saying goodbye

Pardon me while I blubber...

but we had the saddest of evenings tonight. You know that part of Charlotte's Web when the animals are at the fair and Charlotte doesn't get to go back home with them?  Even though you know it's true, you wait, holding your breath to see if maybe, just maybe she'll somehow appear again in Wilbur's crate?  And that sadness that overwhelms you when you realize she's not there and never will be again? This is how I felt tonight when we said goodbye to our animals.

It was hard on all of us. Phil, his dad, and Caleb, our little shepherd boy, drove away at 10:00 this evening, hauling 14 sheep and 9 steers in a cattle trailer. The men will drive all night so they can be at the auction first thing tomorrow morning. I know this is going to sound pathetic, but we stood in the rain at the end of our driveway crying our eyes out and the kids wailed at the top of their lungs, "Goodbye forever, sheepies and cows...we'll miss you...why do you have to go...Daddy, please bring them back." I kept wondering if our neighbors could hear us. We watched until the truck and trailer were out of sight, then headed upstairs to brush our teeth and pile into my bed to watch Muppet Babies on You Tube. Isn't that what you would do if someone drove away with your farm animals?

Last week, we were having to keep a close eye on one of our sheep who was having trouble walking. She was older and the only female who did not have babies this summer. Last Sunday, Phil walked in the house and said quietly, "I need to go dig a hole now." I knew exactly what that meant. At that moment, I was snuggled up with my girls watching a Christmas episode of Little House on the Prairie. Right after he told me this, I had to watch Mr. Edwards give Laura and Mary their tin cups and peppermint sticks. Talk about heart-wrenching!

I love how my 9 year old tried to comfort his little brother this afternoon..."Caleb, don't worry. They're not all going away. One is staying here. The dead one."  Thanks, Jared.

So now I have this terrible ache in my heart and an awful feeling in the pit of my stomach. This from a girl who said months ago about farm life, "This just isn't me."

I'm not sure how long it will be until I can go out to those empty stalls again.

as it should be

Two cups are better than one. 

Phil was gone all of last week for a work conference and things just weren't the same around here. It's so nice to have everyone together again. We enjoyed coffee on the patio tonight after dinner while watching the kids run around and play. Things are as they should be. Ahhhhhhh.

One of my sisters called this week and asked if she could come for an impromptu visit. This was her first visit up here in our new home so we had fun showing her around. I love sister visits. We do what we call our 'sister laugh.' If you heard us, you'd understand.We crack each other up and laugh hysterically about the strangest things.

After dinner I headed out to the garden to check on things and to take a couple of pictures. Earlier this week I realized that I haven't posted any recent pictures of our garden.

I love slipping my worn-out rubber boots on after dinner and heading out to the field with the family to check on the garden and visit the animals. It's so peaceful here in the evening.

And look what we have now! Lots and LOTS of blackberries...big, juicy ones. A few weeks ago a vendor at the farmer's market gave me several sturdy berry baskets. They're perfect for sending out with the kids when we need a few berries for breakfast. I think they're adorable, and they make berry picking that much more fun with the added cuteness factor. :)

The berries don't last long. My kiddos caught up with me as I walked into the front yard. I probably brought less than 10 berries back into the house with me.

A quick game of sprinkler tag before bedtime

twins!

 We had twins tonight! Sorry for the blurry picture...they were born right at dusk and I didn't realize that my flash was off. Aren't they cute?

We had such a sweet evening tonight. After dinner, we all headed out to the field to check on the animals and to do a little gardening. This mama ewe was showing definite signs of being in labor. Phil and I knew it would be a matter of time. We went inside and put the kids to bed, and sure enough, while we were inside she gave birth to twins.

Phil called up the stairs for our little shepherd boy who was already tucked into bed. We whispered into his ear, and then out the door he ran! Can I just say that this has been one of the greatest parenting moments ever? Wow! Tonight as I was out in the garden looking around at my sweet family, our animals and the beautiful view, I kept thinking to myself, "I'm so blessed to live this life."

 Just about a half an hour old

 Caleb watched as the mommy cleaned off her babies and said, "God is telling her to do that."

And they found their milk right away!

meet our new baby lamb!

Our little shepherd meeting his newest lamb

We arrived home from a trip this evening and had a little surprise waiting for us! This little one was born some time today. From a distance, it looked like a little black cat was running around the pasture.

I told the kids, "I'm a Lamb-ma!"

 All four of our ewes are expecting right now. I've been so nervous about this possibly happening while I'm home alone with the kids. I really don't know what to do. In my mind, I saw myself boiling water and searching for old rags like they do in the movies. Then I scared myself by doing a bit of research online. Of course the only articles I could find were the ones describing the most gruesome births.

We're so excited about our new little lamb!

the creek and a new favorite

Phil removed a ton of blackberry brambles so the kids could have access to the creek. A few weeks ago we finished reading On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder, so my kids decided to name our little creek Blackberry Creek, or Berry Creek, for short. I love watching them splash and wade around in the water.

I think I've discovered a new favorite. It's up there with reading to my kids and baking. Are you ready for this? It's spreading fresh, clean straw in the sheep's newly-cleaned stall. The work is gruesome - the pitchfork, the stench of manure and urine. That part is not so fun. But I love the sweet smell of fresh straw and its crackly sound underfoot. Spreading it around a clean stall for the sheep gives me the same kind of feeling that I get when I tuck my kids into bed after they've had a nice, warm bath. I love it that much. I didn't at first. I remember muttering words to the pitchfork like, "This isn't me. This just isn't me." But it is. It's becoming me.

our little garden

Things are coming along in the garden! It's so fun to see new little sprouts pop up every day.

our before picture

busy weekend

Time to plant our garden!

Phil has worked so hard to get everything ready.

We spent most of this past weekend working outside - glorious! I never knew how much I would enjoy being out in the fields with the animals. They're good company. There's something so comforting about it.

a day off

                

The Wind

by Robert Louis Stevenson

I saw you toss the kites on high

And blow the birds about the sky;

And all around I heard you pass,

Like ladies' skirts across the grass--

O wind, a-blowing all day long,

O wind, that sings so loud a song!

 

My kids had a day off from school today for teacher in-service. One thing I love about my kids is they never say the words, "I'm bored." They love to read, do puzzles, play imaginary games together, or play outside. I love this about them. This doesn't mean that we don't have the occasional squabbles, but for the most part, they're best buds.

Today and yesterday they did lots of kite flying.

My husband was off today, too, so we burned our pile of yard trimmings. 

I thought this was so funny...when I looked outside the window this morning, all of our cows were huddled up against the burn pile and they spent their entire day there.

 

april's days are merry

Getting ready to put a delicious cherry swirl breakfast cake from this cookbook into the oven.

Watching our cows live out the old saying, "The grass is always greener..."

Making paper doilies out of coffee filters after reading Bread and Jam for Frances; the girls wanted to have their snacks on doilies with little flower bouquets just like Frances.

 Creating Tinkerbell slippers with paper, a green marker and cotton balls.

heading into march

And here it is, March already. We're enjoying early signs of spring around here--much, much earlier than we did in Spokane. Last month was a busy month for us. We were able to bring home 4 sheep, 5 lambs (a set of twins included), 1 ram, and 9 bulls. I was a little intimidated at first. My husband grew up on a cattle ranch, I grew up in San Francisco. I honestly didn't know how much I'd enjoy farm life. It's so relaxing to grab a cup of coffee, roll up my jeans, slip on my rubber boots and head out to the pasture. The animals know us now and aren't so skittish when we come near. I can walk amongst them or just sit on the fence rails for little visits. I can even clean out the sheep's stall with the pitchfork and add new hay for them to bed in. This is big for me, especially since I happened upon a dead rat the first time I went into the tack room to gather hay.

It's been fun to watch my boys work with their dad out in the fields. One boy has taken to the sheep, the other to the cattle. A shepherd and a rancher. I can see from my kitchen window scenes as sweet as this. But I think my favorite so far is seeing my husband sitting on the fence rails with his coffee in hand and cattle all around. This is a wonderful sight to see as I stand at my kitchen sink to do the morning's dishes.

The girls are precious, too, stomping around the fields in their rubber boots. One girl, in particular, loves the animals and she loves to walk around the perimeter of the pasture checking the fences with her daddy. But the other girl prefers to stay inside to draw and color and dance. I still enjoy being indoors, too, because I'm in love with my bright, new kitchen.

We've picked up a couple of books on homesteading. As beneficial as this sounds, it's also very intimidating to one who grew up in the city. Maybe I'm the only one who thinks this way, but every time I read through the Little House series I beat myself up for being so dependent on modern conveniences and technology.

I loved reading this quote about Charles Ingalls the other night:

"'That machine's a great invention!' he said.
'Other folks can stick to old-fashioned ways if they want to,
but I'm all for progress.
It's a great age we're living in.
As long as I raise wheat,
I'm going to have a machine come and thresh it.'"

And so am I. I'm all for progress. I say if a machine can do the work, let it. But if I can find joy in doing something with my own hands, if I have the time to do it (meaning, it won't take too much time away from my family), and if it's cost-effective, I just might consider doing some things the "old-fashioned" way. And just because it's possible to produce much of our own food on this plot of land, I think I'll still head to the grocery store for my bread, milk and eggs. I'm trying to look at this new life of mine and find a good balance. If Caroline Ingalls were alive today, I'd most likely run into her at Wal-Mart from time to time. :)

february days

Super fun paper for making a valentine banner

New sheep, lambs and a ram

Girlies playing Costco stample (sample) ladies this morning with their unplugged easybake oven

Teaching our oldest how to drive the lawn mower

Raking, and resting after raking, our leaves from last Fall (we're just a tad behind here)

Here's a sweet little video of the kids putting the sheep to bed for the night...