It’s been a while! Let’s catch up a bit!
Well, Farmer man seems to have finally shaken the last of the COVid symptoms. At least we aren’t carting the oxygen around with us everywhere we go now! I am so blessed that he recovered, I know that many have not. People I know have had to let go of loved ones far too early. The blessing of survival is not lost on me.
Christmas had us snowed in with most of the family stuck spending the night! Fun, loud, chaos! So, normal!
God provides! Farming is never easy, and it much harder when the strong one is down. My brother-in-law has placed almost every single round bale of hay for me all winter long, and fetched most of them from the farm store to boot! Thankful for his help and the love of our family. One weekend I put out an SOS – and my children and spouses, or soon to be spouses showed up and helped us get ready for the coming cold weather. (A fair bit of hard work happened that day!)
We made it through the holidays carrying oxygen and finally laid that down sometime in February. Farmer Man is trying to build strength as we walk on purpose now and work to increase our distance. Progress is small, but measurable. We were making it to the mailbox with considerable effort. Now we are making a few hundred feet up the road (on the flat ground only) past the mail box. We are still working on the reasons for his slow progress, but for now – as always – day at a time.
Then, came the lovely ice storm! Every disaster brings a new list of things to change in our emergency self reliance plan.
It was SOOOOO eerie one night around 2 am as my son tried to head out to work while the temps allowed him to get up the hill and out of our little holler – we stood outside and listened to trees popping and then falling all around. Actually, it was complete silence except the trees falling. It was other-wordly!
We made it through about a week with no power, no water, and no phone or internet – with a tiny little cell signal when we stood in our bedroom and laid the phone in the top part of the window. Most conversation was by simple, uncomplicated, text messaging because photos would not send. We managed to work out a generator to FINALLY get a shower, and are currently working on a “no power” plan that kicks in a little sooner next time!
All of the ice finally melted and the sun has been shining and we got a breath of life after an exhausting couple of months!
Oh, all those trees we heard popping? At least a few of them have fallen in our fence line – meaning (see photo below) fence mending just got moved to the top of the list! We temp fixed one spot, I’m sure a few others are ready to tempt the little wandering herd to “greener pastures”.
Great farm hand! 
That is a herd of 28 goats who wandered past the fence and cannot figure out how to get home – to be fed. They are LOUD!!!!!
We have “piddled” at replacing the floor, a few boards at a time and with great helpers! Progress toward civilization is being made!
Spring is approaching and we are trying to figure out how much of what to plant in the high tunnel. So far we are still getting spinach, lettuce, carrots, and turnips! Nice!
Side note – This is THE LUCKIEST GOAT EVER!!!
Goats spend their lives trying to figure out ways to die. That is what we were told. This little goat here actually got a parasite and was very sick and couldn’t walk right. I went to the barn several times a day for a week to treat her (our plan of action – this is not our first rodeo!). After a week, it seemed obvious that she was not improving and we scheduled a trip to the vet to have her put down. I did not want her to suffer.
So, I go up to the barn to get her for this morning appointment trying to figure out how i’m going to get this goat down to the car from the barn. Farmer man is not able to do the normal grab and carry and she is too heavy for me. So, I put a leash on her and hoped that the best limping she could manage would be enough. She made it to the car with only a few stumbles. We loaded her and headed toward the vet’s office.
In my defense, I had weighed the situation the previous night and made the decision. It was hard enough. I try not to “what if” after that part is done.
So the entire way down Allen’s Fork and the curves and the hills – she stood up in the floor of the back seat of the car. No falling, no flopping. Just stood there, head perked up between the seats. Jim says – “Does she look better to you?” I say – Nope, well, I’m not sure really. We drive a little farther. Jim says – Call the vet, I think she looks better.
Y’all! I was actually a little mad! I was (in my head) “Ugh! I will just have to lead her back to a stall, treat her another five times, load her back up, and take her again!” My eyes were so rolling! He said it again, and I had to admit she looked a little better. So we canceled the vet.
She is alive and well bouncing around with the rest of the herd with minimal leftover limping out on the hill eating grass and escaping with the rest of them! Luckiest goat ever!
This hasn’t been such an inspirational blog, but more of a catch up of information. But, even though it has been tough few months, even though I have wondered how the farming was going to get done, and I have wondered why it is we are farming at all right now – God has provided at every turn, every roadblock has had a route around, every challenge has been met with willing helpers. So, God is faithful, He is good – even in an ice storm, even in the midst of a pandemic, even through a slow recovery process, even for a helpless little goat. God is Good – ALL the time and ALL the time, He is good!
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