Wednesday, February 28, 2007

It's eerily silent today

It's amazing how pleasant the sounds of happy animals are, and how much we miss them when they're gone. Normally, throughout the day we'll hear the rooster and cockerels having crowing contests, the hens clucking proudly when they lay their eggs, the guineas trilling or squawking as the group wanders the garden in search of bugs, the goats' bells ringing as they play about. Today, except for some crowing with the sunrise, the birds have been silent. There are no hens clucking. The one remaining guinea is sitting dumbly under a small shelter in the garden. Even the goats are moving so carefully their bells hardly ring.

The smell of blood is still in the air.

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Life and death on the farm

On Valentine's Day, two of our does had kids - a pair each of the cutest little white kids you've ever seen. One doe didn't want to nurse her kids at first, but we've been holding her still so she will, and she's getting better about it. The other doe is a very good mama, and sometimes even nurses the bad mama's babies.

Last night a fox got into our chicken coop and killed nearly all our birds, taking one (one!) guinea with him. At least a dozen were dead when we found them this morning, and we had to kill another half dozen. Right now we have one guinea, one rooster, and (I think) five cockerels living, three of which might be injured too badly to survive. All the hens are dead.

The LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.

Saturday, February 17, 2007

Restoring the Home Economy Essay Contest
Scott Terry of Homesteader Life is sponsoring an essay contest open to anyone 18 or younger on "why [a home economy is] important, what your family is doing to restore it and most important; what you plan to do to continue the restoration."

Scott is offering a $30 gift certificate to the winner, which is being matched by Pastor Thomas McConnell, aka The Missouri Rev, so that's $60 to spend at either Cumberland Books or Vision Harvest, winner's choice.

Saturday, February 10, 2007

A little help for my friends
Valerie is putting on a blogathon next weekend to benefit a Christian school that many of her church family attend. Check it out, make a pledge, enjoy her return to blogging (if only temporarily), and be sure to keep her awake over the long, long night. :-)