Impulse buy

I went shopping today in Mena with my cousin Ron. He and I had a lovely lunch together and then had some errands to run. The restaurant we ate at was near Atwoods which is a farm supply store and I asked Ron if he wanted to go in there and look at the baby ducks and rabbits, etc...As you can see, we brought two baby geese home with us. I wasn't really torn about this purchase. I figured, hey I live on a farm, I have lots of ponds (one which happens to be just down the hill) and why not?? The first thing that surprised me about these little critters was how loud they are. They chirped all the way home. I was thinking, poor things, they are going try and run away and I'm going to have to try and keep them penned in somewhere. I soon discovered that they are extremely social creatures and took to us immediately. They will hardly let us out of their sight. It is so sweet. We put them in a large rubbermaid container with their food and water, but every time we disappeared from sight, they would start to protest, loudly, so we placed an old teddy bear in with them which worked like a dream. I guess this is probably one of the cutest things I've ever seen, two baby geese snuggled up tightly and sleeping on an old teddy bear. We have deemed them, Sugar and Spice. So far today, they have played in the front yard, swam in the bath tub (which was also extremely precious) visited Granna's house, watched a movie and now are soundly sleeping in their box, with their bear. Oh, to have babies in the house again. 

How to keep kids off drugs

Kyle had an acquaintance at school that was expelled yesterday for possession of cocaine. And I wondered why I was finding gray hairs!!! I couldn't believe that this was happening in our little community, and of all things in the 8th grade. I have talked with my kids many times about drugs and the consequences of doing them, we have always kept an open line of communication about these controversial topics and, so far, they have seemed to feel comfortable keeping me informed of all that is going on in their lives. I have been thinking about this a lot today, just to think that my baby, my son, my precious angel was hanging out and talking to a peer that had cocaine on them, that he was even in the parameter of this horrid thing. My initial feelings were to take both of my kids out of school and home school them, to keep them on the farm and protect them from all of this dark, evil grime. This is one lesson that I don't want them to have to learn. This afternoon when Kyle got home, he sat on the couch and watched Jeff Corwin on the animal planet. We talked about his day and he courteously asked about my day. Then he said he was going to go out...he has been asked not to ride for four-wheeler because of the price of gas, so he headed out on foot with his shotgun. I told him to be careful, he said he would and reassured me that he would be home in a little while and that he had his phone on him. About an hour went by and I went to the front door and saw him walking down the driveway, shotgun in one hand, rabbit in the other. My heart welled up with pride as this boy of mine, this country kid who I've tried to raise in God's love, walked up my driveway as proud as he could be with his trophy. So, I figured I was doing my part in fighting the war on drugs in letting my son be free, allowing him to spend his money (every penny of it) on shotgun shells and permitting him to roam about our acreage with the gun his dad hunted with when he was a boy. What more do kids need than a feeling of importance, a place to belong, and lots and lots of love love love. Right now, that rabbit is skinned and sitting in a pot in my kitchen...I have no idea to prepare a rabbit but for Kyle's sake I'll try to figure it out. I'm having "Fatal Attraction" flashbacks!!!

The loop

The picture seen here is an arial photo of our farm and surrounding woodlands. Highlighted in red is "the loop". I don't know if you can see, but I have indicated the start and finish which is my house, right next to the green looking pond which Kyle says looks like a snapping turtle's head. The loop is exactly 2.8 miles. I have walked this thing many times. Actually, it is more like hiking than walking for much of it is rocky and there are several steep hills. I have been reluctant to take this hike for a few weeks now since Buddy, my guardian dog, is gone. I decided last night that there was nothing to be afraid of and poor Sophie and Charlotte were missing their walks because Mom was scared of, well, nothing. So, this morning I strapped on my tennis shoes and headed out. Surprisingly my body wasn't too angry with me and I made the first big hill without incident. I began to ponder my walking and how many times my feet had trodden this path. Was there anything notable about this ritual? Not really, just a lightness of heart and a knowing that I was doing something good for my body. There are no well-wishers lining the path of this one-woman (and two dog) marathon. Nobody cheering me on or holding out cups of gatorade, just the wind in the pines whispering my name and willing me to move forward. Usually I have my ipod playing in my ears too, a little Neil Diamond (Cherry, Cherry) can set even the moodiest of souls right with the universe. There is no finish line waiting for me, no grand finale of cheers and jubilation, only home. Could there be a better finish line?? Home. Anyway, I'm back on track, so to speak...conquering my fears of nothing and allowing myself to be free. Sophie and Charlotte are completely grateful. 

Ode to a peach blossom

Spring is finally emerging from her sleep. The evidence is everywhere I look and I am thrilled. I am always excited when the blossoms peak out from the trees, and I have always considered this yearly transformation a miracle but this year it is more appreciated. Maybe every year I appreciate this miracle more, so I only have greater appreciation to look forward to. And the fact that this year is here now, this will be the best spring so far.  The weather is still mighty unpredictable which is the nature of spring, but the interspersed days of sunshine and warmth are heavenly. It is cool out today and storms are expected the next couple of days, but even the rains are welcomed for they will bring forth the grass and flowers. Even the lightning and thunder that we have missed all winter have their place in the miracle of life, in bringing forth nutrients to the soil and aiding mother earth in her endeavor to produce sustenance. I shall relish in the joy of spring and do my part as a citizen of earth to aid mother nature in what ever she may ask of me. 

I am sitting here looking at what is left of the snow. It was beautiful while it was here, now it has faded into patches of white here and there and left the roads muddy and slushy, looking somewhat like a mocha frap with whip cream on top. All of us got the most out of the snow while it lasted, building snowmen, walking through the pastures and ooohing and aahing at every little thing in site. The snowman that we built is quite the redneck. Kyle had the idea of donning him with antlers, which at first I was opposed to but then decided that it was quite a creative idea, even if it did make him look a little bit like satan. The snow was the perfect consistency for building although none of us had appropriate gloves and suffered throughout the process, stopping every few minutes to warm our frozen hands back to a functional temperature. The chickens arrived yesterday in the middle of a blizzard so when the big doors were opened to usher them in, the heat escaping out into the cold snow created a huge ball of steam that if you looked close enough you could actually see little dollar bills dissipating into the atmosphere. The newest batch of chicks on the farm are now settled in and we have another chance at a fresh start. A fresh start, my heart is light just saying the words. I am still looking forward to spring for what could be more representative of things beginning anew. 

Where is spring??

I was flipping through some pictures this afternoon and came across this one. There were several from this day but for some reason, my heart welled up when I came to this particular one. Wonder why??? Look at it, everything is lush and green. There are clothes hanging on the line, why you can almost smell the petunias and hear the hummingbirds. I don't remember a winter that has lasted so long. Yesterday was warm and I was outside in it all day working in the yard. Sadly, the cold wind has pushed me back inside today. Where are you spring?? Why are you taking so long to arrive?? While I was outside yesterday, I heard a flock of geese overhead, so I looked up and sure enough there they were. But wait, they were headed south, wait, no, west...where are they going anyway? Even the poor geese are confused about this weather. They are ready to head north but the cold keeps pushing them back too I guess. I know God has his reasons for this belated spring, perhaps just to make me appreciate it more. It will be welcomed with open arms when it arrives...I mean literally. I think I'll even kiss the grass and hug the flowers. 

Jonquils

Living on a farm which has more than a few acres, you have to identify the different locations by name. You have heard me mention "lighting hill". Well, I am excited to announce that the jonquils are blooming on "jonquil hill". This was obviously an old house place and we continue to find little treasures over there, besides the jonquils. There is a large old fashion rose bush on the fence line that Rodney keeps threatening to cut down. Mom has a large water pump in her rose garden that was harvested from here. But look at what other treasure I found!! Kyle picking Jonquils for his mom. He picked a whole bunch of them that are now gracing my kitchen table, he even helped arrange them in the vase. Now before you start to think how sweet it is for a 13 year old boy to pick flowers for his mother...you should know that I sent him on this mission. I would have picked them myself but I was trying to get some other things done. I also thought that this might be a nice counter offensive to all of the gun shooting, skinning, spitting and scratching that he is learning from his dad. After all, this boy will be a man soon and I would like for him to grow up to be the kind of man that might actually think to pick flowers for someone he loves. I'll be expecting a big thank you from whomever he marries.