Knocked down, stood up, knocked down, bloody and bawling

Hey friends, I haven't had any time to blog and miss you all ~ especially today. 

Life on a farm is always full of hard work and often emotional but I'm usually able to take a few sobs followed by deep breathes and continue on. 

Most mornings, no matter what's happened the day before,  I try to start with a fresh outlook. 

I pour my coffee and go let out my hens so that we can do chores and enjoy the gardens together.

One of my favorite views. 

In fact, I've been meaning to do a special post about the circle of life and the comings n goings on our farm.  

We've lost some extra special horses and goats. And been joined by cute new ones.

They will have to work hard to challenge past titles of extra special tho!

My most favorite pony will soon get his own post. RIP Neil Diamond.

Bert died shortly before the  new kids were born.

Meet Max n Ruby. Our New Kids on the Bale.

My mother lost her beloved old German Shepard and my brother got an adorable Boxer.

Ike was a Katrina rescue and so appreciative to have a family.

I've had an occasional hen plucked by a fox and bought or hatched new ones...

This (now dead) pullet hatched guinea keets after a fox took their mama from the nest.

But senseless carnage and massacre is hard to swallow.

TWICE.

You guessed it. A demon raccoon.

It's been a personal thing for this monster.

First the cat food on the porch.

I locked it up.

Then it DESTROYED my porch and dumped n dug all my flowers

leaving poop on my grill in case I didn't get the message.

Two nights ago it broke into my coop.

A nightmare of carnage so bad I could not even believe my eyes.

I was in shock.

Clearly this was just a sport to the creature.

Hens without heads or guts but their eggs still there.

I can handle a fox feeding cubs.

I.can.not.handle.a.coon.killing.for.fun.

I toughed it out (it was after a grueling day before on the farm)

Romeo was driven down by my BFF in MI

I mourned and cleaned the coop and doctored the dear sweet Romeo Rooster who had fought hard and lost but not quite died.

I celebrated the hens who'd been nesting elsewhere.

And my beautiful young pullets just bought last weekend and isolated. 

I acted tough n told clients n family that it's just an ugly part of nature.

I reinforced the coop (which was pretty darn secure already!) and set a trap with marshmallows.

I sweet talked poor Romeo and tucked him and the others in with a promise they need not worry.

I lied.

The *&%$#! beast broke in and killed them ALL, even the pullets somehow!!!!

Worse. 

Poor Romeo is not quite dead. But nearly. And no one but me is here to deal with it.

The marshmallows are gone and trap was sprung.

The Farmer thinks its a huge raccoon.

I can not cope. 

The Farmer is gone getting tractor parts.

Kids are at the beach with his mom.

I am alone with my blog to grieve and condemn. 

And whine that farm life in this economy of no help and no vacations is just too much for me somedays.

My poor poor birds.

I let them down.

I am devastated.

Ironically sweet Henny Penny is alive because she lives in a rabbit hutch and free ranges due to constant attacks from the other hens.

She is four years old.

She still lays eggs.

Been found near dead too many times.

Eaten yogurt, blueberries n scrambled eggs, been filled with triple antibiotic and recovered.

Yes, she and my floor both look gross. That's part of farm life too.

I might just have to become the crazy chicken lady and let her live in the house.

Permanently.

The thought of her head being ripped off after all she's been through will sign my note for the mental ward.

I've had one foot in the door there lately anyway.

My fight feels gone.

I wanna live in a condo and work at Walmart.

Really.

But since I can't I stole this from the always inspirational Coop Keeper.

(As I searched her early blog I fell in love with her all over again. The blue chair, the blue pool, the chicken whispering and garden tour lust... We must be kin. Too bad she got the looks and the talent!)

Thank the Lord I can still laugh while I cry.

I pray that soon I can sing a similar song and show a dead coon.

Jayme sings like she does everything ~ bravely! Go watch here.

Lock up your girls and get your guns.

This is war. 

Loved you ladies. Don't worry, I 'll get 'im!

End of an era

I'm a wreck.

It really hit me now that Jack started Kindergarten camp.

My babies are officially no longer babies.

sob.

gasp.

sob. sob. sob

After 5 1/2 years we've officially left our lovely preschool family.
sob

We adore Union Bridge Early Learning Center and Ms. Martha!

Sarah started at age 3 in Jan '07 and went through til she was 5 1/2

I thought she was ready at 2 1/2 and wanted her to be accepted in the fall...

Wise Ms. Martha said uh uh.

You can't argue with Ms Martha. She has THIRTY YEARS experience!

She's a legend in this corner of the world.

A very quiet, humble, generous, comforting and wise woman.

Her assistant Ms. Heidi is awesome as well!

 Ms. Heidi's own darling boy was in class there with Jack this year.

Jack started at age 3, but because we held him back from Kindergarten due to a late birthday, attended three years. That was one of my smartest mommy moves. ever.

Last year, we considered moving him to a new preschool with all day classes 5 days/week...

Then I thought, why mess with a great thing?!
(And I wasn't quite ready to give up my baby boy time.)

Preschool is just down the street from the elementary so we drove them both.

I hated Sarah's 1 hour school bus rides home with bigger kids so choose to drive back n forth.

M,W,F that's three trips 15+ minutes each way/day = 1 1/2 hrs.

But as I've mentioned in this post, it's a gorgeous and relaxing drive.
Lately we've been belting out Adele together the whole way.  :-)

Life on the (horse) farm means that often dinner time and schedules vary.
Taking the kids to school and tucking them in are two of The Farmer and my favorite family times.

The preschool is in the church and the "basement" is set up with trikes n all sorts of fun toys n games. Almost every morning before preschool we'd arrive early(cause Sarah's school starts earlier) and play basketball etc with Jack.

Good times never to be forgotten.

We'll still make the same drive. We'll just never pull up here again for school.
(sob)

Thank the Lord they offer the best VBS  and a kids club in winter!

I'm not ready to let go of Ms. Martha's hand just yet.

We  gave farm themed goodies, gift cards and loaves of our family poppy seed cake.
Ms. Martha had said she'd miss that annual Christmas gift (almost as much as my kids).
(I used these lovely tags by Good Gravy Designs and also cute recipe cards from sweet Janette, )
So just to share the love, here's a copy of the recipe for you!

Leslie's Poppy Seed Cake Recipe

Preheat oven to 350

3 cups flour

2 ¼ cups sugar

3 eggs

1 ½ cups milk

1 ½ cups oil

1 ½ Tablespoon poppy seeds

1 ½ teaspoon salt

1 ½ teaspoon vanilla

1 ½ tsp baking powder

1 ½ tsp almond extract

1 ½ tsp butter flavor

Mix all together 1-2 minutes with mixer

Pour into 3 small greased loaf pans or 2 large
This is a heavy cake and doesn't rise a lot.

Bake 1 hour at 350

GLAZE

¼ cup orange juice

¾ cup sugar

½ tsp butter flavor

½ tsp almond extract

½ tsp vanilla

Mix and drizzle over warm loaves while in pans. Cool in pans

 (I poke holes in loaves first with a toothpick to help glaze penetrate) 

Remember Me

Remembering all those who have fought and served to keep our country Free...

Thank you Grandpa. Miss you much!

Thank you Veterans!!!

Field trip friends

We hosted Jack's class for a farm field trip last week and had lotsa fun.

They came.

They milked.

They gathered (eggs)

They learned (about farming n equipment)????

They left by noon so that we could resume workin ourselves to a frazzle baling hay.

My wise friend Lori who is a Girl Scout/Daisy leader warned me that I was too worried about all the wee details.

"They won't care."

she.was.spot.on.

I obsessed about everything ~ farm lessons, foods from the farm, even goodie bags w/seed packs n goat games.

I scrubbed the barn aisle and critters. Planted n weeded. Cleaned the farmhouse. 

They cared most (it seemed) about the Beagle.

Go figure.

Hope you're all feelin' appreciated!

Join me at Deborah Jean's Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop # 59

Where I've been...

These lonng spring days are my very favorite time of year and I've been packin 'em full!

Been huntin eggs n crying in church (happens everytime - I am soooo blessed!)

Been welcoming new horsey friends

 and saying goodbye to treasured old ones.

Been thriftin'!

Been gardening... 

n gardening...

n gardening!

Been cookin' a lot of quick dinners since we're all outside 'til dark!

Been watchin' my daughter put her drama to great use!

Been to the Big Apple! 

 (Sarah was especially excited after it'd been the theme at Bible Camp last summer)

Been waitin' for Wilma to pOp!

Been prepping ~

 lotsa horses for a hunter pace this weekend, 

house for hosting Mother's Day 

and the whole farm for a school field trip that comes to tour our place next week...

Been CrAzY busy!!!

Been awaitin our new macbook so I could type and click without sharing one USB port...

(Yup, I may have been cursin a bit  a up til now!)

Been grabbing a quick pins throughout the days as that only required the mouse! ;-)

Been missin' my bloggie buds!

Made ya look

 These views out my car window made me look yesterday...

 And this outside my own back door...

 APRIL FOOLS!

  It's not quite that warm here just yet... That shot was last summer.

Here's what I saw this morning.

I drew mustaches on my kids while they slept last night. 

Sarah was a light sleeper so I quit with less!

When Sarah woke I told her she must not have closed the coop right cause I saw a dead chicken in the yard... Too mean? She laughed!

I also put mustard in their toothpaste, dyed the juice purple and ice balls in The Farmer's boots.

I turned the tv to heavy metal music channel - full volume of course!

I thought it was fitting that it was Ted Nugents "She's a Dangerous Girl!"  bahaha

I also tried putting dish soap in the toilets to make bubbles but that didn't seem to work. 

  Darn store brands!

Oh yeah, and I changed the two main clocks ahead an hour.

My family thinks I'm the fool.

Oh well, I had fun!

And I'm not telling what I've saved for later...!!!

Now n Then...

Now n then I like to imagine what life was like round these parts 200+ years ago when our town was incorporated... Take this shot... Can you believe I just took it last week while driving home from dropping off kids at school? Someone is clearing out and ?fixing up? a very old abandoned house... Looks like their well drilling truck is almost as old as the house!

And just to further the confusion... This canon sits just a bit further down the same road! What's up with my neighborhood? I dunno, but I LOVE it!

Today I'm inside with poor Jack who was attacked by the nasty stomach bug last night. Oh well, tho it's sunny out it's also COLD so I'll putz at my Easter decor and maybe post some pics of that soon. This month seems to have it backwards - coming in like a lamb and going out like a lion. Stay snug friends! 

I know~ mirror n garland need help! baby steps...