Life at the Farm :)

This week in general has been a spin-your-wheels kind of week. Lots of work and it seems like not much accomplishment. Those weeks are always so hard for me -- I like results and didn't get many :)

In way of a health report, we are feeling much better and are basically over the bug that lived at our house for the last couple of weeks. Tim was the last to catch it and spent Tuesday at home sick but rapidly improved. Unfortunately, Koliah woke up coughing this morning. In fact, I am home with him today, missing church (total bummer - I LOVE our church!) ANYWAY..... I hope it is related more to the rapid change in weather we had over the weekend. Yesterday and today ended up SOOOO bitterly cold. The drop was sudden as it often is in Montana. One of the things I love here is the unpredictability of the weather. Although I must admit I was a deep shade of green when I saw the pictures of my friend, Hilery's, daffodils so beautifully ready to bloom!!!

The sudden change in weather also reeks havoc on the animals and we ended up with a goat freshening about two weeks early yesterday. Two little bucklings -- extremely tiny...... Their feet were still fleshy and their teeth are still coated in a skin; they weren't really ready to be born yet. Gabrielle found them shortly after the doe delivered but they were very weak and cold. The birth of course is wet and with the cold temperatures we couldn't get their core temps up. We ended up losing the bigger of the two actually which was devastating. We all felt badly we lost the bigger one -- if we had found them even 15-20 minutes sooner I think we could have saved them both :(

Judah took it particularly hard and burst into sobs and tears. I love the faith of children. It always encourages me -- they believe so fully and so easily. We prayed together and I shared with him from Scripture that Christ also cares that we lost this little buckling. He knows even when a sparrow falls to the ground. There is no question in Judah's mind regarding God's love and care for us and for the animals He created. Oh to have that simple faith!!!! When we were talking about it this morning I asked him what God thought about losing our baby goat and he responded immediately -- God knows even when baby pigeons fall to the ground!!! Close enough - Judah understood the point!!! :) I love that we serve a God who cares and loves us so tenderly!!!

The smaller little buckling was also weak but thanks to our friend Laura who came over and helped us he not only survived, but is rapidly picking up his strength and vigor. I think he will thrive well. Unfortunately, he had to stay the night in the house downstairs in a box. It was just far too cold even in the little barn.

Gabrielle took the task of mothering the goat -- feedings every hour and a half ALL NIGHT LONG, stimulating his digestion system with massage, working on the putting in a drench of vitamins/molasses, feeding an appetite stimulator that Laura gave us, and most importantly

keeping the little guy warm. He still gets cold so rapidly. He is only three pounds flat but a beautiful red color with white markings. Since Gabrielle mothered him we decided she should have the privilege of naming him. She hasn't decided for sure yet - I will have to post when she decides. The doe was from a "princess" year where the doelings were named after princesses from literature. We'll see if Gabrielle names him a princely name :) Gabrielle really does seem to have a gift with animals. She is a really neat young lady.

We learned a lot with this experience; it seems like our learning curve is continuous. Losses bother me tremendously.

Well...... looks like I have to be short --- I had my kidlet asleep but he just started crying and the little buckling is also naying for something to eat. Looks like I need to care for my two-legged AND four-legged kids.