Best parenting EVER, gold panning, free eggs

Back in May I went for a walk down to the river behind my house.  On my walk I spied  a man and two little girls.  The little girls were wearing swimsuits (it made me cold just looking at them) but they were not turning blue.  They were in the water with the man who had his jeans rolled up to his knees. They were NOT splashing around. But they were as giddy and excited as two kids could be, in the river ,on a hot august day.  I asked what they were doing.  The little girls answered  'gold panning'.  I looked at the man and he confirmed with a nod.  I said ' Really?.... there is gold in this creek?' The two little girls who couldn't have been more than 6 and 8 years old  started talking. They said yes and then showed me what it looked like, how to find it, where it came from,  They taught me the term 'placer deposit'.  Every now and then the man would chime in. (he had a sluice set up and  he wanted me to know that he had his permit for it).  I talked to them at length and those two little girls knew exactly what they were doing. They answered every question I had, knowledgeably and confidently.    After about 5 minutes their collective body language told me they wanted to get back to what they were doing.   I was greatly impressed by two things. 1.)  This was some quality parenting.  Without even thinking about parenting.... Dad had  shared his enthusiasm for  gold prospecting with his kids,  gotten them involved in his passion.  He had obviously shared a great deal of knowledge with them.  It was obvious to me that they talked about what they were doing in the car, over dinner, at the grocery store and pretty much anywhere else  that a family could chatter away at each other.  There wasn't a cell phone or mp3 player in sight. (there was a back packed crammed with sandwiches and towels).  Dad wasn't sitting on the bank  with his data phone as the kids frolicked in the water.  These people were engaged... together...in a common interest. The kids didn't feel locked down  and Dad didn't feel 'obligated' to spend some time with his kids.    This wasn't 'quality' time with the kids .  This was QUALITY time.  I applaud this father and his neurotic obsession with gold . I applaud him infecting his children with 'gold fever'.  I don't care what a mess the  rest of  his life might be (mom was conspicuously absent).  The one thing he needs to do right... he is doing right!
2.)  Their enthusiasm was so infectious  that I went  home and ordered a $31  gold panning kit from Amazon.   I have been going down to the river two or three times a week since I encountered  them.. I have a bucket full of  'fines' that I just have to figure out how to get the gold dust out of the sand (then I can buy those shiny red mary janes with the bow on the toe).   I wish dad would bring the kids back. I have a bunch more questions for them!
And completely off topic... All my girls are laying..I'm getting 9 eggs a day.  I cant set up my fantasy egg business yet because I need a dedicated fridge to store them. I cant put in a fridge until we have the electricity in the house redone.  So, for this moment in time and to make room in the kitchen fridge...... Any body want some FREE, farm fresh, free range, organic, eggs?

Weird creepy parenting, laying hens, green beans

 The  hens are all on lock down.  We thought only 3 were laying  and then jimmy and I both found ninja nests in the bushes.  They are very unhappy with me now because I wont let them out to free range until everyone has laid.  There were nine eggs in the nest when I let them out yesterday!  A couple of the girls are even laying double yolks.
Our  'failed' garden is producing the best bean crop we have ever had.  I guess the snails don't like green beans.  Over the winter and next summer Jimmy and I will be going on a snail killing spree.  We have a multi-level plan to deal with the issue.  The plan does not include poison.  We have to many rare birds in the area to take that chance.   My hippie/environmentalist roots run strong and I just cannot bring myself to  put one more species on the endangered list.
We do have apples and plums this year.  Jimmy is excited to make cider and apple jack.  I am excited to make wine and apple cider vinegar.  I also need to make some soap before the weather turns too cold.
I have actually blogged at length twice this week and then had the kitten shut off the computer and lost it all. He is in the hall today and the door is shut until I am finished.
One of next summers projects will be to get a privacy fence along one side of the property.  We had company this weekend.  Just another couple over for  burgers on the grill and a little boccie ball after dinner.  A couple with 3 kids  (one in a stroller)  walked by on the trail to the park.  They just stood and  watched us for a long time (creepy).  The five year old said "can we go there?" as she watched the chickens following us around.  Mom and Dad did not say  'no that is someones home" like they should have.  They looked to me for an affirmative to the child's  question and then gave me the stink eye when I just kept talking to my guests and  enjoying my evening.  They just kept standing there staring at us.  90%  of the people who walk by on the trail are polite and respectful.  Most people just walk on by.  If we are working near the fence line some say 'hi'...  and keep walking.   The closer neighbors will stop and chat for a few. When the neighborhood kids are walking by they talk to and about the chickens.  I'm ok with  some admiring of the picturesque  quality of the property (it really is pretty and with the added farm animals it becomes  something from another era).  I would look too.  Most of the problem comes from the  Special-snowflake-angel crowd.   People who think that just because their little hobgoblins want it... they should have access to it.  These people don't even live here. They drive  around looking for  'special' things to do with their offspring so they can spend  'quality' time with them.  Interestingly enough... almost all the parents in this crowd refer to themselves in the third person when addressing their children 'Mommy wants to go home now'.  Its weird and creepy..... and the kids know it! When they do that  they are telling their kids that they are detached from them except in parenting mode.   Which explains why there are so many mini sociopaths running around..  To the parents who do this?  You are already creating an emotionally detached individual.  All you need now is to have a kid with violent tendencies and you've got yourself a budding Ted Bundy. So... Stop it!  You will have happy, healthy children if you simply engage your full neurotic self with the little darlings.
But until the 10% learn this.... I'm building an 8 foot fence!