Summer has arrived. I think we skipped spring, but who cares? The sun is out, the weather is balmy and everything is green! And this light skinned crazy person has managed to get sunburned because I had way too much that I wanted to get done outside!!! LOL! And yes, I did put on sunscreen - well, the second day anyway.....
But, we have been enjoying the heck out of the weather! Steve got our fencing working again, and not intermittently! So at this point all the animals have stayed where they are supposed to! Whoo-hoo! The wildest day was when the horses went to visit one of the neighbors and she called us at 7:30AM saying they were talking to her cows! Talk about wide awake and running out the door! By the time I ran out the door, the eight big horses were charging back down the driveway and all ran right past me to the gate to their pasture! Who needs coffee after that! Luckily, no one was hurt, no damage to anyone's property or crops, and they came right back home!!! It was pretty (and scary) having them all charge right by me!
I have gotten a few things in the garden, will work on more later today. We have raspberry plants now, a strawberry patch, some flowers and a lilac bush. The only way to keep the goats out of them is to have them inside my garden patch! At this point, I have not been super wonderful about putting every square inch to work, so I don't feel bad about turning some over to something pretty and not food related. I am drying some of my herbs, learning how to do it anyway, for teas and other things - can you tell I am learning as I go??? I have lots to plant today, but will have to clear some more spots in the garden before I do that - the spring was too wet to get at anything, and as we have reclaimed the garden from yard space, I still have tons of grass trying to come up! I may be crazy enough to transplant some of it when I clear it out! We had to trench for a new gas line to our propane tank, and though we have filled it in there is no grass there (amazingly, our free range chickens get to the grass seed as soon as we plant it, so I have given up on that!). I may transplant some of that thriving grass to that area! Hee, hee. That might be a little nuts, but harmless.
I have had a great time watching my growing kids enjoying spring/summer. Two of the boys are in drivers ed, so we may have another driver/helper for me by December!!!! Soccer season has started, and we are prepping for the county fair! That means horses, goats, chickens, rabbits all being prepped! They have been so helpful with projects - at least most of the time. I think I may have overrun their generosity (and responsibility) the day that I asked them and Steve to take out a friend's chain link fence. A single mom wanted it gone, and wondered if we could use it - yes!!!! So, I went to work at the stable with Kiley for the day - mucking stalls and the whole nine yards, and the others went to get this fence out. It is HUGE, and all cemented it. Ummmm.... But, they got it out! And loaded in our horse trailer and brought home! Now, we are planning to put it up as an addition off our summer kitchen for a pen for the male goats. It is just perfect and will really help with our herd management. So, that is likely Saturday's project, unless I get a little crazy and start it before then.....
Life on the farm is great. Busy but great. Everyone is learning so much, between internships, general activities, service projects, and continuous learning! It was so funny when I was talking to the boys (taking drivers ed) yesterday. I remember learning to drive and being terrified. So, I have been prepping my kids for ages, literally. I started explaining the rules of the road and getting them practicing behind the wheel long before they were really old enough to worry about it. And then I found that we would run into a situation while we were driving that I could talk with them about - much less time pressure and all. I figured I was driving them crazy with all that I kept explaining to them over the last two plus years, but yesterday, Zeri and Alex were telling me about a question the drivers ed teacher asked. "Why is the road more slippery when it first starts raining?" They both had known the answer and no one else in the class did!!! Amazingly, not only had they listened to me prattle on constantly, but they remembered it!!!!! Whoooooo-hooooo!!!!! Actually, they both have said that they learned most of what they are going over in the class from me first! Except now they are precise about the speed limit and I tend to go a few miles around it. Sigh, so now they are calling me on it. Sigh. And Zeri is so motivated by this class that we are spending extra time on reading by reading through his manual!!!! He is doing great - it is like everything is just clicking now! We did all that teaching, all that work, and made progress but it was slow, and now it is just falling into place!!!!! Wow!!!! Hooray!!!! I am so proud of him - he works so very hard!!!!!
Well, I have to run. Two of the boys are going rock picking for a neighbor, one is going to an automotive internship, and one is going to an equestrian internship (and to prepare for her horse show on Sunday!). Then I run to work for my one hour, and back home to my lovely crew! Then to driver's ed, and rounding up kids from internships, and another appointment for our adoption. I am trying to get all the craziness done before our little girls get home, so it is a bit extra crazy right now. I have lots on my to do list for before they get home, all with the plan to make things easier and less busy when they are home, because it will have to be!!!!
Love to all, enjoy every moment, breathe in God's blessings and pray for those suffering (thinking of all the tornados!)
Christy
"For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans for hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11
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