The last few days have been pleasantly warm out here on the prairie. After a long cold, bitter winter we are coming out of I am longing for hours of digging in the warm dark soil in my garden. But first I need to remove all lingering vestiges of winter. Yuck. I’d rather just wake up one morning with my beds all tilled and fluffy and awaiting tiny seedlings.
Yeah, right. Wake up, dear, it’s time to get up!!
So as I linger in lala land of eternal spring I will share with you a few highlights from last year of gardening and goating ( does that work?? )
Our first Kids…Little Sister in front an Big Brother behind.
Now they are all fluffy and loosing their winter coat. Little sister is pregnant and due in May and Big Brother is going for a ride on Friday to return as the main course at Passover dinner.
Ahhh, life on a small farm!!
Lets see what was growing in my garden last year…Shall we?
Mmmm, Yummy Beets!!
Oh, the bounty!!
I feel refreshed just looking at all that green. Here is a preview of what I am expecting for this year. Hold on to you hats!!
As you can see I have high hopes for my garden and for my nanny!!! There may be a new boy on the block this weekend. I will be sure to shoot a few pictures of his cuteness, so you can adore him along with us.
I don’t know about you but I feel better already.
What are your plans for spring? A new garden? Medicinal herbs in your future? How about a few fluffy little chicks?
Remember you have about 10 days left to finish your Spring Cleaning!! How are those windows looking…really?
UPDATE
Last Friday morning the children and I drove two hours to get a 2 month old buck. He was pure sweetness and gorgeous!! We spent all day with him on Shabbat. Late in the afternoon I went to check on him and he was sleeping under the hay crib. His stomach was bloated and he was listless. To those of you who have goats you know what this can mean.
Matt and I stayed up all night with him, taking shifts to sleep an hour here and there. He made it thru the morning but was still not crying or very perky. Our oldest and I stayed with him all day on Sunday. He was drinking water and having bowel movement so we thought he was getting better. Late in the afternoon we brought him back into the mud porch to give him some more oil and a little molasses. I was sitting with him patting his tummy like I would do with my babies to get them to burp. I went to set him down to stand so I could massage his tummy. He could not stand. He could not hold up his head. I called out to Matt. He ran to me and took him out of my arms. They went outside.
Now we gave him everything we had ever been told to do for a bloated goat….Baking soda, Rolaids, oil, molasses. The only thing I did not do was give him cayenne. Which I am told will bring around a failing goat. We walked him and rubbed him and massaged him and patted him. We loved on him and prayed for him. I never thought I would be crying and mourning over the loss of him.
But as you have guessed, we could not keep him alive. He died in my husbands arms. He found a spot under a beautiful low tree to bury him. My oldest and I watched him across the pasture. Then we heard him crying. Crying out to Yahweh at the incomprehensibility of it all.
Why did this little innocent one have to die!!!
He did nothing wrong!!!
Why let us love him, only to have him taken from us!!!
Can you hear the disciples crying out?
Can you hear every mother wailing in agony?
Mary who washed his feet with her tears now seeing those feet scared and bleeding!!!
Why did this innocent ONE have to die???
I have a confession to make. Before we went to get this little guy I asked Yahweh, ” Are we supposed to have this little goat?” and HE answered “NO” I asked several times, I was not satisfied with that answer. But we went an got him anyway.
Now Yahweh, our loving Abba, has taken our disobedience and pain and redeemed it and has taught us a very poignant lesson. We will never see the picture of the Lamb slain, our Passover Lamb, and not remember our young one from the goats who died in our arms. Yeshua’s sacrifice will be a very painful subject to our family. As it should. Let us not forget what Messiah went thru for us, so that we might live.
