Well, after the evening my friend and I had last night, we needed a good day today, and it was. Good, that is! Our kinder doe gave birth to three beautiful bucks (yeah….I know…), and it was wonderful to be there and see it all happen.
Death Visits
I spent yesterday evening helplessly dangling a flashlight and watching a friend’s milk goat die as I tried to comfort the animal. Her condition was discovered too late, and even if we had been there when she had pushed her uterus out with her babies, I’m not all that confident we could have saved her. Other goat owners and a vet were called, and pleading messages were left on voicemails. Google was helpful, but as we gathered supplies in the dark, the Lord let the mama die. And I will tell you that dying is hard to do.
Two babies died, too. I’m not sure if they suffocated in their wee sacks or what, but clearly with the mama unable to attend to them, they went quickly. I rejoiced to see the sole surviving baby doe take to a bottle, and was grateful for the milk from another goatherd we were able to contact.
Two days earlier, one of my older friends died. She went in the night, at that seemingly tender hour when other events seem to happen in fleeting days, 3am. Her heart beat the last that was ordained from the beginning of time, and she flew. It is a great comfort to know her witness, her testimony in the Lord, and that her time of meeting Him was joyful and without condemnation. Still, on this side, death stings. How do you comfort a 4 year old?
My milk doe is due to have babies any day now. With every morning for the past few weeks, we’ve expected to see kids as we set out for barn chores. I bought a baby monitor last night on the way home from my friend’s house, and I think I heard every hoof step and hay munch in my dreams.
I hope it goes well. My heart is a little raw these days, but I am trying to listen to what the Lord is trying to teach me. I just wish I were a little more attentive when suffering isn’t involved.
Change of Seasons
Since the miscarriage, I’ve been thinking lately how my life is changing seasons. I’m no longer the young woman taking my fertility and youth for granted. I’m also no longer the girl who was so challenged by what other people thought of me, it guided what I did, said and wore. I’m finally comfortable being the person that some people love (xo!), and the same person that others hate (xo to you, anyway!). I am learning to become more content every day with who God has made me to be, and it is a lovely and restful place to be.
So it seems appropriate as I think on things that the leaves outside are about all blown from the trees, and the smell of winter is in the air. Fall is bowing out, winter coming in. And God is so gracious in it all, directing and orchestrating changes both in creation and in me.
One thing I’m doing more of is reading and writing snail mail letters. I love getting mail in the mailbox! It’s so lovely to see my writer’s handwriting, to steep a cup of tea and then just focus on my friend and her words. It’s so different than reading a blog-click-reading a blog-click-reading a blog… I know, I’m a dying breed. It’s ok. I don’t mind what others think 😉
Bye, Bye, Summer
How did I get to mid-October already? Yet, here we are with crisp sunny days and leaves glowing with yellow. It’s time for garden clean-up: the last mowing, the weeding and mulching, putting away the hammock and so forth. Garlic will hopefully be planted in the next couple of days, but it is bittersweet, wondering who will pull it out in July as our home is for sale. Do I even want to cloche the fall vegetable offerings? Part of me just wants to put it all to bed, to say my goodbyes and let it rest.
The kitchen has been busy as usual. Lots of jams are put up, and applesauce, and salsas and tomato sauces and dehydrated garlic, onion, hot peppers, mushrooms and various herbs from the garden. I’ve got plenty of salve for boo-boo’s and lots of tinctures for ailments that hopefully won’t show up now that I’m armed. A fun thing I’ve been doing is preparing “tincture kits” for my friends while watching a movie (Pride and Prejudice!). You should have seen and smelled the small media room; it was clouded with a dry herbal smell for days! For five bucks each, my pals get all the premixed organic herbs and can make a pint of tincture for themselves. It’s a very happy go around.
Milk From (Your!) Front Yard
Well, if you have the space….why not? In this podcast I’ll share about the benefits of whole, raw milk, share an interview I did with my cow-owning friend, and tell you about my own dairy goats. As usual, my husband pipes in at the end. If you can grow lettuce, you can milk an animal.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
The benefits of raw milk are many! This is a wholesome food provided by God for our benefit, but we have, like so many other foods, messed it up. Here are some of the very good reasons to switch from dead, pasteurized milk, to the living, raw real thing (along with lots of links from here to follow up for more research!): The Health Benefits of Raw Milk. That website is FULL of great information.
If you are interested in finding your own source for raw, real milk, go to http://www.realmilk.com/where.html. And yes, you will be paying more for this milk. But you are buying REAL food and not junk. It really matters!
If you’d like a history of how we got to where we are, concerning the milk supply, this book is very informative and very entertaining. It also answers questions regarding cholesterol and stuff like e-coli. It’s not a hard read at all:
This is the book my friend Sonja was referring to in her interview. It is definitely a favorite among dairy cow owners:
If you’re more interested in keeping dairy goats, this is a good starter book with lots of helpful information:
And, not to get political over this, but when the government is involved in choosing FOR you what is “best”, topics such as food choices and medical procedures (etc. etc.) get messy. This is one book on my “want to read” list…and one you can ignore if you don’t value your liberties to make your own decisions, taking responsibility for your OWN health and life:
This podcast was featured on:
Blessings to you and yours,
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- Next Page »