Lily, meet Levi

~ baby Lily ~

Remember way back in September...down at the barn...this little one, mewling, crawling across the loft while barn owls looked down in anticipation? So I could climb down the ladder safely, I stuffed this little one inside my shirt and brought her to the house. I'm guessing four weeks old, more or less, and it was touch and go for a while. An eye dropper, then a bottle before this little thing was old enough to eat on her own. Kim, a young friend, named it Lily; and, at that age, males and females, pretty much, all look the same. As well, a male's testicles have yet to drop so determining the gender can be difficult, if not impossible.

~ checking ... ~

Recently, I've been watching Lily as she's growing from kitten into cat. She's becoming leaner, more bones and angles and I figured she was going through that awkward teenage stage. However, had I been paying closer attention, I would have realized Lily is Levi. He likes to climb into my lap, early mornings while I'm having devotions, and lay upside down for his stomach to be rubbed. One morning last week, I glanced down and LOW AND BEHOLD it looks like she is a HE! Who knew? Certainly not me! Just to be sure, I reached down and, very gently (or so I thought) gave those little nubbins a mild tweak. SQUAWK! Well, all righty then...that confirms it...Lily is Levi and not happy about having his privates tweaked. No, not happy at all.

~ don't even think it, Mom ~

Ahem. Levi, as Stephanie, my Beloved Sistah, has now named him doesn't seem all that put out by the mistake. He knows I'm, generally, so busy I have to look at my driver's license to remember my own name so all is forgiven.

~ Levi, contemplating life as a boy...for the time being...~

Blessings ~ a forgiving Levi ~ laughter ~ 

Chatting on the porch...

~ Miss Lily ~

Today, Patrice of Everyday Ruralty, is hosting her Chats on the Farmhouse Porch; I'm playing along.

1. Who do you look like in your family?  Used to be, I looked like Sam P. Spade; we both have had...which is it?...blonde hair which was is...which is it?...usually rather unkempt. Mine because I forget to brush it, except with my fingers, and his because he's part Spaniel Terrier. Since I've started going gray white, I look like Lily except I'm older than dirt and she's a young'un.

~ Sam P. Spade, Secret Agent ~

2. Would you rather read a novel, poem, magazine or how-to book? Depends. Don't you love those kind of answers? not. I read mysteries for diversion, poems for comfort, and my magazines and how-to books are, usually, along the same genre; I enjoy reading about fiber and textile arts.

~ Sadie Baby ~

3. Is there anything in your future that seems challenging, daunting or larger than life? No, but then I get out of bed and the challenges try to overwhelm me! Actually, since Dave died, each and every day has been a challenge but God has been faithful each and every day so life has worked out well. Currently, I'm getting the farm and house ready for winter and that takes a lot of physical labor. When the days aren't sunny, I spend them inside tagging things I want to sell at an auction house. It's the season of downsizing, selling things, giving things away, deciding what I want to keep. Change is the only constant in our life, save Christ, and I'm dealing with change as best I can.

~ Sophie Lauren Butterball and Miss Lily ~

4. Do you have any big projects for this season? Autumn and winter bring quilting, spinning and working the studio but that's after getting the farm and house ready for winter. For Christmas, I usually make gifts - quilts, knitted hats, scarves, hand warmers - and now is the time to quilt, spin and knit. 

5. Please finish this: It made me so happy to ____...weeeelllll, I'm a contented person, much more so than happy. So many things bring joy into my life...watching the kittens play, looking at the fawn across the fence, watching eagles soar over the valley, walking amongst the sheep, petting the horses, spinning yarn, quilting, drinking a good cup of coffee or tea. Indeed, my middle name, Kay, is Celtic for happy and I suppose my disposition is happy although, like I've said, I think of myself more as contented. So much of my life is spent in solitude; Dave and I were contented to be with each other, to spend most of our time together and that really hasn't changed. I need solitude, probably more so than most, and that solitude also has to come with silence. The noise of the radio or television, mostly, is grating although I do enjoy some programs on both. So, happy...not so much; contented...greatly!

P. S. Hiya Wendell...this is HayJ, I live with Sandra at Thistle Cove Farm. For a little thing, she takes pretty good care of us; she does her best anyway. Not her fault she doesn't have thousands of acres for us to enjoy. I'm an American Curly x Percheron and don't think there are that many in the world. I know of only one other black and white and he's not as big as me; I'm about 18 hands and two thousand pounds. Anyway, just wanted to say hello; hope your day goes as perfectly as I expect mine to go! Sandra always says our farm is "beautiful one day and perfect the next"!

Blessings ~ contentment ~ my family ~ 

More Lily, Please!

Lily, marching to the beat of her own drummer.

Lily, keeping Sada in line.

Lily and Sam P. Spade, Secret Agent, aka Lover Man.

Lily and Tippy, deciding what happens next.

Oh yeah, PLAY!

Not sure if you can see this very clearly, but it's an eagle in my alfalfa field. The day before, the dogs killed a ground hog and the eagle claim it for his/her own.

The eagle flew to the top of a tree, treasure in claws and that was the last I saw the eagle.
It's never dull, never boring on the farm. That's what makes the work so much fun...always something to gaze upon in the midst of toil.

Blessings ~ work ~ eagles ~ Lily ~ Sadie ~ Sam ~ rest ~

Fearless Lily

~ Lily meets Sada's nose ~

Around Thistle Cove Farm, it pays to have a brave heart. Lily, you may remember, was a barn kitten, saved from being a warm meal of the two barn owls. She's been in the house for almost three weeks...hard to believe!...and spent the first week being fed with an eyedropper. Every couple of hours, I'd mix kitten milk with water and feed Lily, then, I'd stick her down my shirt or nightgown, so she could have a little nap. At night, I still heat a rice filled bag and slip it under her cushion so she sleeps warmly.

~ Lily and Sam ~

I don't leave Lily alone with the dogs as the dogs aren't to be trusted...yet. Lily needs to be a bit larger before the dogs will accept her and not hurt her. Even so, I don't think there's anything braver than a kitten. Lily is about seven or eight inches, stretched from back paws to front paws, and will jump half again her height to grab hold of the sheet covering the sofa. Then, she'll drag herself up, up, up until she's on the sofa so she can be-devil the dogs.

~ Sophie isn't all that impressed ~

Lily is now being fed with a kitten baby bottle and sucks like a Dyson. Sophie would cheerfully and with great gusto kill Lily so those two, especially, aren't being left alone.

Each morning, Lily is retrieved from "her" dog crate and taken to the sun room so she can drink from her first bottle. Then, she's placed on the floor where she romps with Tippy for an hour or two, fed again then placed back in the dog crate for a nap.

Lily has progressed to the point where she's grooming herself but sometimes still needs a little help going to the bathroom. When a kitten leaves her mother while the kitten is very young, the kitten needs to be fed, then flipped on her back and her face and tummy stroked with a warm, wet washcloth. This mimics the mother cleaning, licking and grooming her baby to produce urine and feces. So, it's a really good thing Lily has begun grooming herself...a positive step forward! 

At first, I thought Lily was about 5 weeks old but now I think she was between 3 and 4 weeks. Her eyes were blue, as are most newly born kittens, but look like they are going to stay blue! Now, she looks about 6 or 7 weeks, is gaining weight and due to be de-wormed tomorrow. She has begun to eat canned cat food...ugh...and as soon as she's able, she'll eat kitten kibble. For more information on kitten development, visit here. Yes, Lily was taken from her mother at an early age but her mother was elsewhere. She was probably eating her own breakfast, getting a drink of water or even hunting. At any rate, Lily has a chance at life now; at the barn, she was nothing more than a meal waiting to be eaten. Lily is happy; so should you be for Lily.

Blessings ~ Lily ~ Sadie ~ Sam ~ Sophie ~ miracles, on a daily basis ~ 

life beautiful giveaway

~ Lily, waving hello ~

While at the barn, recently, I hear mewling. Eventually, I followed the sound to the hay loft where I found this little one. Kimberly, a young friend, named this little one Lily which is odd, because in the last month or so, two human Lily's have crossed my path. Anyway, Lily it is and she's quite young, perhaps 5 weeks and I've been feeding her with an eyedropper. Yesterday, I broke down and bought a kitten bottle and she'll drink from it but doesn't enjoy it. Could it be the little rascal has already become accustomed to being fed instead of feeding? Oh dear. I hope she's not a liberal Democrat a conservative.

~ my barn loft ~

She came to the house, stuffed inside my shirt, because of the huge barn owl perched overhead, staring in disapproval because I'd snatched his warm meal almost from his mouth. Lily lives in the bathtub until she's big enough to move to the bathroom and, eventually, to the rest of the house. She's fed every 2 to 3 hours during the day but, selfish me, I only feed her once in the middle of the night.

The feeder had to be moved so, using the Ranger, I piled everything on and everyone in, and changed location. You can, just barely, see the white face of a black Angus peering from the side of the building. Once moved, the feeder was filled with mineral salt.

Could it be the boys are enjoying their minerals? I take my stewardship seriously and provide quality minerals, feed and clean, cold mountain river water for all my animals. 

~ doe and twin fawns ~

A lot of evenings are spent on the back porch, watching this mama and her two babies. If someone drives by, slows down and stops, I jump to my feet and begin screaming, whistling and, in general, making as much noise as possible. This alerts Mama to call to her young and flee. No, as a matter of fact I don't trust people; there are far too many instances of me finding deer dead in the field because some stupid idiot...or is that an oxymoron?... has shot a deer out of season and from the road. I don't mind hunters and know they provide a service both to nature and to their families, and, around here, the men hunt to put meat on the table. They'll spend hours, even days, tracking something they've shot and wounded. It's a sad fact of hunting but not every shot is a kill shot. 

~ 22.5 round bales~

John, my neighbor down the road, and some buddies, perhaps even Ashley, his wife, put up my hay. God blessed us with good weather and twenty-two and a half bales were cut, kicked, raked and baled DRY! Thank You, God! And, thank you John and all!

Once again, another month anniversary of Dave's death has come and gone with me not remembering. Thank you, God. I think. Is life beautiful? Yes. Is life difficult? Yes. Do I miss Dave every single solitary day? Yes. A friend asked, "Do you ever go into a room and start to speak to Dave, then realize he's not there?" I didn't answer her then but will now. The answer is, "not hardly. There's never a day that I don't remember he's dead. There's never a day that I don't miss him." But, for two months in a row, I've missed the anniversary date of his death so, I'm healing...right? I'm growing ahead. I'm beginning to understand again, in a heart sense, life is beautiful. 
Are you familiar with the magazine life:beautiful...faith for your journey? I buy it whenever I see it and, probably, should subscribe. Today, I found the summer 2012 issue and picked up two copies. When I finish this blog entry, I'm taking the magazine and a glass of tea to the back porch where I'll spend a few minutes, relaxing, before getting on the mower and getting back to chores.
I want one of you to relax, so, please leave me a comment and let me know your favorite way to relax. This time next week, Friday, September 14, around 3 p.m., using Random.org, a name will be chosen to receive a copy of this issue.
In the midst of life's hardships, let's agree...life is beautiful!

Blessings ~ healing ~ calves ~ deer ~ fawns ~ dry hay ~ Lily ~ life:beautiful ~