Thanksgiving & My Blessings are Bountiful

It has surprised me that the days have past so quickly and the holidays will be ushered in come tomorrow. Lon has to work, so I will be spending our first Thanksgiving at the farm alone. We plan to gather around a turkey on Saturday. Prompting a need to go buy one, as I am not ready to give Thomas up yet. He has too much to offer next Spring with our new ladies to be sitting on a platter this week, all sun tanned from time in an oven.

Thomas with his Burbon Red Ladies ~

The rain has ended but the chill from Sunday still lingers today under solid gray skies. Nearly all the leaves have scattered across the lawn, except for the few stubborn ones on the old oak out front. Everything green has turned a shade of brown. Sitting out on the porch was a good idea at first, but my coffee was cooling too fast and even Boots was hunting refuge from the chill under my sweatshirt jacket. I wished I would have had my camera handy, as I often do when photo opportunities present themselves. He looked so cute!

Some of the hens have taken upon themselves to start laying in the hay of the goat shed. We found some hiding in it this past Sunday. Guess they like the freshly fluffed hay each morning just as much as the goats do. Production has been steadily climbing, but I fear the decreasing daylight will hinder it before long. Last year at this time we were living at our other house and was able to run a power cord out to the coop to add light and encourage their laying. But without power out to the barn yet, that is not even an option. But just look as the size of the eggs they are laying and heavy too. Is there a category for extra-large jumbos?

We are already going without our delicious goat's milk. As Amber was starting to dry up even before our last milking this past Friday. We don't want to be without eggs too! It was nice that first morning of "No Milking", as I didn't have to rush out at a certain time in the cold to do the morning chores. I could wait till the temperatures warmed up a bit and I had the chance to get awake with some coffee. Purchasing the store milk last grocery day was a bummer! It tastes funny now after having fresh for so long. Lacking the creamy goodness we are used to. It will be a long wait till Spring arrives along with our chance for fresh goat's milk again from not only one but all three of our girls! Should have plenty for some of the other goat milk projects I have in mind to try.

Leah came out this past Friday to spend the weekend at the farm. My how she has grown! We looked at her photo album of pictures taken this past Spring. They showed a young toddler, not the maturing girl I saw before me. Baking cookies is an all time favorite of hers and she even helped me put some cake ingredients together with the "big mixer".

We had a wonderful time together and was blessed with a special surprise on Saturday. A good friend's dad owns cows and one had given birth during the night on Friday. He invited us to bring her over to see the less than 24 hr old calf. She had visited there before back in the Spring to see his cows. But this time was different we were able to go inside the fencing and actually pet the newborn calf.

She was thrilled to be so close to the baby calf, to play with their dog "Sammy" and receive a small snow globe (which she adores) and treat bag from my friend's mom. She went to church with us the next morning and made her beautiful presence known by waving at her Papa in the choir loft. Then continued by waving at the pastor each time he raised his hand in praise to the Lord. Singing with gusto and swaying to the music caught a few smiles from those seated around us. My own - beamed! Such innocence and exuberance. I am thankful we could take her with us. These are the years when foundations are being set in her biblical teachings. What a privilege to be a part of them.

Thankful for my life,

Deborah

July is Almost Over

Sit down for a spell this one is long, so go ahead and pour yourself a cup of coffee to enjoy while you read.

The last few days have been quite busy. Seems like I have played the catch-up game since returning home from the mission trip to Honduras. That's what happens when you go out of town for a week. I have a lot on my heart and mind about all that I saw and experienced. As I process it all, I may post some thoughts about it in the future. Just know this, it was a good trip and I was able to be apart of something bigger than life. I am still physically tired from the challenges faced there, eating, sleeping in a different time zone and the long flights. But I am sure my energy will pick back up soon.

Last week brought blessings to our home. After the morning chores were done on Wednesday, we decided to cut down a few trees. In order to open up our view of the upper pasture and start clearing out the area for a future pond. Besides those reasons we also needed to start laying in a supply of firewood for our winter heating. I am sure it seems odd to most people for us to be thinking along these lines in this July heat we are living in. But in order for it to be cured out and have ready to burn logs by the time cold weather arrives, we need to start now. Ideally you cut this year for the following year use, but we have only been here about 4 weeks now. Our challenge is not in how to stay warm, trees we have. It is that our hours are limited, due to everything else that needs doing. Such is life on a farm.

Back to our blessings ~ my husband had to make a trip out to the repair shop this morning and on the way back home he was stopped to speak to our neighbor up the road. Who gave us a 5 gallon bucket of cucumbers from his garden. Along with an invite to stop by in about 2 weeks and help ourselves to his okra, then wait another two and come pick some green beans. One stop = one blessing now(cucumbers) and two in the future (okra & green beans). Another blessing arrived yesterday with an invite from another neighbor to come help ourselves to his blueberry bushes. So we did today, picking about 2 plus gallons. The bushes were loaded with the most intensely flavored fruit. I have never tasted berries like them, a true deep blueberry flavor. The kind you can't buy at the store, one that has been sun-kissed right where they grew from fertile soil. We have enough for a pie, fresh eating and to make some jam. We may even get the chance to go back for more if we have the time. Unfortunately all of my canning supplies are back at the other house (haven't move them yet).

God is being very visible with His provisions and it is a comfort to know that we haven't a need that He can not meet. These were not necessarily a need but they sure are sweet just the same.

My to-do list has been quite long since moving out to the farm. Finding time for familiar activities has taken some juggling. I have found a new time for journal writing, a favorite way of mine to capture my thoughts. I started taking my notepad out with me in the mornings while the goats browse. The quite morning hours are perfect for contemplation and dreaming. No interruptions to be had, just the sound of happy munching nearby.

One item on the list was accomplished easier than I thought it would. That being the unpacking of ALL the boxes of books for our bookshelf in the family room. I realized that I have a lot of books that I have read and a whole lot more that I haven't. At least I won't go lacking this winter for something to do. Looking over the titles I remember reading them, but can not recall the story lines. So I guess that means that I have double my pleasure in reading choices.

Another item marked off was the trim put back around the guest room's windows. So my job was to iron and hang the curtains to them. To have some shape of window coverings over them is a comfort to me. Even though the chance of someone looking in is slim to none. They look perfect and really add to the room's coziness. I love having open windows with light streaming in unhindered, but these are darling. It doesn't matter to me that they were our old living room curtains from 25 years ago. Hard to imagine that I kept them that long and they are still usable.
They had been tagged for a yard sale, but never sold . . . couldn't throw them away. So a blessing they have now become.

Saturday last week was a busy one despite that we had a special birthday party to go to. Our granddaughter had her celebration late in the day. Which gave us just a few hours in the morning for chores and small projects. A easy rhythm of chores has settle in around us. Milking in the cool early hours of the day is easy. We still have to take the girls out for browsing until we can get some fencing up. I would love to be able to just turn them loose. Problem is not that they would wander off. Just the opposite they won't stay off the porches or out of the hen house. Slipping off into the house for a moment brings them hastily up to the doors, searching and calling for me. As long as I am out in the yard where they can see me, they will wander some. While out that day I noticed the "fox grapes" are filling out, but I suspect that it will be fall before they are ripe. We have plans to put them on a proper trellis afterwards, so we can take better care of them an ease harvesting to a comfortable height.

My husband and I discussed the newly acquired turkeys and their need to forage some too. Decision made, we turned them loose. Just opening the gate, did not bring the response we expected. It took both of us instead to herd/carry them out the open door to freedom. We lost one of our Isa Brown biddies that day which brought our chicken count down to 61. That evening we were pleased to see that the turkeys not only stayed nearby but roosted with the chicken in the coop.

The day was long as it was late before I finished canning the fresh blueberry jam I had started. But I got 3 pints of dark blue yummy goodness to show for the effort. Visions of warm toasted bread or hot buttered biscuits with a slathering of jam is dancing in our heads.

Today, July 27 brought a few things marked off of my list as well, before the day ran out. Here's a rundown which makes me tired just listing them. I emptied 2 more boxes in the kitchen, mopped it and the dinning room, canned 14 quarts of pickles, cleaned off a portion of the carport of remodeling debris, burned the household trash, made a batch of hummingbird food, talked with both of my parents, vacuumed the hardwood floors, straightened the house, washed rugs, talked for over a hour with my cross-country sister (lives in Washington state), washed 2 loads of clothes and had a front porch visit with a neighbor down the road. That was beside all of the everyday farm/animal chores. Talking about a full day, I don't think I could have squeezed in another thing other than going to bed.

Loving the country life,

Deborah