Farm Mothers

                                           One of Hariett's spotted lambs

                                           Louise before having triplets

                                           Pygmy goat twins and Thelma's smallest

    In honor of Mother's Day, I want to share with you the mothers we have on our farm. Harriett, the sheep, was the first to birth this spring. She birthed two of the cutest brown and white spotted lambs. We weren't sure if she was pregnant but one morning in February a man working on our house said he had spotted some lambs in our west pasture. So we ran out there and, sure enough, Harriett had come through. She's been a good mother and the lambs are healthy and growing too fast for my liking.
    Then Louise, one of our pygmy goats, gave birth to triplets-three times the cuteness. Sadly, the smallest only lived a few weeks. But she's been a good mother and her kids are growing super fast and healthy. There had been no mistaking she was pregnant because she was as wide as she was tall before giving birth.
    We didn't think that Thelma, another pygmy goat, was pregnant because she never got any bigger.
But she surprised us on Easter evening. We went out to the barnyard and saw a tiny little kid. At first we thought she was one of the twins but then realized she was smaller than anything we have had birthed here. Thelma has been a good mother. Her little kid thinks she's as big as the others. She looks like a bunny when you see her ears sticking up out of the grass and she is jumping around.
    That's all the babies we had this year. We thank God they are all thriving and growing. We are getting twelve new ewes in a few weeks so we could have two dozen lambs next spring. I hope so, they are fun to watch.
    Happy Mother's Day to all you mothers. I'm thankful that I had a good mother. She has been gone four years this summer. Not a day goes by that I don't think of her and miss her. If your mother is still alive, spend time with her and tell her you love her. Have a happy day!

The West Pasture Gang

    Out in the pasture,  on the left of our house,  on our little farm, we have put our silly and sassy assortment of barnyard animals that I fondly call "The West Pasture Gang". Members are Rosemary, my pet sheep. She was the last lamb born last spring, and the smallest. The other lambs, larger, would butt her away from the food and water. Then she got sick so we put her in a pen by herself and fed her food with medicine in it. My husband said if she pulled through we would keep her as a pet and never sell her. She is very sweet and serves as a mother figure for the little goats.
    Then there is Harriette. The sheep we have are katahdins. They are a hair sheep-not wool-and are supposed to shed their hair each spring. Harriette has not shed her hair for two springs so no one has wanted to buy her. She's quite rotund and foul tempered, probably due to the fact that she has a large cocoon of hair around her middle. Handy in the winter but not so much in the summer.
    The other members are pygmy goats. The ring leader is Louise. Louise has a propensity for head-butting anyone in her vicinity. I would say she is doing it in order to protect her babies, Lola and Lynn, but she has been head-butting the other animals ever since she came. She's just mean.
    Then there is Thelma. She is the same age, 3, and size as Louise; and is the target for most of Louises's hard hits. I've been thinking that she was getting awfully independent because she's been staying away from the others. But she surprised us Easter evening by giving birth to a baby goat I've named Taylor. We didn't even know she was pregnant,
   Then there's Peggy. Peggy is younger and smaller than the others. She's a feisty little thing. She can usually be seen frolicking in the sun or standing on top of the doghouse begging me for animal crackers.
    Louis's two babies are Lola and Lynn. They had a brother but he died, so sad, They love to run and jump their 4 legs straight in the air. Right now they stick close to each other and close to their mother . Louise is a good mother and doesn't head-butt her babies.
    All of the gang, sheep and goats, love animal crackers. They can't get enough. Other than that, they live a simple life. The follow each other to the front of the pasture in the mornings and parade back to the fence closest to the barn around sunset for the evening and to sleep.
    What's the spiritual lesson in all this? Community. God made us to live in relationship, with Him, and with other people. No matter if people are mean, or different, or don't act like us, we should try to build a relationship with them. No matter if they're a different shape, a different color, or a different race, we are to love them.
"Owe nothing to anyone-except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God's law', Romans 13:8.
"And may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows", I Thessalonians 3:12.

The Mood Cure

    Last week was a bad week for me. I have been on a pain medication, Tramadol, for my back pain for two years. Tramadol is a synthetic, man-made, opiate-like drug that is not considered a controlled substance except in a few states. It has helped my back pain and enabled me to live my life again, along with a couple of other meds I take.
    My husband and I went to Kansas City the weekend a week ago, to an alpaca show. Stupid me either misplaced my Tramadol or it was stolen from the hotel room. And my pain management doctor  has a policy to not refill lost or stolen pills. So I was forced to stop the Tramadol cold turkey.
    It was horrible. I've had the flu and the shingles this year but this withdrawal made me sicker than both of those combined. I had sweating, insomnia, body pain, depression. The first few days I thought I was going to die. I tried to get in to see my PCP but couldn't get an appointment with her until this week. I began to think God was wanting me to get off of this medicine but I didn't know if I could.
    Then I remembered a book I read several years ago that had helped me, "The Mood Cure" by Julia Ross. I got it out and started reading it again. She is a psychotherapist and pioneer in the field of nutritional psychology. She has treated thousands of women and addicts in her clinic in SanFransisco.
Her program uses four mood-building amino acids that can be bought at any health food store, as well as nutritional supplements and a diet rich in good mood foods like protein, fats, and vegetables.
    So I started following the suggestions in her book and immediately started feeling better. Now, a week later, I feel better than I have in a long time. Tramadol had not only helped my back pain but it elevated my mood also.  After two years on it though, it had numbed me so that I couldn't feel anything. I couldn't cry no matter how much I wanted to. But yesterday I went in tears to the altar of our church to be prayed over by an elder. The tears wouldn't stop. It was so nice to have that release of sweet tears.
    Last week, I couldn't wait until I could get back on Tramadol. I was counting off the days until my next doctor appointment. Now, I'm going to try to stay off of it. I'm going to follow the program in "The Mood Cure" to elevate my mood so that I can handle the pain better. So far it's working and my mind feels clearer than it has in years. All glory goes to my Savior always.
     I'm not saying everyone needs to get off their pain meds for chronic pain. That med gave me my life back when I was in so much pain I couldn't function. And I may have to get back on it again sometime. But if anyone wants a natural approach to elevate their moods so they can handle life than check out "The Mood Cure" by Julia Ross.
"Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have a new life. So use your whole body
as an instrument to do what is right", Romans 6:13

My Way!!!

                                          Bella giving a bottle to the calf.

                                          Kaya being Kaya.

    My two granddaughters came to visit last week for Spring Break. They are 3 and 9 years old, red-haired and high maintenance. Bella, the 9 year old, is famous for her "Bella Meltdowns". She is growing up. She didn't have a single meltdown while she was here.
    Her little sister, Kaya, however, was a stinker. If I would tell her that she couldn't have something or do something she wanted; she would either pucker up and cry or throw a temper tantrum. Clearly, she hasn't been told "No" much in her short life.
   If I asked her if she wanted to paint, or play outside, or get dressed-reasonable requests, she would say "No, Mommy do it. I don't like you".
    It reminded me of how I am toward God. If He closes the door on something I really want, I either pucker up and cry or throw a fit. I don't come right out and say that I don't like Him, but my thoughts and actions show that I am feeling that way.
    I've grown up somewhat. I know now that God's way is the best way, the only way. I'm not as rebellious as I was when I was younger; but I'm known to still have an occasional "Bella Meltdown" if I don't get my way.

    Lord, Save me from myself. Help me to always want your way in my life. Help me to keep my thoughts always on You and put You first in my priorities. Thank you for understanding when I have a meltdown, and for always loving me , even when I'm not loveable.

"Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect", Romans 12:2.

"No power in the sky above or in the earth below-indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus", Romans 8:39.

The Hare and the Tortoise

                                          Elizabetta is an alpaca

                                           Rosemary my pet sheep

                                           Thelma is a pygmy goat

                                            Sampson and Delilah are our LGDs

   My husband is a hare; he is a type A high energy person. I am a tortoise, slowly meandering around
most days with my head tucked in my shell. We have been so busy this almost spring on our farm. My husband's head has been spinning around thinking of all he wants and needs to do. I'm tucking my head further in my shell so it doesn't start spinning, too.
   We sold all our sheep except Rosemary, my pet, and Harriett, who doesn't shed any of her hair. We have 12 new ewes coming in May so we have to get the pasture ready for them-checking the fence, providing food troughs and water buckets.
   In the meantime, my husband the hare decided he would buy some alpacas-7 females and two  crias
and two herd sires. In April we will breed them, hoping for more cria next April. They are pregnant for 12 months?!?!
    I tried to talk my husband out of getting the alpacas but when his head is set on doing something, it's best to just step out of his way and let him go after it. Now that we have them, I'm in love-again! Their long necks are so graceful and they are peaceful like the sheep.
   We need to halter train the alpacas before the shearer comes in April to shear them all. Then we need to figure out what to do with all that valuable fleece. We have gone to a couple of spinning classes and have discovered that we have absolutely no talent for this. Needles and yarn have never been my friends.
   I need to take my Border collie, Grace, to agility classes; and all our dogs are due vaccinations and grooming. We now have a way to transport Sampson and Delilah; they have overgrown any type of vehicle except my husband's truck. He has found a ramp that they will walk up on to get in the truck bed. At least, Delilah has done this. Not Sampson our huge baby yet.
   We have 3 calves we are raising for meat and have had to bottlefeed. Actually we fasten buckets with long nipples onto the fence and they drink from this-twice every day. And our pygmy goat, Louise, gave birth to triplets. What cuteness!!! The 8 hens we bought for laying eggs have laid nary an egg. I've told them they are not at a resort. They are supposed to work for their accomodations.
   On top of all that our daughter and two youngest granddaughters are coming tomorrow to stay the week of their spring break. And then our oldest granddaughter and a friend are coming for their spring break next week.
   Is your head spinning yet? Mine is, just writing this. But it is almost spring (although we had snow and sleet yesterday); and a steady dose of sunshine will cure many ills. Depression?? I don't have time to let it settle in any more. And I believe (finally believe) that my God will never leave me or forsake me. "No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you", Joshua 1:5.
   My God directs my steps, delights in my life's details; and He holds my hand so that I won't fall on my back if I trip over. "The Lord directs the steps of  the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand", Psalm 37:23-24.
   I love this life that God has given me and I can't praise Him enough for making something beautiful out of my life that was such a hot mess and worse. "I lie awake thinking of you, meditating on you through the night. Because you are my helper, I sing for joy in the shadow of your wings. I cling to you; your strong right hand holds me securely", Psalm 63:6-8. 

Slow As Molasses

    "Slow as molasses" is an old phrase meaning painfully slow. Molasses pours out of a jar very slowly, especially in cold weather. This term is not used as much today since molasses is not used much by our modern fast-food families. It was used as a sweetener in days gone by (before we knew sugar was bad for you) as it is a rich, thick byproduct of sugar making. It was often used to make cookies and other sweet treats, back when mothers baked such things.
    "Slow as molasses" is the best phrase I can think of to describe myself right now. I have been sidelined for weeks with first the flu and then another round of snow and ice. I can sit for hours and watch the little finches fight over the spots on the feeders; or watch the alpacas raise their graceful necks to the sun as they munch on the crunchy coating of snow and sleet that covers our pasture.
    I am perfectly happy being slow this winter. Honestly, I've always been slow. I was never good at witty comebacks. It takes me awhile to process my thoughts and form them into words. I'd much rather give a prepared speech to hundreds of people than answer a question off the top of my head in a small group.
    I always thought slowness was bad; wishing I was the one to deliver that clever remark at just the right time; wishing I was the first one to know how to use the most current device. But that's ok. I'm ok. It's taken me 65 years to believe that I'm ok the way God made me. He made some of us to be the life of the party and some of us to speak life to one other person.
    I praise God for the life He has given me; the gifts He has given me; the sensitive personality He has given me. Even if sometimes I'm as" slow as molasses". Or as " slow as Christmas" which is a long 42 weeks away.
"O, Lord, what a variety of things you have made! In wisdom You have made them all. The earth is full of Your creatures", Psalm 104:24.
"May the glory of the Lord continue forever! The Lord takes pleasure in all He has made", Psalm 104:31.
"I will sing to the Lord as long as I live. I will praise my God to my last breath! May all my thoughts be pleasing to Him, for I rejoice in the Lord", Psalm 104:33-34.

Bitten

My daughter, her husband, and my two youngest granddaughters came to vist last weekend. We had a wonderful time keeping the little girls while their parents celebrated their dad's birthday.

I didn't know then that they had come bearing a host of nasty germs. My daughter woke up Sunday morning with a stomach virus. My three year old granddaughter went to the doctor Monday with a bad cough and tested positive for flu.

I feared I was bound to get one or the other and, sure enough, I was bitten with the flu bug. I'm obeying my doctor's orders to lay low and push fluids for three days.

As I sit here in my easy chair, I think back to two years ago when I was sidelined with a pinched nerve in my back. That time of seclusion turned out to be a blessing because I got closer to Jesus than I had ever been, after spending weeks just reading my Bible and praying to Him.

At that time, I decided I didn't ever want to go back to fast paced living. I decided that I wanted to live slower, to find the joy that comes in simple moments. I decided I wanted to declutter  my life and live with less. I was dismayed by the greed I saw, in my own closet.

I'm still working, with Jesus' help, in these areas. I still have a long way to go, but I'm determined to scale down my life so I can enjoy it more. I've been bitten by the desire to simplify my life, for real this time. I want to live how ever many days I have left in a way that glorifies God and not to buy into the excess of the world I live in. 

"Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me", Psalm 51:10.

"Put on your new nature and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like Him", Ephesians 4:24.