Updates

We have had a two-day break from thunderstorms so we are trying to get some things planted in the garden. Hard to believe that it's almost July and we are still trying! This is a first!
I will be cutting some wonderful broccoli tonight and for that I am very thankful. It won't be long before the onions are ready and I noticed some flowers on the tomato plants. We replanted the green beans and they are coming up and also the pickling cucumbers. We still have lots of plants that we started from seed and the seed potatoes are holding on. A big part of the garden washed away so it will take a little bit to get it back in shape. I'm drooling just thinking about fresh vegetables! Lord willing, we will have some yet!
The boer goat kids are getting big! I want so badly to keep the four does to breed again, but we will have to see. I have them advertised for sale because the car is being repaired again. I am planning to wean them very soon either way.
We will be drying Clarabelle up very soon and giving her a rest. So, for a little while we will only be milking two cows. If you look closely at the heading picture you will see Clarabelle. We are still milking just once a day and it is working out very well.
Hope all of you are enjoying summer.
Nancy

Chicken Killer

Jack went into the "big" coop the other night and found a long black snake in the cage with the chicks and it was killing them. I had taken them out of the brooder and put them in the cage so that they would get used to calling the coop home. The snake had killed some the night before, also, but we didn't know what had happened. Jack thought that they had gotten stuck in the sides of the cage. Apparently, the snake was trying to pull them through the sides of the cage. I have always thought that snakes ate only live things so I was very surprised by this. (And, also very sad!) It got away, unfortunately, but we haven't seen it again and the egg production went back up to where it had been. Seems that snake has been having himself some mighty good meals!
I talked to two different families, in as many days, that are wanting to move to the farm. They believe that it might be the best place for a family to be; and I couldn't agree more.
Nancy

A Nice Surprise

Our neighbor came pulling up with his team of Percherons pulling his buggy the other morning and asked us to hop in for a ride, if we weren't busy.(It didn't matter how busy we were, we weren't going to pass that up!) He was going to be giving wagon rides at his house later in the day for a party and was taking the horses out for a preride to let them get any restlessness worked out. (As it turns out, they pulled beautifully with no problems, but it is always a good idea to do that, no matter what.)
It was a very nice and peaceful ride and we chatted about different things. He asked what had brought us to this part of the country. I briefly told him why we had come here. (All of that will be explained in the Journey-To-Simplify posts I've been doing as soon as I get them going again!) When I finished my husband said, "So, you could be looking at a rich man, but instead you're looking at a poor one." I kind of under my breath said something like, "There's more than one way to be rich.", but before I could finish our neighbor said, "I think you're rich."
He and his wife both work full-time and have a very nice place. She pays someone to do her housework because she doesn't have time. He has a saddle repair business on the side but he said he can't keep up with it. When they need or want to do something at their place they can afford it. He told us that it was his birthday and when we said that we hoped he had a great time at his party, he told us that just having the time to hitch up his horses and take a ride was all that he wanted. It really meant a lot to him.
As you can imagine, comments like that do a person a world of good when it comes to keeping in mind what is really important in this life. And, when the going has been rough, it can make all the difference.
We're keeping both hands on the plow again.
Hope you are, too.
Nancy

One of Those Days!

We had gone to a local livestock auction last year and noticed that the hens, chicks, and other birds were bringing a very high price! We decided to hatch out some extra chicks to sell for some extra money. We had several hatch out and kept them for a couple of weeks until auction day. It finally arrived and we loaded them up in cages and off we went.
We wanted to get there a little early to check them in and we thought it started at 1:00. After handing them over to the people there we looked around and took our seats. 1:00 came and went and finally it started. Someone had brought in a bunch of scrap metal and stuff hoping to make a little bit off of it. They auctioned off every bit of that stuff first, finally got to the birds and rabbits (there were many), and after a couple of hours more, finally got to ours.
We were told that because it was a holiday weekend there weren't near as many people as usual, but there were still lots of people there. We watched animal after animal go through and hardly anyone would bid. They were going for next to nothing. Some weren't bid on at all and some bids were so low that the owners said to forget it, they would just take the animals back home. Jack looked over and told me that if they only went for fifty cents then we would take them back home and wait until later or keep them ourselves.
The auctioneer would start off trying to sell each one at a time, but when noone would bid he would sell everything in the cage together for one price.
Our birds were the very last ones to be auctioned and he started the bidding. We had two cages. The bidding for the first one went up to $3.50. The second one went up to $5.00. We were shocked! Why would they bid so high on ours? We had seen several people looking at them for a while, but when other chicks could hardly be given away, what had made the difference?
I got in line to collect what we had made while Jack waited for the buyers to empty our cages. People had to wait as they figured up what they owed them and then made out their check. I thought to myself, "Too bad they're paying by check when it is a holiday weekend. We'll have to wait and come back into town to cash it." They took my ticket and told me to wait for my check. The lady came back after several minutes and said,"Yours is cash." I'm thinking how amazing that is when I had just had that thought and she handed me the money. A whole $6.00.
Yep, you guessed it. The auctioneer hadn't tried to sell ours by each but only by the whole cagefull.
Twenty-six birds for $6.00.
Back to the drawing board.....
Nancy

Hands To The Plow

We plowed with Millie the other day and she did so well! It really was a blessing to have her respond to the lines when we guided her. She has so much to teach us. Jack held the lines at first and drove her and I guided the plow. Then we switched and Jack drove the plow while I led Millie where we wanted her to go. It was so good that we got to try each side of it, and we could both understand so well the message that our daughter-in-law shared with us soon after that she had heard at church. (We were amazed and delighted at him using this as an illustration today, as others in agriculture were that I have shared this story with.)
The minister spoke about keeping both hands on the plow and not looking back. He told of a family that he had known well. They were a very close and strong family. They were very active and a blessing to many. Then they went to the wife's high school reunion. She saw her old friends and some of her old life. At first she just took one hand off of the plow to look back at that old life that she had had. Then she decided that she wanted it again; let go of the plow completely, and turned back. The children lost their way, and the family fell apart. It was disastrous.
The minister's eyes teared up as he recalled it; remembering the results of her going back. I wish there was a happy ending, but the family was destroyed forever.
When I've looked at that field with so much left to plow and the endless days ahead that it will take to produce anything; I've been tempted to look back. When the storms have come, and the crops are failing, and I lose an animal that year; I've been tempted to turn back. Don't look back. Let's keep both hands on the plow, holding it even tighter when the going gets rough, so we don't look back. We will finish one day and it all will be worth it.
And, if you ever find that you have been looking back, or even if you have actually left off plowing to turn back; go pick up that plow. It's not too late. It's still there waiting for you. There may be some rough spots to work out at first, but when you get through them; the going will be easier.
And Jesus said unto him,"No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." Luke 9:62
Nancy