Mud or Dust

My boot sliding in the mud during chores.

The mucky mud at the gate of a goat pen.

The saturated ground.

Walking to my chores.

~ ~ ~

Since living in Florida for over 17 years

I have learned a few things.

One is, that we have basically two seasons here.

The "Wet Season" and the "Dry Season".

The "wet" is during the summer,

(hurricane central)

and the "dry" is during the winter.

(when most people visit)

In my small farm life I made some assessments and changed the titles.

Around here I refer to the two seasons as "MUD or DUST".

That's how it is.

I am either working in the mud or in the dust.

And either way is fine by me.

That's what rubber boots were made for.

(that and fire ants and goat poop and snakes....)

Dorm Life

He's gone.

Far.....Far.....Away.

And although it's only been a week...and we are doing well...

Comments like, "I really only need to eat in the cafeteria once a day."

And, "When I left my clean clothes in the bag for hours they were all wrinkled."

And, "Send snacks!"

Make me wonder, worry, and wish I were there.

~~~~~

They say growing up is hard to do.

~~~~~

I say letting go is hard too.

Counting My Blessings

During a walk in the park we came across this statue.

It was erected to honor the death of a child.

What a sharp emotion that caused.

It simply washed away all the turmoil I had felt the prior evening

listening to my children fight over who's turn it was to feed the animals.

There are a lot of things worse than hungry, loud goats.

I am counting my blessings.

My husband.

My children.

Our health.

This free country.

Education.

The bible.

And my small farm life.

I am truly thankful for these and so much more.

A Walk in the Park

Just a typical walk in the park.

Enjoying the cool shade and wildlife.

And keeping a close eye on the lake filled with alligators.
Do we live in Florida, or what.

Tree Planting Time

Royal Poinciana
(my mother's day present)
6 Slash Pine
(If they weren't behind a wire fence
the goats would eat them in a day.)

~~~~~
One of my favorite things to do is plant trees.
This summer we have planted seven.
We have had the Royal Poinciana since May,
but waited until the rainy season to plant it.
The horse can reach the lowest branch but she hasn't eaten it yet.
The 6 Slash Pines we have raised from seedlings
and transplanted this summer to a corner of our pasture.
~~~~~
Now is the time I wish them luck and hope they make it.

A New Crop

We are hoping for a new fall crop of sunflowers.

After our last crop was cleared it was sad to see the flower bed empty.

~ SO ~

Today we planted a Summer Evening mix.

(doesn't that sound lovely)

They can reach heights of 7 feet and have fall colors.

We also planted a mini sunflower up front that only reaches 16 inches.

We'll be watching for the tiny sprouts every day.

Words to Live By.....

A child is a blank page on which you write with a permanent marker.

College Bound

There is something really hard about helping your child pack to leave home.

It doesn't feel natural.

It hurts.

My firstborn is going to college.

Is it possible?

How did that sneak up on me?

On the one hand I am so happy and excited for him

~and at the same time~

I whimper at the thought of him leaving.

I am going to miss this boy so much.

My prayer is that the Good Lord will help me adjust to his leaving.

And that the Good Lord will guide him when I can't.

I have a lump in my throat that won't go away.

Whimper. Wail. Pray. Smile.

I think it might be like this for a while.

~

Don't let me even think about Alex graduating next year.

Horse Camp

This is what Ranae lives for.

One week out of all 52 weeks in a year.

The 5 days she anticipates for 360 days.

And the one week she will talk about for 51 weeks straight.

It's Horse Camp.

She will ride, muck, brush, tack, untack, and live & breathe horses for 5 days.

This is her pure joy.

Her heaven is on horseback.