Brooke and Andrew are visiting this week from Arkansas.

They’re 8 and 10 now and interested in everything on the farm, including Dixie, our black mare. She enjoys a shower when it’s hot. They all like to have their feet washed off.

Andrew also learned how to gather eggs out from under hens who are sitting on the nest. The white hens are not a problem, so egg removal from their nests was a smooth operation. However, one of the Dominecker hens has some personal issues and tries to peck anyone who wants her eggs. Andrew has been pecked twice, but is valiant and gathered 15 eggs yesterday.

Brooke has learned how to make homemade peach ice cream with an egg custard base. She mashed the peaches up with the potato masher and stirred everything together. She’s got it down pat, knows to layer the ice and ice cream salt in the churn and we believe could now do it on her own.

This morning, early, she ran out and picked blueberries and then helped make blueberry pancakes.

She’s a natural born cook.

Last night we planned to have fried okra, which the children have never had.

So Fowler brought them a paur of plastic gloves and they sat next to me at the counter, each with their own chopping board and small knife, and proceeded to carefully chop the okra up for frying.

It’s child labor, but as Grandmama always said, “If they can walk, they can work.”

She would be proud of these great-grandchildren. They are a credit to the family.

It will be another busy day.

Tomorrow they will dig up potatoes and help make French fries for supper.

They didn’t realize that potatoes grow underground, but now they know. So tomorrow they will perform the entire cycle of making French fries all the way from the dirt to the table.

It’s a win-win situation for us all.

Yum, Yum.

It’s amazing how much help small hands can be.

If we need something. one of the children can run and get it before I can get out of a chair. Today we plan to hunt horseshoes.

My brother and Fowler will hide them, and we will have a team competition.

Last year Brooke and Andrew were the champions. Perhaps this year Laura and I can do better, but they are very difficult to find.

It will develop our character to lose gracefully if they retain their championship. But it would be thrilling to be the victors.

We’ll know shortly.

After that, Andrew is going fishing and the ladies are going to Greenville before the heat makes it unbearable to visit downtown.