reception are fantastic. 🙂

Jack and Troy are amongst that population who always has a strong reaction to the vaccine. I will say that Jack was leaps and bounds better this time compared with his second shot and his first booster.

Instead of feeling crappy for 24 hours, he was back to normal within 12. Troy is getting his in two months (cause he just had the ‘rona) and fingers crossed he does just as well.

Per usual, I didn’t have any reaction other than a tiny headache. I think this is 95% just how I am (my dad and sis also never have a reaction) and 5% to do with the fact that I drink a gallon of water every vaccine day.

What I’m reading this week

I finished Epitaph early in the week and then had the dreaded nerd problem of zero library holds available. Thankfully, that problem only lasted about 12 hours, and I was able to download six new books.

I picked back up with Undaunted, by John Brennan (former CIA Director), a book I started last year but got a bit bored with after reading half of it. I’ve always meant to restart it, and it drove me crazy not having a checkmark next to it in my notes app of books read. <—things dorks say.

It’s still a very dry book but I’m going to finish it this time! It’s an important read, even if it isn’t a thrill o’minute.

WHAT I’M LISTENING TO THIS WEEK

If you’re like me, the podcast Serial is what hooked you in to your podcast addiction. I’m basic! Adnan was released from prison this week 22 years after his initial conviction. The state has 30 days to seek new charges.

Serial released an update after the release and you can listen to it here.

READER SPOTLIGHT OF THE WEEK

Jeni left this five-star review on our Chocolate Zucchini Muffins {Pin this recipe}. Side note, these muffins have THREE CUPS OF ZUCCHINI in them. Yes, I’m shouting. Three cups!

These are so yummy! Both my one-year-old and toddler loved the muffins. In fact, my toddler told me they were better than grandma’s chocolate chip muffins (and you know those are good!) Thank you for another great recipe!

ON SUSTAINABLE COOKS THIS WEEK

Instant Pot Egg Bites – this old post got a heck of a glow up this week with new photos, and I’ve changed it from a Whole30-focused recipe to a “use whatever you want because life is too short to avoid cheese” recipe. 🙂 But, you can still make them dairy-free if you need to! {Pin this recipe}

Air Fryer Sweet Potato Cubes – Crispy and perfect, roasted Air Fryer Sweet Potato Cubes is a fast and delicious side dish. You’ll love that they’re simple, vegan, vegetarian, and packed with so much flavor!  {Pin this recipe}

Dairy-Free Frittata – An easy and healthy one-pan breakfast or dinner, this Dairy-Free Frittata is absolutely delicious. Packed with veggies and hearty sausage, you’ll love this baked frittata for fast meals, meal prep, and leftovers. {Pin this recipe}

What are you having this week?