The Deeper Things of Life

I'm pondering the deeper things of life like: Why is it that when there is a spoon in the sink the water from the faucet always hits it?
So true.
But, o.k., how about this? "If people let the government decide what foods they eat and what medicines they take, their bodies will soon be in as sorry a state as the souls who live under tyranny." Thomas Jefferson `1778 I'm always amazed at the insight that the Founding Fathers had.
Or, how about this: "Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds: For riches are not for ever: and doth the crown endure to every generation?
The hay appeareth, and the tender grass showeth itself, and herbs of the mountains are gathered.
The lambs are for thy clothing, and the goats are the price of the field.
And thou shalt have goats' milk enough for thy food, for the food of thy household, and for the maintenance for thy maidens." Proverbs 27:23-27 This has always been true, and maybe knowing this has even been taken for granted at times. But, do you see a need to take note of this today?
Nancy

Farm Stuff

We borrowed a boer buck from a friend to breed our does with. We have Alpines and have always had Alpine bucks but this time we are using the boer buck and will sell the offspring for meat. We had to take the pygmy goat, Enna, otherwise known as "the tank", out of the goat pasture so she didn't get bred. The baby would be too big for her to have. I would really like to breed her with an Angora. I used to have a pygora and she was so pretty! And the children would LOVE the tiny baby goats!
The grandchildren are loving riding Ruby. She is such a sweet horse and so easy to ride.
We'll be butchering turkeys for the holidays this weekend. I am so looking forward to Thanksgiving even though I can't believe it's that time already. It's such a wonderful holiday and it's so good to think about everything we have to be thankful for. The down side is that our youngest son and his family won't be here for dinner this year because he can't get off from work. That makes us very sad but we hope they have a wonderful time together.
Are you cherishing those loved ones and each moment?

County Fair

The county fair started off with bull riding last night. That is one dangerous profession! I noticed that many of them kneel after a safe ride and give thanks. That was very good to see.
Our granddaughter won a fiddle contest again recently. She did so well! She had to wait two years to be in this one because of other commitments, but this is the one that kind of started the whole thing. She is getting ready for the State Fair contest right now so she and the young man who is accompaning her brought their instruments to the fair last night and practiced. That was a highlight for me! I could never tire of hearing her play. This young man won the banjo contest at the same gathering the other day and is self-taught. He plays the guitar when accompaning her.
I read that the garlic seeds are like miniature cloves (you can tell when you take a close look) and take two years to make a regular clove when planted. I have lots of them and want to try it. They were very easy to take off of the flower. We'll see what happens!
Hope you're enjoying summer!
Nancy

Unusual Sighting On The Homestead

I looked out the livingroom window and saw the dog chasing a very large white bird full speed ahead up the road. It was a peacock! There are two of them and we don't know where they came from. I gave Duke a good scolding and told him to leave it alone, so we'll see if they come back. :-)
You just never know, do you?
Nancy

Journey To Simplify-Part Six

Our plan was to do a major cleaning on the house in the country and some painting and drywall repair. Instead, we had to replace walls, floors, and ceilings, completely renovate the bathroom, and move some doors, walls, and windows. Everything but the foundation was rotted. It was a tremendous amount of work, but our young sons learned how to do a lot! It seemed like we would never get to the end, we finally did, and moved in. We had some of the very best times of our lives there.
It was so exciting to raise our own meat and eggs! I can't even describe to you the feeling that we had when we picked up our first homegrown meat.
We watched a mother hen hatch and raise her little ones. (She was a very good mother. Jack built a little house in the back yard and fenced it in so that we could watch the whole process. It is one of the most amazing things that I have ever seen.)
Our daughter, who was against moving to the country, laid on the grass the first day to read a book, and felt the peace wash over her. Our sons built a blind in the pasture to watch and film wildlife, cooking their breakfast over an open fire. Our oldest son would climb up to the top of the windmill and gaze around at the countryside and ponder. (That was his thinking spot). We bought a young colt for them to raise. A friend named him General and people would stop on the road to look at him because he was so beautiful.
And, all the time, our hearts were turning closer and closer to home.
To be continued....
Nancy