You have got to be kidding me!

Life just seems to get more and more difficult.  I'm not sure what lesson we are being taught, but I'm not sure how much more I can take.  I'm wondering if its a lesson on making due with less and being OK with it.  Last week Caitlyn wrecked her truck, yesterday my truck decided to blow a head gasket..at least that's what we think anyway.  So, now, we are relying on Zack to get himself to and from school...and...the other 4 of us to and from work and activities...fun...fun. 

New found interests...

My husband has always had an interest in drawing or painting and has, over the years, created a few beautiful sketches and doodles that manage to get crumpled up and tossed away.  It seems that my vision of what is good and his vision are somewhat different.  Over the past few weeks, he has dabbled in acrylic painting. I think it's a new found therapy for him if he were able to believe in himself.  Using my photography as inspiration, he has put together some beautiful translations on canvas.  I've watched him work and concentrate only to glance again too see him paint over his progress.  I wish he felt the urge to pick up the brushes more often.  After his first finished painting, he seemed to have a block and no matter how many times he tried, he just kept saying he didn't know why he could do it then and not during the multiple times following. 

Finally, during my ranting about my photography, he said I had gotten him wanting to paint again.  I handed him a package of ACEO acrylic cards that I had bought several weeks ago and told him he ought to try a painting on one.  My thoughts at the time I purchased them were that maybe if he didn't feel pressure to fill a large canvas in a short time that maybe he would try more often.  Surely completing a trading card would be a quicker sense of accomplishment.  Unfortunately I have found all of us lose interest if our goals take too long to achieve.  Something I'm not sure how to change.  The world seems to move at a much faster pace than our minds really want to go and we find ourselves concluding that we just weren't good enough...fast enough.  We look for approval from every outside source and look over the reality that the only true approval we need is within ourselves. We have to quit searching for our own perfection by comparing ourselves to everyone else and trust our own instincts. We have to learn to follow what is naturally in our own heart.  Then, and only then can we create things like this…an October sunset out our own backdoor.  Well, technically, God created the sunset…I captured it on “film,” and Troy translated it in paint…what a wonderful way to remember a split second in life that otherwise would have been forgotten…

 
Not only did he finish this painting, he also sparked an interest in our 10 year-old to grab some brushes and pour himself into his own creativity.  What a sight to see...a young mind...inspired by his Dad. 

Tuesday…Back to work!

Well, I got a little relief from worry.  Troy found momma turkey and her 3 babies.  I searched for a while last night with a spot light trying to find her and never did.  I had pretty much decided that she had became food for some other animal.  It's really getting old losing so many animals.  Another plus, Troy called after feeding to tell me that an egg was hatching in the nest boxes with no momma sitting.  Pretty sad that it is hot enough that the next box provided an ideal hatching environment without a broody hen! She had done most of the job, however, but had left the nest a few days before.  He brought the piped egg in and put it in the incubator.  By the time I got home, it had hatched and was nearly dry.  I've got to spend the time to get the new incubator put together.  I have collected about 18 turkey eggs that have been laid in multiple places in the field behind the house.  Our neighbor is pretty close to baling hay behind us and it would be terrible to lose a sitting hen to a tractor! 

We were able to make it back to Atwoods this morning for some 75% off trees.  We bought 2 cotton less cottonwood trees that are nearly 15 ft tall.  Total cost....$6.25 each!  Now, the task is to find a place to plant them that the goats aren't able to reach!

Saturday!!

What happened today??? I woke up just after 5am. Why? I have no idea, and wasn't very happy about it either. It did give me more time to take care of all our animals before leaving to milk Daisy and Belle. To my surprise, our second momma turkey had hatched a 3rd poult and our 3 silkie mommas had hatched a 4th chick! I found later in the day that one of the chicks had died, and the newly hatched chick had been beat up on pretty bad. I've had it in the house with me for several hours to make sure it's still able to eat and drink by itself. At dark, I put it back with a momma. I'm sure she does a much better job keeping it warm than I do! Hopefully by morning it'll be going strong. If not, I'll bring it back in the house and probably set up the brooder. The new momma turkey has moved her brood to a new location...AHHH! I'm panicked at this point! With acres of chest high grass behind our property...and hay baling season here, I'm thinking that I may never find her. I did though...up against our fence by the corner post. These girls can figure out how to fly out, but can never manage to figure out how to fly back in. Enough about animals. Troy and I finally were able to buy plants for our garden. At the rate we are going, we may have tomatoes by October! I seriously hope it is earlier than that. We found pink and regular brandywine tomatoes, cucumbers, cantaloupe, black diamond watermelon and okra. We still have peas and green beans to find. I was hoping to find plants of those started already, but because we are late, there isn't much to from as far as vegetables go. We may have to try other locations when time permits, or just start from seed. We bought a few flowers also to fill in our flower bed. I keep telling myself that they aren't a necessity, but they sure do make the day a bit brighter. I'm excited to get started, and can't wait for that first garden tomato!

What a day...

The morning started out earlier than I wanted it to.  Sometimes, the dogs just can't wait to go out.  Then it was off to work...to milk Bessie and Belle.  In tow this morning was a cute little fuzzy newly hatched chick that just wasn't in good shape this morning.  It spent most of the day held against my chest since it cried when I put it in the box.  Thank goodness, after a bit of water and some attention, it was reunited with momma after work. Work was rather quiet, other than the quiet chirping.  Zack had to make a trip home to get Kyle.  He wasn't feeling well and needed me...I'm glad at least one of the kids still really "needs" me. He felt better as the day went on and by the time we made it home, he was back to normal.  We had a busy evening after work.  We discovered that a second royal palm hen had hatched a couple of poults.  We aren't sure if she is going to leave the nest now, or continue to sit on the remaining eggs.  Only time will tell.  We had tacos for supper...one of the few meals that we all sit down at the table to eat.  I try hard to make meals that require the family to sit together, but it just doesn't always work with kids activities and Troy working nights.  All in all, a good day...ready for bed!

A Little Good With the Bad

This morning, all 3 kids went with me to work.  I'm thankful that I am able to work for my parents and have the opportunity to have my kids with me.  I'm also thankful that at 16, 15 and 10, my kids still want to be with me.  We are pretty much on a break for a few weeks from homeschooling...at least at the moment.  We may try to do some more before the actual year ends on June 30, but after having our first year kind of a year of confusion, I really need a bit to regroup and plan for next year.  I'm hoping to do much better at choosing curriculum this time and have gained a bit more knowledge on the whole homeschool process to make things a bit easier.  On with the day...Troy called mid-afternoon to let me know we have chicks hatching.  Our poor silkies have been trying to hatch babies for nearly 3 years.  Currently, 3 hens are on nests.  We candled the eggs a couple of weeks ago and removed all the non-fertile ones.  Troy closed up the barn with netting in hopes of saving these babies.  Our track record this year with poultry hasn't been good.  Predators have pretty much wiped us out of chickens, and today I found a pile of feathers where one of our royal palm hens was nesting.  Turkeys are pretty good size, I'm getting really curious to find what is killing them.  Zack drove the tractor home from work to till us a garden spot, better late than never!  I wanted one done and planted by the first of May, but that just didn't happen.  I have big plans this year for preserving and freezing, I just hope my plans work out. There would be nothing better than to go through this winter with canned garden tomatoes.  I'm hoping for enough veggies to give some relief from our grocery bill.  So far, we couldn't be more blessed...fresh milk from mom and dad's Jersey and Holstein cows, beef also from mom and dad, eggs and chicken from our own back yard, we have apple and peach trees with fruit this year, and if I can stand it, we will be having heritage turkey in our freezer.