Looking Back To 3 Days in August:

Tuesday, August 19,2008

Multiplication

My days always start good when I can get some quiet time in on the front porch and today was no different. It is the place I love to spend with God as I read over His word and put some inspirational words to the pages of my journal. He shows me so many wonders at the break of day when my heart and mind are rested from a night’s sleep. A cup of warmth to sip and I am ready to be a student at His feet. To say that it is still amazing to me when shown a new concept or truth after all these days is not hard. I still stand amazed in His presence.

I hope to be able to share what I am shown and still learning with others who are seeking Him as well. One tells one, who tells one and so it goes till the truth has multiplied to many. All from a source of one on one with the Lord. Hopefully the pages I write in some way will reach those also who I may never get to speak to face to face.

Leah is at present my most eager student to pass my knowledge and wisdom to. Sitting together this morning on the porch reading and watching the birds eating just a couple of feet from us is thrilling to her and blesses my soul. I hope she grows up with a love for God and an appreciation for His creation. Walking in the steps of her Nana as I try to reveal God’s love for us and my love for the outdoors. Reminds me of a little song Daddy taught me that my grandmother used to sing to him.

“Little Feet Be Careful”
Little feet be careful
Where you take me to
Anything for Jesus
Only let me do.

Multiplication came early this morning as the girls started laying early and by 10 am had given us 3 eggs. A record set for such an early delivery. I guess they are getting in the swing of things and taking careful notes of how it is to be done. Lon was surprised and thrill at the news when Leah and I called to say “guess what?” But we were even more astonished when about lunchtime I heard a cackle from a different hen and upon checking on her discovered she had blessed us with an egg as well. 4 count them FOUR eggs in one day and by lunchtime! I had already let the girls out to roam the yard for morning munchies. Little miss found her way back to the coop to drop off her gift while playing in the yard. We had not expected her to lay yet as there are others who look more mature than her. Guess she knew better than we did.

At this rate I will be able to stop buying store eggs and rely on “fresh from the farm” yummy organic ones instead. They are small in size, but for beginner eggs they are delicious. With a few more months under their wings I know the girls will produce regular size eggs. Soon I will be able to share their bounty with friends and family. Some have offered to pay for the fresh eggs, knowing the healthy goodness of range-free eggs. To turn a small profit would help off set the price of feed and treats we buy for them. Maybe even build a small “nest egg” for some more hens next year or a dairy goat for the homestead living we are trying to live out in our little neck of the woods.


They are coming to be one of the best birthday presents I have ever received, even if I did have to ask for them. I love to watch them scratch around the leaves and do their waddle dance when they run across the yard. Seeing them in the yard causes a quietness to flow over my being, making me smile just at the sight of them. They have a language all their own but will share a type of purring with me when I sit near by them. Gathering one or two into my lap to stroke their feathers and sing a little song that only they understand.

Deborah




Sunday, August 24, 2008

Life and Death

Life for one of our own began 27 years ago today in a hospital that used to stand nearby before it was removed.

A place where both of my sons were born. Does the fact that it no longer stands erase the fact that they were born there? I think not, even though there is no physical structure to point to and say that is where I was born. The footprints you leave in the lives of others is evidence enough that you had a beginning somewhere, even if the actual building is no longer standing. That particular hospital had a lot of firsts for our young family, along with the births of our offspring, it was the place where I started my nursing profession. But that is another story for another day.

Brian was born on this date of August 24th and has been my baby for all of his 27 years. There is something to be said of being the baby of the family. You get to benefit from the learning curve of the first born. Each child holds a different yet at the same time, the same place in a Mother’s heart. Always will. It is surprising to think that he has reached the age that he is. Time passes both slow and fast depending on who is doing the looking. I am sure that for Brian, he probably thought his adult years would never come as a teenager. Now he is a daddy to a sweet little girl, named Leah. With the years passing from our youth comes the added responsibility of adult and parenthood. A fact not deeply considered during the “I love girls/boys” stage of youth. It seems to be reserved for the “latter” years, when one often thinks that life really gets serious.

For me he has stayed in the youthful range for a very long time. Do you ever get to the point where you see them in a way otherwise than how you remember them being ? I was reminded of how much of his future lies before him yesterday at his birthday dinner, at the tender age of 27. Even though he bemoaned the fact that he is now in his “late twenties”. Oh to be at that stage of life and have the wisdom I’ve had to learned through my own 52 years.

Life never stands still that’s for sure, so you better have your moving shoes on. Though at times it feels ever so good to kick them off after a long day of working around the home front. Or when the tiny blades of newborn grass emerge in the spring. Just begging for someone to wiggle their toes in the soft green of new growth. Leah has finally come to terms with the green carpet in our yard and readily runs around in it barefoot. Something she highly detested at the start of Summer. All that outdoor playing has toughen up her tootsies so that now she enjoys the feel of nature under her feet.

Death came calling last Friday as I went out to check on my girls that morning. Only to discover that one of our Light Brahmas had died just inside the door. Looking as if she had just sat down and died, almost like she was waiting on some one to come and rescue her from a natural fact of life. Everything and everyone will die at some point. It is a law of God that is not skipped over like hopping over mud puddles. It was sad to see another one die and not know what had happen or why.

The first pullet we lost was due to a dog attack while the girls were enjoying being out of their exercise yard this past Memorial day. Happening so fast we were at a lost as to where to start looking for the survivors. Round them up Jason and I tried, finding most, but eventually waiting for the rest of them to come home on their own at dusk. Finally the stragglers came and glad I was for their inborn instinct to “come home to roost“. Just like each weary member of a family does when away on adventure or at the end of a work day. We too look forward to coming home to “roost” for the night. HOME is such a comforting word, it speaks of a place of rest, refuge and refreshment for the soul.

But to discover another one dead on Saturday morning in their play yard was a heart blow to these new chicken farmers. “Bertha“ , our largest Orphington was laying dead by the fencing inside the play yard with obvious destruction to her lifeless frame. Question flew out of our mouths quicker than we could take in the whole scene. It goes without description that something had played a part with her death. But was it before or after her untimely departure? The fencing looking secure which only lead us to conclude that she had probably died of natural causes as well. But the nagging thought remained, 2 chickens in 2 days?

Do we have an unseen culprit lurking in the hen house? Some disease of sort that is snuffing out the lives of our unsuspecting fowl? I pray not, but that it is only a sequence of events that happened close together. One that serves to teach us the facts of life and death, a natural function of life on any farm.

A different sort of death came about at the working of our own hands Saturday, as we cut down a large maple tree that had graced our yard with beautiful fall leaves since we built the house 24 years ago. But had grown up too close to the power lines necessary for our connection with the power grid we so readily rely on. I will miss the touch of color it gave to the yard but accept the fact that our tiny orchard will benefit from the additional sunlight that will be available now that it’s lofty shade has been removed. Leah on the other hand gave much heart felt dismay at “it’s falling down”. On some level it made her sad at the destruction of it. Probably due to the shock of seeing one fall during a severe storm last month right before the nose of the car she and her mom was traveling in.

To see life through the eyes of a child is a great gift, which we all possessed at one time. A place before we became to old to get down to the level of an innocent heart of a two year old. Oh, how they must bless the heart of God.

“Let the little children come unto Me, and do not forbid
them, for of such is the kingdom of God.” Mark 10:14

Life will continue despite the two ladies missing in the hen house as the girls have stepped up once again and blessed us with 6 eggs on this Sunday. New fruit trees will be planted in the empty space of the Maple, to bring forth fruit in due season for our family to enjoy. And birthdays will continue to roll around like the hands on a clock, to remind us of the goodness of years passed and the joyful anticipation of ones yet to be lived.

Added: Before going to bed I went out to check on the girls and found another Orphington dead just inside the gate. That makes 3 chickens in 3 consecutive days very hard to grasp. Obviously we have some form of a night time bandit feasting on our chickens. Makes for a sick stomach to go to bed on.

Deborah

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Size

Does size matter in the large scope of things? Some one argue the fact the bigger the better, where others would counter that sweet things come in small packages. It is apparent that it depends on what you are referring to. As is most issues in life.

The small holes around the gate to the chicken yard were evidently large enough to allow a villain in to do it’s dirty work last Sunday evening. A defect that will have to be remedied today. The lost of the future layers we had hoped to have laying soon is a dark cloud in our eyes right now.

Not only did we loose 3 girls but we discovered another White Rock that had an injury from yesterday. One that caught the attention of the rest of the gang, who were picking it into a bloody mess. Clara Belle had a nasty wound from her right ear and down across her white cheek. She was happy it seemed to be rescue from the bad manners of the others, but not too happy being isolated in our sunroom until we could arrange better living quarters for her hospital room. From what I’ve read I believe she will recover if we can keep it from getting infected. Hopefully it will not cause a hearing loss or disfigure her sweet face.

Holes big or small can create their own set of problems if not addressed and size does matter in these kinds of things.

Small verses Large is another issue of size to consider. No, I am not talking about weight or clothing size or any other debated subject in the life of humans

Though in the life of chickens they will always give you what they can. For almost 3 weeks we have been getting small eggs from the girls at an ever increasing rate, presently up to 6 a day. What they lack on size they make up in flavor with those rich golden-orange yolks. Even in the midst of tragedy the past weekend someone laid a surprise for us yesterday. As Lon reached in to gather the morning eggs, he could not believe what his hand rested upon in one of the nesting boxes. For there lay a full size egg, revealing that one of the girls is coming into her maturity. The consensus is that it is “Girlie Girl”, one of our Rhode Island Reds. She was the first one to give us the “baby” eggs as we call them, back on the 6th of August.

As excited as we were about the new discovery, we still ate the “baby” eggs for breakfast yesterday. Even though Lon thought we should celebrate it’s arrival by putting it in the pan.

Deborah