The End is Near.... For the School Year That is.

How do you know when the school year needs to be over? Well besides the log saying so, the child has no more interest. Your sweet child went from utter excitement for school to "do we have to do school today". Your patients are being challenged. You want to scream "would you just focus", but instead you grit your teeth and try to show them... for the umpteenth time... where they are in the word problem. You silently remind yourself that in less than an hour your wonderful child will return as the books are closed.

Today is one of those days that you quietly remind yourself that there are only three and a half weeks left to this fun. Then you have a couple months off before the fun begins again in July. Just three and a half weeks. You force the pleasant smile and tell you child he is doing a great job as he completes a simple math problem in on 12 minutes. You try and bargain with a rare sweet in the hopes of finishing the next problem in under 5 minutes.

As you casually slip out of your chair and walk to the window, take a deep breath. Look at the plot that will soon be filled to the brim with fresh produce and just remind yourself, three and a half weeks. Then turn around with a fresh smile on your face and rejoin that child you love. With the tension left by the window, you can finish off the rest of the math knowing the end is near for this school year.

Rebel Against Winter.

Spring has arrived. How did I celebrate it? I grabbed lunch with a friend and made dinner for another and her family. It was a beautiful way..... except for the weather.

Umm... that looks like January!

That is not the start to spring that I would like. For church yesterday, I couldn't care what the temperature was, I needed a pop of color! So while I was dressed in a warm brown sweater, I grabbed a beautiful indigo blue necklace and earrings. Not to be forgotten, I grabbed a cute pair of heels and headed off to the church... in a barn. Typically this is a casual group. Yes, there is heating and air conditioning... but they still have a few knots in the woods that make great little peep holes to the outside world. Heels are not typical attire. I turned heads, got a few chuckles, and questions from the kids. My response? Why of course a barn is the best place to wear heels... Besides I am just rebelling against winter!

For a moment I'd like to address winter.

Dear Winter,
You have made your presence know. You have given us many days below zero this year. You have dropped more snow than necessary. Enough. No, like seriously, enough! Spring has arrived! It is time for flowers, sunshine, colorful clothing. It is time for the snow to melt, trails need to be blazed, animals want to graze, birds want to soar.

Winter, please, please, please wrap up your bitter weather, allow the snow to melt. Take you wind chill and black ice with you. My goats are antsy. My chickens feel cooped up. The garden is ready to be tilled. The dogs... oh the dogs!... they have blazed a war path through the house is a desperate attempt to get energy out. So please, be kind to spring. Give her a chance to shine forth with warmth. Share the spot light. Your turn with swing back around soon enough!
Sincerely,
Frozen Disapproval

The Humor in This Life I Live.

Grow a garden.... get some chickens.... you are a country girl right? Yeah, something like that! Zoom through five years and you will approach the present. You have what kind of animals.... are you a hippie? Yeah, something like that. I wouldn't trade it. Not for a million dollars and a mansion of a cabin on the top of a hill.

Let's face it, the moment you bring home your first animal your life changes. You say there will not be more, but, oh yes!, there will be more. Chickens are the gateway animal! Your life is forever changed. Even those who say they will not embrace it will be caught watching the animals out the window.... and just might end up prancing around with goats.

It's a life you dream about, you learn to embrace, you love. There are moments of frustration, moments of hysterics, moments of pure joy. Since I believe in living life to the fullest, I decided this post need to be a fun take on the last five years of my life.

Things I've learned-
-Lugging around 80lbs of feed gives you the ability to instantly guess how much something weighs.
-How to spot the shadow of a raccoon/fox at midnight on a new moon.
-That your heart will pound faster after a near slip and fall in turkey sludge than if someone scared you awake at 2 in the morning.
-Goats are super cute.... until your doe goes into heat!
-Your goat will escape and run on that one morning you decided to be lazy and let them out in your pajamas.
-You will spend countless hours watching your animals... with a silly smile on your face.
-Chickens really do have their own personalities.
-Your turkeys will think you are the best singer... ever!
-You will be amazed at how content life will seem.
-Life will at times be busier, yet more peaceful.
-Goats run fast. Especially when they know they can provide a free show for your neighbors.... who think you are crazy.
-You get ridiculously excited when you find your first egg.
-You will feel like a failure when your first animal becomes ill/passes.
-Digging in the dirt renews your spirit.
-You will be amazed by the bounty of fresh produce you will collect on your own piece of land.
-Garden grown produce has TONS more flavor than store bought.
-You will be that crazy person trying to ward off pesky bugs in random ways.
-You will find great joy in watching your child/nieces/nephews with the animals.
-You will forget how you managed without all your animals. 
-A weekend away from feed schedules will feel like paradise... but returning home can't come soon enough.
-You start off keeping your hands clean, a few years later you shrug when you get poop on your hand. It's bound to happen, just wash well!
-You will get super excited when your father surprises you with a new shovel for cleaning the coops.
-The goats will help in their own way.

Siren helping my unimpressed father.

Let's face it, there is ups and downs with life. Animals just add to the flow with more interesting and random ways. It's a life I love. It's a life I've learned to laugh at... cause let's face it, you just have to laugh when you slid down an icy hill on your bum with a dozen eggs scattered about. Life happens, but at the end of the day you have your precious and crazy little farm waiting to great you with excitement at your return. So, go hug a chicken, dance with your goat... or whatever animal graces your presence... you will feel better for it!

 
This post is connected to:
Homeacre Hop