1. None of our twelve eggs hatched out of the incubator or under the hens. Very disappointing.
2. One of our five day-old chicks (who are now three weeks old) is dying. He (I think) turned out to be quite physically deformed -- crooked beak, no neck; he wasn't growing but he was ending up looking like a little hunchback chick -- and we weren't sure what was going to happen. But when I went out half an hour ago to check on everyone's water, the four healthy chicks were huddled in one corner and he was by himself on the opposite side. Chicken for "impending death".
3. I have a writing assignment for Saltscapes magazine which means travel to PEI. Turns out, my main subject is leaving for a trip to England then heading back to school in Vancouver so I have to go this Sunday for our interview which is just a little sooner than I had planned. Just got the assignment on Tuesday so thank goodness the magazine gave me the go ahead when it did. Going to be a busy weekend: my friend Jane and I are off to a writers'/readers' festival on Saturday.
4. Dwayne and I were going to go boating tonight so I could complete the second of two writing assignments for the Harry Thurston workshop I'm taking Tuesday nights but it's too windy. The subject is "place" and I want to write about the river. We've been on the river enough -- I was inspired by our boat trip on Monday night -- so I should be able to write it at home instead of in the boat.Have to impress Harry because he thinks my osprey article is a book-in-waiting.
5. Jane, co-worker as well as friend, takes her two weeks' vacation at the start of August and that means I work five days a week. Shocking! I have so much to accomplish on my days off before then; and the deadline for this article is August 26.
6. Dwayne still suffering great pain from his shoulder. Bad enough that the work-a-holic is not mowing lawns this afternoon. The grass will be growing, too, since we had a really good rain overnight. Maybe this will make it easier to convince him we need a couple of sheep to do the mowing...