Shades of Ireland

Friday, February 24, 2012

Random Pictures

Friday is a mixed blessing for me. I always seem to be busy but weekends..... they seem to happen at break neck speed! This weekend is going to be no exception. Salena will be heading home this afternoon and both Charlie and Neil have this weekend off. Frankly, my house is a mess but I expect it to be a total disaster by the time Monday gets here!

Sometimes, I need to be reminded of why we live the way that we do. This week, I got a pretty sharp reminder in the form of an unpleasant encounter with a stranger. I chose to live this way because I did not want my children to grow up shallow, selfish, and complacent. I am blessed that God married me off to a man who feels the same way. Leading a rich life doean't have a thing to do with money.......

I have been just a bit unsettled and upset for the last few days. So this morning, I have been looking through my pictures and counting my blessings.


For the past six Sunday afternoons, the youngest boys have been attending the 4-H Shotgun training, Seth has been doing it for several years but this was Adam's first time. He was fretting because he didn't have a shotgun but Seth shared with him. He is pretty darn good for a little kid. The blessing in this is that one weekend, his older brother came home with a gift for Adam. Charlie and Adam cannot spend more than 2 minutes in the same room before they are squabbling--- usually over something incredibly stupid-- because they are soooo much alike....... Lord have mercy on me!  Even so, Charlie decided that Adam needed his own shotgun and bought a used one for him...... I am not sure who was more shocked or surprised-- me or Adam.



Holly's calf is growing by leaps and bounds. Adam has ended up being the primary bottle feeder. It is a good job for a little guy.





All these wagging tails just make me smile.





I do this nearly every blessed day. Occasionally, Salena or Seth will give me a break. Notice my "custom made" milker? I only milk  two at a time --- like a goat-- instead of four at a time. That is because I am just not coordinated enough to handle all that tubing flopping around. Also, Holly only has two teats that can be milked with the machine. As you all know--- Queen Holly comes first on this farm!

What pleases me about this picture is her smooth, rounded sides....... when we first put her in that stanchion, you could count every rib and her hide was a dark muddy brown with long shaggy hair. The healthier she gets, the more she just glows..... 



My Charlie has rolled in and asked me if I was about ready for breakfast..... How many young men look forward to taking their mom out? 

I think that I will keep my life--- thank you very much!

2 comments:

  1. What a wonderful gift from Charlie to his younger brother!

    Sorry to hear about your encounter; hope it wasn't too horrible, or that you've at least gained "something" from it.

    Have fun at Breakfast!! :)

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    Replies
    1. Ahhhh..... it wasn't horrible, I just wasn't expecting it and let some snotty soccer mom catch me off guard. She learned the hard way that I can hold my own pretty well! :-) I did give her some grace because she was young. I realize that I have more life experience under my belt and I can well remember being young-- and stupid-- too. Thankfully, I have mellowed with age.

      I did gain something from it. I have been busy doing what I do and I forgot that the most of the rest of the world is busy chasing a whole different set of values than we do.... I was taking things for granted and getting pretty lazy in some areas of my life.

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