Life on the hobby farm with one weird mama, 3 crazies, handy hubby and our fur babiesby and
A picture is worth a thousand words. This one was snapped by a friend of mine as we chatted outside. I have to say- this makes it all worth it. The beauty of a country sunset cannot be beat. I am a blessed lady for sure!
More glory from the garden.
Giant marigolds- no joke, these guys got about 4 feet tall!
And that is all…
Farm bliss!
Another day, another cup of coffee. Here we are again. It’s a Monday and it’s time to get it all done…. My list is forever growing and right now I am thinking about all of the winterizing that needs to be done.
-Cut firewood
-Heat lamps for bunnies
-Heat lamps for chickens
-Drain water hoses
-Pick veggies from garden
-Can or freeze veggies from garden
-Repair any doors on out buildings
-Insulate water pump
It goes on and on. As long as we live here I think we will forever have to dos a mile long. This particular morning I am trying to remember my promise to myself. I will do something for me today. I do not have do do everything.
I am looking forward to the quieter months and I know that our workload will decrease a bit as we head indoors. It is always a flurry of activity before we get to the real hard weather of winter and to be honest I just don’t have the energy at the moment.
I remember the story of the cricket and the ant. The ant worked diligently through the summer to store away food. The cricket played music late into the summer night’s and slept through the heat of the day. In the end the ant was well fed and warm that winter and the cricket had to humble himself to ask for food and shelter. I am all ant- all the way… until I am all cricket- all the way!
Well, I know my half ant temperament has at least given me a few canned items on my pantry shelf. I also had a lovely garden this year. So I’m letting the cricket half win at the moment. It’s time to slow down and watch the leaves turn.
Happy Fall!
Today I am a bit out of sorts. There has been a bug going around and I was the lucky one to kick it off. It has traveled through all the kids and it’s now on it’s second round. I am resisting for all I am worth.
Confession: My daughter has been sharing her stash of library books and I have now on my third Sweet Valley High. Yes, this is part of my get well program. Chicken soup and not thinking too hard. Thinking makes my head hurt when I have a cold.
I am an avid hand washer. I use thieves oil. I have a stash of lysol wipes in my classroom. I have immunity boosting supplements in my desk. I am not going down without a fight! And yet the sinus pressure is real. Ugh, more vicks!
Another part of my resistance program is to nap as frequently as possible. It seems to be working… wait, I’m not certain on that… better test that theory some more.
I have been getting outside for walks as well. A good walk will help a lot of things. Now that our weather is cooling we may not have the opportunity to hang out in the lovely out of doors much. I had a problem with low vitamin D last year so I’m soaking up as much as I can now.
Ok, enough. I’m overdue for my walk to the mailbox and I still have that nap theory to prove…
I began blogging in an effort to ease myself out of my introverted tendencies. I don’t hibernate and I’m not a hermit but I do keep to myself. Pent up ideas, emotions, thoughts, energy and opinions that never get out can eat you up if you aren’t careful. I treasure the quiet times and the peaceful moments just as much as I do the happy gatherings and visiting friends but I was never truly myself. As time wore on and life continued it’s demands I found myself pushing back what I really wanted to say and do in favor of what I thought I should say and do. This is what I want to break.
I want to be authentically me. My thoughts, opinions and views. My hopes and dreams and goals. I know God has a plan for each of us and I want to reach my full potential. I wasn’t doing that. I was waiting for some little fairy to come and tap that wand on my shoulder. Sprinkle a little pixie dust maybe.
Isn’t it amazing how we are told that we can be anything we want to be but so few of us know what it is that we really want? Life has come full circle for me at this point. The ideals I held in my mind were really just mirages in the distance. They don’t ring true anymore. The true me was there underneath it all the whole time.
Truth is- I don’t want a career. I want to be a farmer. I want to dig the cold damp earth of spring and to pull weeds under the hot sun. I want to cultivate things of the earth so it can in turn feed my body and spirit. I want the open air and the seasons hot/cool/mild/freezing. I want to feel alive and grounded and to know that the animals around me are serving their purpose. I want to appreciate the bounty that is around me and thank the God above me for not only providing it but for allowing my body to be fully active in the work. This is the real me that I never knew.
I probably wouldn’t have discovered this fact if my kids had not become involved in 4H. The daily work with my son’s first goat set something stirring in me. I became almost more attached to that animal than he did. We both grieved on sale day. We will grieve every sale day.
I know that our farm is small and we are very inexperienced. We have a couple strikes against us there. There are even more in our favor. Strength and our family and the blessing of God upon our home. I am so thankful for the opportunity given to us!
I thought was only fair that I include a post on the man of my dreams after talking about my kiddos. Ok, so this guy was really-kinda NOT going to be the man I married. I was pretty intent on that. Yup, I was positive. No small town boy for me! I was going to find the cultured and well read man that would tell witty jokes and take me to the opera and art galleries.
And then the internet happened. We ended up chatting online and the next thing I knew we had a face to face. Mind you, this was when instant messaging was BRAND NEW. I actually didn’t know how to use it and my friend was giving me my first tutorial when I met the man pictured above. Ironic, isn’t it? I’ll just agree with myself right here and say yes, it surely is.
So, one date lead to another and soon I was sporting a diamond on my left hand. I remember my college ceramics class discussing the horrors of online dating. I innocently went about my work. Then I very quietly chimed in…”That’s actually how I met my boyfriend”. They all stared at me with terrified/repulsed/indignant/ I don’t know what all stares. Awkward. Finally one asked, “So… how’s that going for you?” I held up my 1/3 carat round cut diamond for them to see. “Um, pretty good actually!” *crickets*
That was our humble beginning and just a year and two weeks later we were married. It has been a ride people. We have stuck it out for sixteen years now and I think I can safely say we are gonna make it!
Anyway, back to the man at hand. I think it is so funny that the idea of perfection I had in my mind was the complete opposite of the man I married. What I got instead was way better. Kind, humble, generous, gentle, long suffering, patient, hard working, loving… I could toss around adjectives all day and never cover them all.
What I thought I wanted was really just who I thought I should be attracted to. Who I really am is a simple country girl. God knew the man for me would match those things and that I would complement him. I am proud to be a working man’s wife. I am thankful for the food and shelter that he provides for us.
At the end of the day I may not have much in the bank account but I can call myself rich. I may never get a dozen long stemmed roses delivered to my door but I can count on a chocolate bar finding it’s way onto my bedside table every now and then.
So here are four of the reasons I get up each day and face the world. My sweeties. I am so thankful for this group right here. I want to forever be mindful of that.
How many times have I focused on the bad and not seen the good? Oh, don’t answer that! I caught myself the other day thinking murderously about how the children leave messes, don’t close the door, are needy, etc. My mind was a swirl- not a good one. I felt a small check and in my mind I could hear a voice saying. “Your children are a blessing in so many ways”. Thanks God.
Nobody else heard it but it came to my mind as plainly as if it were spoken. I love that. I love that God cares. He cares about our mommy hearts. The part that worries and stresses over our babies. He cares about our everyday needs. A decent shower and not being interrupted in the bathroom to name a couple. He also cares about how we treat His gifts to us. Our children.
When your mind is a mess of messes take a little time to reframe it. This is a continued effort in my world as some of us *ahem, ME!* are born with a natural skepticism. Not always a helpful trait.
As we head into fall and enjoy the cooler temps and cozy fallish things I am going to make a concentrated effort to keep my eyes on the good.
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
James 1:17
Our hound recently found the freedom of the doggie door. Since then she is quite content to come and go as she pleases during the day. This was a fine arrangement. At least, it was at first. Now we are wondering.
I was fixing dinner the other night and noticed my utensil jar on counter held nary a one. No spatulas, no wooden spoons. Hmmm… I scouted through the dirty dishes and managed to find a workable substitute that I scrubbed up.
I came downstairs yesterday and found old oatmeal scattered like confetti over the counter top and floor. None of the kids were the culprit this time. I knew it was the pooch but where did she stash the evidence? In this case it was the old ice cream tub we use to hold kitchen scraps. (which we feed to the chickens)
My gaze happened to wander to her place of choice. The back yard. There was an assortment of kitchen items. All having been in contact with food. Thief!
My question is- how did she get that tub through the doggie door? Animals are amazing!
I have a slight obsession with coffee. I have been known to snub any coffee joint that may cover up mediocre coffee with sweet syrups and flavorings. I’ll be blunt- if it ain’t good black, it ain’t good at all. Sorry, not sorry. It comes down to the essentials. Good water, good grounds.
I used to suck down anything remotely mocha flavored. The more, the merrier! After I found that milk treated me like a passive aggressive boyfriend I had to break up with my mochas. Fact is, almond or coconut milk just don’t froth the same. Truth.
I tried bulletproof coffee. Delish! It is a bit messy and a bit time consuming but worth it! After a few days of that buttery goodness though I go back to the milky congestion. Now I’m dating the coffee equivalent of a frenemy…
So, I decided to go black. You know, my granny is onto something here. It might be biting and bitter at first but it’s amazing how long you can savor one cup. Now I don’t crave a “liquid candy bar” when I can have the real deal. Hot, black and full of flavor.
Cheers!
We are currently housing 9 rabbits, 20 chickens and 1 dog. We will soon acquire 1 cat and 2-4 goats. And possibly a few horses. And let’s not forget the five humans that also reside here. That brings the total body count to 35. Possible growth…nearly half that. It’s gettin’ real people!
A while back we tried our hand at horse boarding. It was interesting to say the least. Our first big mistake was not knowing what the heck we were doing. Our second was poor communication. Oh my land and my stars! We were in hot soup there for a bit as I contemplated retiring to Arizona early in life…alone. All’s well that ends well though and we were left with zero boarders for a while. That was ok by me. We have new prospective customers again and will hopefully have a better go around this time.
Our goat pen is empty at the moment as they were sold at the county fair. New baby goats will be purchased around February and we will see them frolicking about as spring peeks around the corner. If you have never spent time with a baby goat, you don’t know what you are missing! Seriously, it’s impossible not to be happy watching them.
We had a dear, sweet kitty not long ago. Unfortunately she was allergic to the sedative given at the vets. We brought her in to get spayed and she never came home 😦 We now need a new kitty. Female, preferably with shots and spayed if you happen to have and extra 🙂
Seventeen of our meat birds made their way to freezer camp this summer and that was a good thing. They were getting kind of cranky and would peck mercilessly at you every time you came near. Also, they are cruel hearted animals. True story: while I was plucking feathers from one of the newly departed two of his fellow inmates began to peck his droopy little head. Cruel, cruel chickens.
My hens are also a bit pecky. They learned this behavior from the naughty meat birds. They will attack your feet in feverish pecks but will slow to a more curious pace when you brush them away. I was hoping they would not be swayed by bad influences. Those silly hens have no judgement. Oh well, my batch of birdies gives me eggs so I guess I can deal with them being little peckers!
Our lovely pooch is a beautiful (large) hound dog. She is sleek and black and tan. And mouthy! We love her and now that she is enrolled in doggy 4H we are loving that even more. Now to train her to stay out of the trash! I am taking any and all suggestions!
Oh, horses. This place was made for horses. I’m sure the original owner had several. We love them and they are so beautiful. We can’t actually afford them but are glad to house them as they add to the scenery and also to the income. It’s kinda cool that way.
I guess I could include the wildlife around here too while I’m at it. We have seen several deer in our back field and have had snakes in the woodshed. It is reported to me (by my son) that there is even an owl in the barn. I plan on collecting some pellets if there is. We dissected them at school as a kid and it might be interesting as a show and tell item.
The birds were singing some kind of mass chorus yesterday as we received our first good dose of rain in a while. I’m not sure if they were rejoicing over the worms that had come to the surface or what but it was amazing. I have never heard anything like it. It was as if every bird in the world was singing at the same time.
Some of our more pesky visitors include squirrels. While cute, these little rodents can be quite destructive. Thankfully we don’t have much of a problem with them. Other than the way they like to taunt the dog!
Well, that just about rounds out the whole cast around here! Happy farming!
In an effort to be more mindfully thankful I have put together a short list of happy things. Life isn’t always peachy but I have lots of sweet spots! Here are a few:
My fire place! OOOH the comfort of wood heat cannot be over estimated. I always hated having wood heat as a kid because it meant more work for us. Now, I have a strapping young son of my own and the tables have turned- MWAHAHAH! Seriously, come over here and sit by my fire. You won’t want to get up.
Kids who like baking are also a win. Who wouldn’t love sitting by said fire and having on of your very own kiddo serve up a couple of cookies or cinnamon roll to “see if it turned out right”. Yup, I am the official tester. It’s a tough job 😉
Coffee- dear, sweet, magnificent coffee…
My hubs. Yes, he is crazy. Yes, he totally makes me want to smash something on occasion. He is also one of the most giving and kindest people on the planet. I’m not even joking. The man would do anything for anyone- no, you can’t have his number and he will not be available to look at your ceiling fan. ( I get protective)
The kids- a.k.a. the crazies 🙂 They make my home a wild, hairy mess and I love them.
What makes you happy? You don’t have to have it all to have a pretty awesome life!
Hennekes At Home 