Spring is in the Air

Since moving into March we've enjoyed warm weather here on the farm. The snow is gone and in its place are puddles and lots of mud from the installation of water lines to the barn last fall. It's a mess! It's fun to watch the ducks playing in the puddles though and the chickens are venturing further from the coop foraging for whatever falls prey in their path. Seeing them at the outskirts of the farm yard makes me nervous and I keep a close eye out. It's reassuring to know that Rooster is out with his hens keeping watch. I have to chuckle as he prances from one group of hens to the next in all is studly splendor.

The girls have just a few more months before their crias (baby alpacas) are born. Soon they'll be heading into the big pasture and we'll be keeping vigil for the signs of our first born alpaca here on the farm. It's an exciting time!

The Ancona ducklings I ordered in January have been shipped and I'm anxiously awaiting their arrival in the next day or two. I can't imagine starting life out in a box and being juggled around to boot. The brooder is ready with warming lights, electrolyte water and food and we're ready with lots of love and care. It will be fun to watch them grow and have their first experiences. Swimming, of course, is at the top of the list. And their first days outside enveloped in protective fencing for the first few months. I wonder what our resident ducks will think of the new additions?

The window and pantry renovations are nearing completion and I'm looking forward to the porch and stair additions at the front of the house. The new front door was installed last fall and once the weather is consistently warm, I'm going to paint it red. I ran other colors by Brian, but he's stuck on red. Sometimes we just have to appease the men in our life - especially when they rarely have an opinion.

I saw two Robins in the back yard this morning. So now it's a waiting game . . . for the ground to dry and warm under the careful watch of the sun. Spring has sprung.

Life on the Farm

Having moved onto our farm in April of 2015, we set about making ready to bring our alpacas home from where they were being agisted (boarded). A good friend of ours, Richard, came down from Canada to help Brian with fencing and other heavy work. Those boys worked hard digging holes, setting posts and then stretching the 4x4 welded wire fencing to enclose our front pasture.

The newly fenced front pasture . . .

Richard on Big Red . . .

Moving a shelter into the front pasture . . .

The girls now home and enjoying the front pasture . . .

Then came the rabbits, a barn cat named Boris, ducks, chickens, goats, and a livestock guardian dog . . .

Boris (the cat), MooMoo, Midnight and Moonbeam (the rabbits)

Thunder and Storm - English Angora

Cayuga Ducks

Heritage Breeds - Australorp and Golden Laced Wyandotte, Cinnamon Queen, Buff Orpington, Rhode Island Red

Felix and Oscar - Fainting Goats

Loki - a Maremma

We've all settled nicely into our routines and things run pretty smoothly. We've been very fortunate not to have had any casualties (save for one chicken that our dog Oliver got - I cried heavily over that chicken . . . sigh). But then it's no surprise, because we're watched over by Angels. And I'm very grateful for that.

With spring just around the corner we're very happy to have survived our first winter on the farm. And this year spring brings us five Ancona ducks and two Talhouse geese. It also brings the renovation of our front porch and some much needed landscaping. Such is life on the farm . . .

A Gentle Voice

"And your ears shall hear a word behind you:
“This is the way, walk in it,” when you would turn to the right or to the left."
Isaiah 30:21
I headed outside today in the rain to do evening chores. We have a very sound routine, Brian and I. He headed off to the barn to make ready for the goats and I headed to the chicken coop. I turned on the lights on the chicken side of the coop, tidied up, checked water and filled the food trough. Since it seemed to me they were all inside already, I did a once over and then counted them - 33 - one was missing. And then there she was being ushered in by Brian. Okay, 34 chickens. All is well. I said my goodnights, turned off the light and closed the door.

I then made my way over to the duck side of the coop. I lifted the new ramp Brian made - heavy with all the shingles for a non-slip surface - and placed it to the side of the door. I stepped in and turned on the lights. Again I went through my evening routine of tidying up, checking water and filling the food trough. I closed up the gate between the two coops and stepped outside to usher in the ducks, but they were nowhere in sight. I looked in all the usual places they forage, but didn't see them. Then, off in the distance, I caught a glimpse of one of the ducks. Smiling, and with relief, I walked to the front of the house. There I stood looking at all ten of them spread out across the front pasture.

In the rain, I watched them for a short time and then called them to me. "Come on babies - it's time for bed." With those simple words they turned from what they were doing and started waddling towards me. The sight of all those little legs moving was enough to raise a little chuckle from deep within my heart. I watched patiently as they made their way to me. Patient in the knowledge that they were safe and were making their way home.

As I walked slowly behind the ducks, I wondered how often God had called me to turn right or left, and then patiently waited while I made my way. And, when I didn't go the way he guided me to, how much more patience he had while I took my little detour, and then again started making my way on the path he had in mind for me. How much easier could I have made it for myself if I had listened to his voice? He never cajoled or ridiculed my decisions. He didn't love me any less. He knew, in due time, that I would listen to his calm, gentle voice and walk in his way.

Just like my ducks, who follow my guidance on their way home, I too want to trust and be guided by the Divine. And then, tucked safely inside the coop, to rest and prepare for another day, secure in the knowledge that I am cared for and loved.

This was originally posted on another blog I write on December 13, 2015.