Category Archives: Farm

June 30, 2013 · 15:47

Wedding Bell Blues?

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I can only blog from my perspective and this girl has been in a state of trauma this past week.  They say there is always a “let down”  for all involved in the planning of a wedding.  I can say my let down began when we exited the church last Saturday to a down pour of 3 inches of rain in an hour.  I know you’ve all been there.  You’ve planned an event and had a vision of how it would play out.  I had visions of Lori’s cookies and fancy cupcakes dancing in my head.  Moonlight dancing under the beautiful lighted canopy constructed from saplings  by our son’s now father-in-law.  Etceteraaaa.  Etceteraaaa.  You name it.  We had it figured out.

SOO many beautiful flowers put together very thoughtfully by sisters.

SOO many beautiful flowers put together very thoughtfully by sisters.

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The ceremony was spectacular. I felt a peace and calm from the whole congregation.  I could have sat there the entire day.  THEN…….

We arrived at our house where the reception was to be held.

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Flashflooding

Flashflooding

It wasn’t a bad deal if you didn’t mind swimming with moles, voles, snakes and near extinct turtles.

Oh, and adding the wet/dry vac activity to the agenda  so  all the people could suck  the water and mud out of their cars.

Every vision and plan was thrown by the wayside in a matter of 30 minutes.   In my head, I just wanted to go to bed and hide from what my eyes were looking at.

The great thing was that I didn’t meet a person all  day that did not have a great sense of humor and many thought it only added to the festive atmosphere.  “Really?”  I kept saying.  One gal came up and said, “I LOVE rain at weddings.  It means that God is washing over the couple with many blessings!”  That quote was my life-preserver that day.  No pun intended.

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The bride and groom, along with all of their friends, had a ball.  I think they were a little dumbstruck, as we were,  but I think age was on their side considering it has taken me a week to stop staring out the window paralyzed.

I had to bat myself on the head midweek finally.   I was so fixated on all the wasn’t and should have been.   What about the mountain of blessings that took place?  What about the killer ceremony that took place that united my son to Emily forever.  They are now one.  What about the fact that Eric and Emily’s faith in God is growing?  What about the weekend of huge fun (and challenge) with our new in-laws that are just awesome?  They came three days early and worked their tails off with us and stayed three days after and worked their tails off.   What about all the people who were here that obviously care so much for us?  What about all the people, many of whom I do not know, that pitched in and helped out when they saw we so desperately needed their help that day?  That blew my mind.

I was working in my studio yesterday when I felt God speak to me.  I love when that happens.  Sometimes it is clear and wonderful.  (wonderful doesn’t mean warm and cozy.  Many times it is “oh no” wonderful.  It’s wonderful cuz I actually hear  when He is speaking)  He said, “What makes you think that what you had planned was what was supposed to happen? What makes you think it was the right thing?”  Ouch.  But, you know what?  It was a relief to hear that.  Took the pressure off.     So I said back, ” Yeah.  What made me think?  Forgit that, man.”


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God bless,

Karen

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June 19, 2013 · 23:14

You Can Take A Farm Girl Out Of Routine…

……But you cant expect it to last long without going insane.

Posts have been coming far and few between.

We have been like little busy mice scurrying around preparing for our wedding.  It is an awesome experience that has brought our family together in great ways.   Our very sad news is that our middle son, who is in the Army, cannot be with us for the big day.   He will be greatly missed.   But we are working on a fun way to  make sure he is a part of the memories created this weekend.

A storm brought great signs yesterday for this union of  Eric and Emily.

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And the night before  we had yet another crazy vision from above.    Quite something.  One of the most dramatic sunsets I have seen out here.

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We are feeling blessed.

BUT……..burlap has been the bane of our existence.  I ordered 300 feet of burlap on ebay about 6 months ago so that we could make table runners.  I did not open the box until this past weekend and the rolls reeked of kerosene.  huh?  Yeah.  In my research, I cannot find out why burlap is treated with kerosene.  Please enlighten me if you know.  It felt wet, and it stunk terribly.

So we hung them on the fence to air out.

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It became very clear that airing was not going to do the trick.  And airing them out on the fence was resulting in many of them ending up in the pasture being enjoyed by the goats and dogs.   My son and I ended up at the laundry mat at midnight with the idea that breaking the washing machines there would be better than breaking ours at home.  We brought them home wrinkled to death.  If you ever get the idea to wash burlap, please know they shed, fray, and create an immense amount of lint.  I had to spend the better part of the next day ironing.  My generous neighbor came over to help.  I would still be in garage ironing had she not.  Total unforseen nightmare with the burlap.  On the bright side, I will have lots of burlap after next week to create…….. a burlap….. something or other.   Got ideas?

We have two more days of pulling this all together before the big day and am quite certain that we will have more challenges that will be memorable.  But most of all, I am quite certain the memories  will be treasured for years to come.

I have greatly missed routine so far this summer and look forward to getting back to it.  Posting here is a big part of my routine.  I will be back in touch.

I pray you are having a super summer.

P.S.  Lots of snake sightings.  Am thinking there is one in particular that wants a friendship with me.

God bless,

Karen

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June 5, 2013 · 14:23

Homegrown

The sun comes up
in the morning,
Shines that light around.
One day, without no warning,
Things start jumping up
from the ground.

Well, homegrown’s
all right with me.

 – Neil Young

Ain’t that the truth.

Last year at this time, while I was delivering little kid goats,  the weather in the midwest was atrocious.   As early as mid June, I remember walking the animals at dawn and there was not a drop of dew on the ground.  That has never happened.   The dirt was fine like sand.  It felt “deserty”.   That scared me.  I had to ask -What is the worst that can happen?  We live in a desert?  All the plant species that have surrounded us forever die?  Our critters choke to death of thirst?  Scorpians and other desert creatures come to roost?

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  People from Phoenix will venture east?  Weather changes for some reason scare me.  When a season doesn’t behave the way it should, I get this oh-no-the-world-is-going-to-end  sensation in my heart.

But this season?  Has been fantastic in my estimation.  Cool.  Rain.  Sun.  Not too hot too early.   Everything is growing like gangbusters and we have been able to enjoy lettuce, spinach and asparagus in abundance.   There have been a few plates served up with homegrown beef or chicken, salad and asparagus so far this season.  We have never felt that accomplishment before.  It feels great to put dinner on the table without having to go to the grocery store.  That is probably the best part of the whole deal.

Livin’ out he’a in the country we don’t feel much like driving in everyday to do the shoppin’.  Just like anything else, I usually do have to jump into town daily for one thing or another though.

This homegrown thing obviously is a first for us.  Our efforts the past five years is paying off finaaalllly.   We will continue to plow through with the unknown and have fun.

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If you have ever homegrowed  your own food,  you know the feeling.  It feels good.

I have had a few snake sitings so far.

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This is a tiny one and the other two were not so much.  I saw  a black one that was about 5 feet.  And last night, I was walking Francis around the perimeter of her pasture and I saw another blacky that was about 2-3 foot.   I walk her twice ’round and this was my first pass.   I got the courage to go around again, ONLY because I had my big boots on.   She was still there so I snuck up on her to get a better look and she slithered away into an invisible hole.  Is that why they are so creepy?  They can just disappear.  LIke that.

God is good.  For sure.

Our wedding is in 2 weeks.  Talk about homegrown.  We are down to getting final numbers and compiling the mile long list of things that needs to be down last minute.  We have lots of good helpers so I am not fretting.  Too much.  That is another reason God is so good.  He put these two lovely people together and will make them one.  That is a miracle, baby.  That is a miracle.    They are perfectly yoked.  I am grateful for that.

I am not sure my posts have been showing up on Facebook for some reason.  I have not jumped shipped as some of you may think.  The posts are there, they just aren’t showing up on the social media stuff like I asked.  What is wrong wit them?

God bless,

Karen

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May 30, 2013 · 22:34

What In The Heck Is A Lawn?

Life is busy here on the farm.  The grass is slowing down though.  It’s only growing a foot a day instead of two.  Woah.  It was intense there for a while.  Do you ever wonder why we fertilize our yards so that we can cut them more often.  I want to feed my yard a growing agent so I can cut my grass 2 – 3 times a week.  What?  Are we nuts?  Do I have that much free time?   Does that sound funny to you as it does to me?  And now that I have moved from the suburbs, I feed weeds so that I can cut them more often.   Which brings me to the next question.   How and where was it   determined that  one plant species holds more value than another to fill space and to color our lawn.  What is wrong with clover filling the space in my lawn (which is what we have) as opposed to grass?

Last year our newly established yard was filled with crab grass.  It was coming in lush and beautiful.  I said that this was good.  I wanted crab grass to take over my lawn.  It had long reaching roots and it was thick and looked great cut.  But for some reason it didn’t come back lush and beautiful as last year and clover has taken the driver seat.  I would bet  money that if I was still in the burbs, that crabgrass would have come back full bore, don’t you?  Why is a blade of green better than a 3 or 4 leaf clover?

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BEEEaUUtifull

Bottom line.  I ain’t spraying my lawn for weeds.  We just have to love what we get.

Other cool things that are happening…. Apples and blueberries are growing on our plants.  Imagine that.  Did I know that apples grew on trees?  Hmm.

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I feel fairly certain that these buggers will not look as beautiful as this for very long.  Keeping my fingers crossed.

Blueberries grow on bushes, I have discovered.

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We have to put netting over the bushes here in a few days or weeks so birds will not eat them.   I am very very protective of my blueberry bushes.  I am not willing to share.

Last but not least, our sweet Virginia had surgery today.  It is a total bummer.  We bought a dog for the first time in our life from a “Champion bloodline” breeder.  The poor girl has had nothing but trouble and has been under the weather since we got her.   She has Entropian.  Her eye lids roll inward causing inflammation and infection in her eyes.  The  vet man said that she inherited it from her champion mom or dad.  Thanks  champion Mom and Dad.  He also said worse case ever.  ugh.   She came home with one of those cone collars on her head and she WILL kill herself or me.  She is going to rip her head off and/or cut my legs off at the knees.

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She is very very sad.   We just pray the surgery will work and give her eyes some relief.

 God bless our sweet Virginia.   The Rolling Stones sing a great song called Sweet Virginia.

Have a super weekend.

God bless,

Karen

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May 25, 2013 · 14:15

What Kind Of Crazy Farmers Are We?

Let’s be clear.  We are not real farmers.  We are people who get kicks out of catering to little critters.  Keeps me sane.  Our chickens have been peckin’ on a few chosen ones.  A few weeks ago one of the chickens was sporting blood.  Wet head.  Hardly a feather on her back. What kinda freaked me out was her eyeball seemed to be displaced.  To the infirmary she went.

IMG_3363The infirmary is where chickies go when they are under the weather.  They can take some rest and relaxation time away from the hustle and bustle.   This poor animal was in distress.  I couldn’t see her eye.  It was like a black abyss.    She has been infirmed for several weeks and her eye is miraculously reappearing.   Wonder where it went off to for that time?  It was time to reintroduce her to  the brood.  Not so good it went.   They had long forgotten her and she was a strangaa to them now.   Foreign material.  She was ostracized to the back corner of the pasture.  I tried to get her reacquainted to the coop.  She was blackballed.  Pecked into the corner.   Very very sad.

I then had an ingenious idea.  Let’s move little  eyeless chick  over to the barn and have her live with the barn cats.  Uh huh.  So far this year we have had harmony farmony.  Why not?   Let’s let the birds live with the cats.  How did my farmer mind think that would work?  She packed her suitcase and off she went.

Kitty scratching her claws on barn getting ready for.....

Kitty scratching her claws on barn getting ready for…..

When I got her over there, I decided to bring along another chicken who had been hen-pecked by the bully chickens to keep her company and give her time to grow feathers back.

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Feathers? Gone.

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Circling curiosity

Circling curiosity

tastin' the goods

tastin’ the goods

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They all sniffed, tasted, glared and then on about their day.  We are in to the third day.  They have found their little egg nest I made for them.  They have settled in and everyone is happy.  Pretty nuts, eh?  Farmony harmony still intact.

Now, on the Guinea front.  Not so much.  They are laying eggs  out in the middle of plain day.  For everyone to see.  Not very discrete.

Guinea sitting on her eggs.

Guinea sitting on her eggs.

It is a community effort.  One lies on the eggs and the others protect and patrol the area.

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After some time,  the layer will get tired of sitting in one place and be off for some fun.    Little do they know that a one big monster is lurking in the shadows waiting.  Waiting.  Waiting.

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I spied through our upstairs window.  I spied the perpetrator.  Miss Virginia has had her fill of eggs in recent days.   The guineas have relocated their nesting to a place they may feel success.  I hope so.  We would love to have more guineas  running the farm.  They provide us with endless entertainment.

Spring is a fun farm time.  Especially as we ready ourselves  to celebrate a wedding and welcome our first daughter to our family.  Yay.  Times are a changin’.

This week at dusk. Wow.

This week at dusk. Wow.

God bless,

Karen

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May 13, 2013 · 08:50

Goin’ On A Moon Hunt.

In the evening , we love to head out to see the night sky.   I wander to the barn between 9 and 10 to put the lovelies to bed.  Snuggle snuggle them all in their little nests.  When I close the barn door, there is such a peace and calm.  All thinking about their adventures of the day, which probably looks much like the day before and the day before and….. I wonder if they like routine as much as I do.  They are probably plotting a coup over at Cowboy Bob’s.   Or better yet the other guy’s digs.

The sky.  It is beautiful day and night.  A little disappointing that we can see the light pollution from two towns, but way off in the distance.  When we moved here I thought we were miles and miles away from civilization.   8 miles to the nearest anything.  You can imagne my disappointment the first night of camping, lying all snug in my sleepaing bag, listening to the June bugs, when out of the blue  a Harley roared by.  And then a semi truck trailor.  What the heck was that??  I didn’t move far enough away.

First time camping on new property. 2007

First time camping on new property 2007

First bathroom on new property.

First bathroom on new property.

After years now of living in an environment that is wonderfully quiet,  my ears can pick up strange noises very easily.  I can hear the train clearly that runs 10 miles north of here.

So off on the moon walk.  One evening in the past few weeks, I spied a big beautiful ball coming up over the ridge in between two trees. Pops had just gotten home from work.  Poor guy pulls up at dusk after long day probably starving half to death and I made him go on the moon hunt up, up, up.   Our ridge climb ain’t for the faint of heart.

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But of course the Tick and Tack are always up for an adventure.  Frick and Frack.  This and That.

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Do your cats go on walks with you?  Ours always have for some reason.  Seems odd to me.

How can something be so beautiful?  How can the moon and the twinkling what nots show up for the game over and over and over again, night after night?

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It is beyond my comprehension.

On the way back down from the moon hunt, I took this photo… No idea how.  Freaky, eh?  It kinda looks like an etched drawing.  Someday, I am going to learn how to take a photo in a meaningful way.  In the meantime, I just move buttons and shoot.  Dont know what buttons nor what direction I am moving them.

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Cabin on ridge.

It is a beautiful day to behold.

I have a friend that asks me all the time:  What are you grateful for today?

I ask you.

God bless,

Karen

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April 5, 2013 · 11:11

Woosh. Geez. On To Brighter Things.

We are off on a journey through Spring.   23 degrees two days ago.  Yeah.  Well.  Today will be 58.

All the angels in the wild are scratching their little eyeballs open and stretchin’  their little wings.   Little voices clearing their throats.

It is obvious our animals feel the same way as the cows from the above farm.

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Jumpin’ and rearing’ and carryin’ on.

The bluebirds are back  and we have three nests out of  the seven houses hung.  So far.  It is jar dropping to see them in flight.  Beautiful color of lapis fluttering through the air.     I don’t know if I wasn’t in tune all the years we lived in the burbs, but I don’t recall seeing one bluebird until we moved here.

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What is really concerning at this point are the skinny looooonnnngggg critters that are poking their skinny little heads out of the ground right now,  yawning their little fangy mouths.    Animal chores begin before daylight and end after dark.  I am walking trails and pastures many times in the….eeek….hours that those cuties are coming out to play.   In the winter?  Not a problem.  I can kick around as I please and chances are  I will not be running into anything moving.  But times are a changin’.   Maybe if I dress in a full on rubber suit.

I hope this man is still with the living.

I hope this man is still with the living.

Are you ready for what Spring brings?  Activity.   I’m not so sure yet.  Maybe my winter wasn’t quiet or long enough.  I take hibernation quite seriously.  Given the fact that we are hosting my son’s wedding in June, we are not bringing in any new animals for a while or beginning any large “projects”.   I can’t  get my head around walking even to the garden yet.    I don’t know exactly how daunting the wedding is/will be, so I have moved into a slow motion period.   In preparation for what, I’m not sure yet.

Sometimes when I see big things/events looming ahead, I get sorta paralyzed prior to.  Does that ever happen to you?  I don’t know if it is a mental rest and preparation or that I can’t accept it yet.  But then, there is an exact moment of ……GO….   and then we’re off and running.  Maybe it is a preservation  or storing up of energy.

It kinda (and that is a BIG kinda) reminds me of the very last scene, maybe the very last still in The Passion by Mel Gibson where Jesus sees the daylight from the tomb. He sits there very very still with His eyes closed.  Knowing that when He opens them and takes His first step,  it’s a GO.  He is off.  And there is no turning back.   Dive in head first.  BIG job ahead.  Holy cow, I would love to be with  Him.

Anywhoooo,  That is where I am at with springing into Spring.  I am with closed eyes.  I know that as I open them and take my first step, there is no turning back.  It is full-bore ahead.   Ready, set…..stop.  Not ready.

God bless,

Karen

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March 19, 2013 · 10:20

Where’s The Beef?

The Shieling has hijacked the beef.

When Pops came home with the hijacked beef,  the scene became something out of an I Love Lucy episode.   Lucy was making a special dish and ordered a side of beef thinking  a small package was going to be delivered to her door.  She freaked when the side of beef was a mere more than a pound of hamburger.   She knew Ricky (is that is his name?) would have a fit so she stuffed it in the incinerator in the basement to hide the evidence for a while.  Hours later, they all wondered who was grilling out.   If I had had an incinerator, I may have resorted to the same thing.  There was SO much meat coming into our house, I wanted to stuff it in closets, under couches, in pillow cases.  Instead, I was on the phone with Lowes at 9:00pm ordering yet another freezer.  I  kept searching online for someone to tell me a whole cow could fit into 15 cubic ft. freezer.  As you know, if you search  hard enough,  you will find the answer you want to hear.   Bad answer.  We have an upright large freezer, and TWO chest freezers full of cow.   By the way, on the phone with Lowes at 9 pm, delivered to my barn by 9:00am the following morn.  I love my Lowes.   I love beef too.

We ordered our cow  not to be trimmed of the fat.  Oh my goodness, is it good.  Maybe that is why our freezers are busting.  Did you know beef fat is very good for you?  It’s not what we hear from all the people “in the know” but…….my sources say right farmer + raised with care  = good fat.   I am well into middle age, eat tons  of good fat, not overweight,  my cholesterol and triglycerides are better than better.  I’m going to believe my sources.  Weston Price Foundation.  Their word makes sense to me.  We keep blaming healthy food on our bad health.  Sugar?  Processed foods?  Fake food?  Over eating or drinking?  I can’t go there today.  It is a day of celebration.

We had them package the hamburger into 1 lb. packages.  We have 230 of them.  This is insane.  Do you know how big a cow liver is?

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But glory be, we have succeeded in something here.  It tastes as good as the best beef I have tasted.  We kept one whole cow at the insistence of my “shady”( but really.. sunny)  friend.  And we sold one cow to four friends.  It is wonderful (and a relief) to hear our good friend,  Dan, who is ALL about food, call every time he puts it to his lips, to express his love.  Come to think of it, he has been eatin’ some beef lately. We have been hearing from him quite often.  Oh well.  We love him.

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It still blows my mind that Pops and I have raised a cow.

We have had lots of goofs and blunders and what-have-yous since this glorious journey began.  But I can already look back upon the blood, sweat, tears, but mostly laughter,  at the going ons around here,  with so much fondness, love and gratefulness.

I am really good at run on sentences, aren’t I?   My English teachers would cringe if they knew I actually wrote something that others read.  I use commas like they are dust particles.  They must be free.

Come on down for some beef sometime.  We would love to have you join us around our table.  Bring a beef recipe when you come.  And if you can’t come, send us a recipe anyway,  please.  Have any favorites you would like to share?

God bless,

Karen

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March 13, 2013 · 10:39

Helloooo…

I went missing in action for a while.   I think I was overcome by smoke from the sugar shack.  Truly.   That whole thing was an experience that will probably be repeated (again and again).   It is just SO good.   Much like having a baby.  We forget the pain involved when it’s all over and we actually want to have another after the pain and agony of delivery.   It is very time-consuming and I’m not sure my physical health can withstand standing next to a wood fire for 10 hours at a time.  I have not felt great the last week and am quite positive the boiling had something to do with it.   The second day I had to resort to using a respirator.  We boiled for 7 days and got 30 or so bottles.

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We have some design issues  to contend with this year in planning for next year.   Note the canopy that is trashed on the side in photo.  I purchased the thing two weeks ago to save me and the fire from rain and two inches of snow destroyed it.   ugh.

Life can get a bit messy, cant it?

Which brings me to what is going on in my little pea brain.

We all have to make REALLY HARD decisions some times.  I have a friend who is in that process right now.   Sometimes our decisions make messes of our lives.  And other times, the decisions we make clean up those messes.  The rest of the decisions usually fall somewhere in the middle where we have to feel them and ride them and grow with and by them.

And as we stand by  others as they contemplate decisions,  we  want to  input and many times try to control their decision.

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change.   Please, help me accept other’s decisions.

How do we come to the decisions we make?  I’m not talking about what to have for dinner.  I’m talking about the biggies.  The ones that form us into who we are and who we have to live with.

Barnes and Noble is stocked full of books on how to’s and self-help.  I have spent years with my nose in books trying to get someONE or someTHING to give me a clue as to who I am supposed to be morally.

Do we know right from wrong innately?  Do we need to be taught right from wrong?

Who do we depend on to give us a moral guideline for right and wrong?  Our parents?  Our political officers?

Do we CARE what is right or wrong?  Do we make decisions in the wind and let them fly where they may?  Let someone else pick up the pieces?

Seriously, folks.  I am asking.  What are we doin’ here?

As I  navigate these questions that burn holes in my heart,  I am inclined to believe that …….do any of us know how to be right and wrong on our own?   Where can we go to check our moral decisions?  How can we be sure that what we are choosing to do, does not hurt ourselves and others?  Does it matter?

Somewhere,  there is a definitive guide to moral judgement.  Wisdom.  God, give. it. to. me. .

Prayer.  Grace.

Since I quit drinking, and began to really delve into these questions,  I have often said that Barnes and Noble can lay one book on the curb and shut their doors.  100 percent of the answers lie in one book.   The Bible.   The day that I decided that I cannot trust  the decisions that I make and I cannot trust the word of others and that the  moral compasses of all of us are spinning round and round wildly, was the day I decided that ANY decision that I make,  I will confer with my “self-help” Book first.   It is consistent, reliable, true and predictable.  I do not have to question the validity.  EVER.  And for that I am more grateful than I can tell you.

Very,  very sorry for my heavy today.  My heart is heavy.  Heavy.   If you are so inclined to pray, please pray for my friend today.

God bless,

Karen

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February 27, 2013 · 19:40

Ignorance Confirmed

We don’t know what we are doing.

Gathering sap in the deep woods has proven to challenge our little pea brains. We have had two vehicles stuck so far and had to recruit help to save us.

Lesson 1 –  Tap trees that are close to roads or well established trails that are not on severe inclines.

We built a cute little “sugar shack” to boil down our sap.  You don’t want to boil it down in the house unless you want to attract every ant in the county. And strip all the wallpaper.  Well….maybe we do want to boil it in the house.

Typical sugar shack.

Typical sugar shack.

Our sugar shack

Our sugar shack

This construction works fabulous. All snuggled in the dirt as long as it doesn’t rain.   Pops boiled all day Sunday.  Sunny, lovely day.  We bottled 5 pints.  Takes 8 hours to make 5 – 8oz. bottles.  Jeez.

The trees are flowing.  That means boil more.  Stop flowing for a minute, why don’t ya.

The next day, it was my turn at the sugar shack.

RAIN

RAIN

It poured all day.  I began at 9:00 a.m.  and I finished it up inside at 10:30 p.m.   Got 7 – 8 oz. bottles.  This game is not for the impatient of mind.   Puppies hung in there and were NASTY.

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Lesson 2 –  Better constructed “sugar shack” to protect from elements.  And add gravel to avoid 6 inches of sloppy mud slides.

Lesson 3 – Make a better system with a smoke stack or flew so I am not inhaling smoke for 12 or more hours.  I feel like I have been at the Mousetrap bellied up at the bar with my best smokin’ buddy.

Lesson 4 – Cancel ALL plans for two weeks.  Do nothing AND think of nothing but sap.  It is impossible to do anything else while this is going on.  I tried taking my paints out there.  Painted for about 2 minutes.  Read about 3 paragraphs in my book.  Watched a little  tv on my Ipad.

Lesson 5 – Use the kind of filter that “they” say to use so you don’t have so much shmagma floating around in the bottle.  Farmer Bob had an extra one so today’s batch turned out very clean.

By the way, if you choose to try this venture yourself, get your neighbor to do it along side you.  Makes it more fun.  Talkin’ about all the mistakes we are makin’.

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Can you believe it?  I am still bowled over.

So, where does it all end?  At some point we have to pull the plug and say enough.  And it will probably be before the tree is done sapping.  We plan to  do two more days of boiling and will call it quits for the year.  Maybe.  But, hey,  it was worth it.

Red Gold.

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God bless,

Karen

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