This Magic Moment

~ the view from my window, this magic moment ~

Did you notice the header photo changed? It's such a beautiful scene I wanted to show it again...go ahead, drink in all that wonderful beauty. Take huge gulps until you're sated, filled to overflowing with the wonder of God's holy creation. Marsha, aka Splendarosa, asked, "How can you bear to leave?" The answer is, "I can't but it's a different season of life now and needs are being dictated by age and the desire to be closer to family. I want to serve a huge meal with parents, siblings, nephews and their families gathered around. I want to be a Titus woman to my family and want to use my remaining days more wisely than they are now being used. And, truth be known, I want to be closer to creature comforts like museums, theatre, opera, restaurants, book stores, etc. When Dave was alive, he was my family and our lives were filled to overflowing with each other so those "creature comforts" weren't missed. Besides, we traveled often and to far flung places and it seemed we'd return from one trip only for him to say, "Where would you like to go next?"

So, until I move, I drink deeply from the stellar views surrounding me, take lots of photos and enjoy this magic moment. 

What Passes For Entertainment Around Here

Across the road there's an alfalfa field that has always proved too tempting for cattle. One reason it's easily accessible are the fences...or what passes for fences. Last week, a cow went through the fence and was hastily followed by a lot of friends and, I assume, some family. As they all look alike, Black Angus, it's a pretty safe assumption, don't you agree? Anyway, late Thursday afternoon, someone pulls up in a farm vehicle, opens the gates, dumps minerals and salt on the other side, then rounds up and pushes the cattle through. By 9 p.m. that same night, the cattle returned and were grazing in the field.  And who said animals are dumb?

This morning, four drivers showed up, including a small car, and they all proceeded to round up the cattle. I should mention the cattle don't belong to the owner of this field and for most of the 19+ years I've lived here, this scene has played out time and time and time and time...again. Often, I've wondered why not repair the break in the fence but hey! what do I know, I'm only a "hobby farmer".  This morning, after the cattle were pushed into "their" pasture and the gate closed, I heard the pounding of a hammer. It seems someone (finally!) decided to fix, or at least jury rig, the fence but my money is on the cattle...I give 'em until dark to make their way back into the alfalfa pasture.

Remember Levi Lilly? He's the kitten, here and here, rescued from the barn owls and has grown into a sleek, handsome boy. He's also a murderer killer and likes to hunt for his meals which is totally unnecessary as he's never hungry. Cat food is always available, set out away from the dogs, so Levi is hunting from instinct and not survival. In this photo, he looked up from a warm morning meal and is letting me know is not the best time for a photo op.

Of an early morning, I've been deer watching. In and of itself, that's a wonder because the deer are anywhere from 1/4 to 1/2 mile, or more, away. The photos are a bit fuzzy but this little fawn has been romping around Mother, wandering further and further afield but never too far for Mother not to have him/her in sight. 

This buck or stag, as they're called other places, was in the back pasture. He's a fine specimen and I hope he's able to successfully hide come hunting season. I've never understood the desire to have a deer head with antlers hanging on the way...and I come for a family of hunters! The men folk in my family have, mostly, hunted for food and that I understand but trophy hunting...not so much. 

Speaking of Europe...it's time to return. Last November I was in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland and thoroughly enjoyed those weeks. It was quiet in Northern Ireland but The Troubles are threatening to flare up again and that's something else that totally befuddles me...how we use our religion to hurt others by trying to force them to comply with our ideology. Somehow I find it very difficult to see Jesus in people me when that happens.

Lately, I've been thinking of a return European visit, perhaps eastern Europe this time. I adore Budapest and the Hotel Thermia Palace in Piestany, Slovakia is my favorite among all spas. 

So! On July 18-25 I'm going to Europe; want to come with me? I haven't decided where but it's going to be with Anita at Castles, Crowns and Cottages and is entitled 

Europe: Simply Irresistible Link Party.

It might be one of the places already mentioned or it might be London or Corsica or Florence or Barcelona or Tiblisi or Yerevan or Hipat Monastery or... hmmmm. Me thinks it's time to take a whirl around my photos in order to begin working on my contribution.

Make sure you return on July 18; until then, it's a secret but it's sure to be another magic moment...

Blessings ~ travel ~ Europe ~ stag and fawn ~ Hotel Thermia Palace ~ Anita ~ Castles, Crowns and Cottages ~ 

Feeding Round Bales

 Round hay is kept in a small lot between the road and the work shop and stacked on plastic pallets to help water drain and retard rotting on the bottom of the bale. I only have a dozen or so plastic pallets so it's a constant rotation to keep hay stacked. I also have a hay loft about half full of "square" bales that's a lot better nutritionally and is used to supplement the round bales. A lot of people don't like feeding horses round bales but Daddy John (who puts up my hay) and I are diligent about putting up dry hay. Very rarely is there mold and I've never had a problem, thank God. Daddy John, to distinguish him from his young son, John (although I sometimes hear him being called Johnny) puts up round bales of around 1200 pounds. How long the bales last before the horses finish eating depends upon weather conditions and time of year. When it's nasty cold and wet, horses eat a lot more; ingesting food is the only way they have to keep warm...from the stomach out. My horses are American Curly horses (a post coming soon on this rare breed) and are easy keepers. I don't blanket them but they do have shelter...when they choose shelter. They seek shelter more in the summer from the hot sun than in the winter from the cold. Their extra layer of fat and heavy, curly coats keep them amazingly warm in cold winter. Anyway, this last round bale lasted 9 days; this current bale will last longer if the weather warms up. These five horses have two pastures to graze and as warmer weather brings more grass, they'll eat less round hay and more green, growing grass.

From the hay lot to this pasture is around half a mile, along a long fence and then down a steep hill. At least, the hill is steep to me; I hate driving the tractor into this pasture but, sometimes, it simply cannot be helped. I've had to do it twice this winter and always wait until it's a clear day; my tractor skills simply aren't good enough to handle this hill in sleet, snow or ice. When I'm putting out hay in this pasture, I tend to go at a shopping whatever the tractor will pull me at when in second gear. I've got more time to work than time to heal so going slow is a very good thing. Putting out hay this time was a trifle tricky; the metal round pen has to be lifted and moved from the old bale to the new bale. This time, I couldn't control the pen, it weighs a couple of hundred pounds (I'm guessing) and I lost control. It dropped to the ground and, thank God, only caught me inside and I was able to crawl over the top. The children were staying with me and all of a sudden those three tykes came running across the pasture and down the hill, shouting, "Sandy, we're coming to help; we're coming to help!" At first I thought they'd be more in danger than a help but...you know what? Between a 9, 10 and 11 year old we were able to pick up the pen and then I rolled it to the new bale. Thank God we did it and did it safely!,  although, I've been struggling with horrid back pain. Remember those exercises I told you about here? For the first couple of days, I forgot about them and, in the mornings, would fall out of bed and then walk hunched over for the first hour or two. Once I remember the exercises though, it was wonderful. Before getting out of bed I do the first set and have added this...when I pull my legs up and twist my legs to the right, I twist my upper body and arms to the left. When I reverse direction with my legs, I also reverse direction with my upper body and arms, then...BAM! No pain and I can get out of bed and walk normally. All together now...THANK YOU GOD!  

In the photo before this ground hog, a pile of rocks are visible middle distance; it's there this ground hog has built his home. Dave used to have a $5 bounty on ground hogs and I've continued the tradition. There are some folks who think ground hogs are cute; I maintain if you live where there are sidewalks, you're probably one of those folks. Ground hogs are not cute, they are vicious with long claws, long teeth and a nasty attitude. Last week, I stepped into a ground hog hole in my front yard and went down to my knee. Thank God I didn't break my leg, ankle or foot. Since then, I've been pouring the hot coals from the wood stove down that hole and am hoping the ground hog gets the hankering to move across the road. 

While I was out today, I took advantage of photographing neighbors; to the right is Daddy John feeding silage to his cattle.

This is Clinton, left, coming back from feeding silage. Silage is fermented corn that's been cut, stalk and ear, chopped and then put into a pit to ferment. I think it smells good but Dave always thought it smelled rotten and it does, but in a good kinda way. Funny, I could never convince him.

Clinton is lambing and it's always a joy to watch them. 

Mostly he raises Suffolks which are a good meat breed. 

 In the late afternoon, the dogs and I sit on the sun room porch and I rest in the sunshine, soaking up vitamin D and collecting my strength. I've been playing with a new camera, my old Canon finally gave out. (I can't imagine why, it's only eight years old and I've taken more than 10,000 photos with it!) This new Canon Power Shot SX500 IS digital camera has some excellent features: 24 MM wide, 30x Optical Zoom, Optical Image Stabilizer, 16 Megapixel, 720p HD video in stereo sound with dedicated movie button, 3.0 inch LCD screen. Heck, it's smarter than me so I suppose I should read the manual. Oh wait. There is NO manual; now it's a CD or DVD and I hate that; I'm one who enjoys reading manuals and marking things I'll need to know. With a dratted CD there's no option to make little notes to refer to; it's all memory now nor can I carry around a CD player so I can quick read something. DANG! I really hate that.  Okay, fine, Canon didn't pay me to sing their praises but I'm not above accepting money to do so...HEAR THAT CANON? Send a check and I'll cash it! Or, better yet, send a printed manual.
Anyway, in the photo above, in the far distance, you can't even see the white dots that are calves. Below the tree limb on the left, the calves are standing across the road, in the far pasture.

ZOOM! Now you can see the calves...amazing, yes?! For me, having a camera is like food for the soul; there's no option...yes, camera or no, camera. The answer is YES! I've been a photographer for decades, at one time was a wedding photographer, at another time had my own photography business and a camera is a necessity in life. Having a great camera is a luxury so, thank You, God, for the luxury of a great camera.

P. S. I'm still having trouble visiting blogs with the comment box where it's supposed to say your name...Sandra at Thistle Cove Farm...for some reason, that's just not happening. I am visiting though and enjoying what you're saying; keep up the good work!

Blessings ~ beautiful day after 2 inches of ice, sleet, snow ~ lambs ~ calves ~ good hay ~ no horrible back pain ~ new Canon camera ~ groundhogs...not so much ~

Dear Sandra,

~ Sadie, looking forward ~

There's a new magazine and blog called FOLK, Live Authentic and says it's "the story of modern, authentic American life. We bring a fresh, youthful perspective to today's American culture while preserving the past through sharing the American story, and the story of those living authentic lives." It says a lot more and, while losing me at the "fresh, youthful" part, I'm picked up at the "preserving the past" and "living authentic lives" part. From what I've read, I'm at least old enough to be everyone's Mother if not their Gran and that's fine with me. At least I'm still alive to give a nudge to the yunginn's every now and agin. -smile-
If you go to the Journaling Agenda page, there's a weekly blog writing prompt and, as long as I remember, I'm joining in. The first week of this new year is "write a letter to you" so here's mine:

Dearest Sandra,

It's been a year! A year of leaving, learning, growing, standing still, tears, laughter, sorrow, joy, sadness, happiness, big decisions, big risks, a year of holding on and letting go, a year of God and His enormous grace, mercy and love poured out upon you. You, in your ignorance, would have changed Dave's death into life so you could have his protection and provision still. God, in His infinite wisdom, chose otherwise and it has been His protection and provision that has overshadowed you these past long months.
While Dave lived, one of God's last gifts to you was leading Dave to Christ. On Monday morning, Dave asked, "How do I get right with God?" and you spoke of God's gift, His Son Christ, and what that meant for all eternity. Dave made his peace with God and on Saturday morning went Home. Dave asked for two things: to die at home and not to die in the agony of the last stages of cancer. He'd taken care of Cathy, his first wife, in her last stages of cancer and he knew what lay ahead. He told you he wanted to spare you both even though you assured him you wanted him no matter what. In His infinite mercy, God gave Dave his last desires. Dave died of a massive heart attack and he died at home. Those first months you spent in shock. Oh, you did all those things that needed doing and did some of them correctly but made mistakes as well. You listened to others say, "don't you think it's time you got over it? It's been a few months." or "you're a prickly personality" or "you need to get on with life". Yes, and them cozy in bed at night, snugged against their husband!
You gave yourself a year to grieve, a year to focus on the grief and the loss, the aloneness, the knowledge that you were now your own provider and protector...at least, with skin on smile... . That year was given up to tears and the adjustment of being alone, save the animals. You told yourself you'd move on to mourning and leave the grief behind and, mostly, you have but there are times still, the grief catches you unawares and you're poured out, empty, all over again. 
Dave lives on, in Glory, with all those Saints and great cloud of witnesses gone before. God left you to carry on, to ponder, pray and discern His new will for your life. You've an inkling and are spending this first week of the New Year making a calendar, plans and goals for growth in this new direction. There are those who don't feel God speaks to us in this day and age; they are right. You're one who believes God does speak to us you in this day and age and you are right. He speaks in a whisper and you listen, shutting out the noise of daily living, turning off the television, radio and computer; if necessary, turning off the telephone to focus on His voice. He opens a door here, a window there and guides your feet on the narrow path.
True friends have been so kind and acquaintances have been...well, they have been acquaintances. So many times they have approached you and asked intensely personal questions. Why they think they have the right to ask personal questions simply because you know each other is beyond my kin! Some of them haven't spoken to you in years, yet the need to know your personal business overcame any sense of propriety and ask they did. Perhaps, as you answered them, you were gracious but even if you weren't, you can still live with it; you did nothing wrong.
You learned you don't have to do something because someone else tells you that's what you need to do. 
You learned to say, "No, that's not acceptable" and then describe what was acceptable. 
You learned to go toe-to-toe with doctors, nurses, hospital administration and not back down; you learned patients and families have rights, true rights, and not just in word alone. You learned you didn't much care what someone thought of you as long as Dave's needs and comfort were met.
You learned to buy property; to negotiate and bargain. 
You learned to buy and sell cattle but don't think you'll be doing that again! smile You've taken care of the animals, farm, house and learned to ask for help; you learned to listen and heed wise counsel. 
You learned there are millions of people who aren't ready for death, either to someone they love or to themselves. 
You learned you have something to give...the hard-won knowledge gained from Dave dieing so suddenly and without being prepared. That knowledge is being put to paper; "death comes to us or for us, it's best to be prepared." 
You learned love transcends time, life goes on, friends love unconditionally, the prayers of those whom you'll never meet this side of the veil have held you up before His thrown of grace, mercy and love. 
You learned the "righteous will never be forsaken nor His seed beg for bread".
The opportunity to travel afforded you new friends whom you hope to see again but, in the meantime, your prayers, one for another, hold all close.
Most importantly, you've learned...re-learned...God is able in all circumstances and situations if when you get out of His way.
So, dearest Sandra, last year has gone, the new year still has nappies and you're dreaming new dreams, have new plans and goals and are forging ahead. Some things won't change - God first; self, family and friends second and all else trailing behind. As long as you keep your perspectives in the right order, it will all work out according to His plan and glory. Sandra, be gentle with yourself, show yourself love, honor and respect, claim His blessings and promises so you can fill to overflowing and, in turn, bless others.
God bless you, Sandra, and the work of your hands and heart; may the worst of 2013 be claimed from the best of 2012.
You are left in His most capable hands.
Amen.

Today's Miracles - snow on the mountains ~ shining sun ~ Carly, giving nose kisses ~ fire in the wood stove ~ good weather for feeding livestock ~ peace ~

Farm Chores

life beautiful giveaway ends Friday, Sept 14.

~ stables at Thistle Cove Farm ~

Behind the stables is a livestock water trough that, fairly often, gets an air lock. The upper left end is where the John Deere is stored, the hay loft is top middle and the lower right is where the Ranger lives next to the tack room. But I digress.

So, I drag out my cut off broom handle, wrapped with black electricians tape and chunka, chunka, chunka the water overflow pipe until the air lock bursts loose and water flows freely again. This particular trough feeds two other troughs so it's vital it works at all times. 

Cattle, horses, sheep, cats and various wildlife are dependent upon this water.

Give me land,

lots of land 

Under starry skies above

Don't fence me in

Let me ride through

The wide open country that I love

Don't fence me in

Let me be by myself 

In the evening breeze

Listen to the murmur

Of the cottonwood trees

Send me off forever

But I ask you please

Don't fence me in.

If you don't know, calves are the closest thing on four legs to teenage boys I've ever seen in my life! I swear, if they could talk, all you'd hear is, "HEY! Watch this!" Some of my fences are in terrific condition and others...hmmmm, not so much. Especially now. The Boys, as they are mostly called around here, decided it would be fun to see how many fence posts they could break. Then one calf decided it would be fun to go over the fence, down the bank, out into the road and na na na na na his friends who stood watching. Thank God, all of them didn't decide to do likewise; it was hard enough dealing with one escape artist. 

While I'm using the car to maneuver the calf back down the road, an older gentleman comes up the road. I'm waving him...go to the right, go to the right! when he pulls up and stops. "Do you need any help?" 
Wellllll. Yes. But. This feller looks to be in his mid 70's, perhaps older...? So, I'm torn between saying yes, and praying he won't keel over of a heart attack, or saying no and him thinking I'm an ingrate. As I've heard all my life.
So, I say yes and I head to the driveway so I can open the gate so the calf can, hopefully, be persuaded to go into the barn lot. In the meantime, I also walk to the upper pasture and call the others...."HERE BOYS, COME HERE BOYS. MOOOOOO BOYS!" Oh yeah, it's a sight. You and a camera could be contenders for American's Funniest Videos $10K prize should you film this!
Eventually, all is well...the small herd of calves head to the barn, Daddy John -as I now call him because he has a son named John, then there's John C. and John M. all in the valley and it's getting confusing. So Daddy John is headed up the road on his John Deere which, as almost everyone knows yellow and green are the only colors decent tractors come in, and he herds the calf back to the barn lot. No mean task because the dratted calf has decided to go down the road while his buddies follow alongside the fence. "HEY!" they call out. "We want to come with you!" Meanwhile, the dratted calf is bellowing, "But I want to be with you guys!"
Why do I have cattle?

I take a pile of metal T posts, my post driver and the dogs and I head to the pasture. It takes a while but I'm able to jury rig the fence so the cattle will stay in. Right. As long as they don't decide to go through the fence again, they'll stay in.

See. As they say around here...good enough for gubmint work! 
There's plenty more going on around the farm but I'm too busy, just now, to sit at the computer very long. This morning, the temperature was 46 degrees F so Autumn is on her way and in a hurry. There are still are few hummingbirds hanging around but I trust them to know their business, when this feeder is empty, almost empty now, it won't be re-filled. 
My good news...as I'm going around the farm doing chores, as God brings your name to mind, you're tucked into prayer. Doesn't that sound wonderful!? It does to me too! smile

Blessings ~ Daddy John ~ old feller who was willing even if not much able ~ metal T posts ~ post driver ~ Roy Rogers ~ stables ~ John Deere ~ Ranger ~ the strength to do the work God sets before me ~

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 ~