It snowed. . .Again. Big fluffy flakes that stuck to the ground. The problem is, is it's April. The end of April-not the beginning. I'd prefer sunshine and warmth. I long to see Spring flowers and buds on the trees. This weather is down right frustrating. Yet no matter where I turn it's beautiful. A clean, white covering. This kind of snow is different. It doesn't last long. Birds carry on their chatter as if to protest the event. Water drips from everywhere. It's too warm to make icicles. I marvel at it all. A fresh new start. No foot prints. . . yet. Clean. Our lives ... View Post
Feeding Calves
A whole row of them. The number as high as 18. Calves. It's that time. They're not in their pens yet. We still need to build them. There's so much to be done. Each calf needs a bottle. 18 of them. 2 bottles a piece. We love to have helpers on the farm. We've had a lot of them lately. We're so short on help. So, I pitch in. (Sometimes I think they wish I would stay home. I can be a little needy.) It was hot and I was sweaty. The flies hovering and biting my ankles. That's the day I choose to feed calves. But it was beautiful too. That farm boy came out to ... View Post
When The Wind Howls, How Will Your Structure Stand?
The temperatures have warmed. The wind howls, creating a recipe for an icy landscape. With each gust, shutters pull from the house, the tin loosens on the barn's rafters. I wonder just how long it will be before they are torn from their structures. The constant berating; weakening the structure unless careful attention is taken. These needs have been set aside as flooding, death and cancer cry for the immediate. The effects of neglect apparent. Integrity of structure compromised. Sometimes the end doesn't seem in sight. It ... View Post
The Landscape That Brings Such Peace; The Savior, Where I Find Rest
I love this farm. I remember the first time I came here. The first time I rode up the road on the bucket of one of the tractors. We came up the hill and the mountain and all it's majesty loomed before me; snow covered, silhouetted against a clear blue sky. It took my breath away and stirred in me an emotion I had never felt before. This place still does that. No matter the weather; Or the season. It is beautiful. It has been a blessing through sickness and the deepest of heartaches.I have seen life and death in this ... View Post
Radiation And The Bat Cave Wall
They put on the mask and clip it to the table. He lies there so still. I touch his leg and pray. Red beams emit from the wall as they align the marks. The radiation is very specific. I swallow as they get everything prepared. We leave the room and a door closes; almost like the bat cave wall. Thick; protecting us all. But what about him? We are able to see him on the monitor. And I choke back the sobs that threaten to come. How can this be? Why do parents have to watch their kids endure this? Why do I have endure this? I ... View Post
Farm Living Without Your Oldest Son
The night Elijah went home to be with the LORD. His bed remained empty. . . and for 10 weeks now that hasn't changed. 10 weeks of leaning against the door frame, breathing in his scent, wondering how this can be. . . How can my son really be gone? 10 weeks of hoping to wake from this nightmare. It was his morning to help with chores. Gary did them alone. There was no power, so he had to hook up the generator. . .by himself. But, that was the only day. For weeks now, friends and family have risen in the early hours to ... View Post