Daylight Savings. In the Fall I feel as if I have won the lottery! In the Spring I feel like a train wreck. I love the extra hour in the Fall. I used to just get up earlier on that morning and do something productive- to really show I gained an hour. Now I just snuggle back under the covers and sleep! On the farm we adjust the milking times for Daylight Savings. Last night we milked an hour earlier. This morning my farmer woke up about a half an hour earlier to minimize the affect to the cows. He's like that. Cows first. The cows need to be milked about 12 hours ... View Post
30 Days of Thankfulness, Day #3, The Weekend
The weekend. Time to kick back and slow down. That's a hard concept on the farm. The weekend, for us, is like most days. Actually, harder. Most people don't work, or want to work on the weekend. Stores and repair shops are usually closed or have limited hours. Therefore weekends can be kind of tricky. My farmer still rises before dawn, accomplishes a full day of work before most of us get out of bed. Yet he rarely complains. This week he is tired. He's caught a cold and this weather has been dreary. This week has included 2 vet checks which takes most of the day. Moving heifers ... View Post
30 Days of Thankfulness, Day #2 This Practice
This practice forces me to name the gratitude- even when I don't feel it. I race through the house. A child to school, coffee with the farm boy, coffee with my farmer and coffee buddy, exchange student to the airport, me to an eye appointment. I am late to the eye appointment. 15 minutes late. I called. Left a message. I still went. I've waited for this appointment for months. It wasn't supposed to be until the week of Thanksgiving. They got me in early. And I get there and they tell me I'm too late. I had called. I wanted to yell at the lady. Do you know what I've been through ... View Post
30 Days of Thankfulness, List by List, Day #22
I've got my list. Hopefully I will not lose these. One for shopping, one for to do's. I make one for the timing of everything. Preparations for Thanksgiving. It is really the only time I can honestly say I am organized. My mom was such a planner. Really. Such a gift. She planned class reunions and fundraisers. She was PTA president for years. If there was a Board or Committee- she was on it. She had her bags for each Committee. A list for each. She thrived on these activities. Details were her thing. Her house was immaculate. She never, that I know of, ran around looking ... View Post
Thanksgiving; In Spite of the Grief Day #23 of Thankfulness
The fire. Coffee. The Quiet. The morning greets me well. I breathe deep the peace in these moments. For soon the farmhouse will come alive. Breakfast for 7. Preparations for Thanksgiving. Much, much to be done. This is the first Thanksgiving with out my dad. In 2013 I spent my first Thanksgiving without my mom and my son. Though the enemy of our souls would love to discourage and bring us down during a time of gratitude; we will stand; on the promises given by the Giver of Life. I have cherished memories of Thanksgiving at our Grandparents. A table stretched the length of the ... View Post
Do You Feel Depleted? Need Renewing? Day #2 of Thankfulness
In the deep place I rest. Knowing that He who made me can also calm me. I rest. In His unfailing love. I gingerly step forward. In hope. Clinging to what I know. Pressing forward, not in my own strength. But that of the One who gave all. We make changes in feed for the farm. We discuss plans for the land. What does it require to be fertile? To yield all that it can. How do we replenish nutrients lost from cropping? Good management is critical for survival. Our relationship with the Almighty is just as ... View Post
