Dog Rescue

Yesterday, I got a phone call from Taylor as she was headed out. "Mom, there is a little dog down by the creek. I couldn't stop to get it, but can you go see if you can find it...He's really scared." I asked Kyle if he wanted to run down there with me to rescue the poor thing. "You're gonna have to stop being so nice." he replied to me. I always thought being "nice" was a good thing??

We looked for about an hour and didn't see anything.

This morning as Rodney and I were on our way back home I saw her. Rodney reluctantly stopped and let me gather her up. I figured I could at least find out who she belongs to by her tag. She was wearing only a rabies tag. I called the vet's number on the tag and the serial number led us nowhere. It was loosely connected to a cat? I figured somebody just threw a tag on her so she wouldn't look like a stray.

There is something wrong with her eyes. She seems to be able to see, but not well. I will be taking her to see Dr. Devlin in the morning, who is the Sevier County Humane societies president. We will assess the situation and go from there. I've offered her a foster home until we can find a forever family for her.

She is just as sweet as she can be. Scared, but sweet. She does NOT like Emma's shenanigans which is quite confusing to poor Emma. Typically, Emma's over exuberance is tolerated quite well by her peers (and her humans).

If you know anybody looking for a dog and would be willing to adopt one with a slight malady, please let me know. You know, it is the dogs who are broken and in need of rescue that make the best pets. I'll be posting pictures of her via Facebook and the Sevier County Humane Society tomorrow.

Catching Leaves

I posted this on my freedom blog but decided to share it here as well.

So far this year, the leaves on the big oak in the back yard have been clinging pretty tightly to their branches. Over the past couple of days, they have finally decided to let go. This morning those leaves put on quite a spellbinding waltz as they twirled and perfectly pirouetted to the dance floor beneath them. Rodney piped up once and said "they sure do fly a long ways don't they?" which started me counting seconds. Yep, sipping coffee and seeing just how long any particular leaf could stay in flight.

I told Rodney it was like watching an aquarium. There really is no explaining why it was quite so fascinating but, for some reason, we sat there in a trance. I counted one leaf that floated downward for a full 7 seconds...he was the winner this morning, according to my data.

I couldn't quite capture the thrill of it all with my lens, partly because the wind wasn't blowing when I decided to grab my camera, and partly because I didn't feel like waiting till the wind decided to blow again.

I headed out into the mystical morning dawning my big ol rubber boots but decided to leave the umbrella behind. No, I wanted to be in it, to absorb the moist autumn air, and even let it mess up my hair. After I fed the goats and bunnies, I started back to the house but thought I'd try to see if I could catch one of those falling leaves first.

I stood staring up at the tree, waiting. My glasses became foggy and covered with drops of rain but, here came a leaf! I ran towards it but it escaped my fingers with ease. Now this was a challenge between me and the tree (and the wind, and the rain, and my own skill and balance). I found myself laughing out loud as I missed one after the other. They would seemingly head strait for me and then, as if tied to an invisible string, would dart away. Emma became very excited by what I was doing and wanted to play too, she just wasn't sure exactly what her part in it was. Finally, I caught one. It was a great victory.

My trophy (along with the pear I intend to eat later today). I momentarily thought "what a waste of time, counting seconds of leaves falling and running around like an idiot in the rain". Then I went back to that idea of being authentic. I feel better this morning than I've felt in a while. Perhaps there is healing and a connection with God in the moments we "waste". If God puts on a show of waltzing leaves, it might just behoove us to take a second to watch it. And if you feel the need to play a game with a tree, there is probably not a more constructive use of your time.

Big Girl Emma and Farm updates

My blogging has been averted to the Freedom Journey blog lately but there are things that must be bloggerized with reference to the farm.

First of all, I am so so proud of Miss Emma. Over the past few days she has made leaps from puppyhood. In a way, it makes me a little sad but mostly, I am bursting with delight. The first thing is that she has graduated from having to sleep in her kennel. For about 3 nights in a row, she was waking up at least once a night needing a drink or to go potty. Opening a kennel in the dark while half asleep and ushering around a boxer in a groggy haze is not a fun as it sounds. Monday night after she made her rounds to potty and to get a drink, she jumped on the couch laid down and gave me a look that clearly said, "pleeeaaasse let me sleep on the couch". I patted her head, gave her a kiss and told her to be a good girl then went back to bed. Morning came and she found her way to my side of the bed and was ready for our first snuggle of the day. Good girl Emma.

Then this morning, Rodney and I had to sort some calves down at the corral. It has been a rainy, foggy morning so I made another big decision and left Emma in the house while we were gone, not confined to her kennel. I asked Sophie and Charlotte to keep and eye on her told them all to behave. We were gone for about 2 hours. I hesitantly came through the door, wondering what I would find chewed or broken. Joy and rapture! Good good girl Emma. All was in order. Needless to say, everybody got an extra cookie this morning.

We have been without Goat milk for over a month now. The does have all been bred this month (I hope) and are due to kid in March. I've really been missing the daily chore of milking and certainly missing the milk. When we bought our first gallon of cow's milk from the store, Taylor drank a big glass of it and it very much upset her tummy. I guess she had so acclimated to the goats milk that her poor tummy had no idea what to do with pasteurized, store-bought cow's milk. We no longer have our mean old buck. I sold him to a friend and then "borrowed" another buck. He did his job and went back home which leaves me with only my 8 does and one wether. The wether is the little goat that I bottle fed from an infant and has a bit of identity-confusion. He isn't sure if he is a goat, a dog, or a human. They continue to find ways into the yard and, almost daily, I am diverting them away from my pumpkins and trees and back into the pasture.

This weekend will be 11 years since we made the farm our home. It has been, at the least, a learning experience. I am beginning to compile a list of things I've learned over the past years of being a farmer and will share it sometime this weekend. One thing we have found to be true is that we are NEVER going to be done. Farming is endless. There will never come a day when we will sit back and observe our accomplishments and say "well, we're done". We can merely face the tasks of the day and every day brings new challenges. I heard a line in a movie once that summed it up pretty succinctly. It is from the movie "I dreamed of Africa" which revolves around a woman who moves to a farm in Africa and faces extreme hardships while working very hard to improve the lives of the people around her. She tells her son at one point, "We think we run this place but we don't. It runs us." I guess that can be said about life in general. We think we're in control but it is only an illusion.

Allowing the farm to run our lives has been quite an adjustment. It has taught us much about surrender, about patience, and about life. I pray there are many more years to come and, even when the hard times come, we will look around us and feel God's blessings.

Join Me

I have begun a new blog about the new journey I am on in my life. My plans are to continue blogging here about farm things and, of course, my dogs...but most of my attention has been focused at the new blog lately.

I am searching for followers and would like to invite my current followers here to join me. If you know anybody else that might benefit (or at least get a kick out of my endeavors) please invite them as well.

Thank you all for being so sweet and kind. See you on the freedom journey.

resourcefulness

About 15 years ago, I bought my very first down-comforter. It is the same one I've had and loved all these years. I remember it being quite an investment at the time, paying almost $100 dollars for it.

Over the years, it has become tattered. Kitty cat claws, toddlers, puppies, and Rodney's bristly gorilla hair have all taken their toll on the poor thing. It's funny how attached one can get to a blanket, even as an adult.

I have patched holes and tears in it but lately it became obvious that I was going to have to retire it. Every night when Rodney and I would get into bed, we had a small down snow storm. It was actually a little bit amusing to me but it did become impractical having down leaking all over the place.

A few weeks ago, Rodney and I purchased a new comforter. It was a bitter-sweet occasion. But my old one was still full of down...it still was so soft, what can I do with this? I don't want to just pitch it in the dump, surely I can think of something.

It came to me today. I can make a doggy bed for Emma!! I have been thinking of purchasing a dog bed for my precious new baby but I kind-of already blew my doggy budget on vet bills and her snazzy new i.d. tag.

Anyway, I began brainstorming on how to put the comforter to use as a dog bed.

This is what I came up with.

I folded it, and refolded it until I came up with the right size and thickness. Emma was in love with it already. It is so comfortable.

Then I tacked it together at several of the open folds to keep it from being too wadded up. By the way, this comforter is about 1000 thread count and putting a needle through it was one of the hardest things I've done in a while.

I purchased a twin flat sheet for $3 at Wal-mart to make a cover for it. I simply did a quick measurement to find the dimensions the cover would need to be, cut it out and stitched it up.

Incidentally, when you have a raging case of A.D.D., things like this happen frequently. I've learned to live with it. You should too.

My mom has always told me that I'm not messy, I'm just creative. Creative or not...my seams are a big old mess, but it got the job done.

Once I got through the sewing marathon, It came time for me to stuff the comforter into the cover.

I left one edge open and stitched velcro on it so that the comforter could be removed and the cover easily washed.

Even when I was trying to stuff the thing...little-miss-thing refused to budge from it. It was her nap time. I was so excited that she loved it so much that she didn't want to move. After a bit of struggling and maneuvering, I had it.

And, voila!

I did a little looking online for down-dog-beds and one this size would cost about $200. I spent $3 on a sheet and reduced, reused and recycled. I feel so stinkin green. And, just look at how content my darling beautiful puppy is! Little projects like this are so rewarding.

The big kicker is, I put the bed in her kennel (which up till now she has wanted nothing to do with) and she is now sleeping soundly in it. I may even attempt to have her spend the night there tonight. Sleeping with her is completely sweet but I've been reading my "How to Raise the Perfect Dog" book and I think I may have to actually begin respecting her place as a dog and stop trying to make her my baby. I love Cesar Milan and, as hard as it may be, I am going to have to try to incorporate some of his principals.

Wish me luck!

firsts and lasts

Today is the first day of school. These days are always hard on me. I can't remember a first day of school that didn't cause me to crumble. Not that it is really sad, but that it marks a milestone on my journey here on this planet and I become aware of how fleeting life is. And, I really REALLY like my kids and miss them when they are gone.

I'm not sure why God gave them to me. I've always questioned His judgement on this. ME? You want ME to raise them? Surely you're mistaken.

We have a lovely relationship, my kids and I. For one thing, I have given them permission to be who God made them. In return, they allow me to be me and we dance around each others' weirdness with a natural balance. They never fail to tell me when I'm being dramatic and I don't hesitate to tell them that I am simply figuring out life just like they are. I have told them a hundred times that I didn't get a practice run on this whole parenting thing...they are it and I am, more than likely, going to mess some stuff up.

Today happens to be Taylor's last first day of school. Yes, she plans to go on to college but you know what I mean.

This was her first day of school. Pre-K. She didn't start kindergarten until she was almost 6 because of the way her birthday fell. I must admit, God was gracious to let me keep her almost a whole extra year. Just look at that kid. She was born ready to go. I didn't want her to ride the bus but she put her foot down, literally. Her little legs could barely climb those stairs. This picture isn't the greatest but you can see that beaming smile. As apprehensive as I've been over the years about letting her cut apron strings, that gumption she has in her spirit and her calm eagerness to face the world has given me peace. Look how happy she is for crying out loud! How could I not let her go?

Change is hard, I guess. Probably because we tend to get used to the way things are and we don't want to have to move from where we feel comfortable. Rodney told me this morning that we still have so many "firsts" to look forward to. He is brilliant, isn't he? So, instead of crying over what is gone, I am attempting to look forward to the next chapter in life. My goal this year is to embrace it fully. Each day and each milestone we pass. It is going to be a very full year and I am anxious to see what it will bring. I am thankful that I have my darling husband by my side to share all of our firsts and our lasts.

Goat Milking 101

A couple months ago, our family started drinking goats-milk. There were several reasons for doing this. I have goats, they have milk, and... why not? Then I researched a bit and found out that fresh goat milk is actually quite good for you. There's lots of good stuff in it.

So, here is my lesson in goat milking.

First of all, you'll need one of these

...lots of this

plenty of fresh water

and a bucket.

This bucket is just slightly over-kill for milking a goat but it works.

Also, a handy milk stand is a must.

I built this one myself, thank you, thank you very much.

Having a few helpers for moral support is nice, although annoying at times...but cute none-the-less.

Once you have all your supplies, your ready to milk. Hopefully you have a cooperative goat that won't kick and scream on the way to the stand as if going to the gallows. Thankfully, most goats cooperate nicely. They get a nice quite meal and it provides a great deal of relief for them.

Once you've got your goat secured on the stand, the fun can begin. If you happen to have three assistants, it is at this point that they will become very excited and impatient. They will wonder why in the world you are taking pictures when such critical proceedings are imminent.

Make sure you have a good balance of grains to feed your goat while she patiently allows you to collect her milk.

A nice, patient goat makes this event pleasant for both of you. She is, after all, allowing you to become quite intimate with her. Be kind, go slowly and thank her for her generosity.

Beg her pardon and begin by cleaning the teats with a clean moist towel.

Then, gently but firmly, compress the teat with your hand; starting at the top and working your way down. It takes some practice but is easy to pick up on with just a little effort.

You will be amazed, if you are anything like me, at the volume of milk that will begin to freely flow.

Periodically, squirt some milk on the milk stand for your helpers. This will keep them happy and out of your bucket.

It also creates an outpouring of brotherly love and community service as they assist one another in their efforts.

Everyone comes away from the experience with a great deal of satisfaction.

Your milk will need to be strained. As careful as you may be, it is very common for a stray goat hair or other debris to fall into your milk pail. A coffee filter and sieve work very well for this task.

A well-fed and cared for goat will produce about 2 quarts of milk per milking. It is best to do this twice a day. I like keeping mine in smaller containers so each milking can be kept separate. A container with a lid is ideal so you can shake the milk before pouring. There really is nothing quite like a cold glass of fresh goats milk. You can read here for more information on why it is beneficial.