Pondering the End of 2009

This year is quickly coming to an end. It doesn't feel like the end of 2009 is upon us. Time seems to move at a different beat since we moved out onto the farm. It has been 6 months so far and I wonder if that is not the reason why the year doesn't feel over. We've only lived half a year here, there should be more before the calendar page turns to 2010. I suspect in part that it is due to the change not only of our location, but comes also from our change in lifestyle. I look around our home and see familiar things in a new setting. One that is changing more into "our place" as time passes. I feel more at home here, and as I ride the roads to various places. Taking Mom around the farm before she left to go back home, will hopefully place a "mental image" in her mind when I speak of an activity around here. Something she voiced that she needed to see. I enjoyed showing her the barn and all the livestock wandering around and in it. Now when I mention a part of the place she can mentally place herself there and live out the adventure with us. Helping to connect the distance between our homes. She turned 75 last month and Daddy will be 78 in just a few short days. Spending time with them is very precious to me. Talking long hours about family memories is a favorite thing for us to do when we gather. I hope my memory will not fail me in recalling them in the future. You never know when the last Christmas will be spent together as a family. Any one of us young or old could not be around to celebrate another one. No one is guaranteed another day of life. It is hard when you parents start talking about their days being numbered and their deaths to come. It is not something I allow myself to think about that often. I know that dieing is just as much a part of life as living is. I see death everyday and have experienced in through friends and family. But you are never ready for it. Life will move on, despite your absence. There will be a void in the lives of those that lived around you. You can't be apart of some one's life without creating it. I hope and pray that I will be able to stand in the grace of God, if faced with the lost of my parents or family, should I live to see it.

Burying another year,

Deborah

It's Almost Christmas, Are you ready?

We are fast approaching the eve of our Christmas celebrations, with only a few days left for preparations. There is much to be done just in preparing a place for Anna to give birth. Not knowing her exact due date has us trying to stay one if not several steps ahead of her. But I think is would be great to have Christmas babies in our home made manager of sorts. A need for some mulch hay will have to be seen about today in order to make it soft. Amongst the other assorted farm chores, a fact that seemingly never ends. Our firewood supply is nearly gone with all of the sub-freezing nites we have been having. Searching out some dry pieces has been moved to the top of the to-do list. My focus for today is outside the house. Leaving all the inside preps for later on next week. Mom, Dad and Jason will be here starting on Thursday. At some point it would be helpful to start some of the cooking for our family meal on Christmas day. I want to spend more time with my family than in the kitchen. I haven't really thought about how this Christmas would be. So I don't have any expectations about it to be fulfilled. Will just let it unfold instead as it occurs. But I have realized it feels different and is different. Is this mindset due to our moving to the farm , a reflection of the economy we are all facing or simply a sign of aging, of our priorities changing? Something I believe that needs to be pondered by more and embraced more fully. In order to grasp it's depth and be lived out to it's fullest.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas,

Deborah

Can You Teach a Chicken to Swim?

Buckets of rain greeted me this morning with more to come ~ 1-2 inches. Flooding conditions can be seen all over the farm. It's all one MUDDY mess. I do believe it may well be next year before we dry out. The dampness causes a bone chilling cold and makes the 37* feel like 27*. I wore 2 pairs of socks and rubber boots and my toes still feel frozen. The wind chill encountered while doing chores caused my fingers to burn when I returned to the house this morning.

Unfortunately the fire went out during the night and I haven't any more dry wood on the carport to use. Guess we will have to run the furnace over the next few nights. Which is not good considering that the lows will be hovering around freezing for the next projected 10 days to follow. I have decided what I need for Christmas this year ~ hip boots and the rain poncho seen being worn by cowboys in westerns. At this rate of rainfall we need "swimmies" for our chickens. They still do not know how to swim despite instructions, but are giving us about 2 dozen lovely eggs each day.

All of this cold will keep us inside and make us tackle some of our inside projects for a change. We have plans to go pick up a load of shavings for the chicken coops today. Using a tarp may help to keep it somewhat dry, for the coops need refreshing badly. The babies especially, as they are growing so fast! (And pooping a lot in the process). Counting it as a blessing for next year's garden and free to boot.

I am working on my blog posts that are dated back to October. Wow! did not realized I was that far behind. So glad I kept up my notes about what has been happening here. It is a slow process that requires lots of sitting, which increases my discomfort. From my fractures of the same time frame. I hope they will heal better than this or I will never be able to ride Sassie.

Trying to sit still and catch up,

Deborah

Busy Time of the Year

This has been a busy week and it is not over yet. Mom and Dad came down this past Sunday for a funeral. One that took Lon and Daddy to central east Georgia for. While I drove Mom back to Dville for a doctor's appointment and some Christmas shopping. It was a run, run, run kind of a day. I felt as fatigue from it just as surely as Lon did from driving his 7 hour round trip.


Then on Wednesday, he and I made a trip to Oxford, Alabama for our own Christmas shopping and dinner out at a favorite restaurant. Just one more item to get and we will be done! Money is tight for many folks right now and I was surprised at the number of people out shopping. We haven't any promise for overtime anytime soon ourselves so I am glad that I have already bought our items for our Christmas dinner. The pull to buy and spend is very much out there in the retail world. Lon and I picked out some movies for our Christmas, as we are not exchanging gifts between us this year. We have decided to save the money and use it instead to make some improvements on the farm. He even found an old Christmas gift card in his wallet from last year that paid for them. YEA!



Even though in the past we have chosen to for go gifts in place of a holiday trip somewhere. To make memories that would last longer than most things that can be purchased. I never could understand how people could go without exchanging gifts, but my way of thinking has slowly been changing. Do I like gifts? Yes! But I can celebrate Christmas without all the hoopla, now being pushed as part of the holiday. Special gifts received that have given me reason to rejoice have come by way of the ornament exchange. They hang beautifully on our tree and help to remind us of the reason we celebrate Christmas.



I must be getting really old! LOL. For my thoughts are changing into that seen of an older generation. Attempting to live a simple lifestyle will redirect your thinking. Having limited funds directs your focus onto what is really important. That being made up of being with family, praising the Lord through song, creating a festive spirit and being loving in all your actions.


Directing my heart towards a proper focus,

Deborah

Surprise Visits

Yesterday happened very quickly, changing all my plans in a moment. One phone call rearranged them and sent me off in another direction from where I had planned to travel. Buying groceries and running errands would have to now make room for a much needed haircut, when an appointment came open for the same day. I knew I would have about 3 hours before my apt. time to get things done, but hadn't counted on the 3 hours spent afterwards too. But you never know when opportunities will pop up and I wasn't going to miss out on seeing Leah. Her parents had dropped by to see Lon at the station and gave me a call, stating someone wanted to see "her Nana". Of course I stopped by, wouldn't have missed seeing my favorite granddaughter. Though the surprise visit had me arriving back at the farm well after dark. With feeding chores still to be done, along with unloading the groceries I was out in the cold for quite awhile. My toasty fire I had left going before leaving home had gone out in the course of the day. Leaving me with a cold tired body in a chilly house.

I did find one surprise in the chicken coop when closing them down for the night. A large possum was feasting on their hanging feeder of layer pellets. We have had some living in the trash pile near the house for awhile now. I had already moved both the garbage can and the compost bucket out of their reach on the carport. So I guess it had gone searching for other dinning options. On previous occasions we had seen two hanging out in the trash pile, but only one on a regular basis as of lately. I wondered if the "barn bandit" was one of them or someone new to the neighborhood. It was afraid of the blinding light from my flash lite and took some coaxing to get it out of the roosting area. Seeing it now explains why the floor feeder was always torn up and empty in the mornings. Although I had been blaming it on either a raccoon or the always ravenous turkeys. Now I am curious, do they eat chicken eggs too? I guess this means I will have to read up on them. Seems my reading list keeps getting longer and longer. Something I have hoped to do during the winter down time I had envisioned. Instead now I foresee a lot of activity between now and the new year.

We have officially entered our season of lows, with our mornings being in the mid 30's. Which is only slightly warmer than the 27* we woke up to yesterday. Both rain and sleet is forecast for this evening. Making our Sunday School class Christmas gathering a little challenging, but typical of the holidays. Wouldn't feel like Christmas if it was in the 60-70*, temps that those living in Florida see each year. Don't know how they do it, sunny,warm and Christmas decorations just doesn't add up to me. I still need to finish my ornament for the exchange at the party. I am hoping the ribbon I bought will dress it up and finish if off at the same time. It looks like the ones pictured left.


Enjoying this time of the year,

Deborah

Getting Ready

I have managed to get the rest of the house decorated, along with setting up the large nativity on the bookcase yesterday. One that has been in our family for over 25 years. It was a project of love that I hand painted and has been set up every year, save the year that Leah was crawling. A lot more could be done in regards to the mantel over the fireplace, if we only had one! One fact I hope to change in the new year to come. I love decorating mantels with all of the family keepsakes that are dear to my heart. A fireplace just looks naked without one too!

Yesterday's high of near 60* felt good but nothing like the same summertime temperature of 60. None the less those kind of days are refreshing from all the cold and rain we've been having lately. Plans are to try and set up the chicken coop. It is a real need as the baby chicks are growing right before our very eyes. Having already outgrown their temporary plastic incubators. Some brave ones have even attempted to fly out of the crowded conditions. They just don't know who is waiting for them for a game of chase though. Plus there is not enough room around the feeders for all to get fed. The greedy ones are getting fat at the expense of the weaker/smaller ones. They can quickly go through 2 feeders and 2 waters a day now! I am trying hard not to get attached to their fuzzy cuteness. For their future is destined to be chicken dishes for our table. If all works out good, we may try to do this on a regular basis. Free chicks, plus some bags of feed and a little extra work = natural, hormone free, home grown chickens.

Broiler Chicks enjoying their new expanded space.

Work continued on the kidding room in the barn yesterday, we are trying to get it ready before Anna gives birth. Today maybe a good day for me to put the "kiltz" paint on the floor, in an effort to make it more moisture resistant. Temperatures are to be in the mid 50's today, warm enough to work in an unheated space I think. All that is left is to find the materials for the individual pen's walls and gates. I would still love to have power on the building before kidding starts. Running water would be an asset as well. Especially if we could get the hot water heater working too. Which requires both the power and water to be established first.

A girl can dream, can't she?

Deborah

Farm Trucks ~ Fireplaces

Much has transpired over the last few days. We have been seeing some cold nights and days for one thing. Making the fires in the fireplace a blessing. Lon worked extra hard this past Saturday to get the old wood heater installed, so we could enjoy our first fire in it. The heater is one we used to heat our old house with many years ago. The old thing is not a pretty sight, showing it's age, but it is working right now. Even though the blower makes a funny sound on high. Nothing that a little stove paint can't spruce up and with fingers crossed hopefully it will last awhile before it has to be repaired. Good news is it has put out a warmth that keeps our electric heat from coming on. The only down side is the trash that the logs create on the hearth and surrounding floor. I guess it will be a trade-off, free warmth for more sweeping. Now I will be on the look out for a dustpan and small broom to place within easy reach.

I have managed to get our bedroom, the bath and the dinning room decorated for Christmas. Also got our new tree up and decorated too. Hate stringing lights and am wondering if I can find a place to store it like I used to do with the lights still on, minus the decorations. Though I don't have a basement or a suitable place in sight, this might pose a problem. The combinations of holiday decorations and a warm fire made things quite festive here at the farm.

Lon made a trip over to Woodland for a round bale of hay for Sassie and the goats. It filled the back of his truck and then some. Can't beat a heavy duty truck for farm chores. Despite it's size it rolled off the bed of his truck easier than I thought it would. All the hay eaters wasted no time in jumping into it and munching away. Hopefully this will help stretch the hay bales we picked up recently to last longer than they would otherwise.

Rusty, our very first Roo has been hurt somehow, one leg badly enough that it keeps him from walking on it. He went missing for over a day before finally showing up. We had to caged him yesterday for his safety. As the other roosters were trying to fight him. It amazes me how they can sense when another one is weak. They will pick at it till they kill it, one way I guess to keep the flock strong. Can't stand to watch it though. Hopefully his legs will strength and we can return him to his rightful place as "King of the Roost" soon.

It must be the day for injured legs, for as I was doing the morning chores I noticed one of our Burbon Red turkeys was also standing still with one leg tucked under. It too would not bear weight on it and had to be caged till it heals. Makes me wonder if they are trying to jump off the roosts without watching where they are landing. So two hospital pens are now set up to add to our chores already established each day. Having to water and feed them separately requires a little effort, but not enough to keep me from doing it.

I also need to figure in the twice daily care of the 46 meat chicks (one died) to my chore time each day too. We are hoping the "brooder coop" we hauled home from our old place, an effort that took up most of yesterday and part of last night will help us with their care. It took ALOT of work to get it loaded on the back of a borrowed trailer. If it wasn't for our kind neighbor, Norman it would still be sitting halfway loaded at the other house. Traveling after dark was both a challenge and a blessing. As there wasn't many cars on the back roads and we didn't draw too much attention, especially from the local police. Getting home so late, we had to leave it still attached to Lon's truck. Requiring him to drive my car to work today, leaving me with no transportation. I am pretty sure he is going to enjoy his commute today and may even consider taking my car more often in the future.

We didn't get it home none too soon either, as Boots has discovered them and is thinking they would make great playmates. Kind of like fuzzy little pin balls that make a noise when you tap them.

Having no wheels today is okay, I have plenty to do right here and have no plans on going anywhere. Though there is that library book that needs to be returned. My stack of books has dwindled down to only 2-3. As I haven't had time to read much lately. Christmas preparations, farm chores and general maintenance is more than my days can handle . Not to mention getting ready for goat kidding coming up soon. And here I thought we would have time to rest some this winter. Like a certain little orange ball of fur curled up in my lap and arms. Sleeping peacefully unaware of the hindrance to my writing he creates. Mom is going to love sitting with Boots on her lap and to love on when they come down for Christmas in a couple of weeks.

Whew! Less than 2 weeks till Christmas. I can't believe it is so close!

Deborah