My 10 year old self cannot even

Since the blog post is not complete as of yet, I did want to leave you with this until then.....

I couldn't resist 💞

First Day of Spring

As Spring descends upon the farm, this beautiful weather brings friends and family to visit. As the cold and wet winter seems to naturally discourage folks from a farm visit, it's the warm sunshine and mild temperatures that coax people out of their homes and into the world. 

Sharing Is Caring

There's so many farm animals that really enjoy and love visitors. And who also seem to enjoy being in community with one another. 

The Odd Couple always loves some love and pets.

* And as a side note: Wilbur's surgery went wonderfully and he's all healed up from his recent neutering. He's a little love bug, for sure.

The Goat and Pig Pen has been a big hit and the sharing of this space has been a luxury for us all. First, it allows both the pigs and goats to roam somewhat freely while having both safe and dry separate sleeping spaces, and the best reason of all.......this situationship remains an easy and effective way to control the weight of 2 types of farm animals that love to eat too much (talking to you piggies and goaties). It's unfortunate, but both goats (and sheep) can overeat to a dangerous point. And pigs can get too huge from overeating. So over all, the sharing of this space has been a blessing for us all. And my truly favorite part about it is that the goats (yes you, CoCo) can no longer terrorize the Tack Room's feed supplies. It just makes all our lives so much easier. Wait, let me continue though. With these 5 sweeties communing together, just feeding Maggie, Wilbur, Baby, CoCo and Pearl is so much simpler - as is true for keeping their water(s) stocked and filled easily. And as much as I want them to roam the pastures freely, it's just not practical nor seemingly the right thing to do - at least at this time. Plus, the fact that none of them can eat the chicken food has drastically decreased the amount of chicken feed I now buy. Cha Ching.

You're the prettiest girl, Pearl

Loco CoCo

Farm Boy

It's true, Brooks is a big fan of a rescue vehicle. A construction vehicle. And quite frankly, most any vehicle. He's had his construction site setup in the barn for awhile now and used it regularly.

Initial construction site in barn

Yet, now the construction site has moved
outside the barn to a muddier venue. 

Nevermind the huge turkey lurking.

There's no doubt that Brooks loves a wet and muddy construction site to play with his construction trucks. 

But I wanted to take a minute to talk about the farm side of him. This 3 year old has the capacity to go to the barn and feed all the animals appropriately, fill the waters and understands the inner workings of who-needs-what in the barn. He collects eggs with steady and soft hands, laying them gently in the egg basket. And is an expert raker of cleaning the barn floor almost like it's an instinctual process born genetically inside him. I often tell Lauren, when I step off the curb, just ask Brooks what to do with all the farm animals. He'll know. 

Cool, a baby snake

"Can I tear it open and look at the inside?"

This boy. When he came upon a baby snake (recently deceased) he's quick to not only pick it up but also to decide what next to do with it. After a discussion of options, he made the final decision to throw it to the chickens and let them eat it. And he did just that. As soon as he threw that snake in the middle of a chicken group, it was merely seconds before the chickens had torn it up and eaten it completely. As Brooks watched, I thought about all the therapy I'll be paying for when he's older. Certainly this will scar him. But no. He watched, and then turned and said, okay, let's go rake in the barn now. And he never looked back. He just thought it was really cool. Maybe I won't be paying for therapy. At least not for him anyway. 

And then, we have the opportunity for some cow-time now and again as we sometimes get to feed the neighbors cows which he loves and is far too comfortable doing. Yet, we learn fun facts from Farmer Ed like the fact that cows have no upper teeth. 

Not bothered one bit that their head is 
as big as most of him.

We do practice cow safety.
As he knows no fear until we
instill it into him. 

Ed and Gina are our sweet friends that own the land (west) next door which is pasture land for their cows. And sometimes, when Ed gets the tractor out, Brooks is the recipient of a tractor ride. 

Never enough farming to be had

Our little farm boy is merely a portion of who this sweet boy really is. To give you an idea of who Brooks is, let me share with you a picture from his school. Can you guess which is Brooks?

Yep, that's my boy

Happy to say

I'm happy to report that overall, everyone on the farm is doing well including our farm boy. And little sister, Olive is growing by leaps and bounds and turns 9 months old soon. 

Yes, Charlotte is still as wild and crazy as usual.

Love my broken pups ❣

Yet her and Sugar are forming a slow bonding process, mostly in the car seat.

We have some new neighbors on the east side.........

The most beautiful cows 

I couldn't ask for a more picturesque cow

The chickens are laying more eggs now than I've ever had happen on the daily.

Don't be a Pecky Becky

My cancer treatments are getting back on track. Work is going great. Everyone in the house is working except for the tiny human beans. I'm dreaming of what a house with just me inside might look like. Being independently owned and operated as my current status feels like a boss. Granted, this newfound change in my relationship status does not come without grief and I won't kid myself otherwise. As I've learned grieving is part of this journey I'm on - and I shall honor it as such. I walk with it, I cry with it and it's un-fightable. The more I allow myself to feel every feeling I have, the more healing takes place. For me, grief is :

love with no where to go anymore 💔

And as I take in all my happiness and abundance of joy, I also embrace the elements of the hard feelings as well. Nobody ever said it'd be easy. Everything I've wanted is sitting on the other side of fear. And we all know fear is a liar. So as I'm strapped in on a rollercoaster I hand-picked myself, I'm doing both hands-in-the-air-like-you-just-don't-care and also at times, hanging on tight with white knuckles. Fortunately, I am surrounded by love, light and peace and a seatbelt of determination. And as Brooke said it best: Protect your peace at all costs. I think about that Brooke...... All. The. Time.  

And with all this goodness around us, we are blessed to have Easter coming up - and family over. And kiddos who will be hunting for Easter eggs and real eggs. And sharing our stories of life and love with each other. It's one of my favorite things to do. 

Little Lolo back in the day 🥰
Happy Easter to you and your family!

Be cool being you,

Cyndi 

Unstoppable

 

The farm doesn’t ever really stop and I prefer life like that. Go Man Go. Although we all have a hard-stop for sleep (well, except for the livestock guard dogs) as sleep brings restoration for our bodies to get up and Go Man Go another fabulous day. I am privileged to watch daily as the farm animals are unstoppable in all they do. 

Wiley Wilbur 

Wilbur is living his best life with his 2 sister wives, Maggie and Baby. 

Baby doesn’t seem like Wilbur’s type,
but they have come to enjoy each other. 
Baby is not for everyone. She's
definitely one of a kind, and since she's
an older girl, she enjoys her own quiet time.

Wilbur and Maggie are still a couple, as you know they moved in with each other immediately upon meeting. Yet now, Baby is in the friend zone and all three piggies have settled into a nice, happy life together. I like to think of them as The Odd Throuple. 

And I can’t deny that there could be piglets in our future. I’m hoping NOT. But Wilbur has been a busy guy getting his rizz on with Maggie. And I’ve seen him wink at Baby if you know what I mean. 

No need to worry though. He’s scheduled to go to the vet to be neutered on Tuesday.

And that's exactly what happened. Wilbur was easy to catch as he loves people, esp those who give him pets and treats. He's gained a few pounds since moving to the farm. I digress. Wilbur was easily caught and placed in a cage just for him and off to the vet we would go. But first, what I wasn't expecting is for his stress level to be so high about it all. He pooped everything he had inside that little pig belly of his once he was caged and placed in the truck. The bed of the truck would need a serious clean-out once this day was done.

I felt bad about it all because I thought maybe Wilbur would think he's leaving the farm for good. When in actuality, he's having surgery (being neutered) so that he can stay here forever. I tried to comfort him and tell him that, but he was still unsure. 

We made it to the vet and funny thing was, I was the only one in the waiting room with a piggie. Lots of cats and dogs there, as it was a surgery day for the vet. The good news for Wilbur was all the attention he received while we waited in The Waiting Room for check-in. He's a friendly guy. And I hated leaving him there, but I would be back to pick him up later that same day.

And sure enough, I received the call from the vet to come get him that afternoon and that surgery went well. The vet also told me to consider keeping him separate for a few days, so I had prepared a special area for Wilbur with a soft bed, food, water and hay. But once we arrived back home and got to the barn, Wilbur wanted nothing to do with his new special space. He just wanted to get back to Maggie and his usual living area. I tried several times to get him to stay in his safe place, but no, he wanted only to get back to his usual pen with Maggie. I gave up trying to keep him confined and allowed him to go back to Maggie. And as soon as I opened the door to the Goat and Pig pen, Wilbur literally ran in there and went straight to (he and Maggie's) pig house and snuggled and settled in the straw. He was so glad to be home.

The sweet thing was how Maggie stood guard at the pig house opening to make sure the goats did not bother Wilbur. Coco and Pearl are curious and kind goats who wanted to see - and smell Wilbur, as they knew something was different. But Maggie kept them away and allowed Wilbur to feel safe and rest. 

These two  🤪    Coco and Pearl
(The goat houses have been a big hit)

As you probably know, Maggie and Wilbur bonded so quickly early on, and their love is a fascinating example of how animals come to the farm and are just "meant to be" here. They are certainly 'meant to be' and I'm so happy for them to have each other. And to be a witness to the personalities, the love, the realness, and the true living beings that these farm animals are. They are just like you and me - trying to enjoy life, eat well, feel safe and find love and connection.

Happy to be back together 💕

For now, this is their happily-ever-after. Everyone is back together. Wilbur is healing. The weather looks to keep getting nicer and nicer. Life is good on The Graves Farm. We are, after all, unstoppable.

**As a side note: one of the most common questions I've gotten since my divorce recently is this:

Did you keep your last name Graves?

The answer is yes. It's still The Graves Farm. I'm still Cyndi Graves. ✌

  

LoLo The Librarian

Someone else who is unstoppable is my little big girl, LoLo. When Lauren was young, she was our little LoLo. And as a young LoLo she would say she was going to be a librarian when she grew up. And when I would ask her why a librarian? She would say because it's safe and quiet in a library. She's always been a lover of books and enjoyed the solitude and silence of a library. 

And sure enough, that's exactly what she did in her life. She's not only a librarian herself, but she also married one. And now, she's back at work doing just that. This time, being a librarian at The Sherman Public Library. Congrats, Lolo! I'm so happy for you. As little Olive turns 8 months old, you're heading back to the work force and I know this is hard. It's a double edged sword. Wonderful and horrible. Easy and hard. All at the same time. This has been quite a transition for the Cannon Fam: moving to Gunter, finding jobs, and dripping with children is not an easy task to always manage. But you guys are rocking it. Sherman is lucky to have you. You my dear, are unstoppable. 

Our Little LoLo

Always a reader 📚

Are you old enough to have kids?

Let's talk cancer, shall we

Cancer can also be unstoppable, although not everyone's is, mine does happen to fall under the unfortunate category of unstoppable. I typically consider unstoppable as a positive and empowering word. I love the song, thank you Sia. I love the idea of being unstoppable. Yet, putting the word cancer in the same sentence with unstoppable is not as inviting. 

As most of you know, the blood cancer I have, polycythemia vera is unstoppable. My most recent update comes on the heels of the insurance appeal of my cancer treatment, Besremi. While my insurance company did approve the appeal for my cancer treatment, it turns out the caveat for the approval was that the insurance company would only pay for a portion of the treatment - not all of it. 

The remaining amount that would be my responsibility would not be do-able for me (it would be similar to having another mortgage payment every month) and that's when Texas Oncology stepped in and started looking for assistance for me. And that they did - and were successful in securing my cancer treatment (Besremi) for me for which I am most grateful. I was able to move forward with my cancer treatment later in Feb after a long fight for it, but the couple of months without treatment did not fair well for my body. 

After labs were run in January, it was found that my (what I'll call) my blood numbers (WBC, RBC, Platelets, etc etc) were all askew. At this point, I had been close to 2 months without cancer treatment, thank you insurance company. Then, my oncologist informed me that I would need another type of infusion to help improve the integrity of my blood due to my lack of treatment recently, thank you insurance company. By the insurance company dragging their heels and not willing to cover my cancer treatment(s), now they will be met with another expense of a different treatment that I now need in addition. It's all so sad, this insurance company BS. And I can assure you, I am by and far not the only cancer patient experiencing this madness. 

You see, for human beings, healthy blood is everything. And mine is not, and this affects the soft tissue(s) in my body, my organs, my bones and my general health. So for the next 5 weeks, I am to go to the Infusion Room for a weekly (different) infusion to help boost and improve the quality of my blood. 

This whole process of having polycythemia vera is like a dog chasing it's tail. It never comes full circle and ends. It just keeps going around and around. Your body needs iron, iron creates blood, PV patients already have "too much sticky and unhealthy" blood due to the cancerous process inside your bone marrow, then to have blood taken from your body with phlebotomy, then have cancer treatment, then iron decreases and blood values get wonky and your blood becomes volatile, then you need iron, but iron is bad and good for you all at the same time, etc etc. It's a vicious circle. I'm hoping once I get past this newest weekly infusion(s) and back on my cancer treatments that things will settle down. We'll see. Nothing is guaranteed as this is a progressive cancer. It's going to do what it's going to do. I'm just along for the ride. All I can do is try to try, to enjoy the ride. Trying, for me, seems like I'm taking it for granted and it's so easy, so instead I try to try when it comes to life and death things. Because in actuality, I have no control over any of this.  

I'm forever grateful to the nurses and staff in the infusion room at Texas Oncology in McKinney. They are there for all the cancer patients who walk through the door. MaryAnn, Carla and all the other wonderful nurses provide a sense of normalcy to what is not normal. I'm met with a hug every visit, sometimes even a group hug. And soft words that let me know they care. We chat about life and what is happening in their own lives. It's a place of safety and love for me. I can't imaging doing this without them. They sit in the dark with their cancer patients by saying words such as 'I'm sorry this is happening to you". And that's all that's needed in times such as these. Empathy and validation. 

Bee-ewe-tiful

It's BEE time 

Who doesn't want a agricultural exemption? We all would love that, esp for those who have land and farm animals. But that's not how the world works unfortunately. 

Instead, each county determines how and what qualifies as an ag exemption. When I first moved to Gunter almost 8 years ago now, I was told there was not an option for an ag exemption for me due to the amount (or lack of amount of land I have). And then, magically, I found out a way to work around it (from Grayson County) and was given information that I could start building my "5 year" ag history which is needed before you are granted an actual ag exemption. 

Now I am not the expert on this. And the man who currently determines this, in this particular dept in Sherman, who goes by Ag Daddy (true story) has informed me that I can get 6 bee hives and start building my ag history. And learn bee keeping. 

So time went by and this bee thing has fallen to the side while other things have been happening my little life. Until a man in Wolfe City blessed me with many bee things. And told me many bee-keeping things. Bless this nice guy. He, too is working to finish out a 5 year ag history and is a wealth of information for me. And I thank him very much.

This man not only loaded my truck completely full with multiple bee hives and bee castles that he happen to have 'extra' of......he is also a reminder of how innately good people can really be. Do you ever feel like someone falls into your little world and it's part of the universal plan? This chance meeting was just that. He needed me to take all this stuff away and it was exactly what I wanted and needed. Thank you, universe.

Sugar is never far away

So it was decided that 2 hives would go up on Ryan and Lauren's property and 4 hives would be in my back pasture close to the creek and under shade trees. This makes the 6 bee hives we need. But first, we will all attend a bee-keeping class. Then, get a bee suit and buy our bees. 

I wish I knew more about this thing called bee-keeping but I have a feeling it won't be too much longer before I inform you of how many times I've been stung by a bee in a single day....or hour....or minute. 

But I want to save $8500 a year, so what's a few bee stings. 

Just so you know, we can still be turned down for an ag exemption after attempting to build this ag history for 5 years, but I at least gotta try. And I don't mean try to try this time. I mean really try. 

So what did I do with some of the extra platforms and bee-hive tops? 

I used them for my goats playground. 
They can jump and play, as you know goats like
to hop up on all things higher than where they are.

Of course Curious Coco is the first to inspect

How's Paul?

In complete seriousness, this is the MOST common question I get about the farm. How's Paul The Turkey doing? Does he like the cold? Is he feeling okay? So I wanted to let you know that Paul is doing awesome. He's truly the best turkey ever. EVER. Love you, big guy. Never leave me.

I rarely show Paul with his feathers down,
and he's just as handsome.

And I recently caught Paul dust bathing in the garden beds......

Silly boy.
But it is a great idea.
He needs a large space for his dust bathing.

Paul on his (saw horse from Home Depot) roost.
Mirror behind him for admiration time.
It's like his own Man Cave, but a Turkey Cave.

Couldn't resist a front photo, too 💟
His feet are tucked under him as 
he readys himself for beddie bye. He's a 
show-off til the last minute of the day.

This is new 

Sometimes new changes occur and I have no idea why. They just happen. Oddly, the 4 livestock guard dogs, Penny, Dutch, Levi and Whisper have taken to enjoying afternoon time in the intersanctum (front yard area). In the past, this has not been a place they frequented. Yet nowadays, they are readily resting and relaxing in places that were once not a thought for them. Apparently, they think about it often now.

I'm pretty sure the hot tub does not need guarding

5 out of my 7 dogs
all enjoying the afternoon.
Char is unsure why they are
camping out here.

And every now and again, I place a dog bed outside for The Littles to sun on. 

120 lbs is not meant for this dog bed.

All 4 LGD's are always back in the pasture and roaming the parameter to guard the farm animals each and every night. Yet recently (sometimes and not every day) they chose to rest close to the house after a long night of guarding. I think it's a fair trade-off.  

The only true downfall of this is when visitors come over and are not used to them being around so close. Some people are genuinely scared of such large dogs and I get it. Luckily, all it takes is a few treats to get them back in their pasture. 

I actually enjoy them being close by. And love that they are here to scare off critters and folks that do not need to be here. That's not all bad. I feel safe with them around. 

Char Char

I'm waiting for the day I can update you that Charlotte is calming herself down around people she does not know. But no. Turns out, she's unstoppable too. She's still a barking maniac with new people. But I'm working on trying to socialize her and have several people that are new-to-her that tolerate her wild barking and talk soft and calm to her to let her know everything is okay. This is going to take time. She's apparently been through some things of which I'll never know. I just love her as she is, and she's become part of the pack. And the interesting thing is, she's perfectly fine and a regular dog inside the house when it's just us. You'd never know she had a wild side. 

She always loves a car ride.
But going through a drive thru with her
reminds me of being in crazy town

Sugar tries to show her fun things 

But her very favoritest thing to do?

Queen of the Mower
Always on the mower in her princess place.
and.....

Long runs and walks in the cart (stroller)
This is truly her happy place.
Me too girl, me too 💛

And I won't lie. Sometimes her crazy barking at people when I'm out on a run or walk with her keeps people far away from me. It's not a bad thing. I never knew a little dog could be such a people-repellent.

And now, it's time for some me-time. Which will be short and sweet as my soul settles. 🙏

Dear Cyndi,

Sometimes life is so good it doesn't make sense. You have picked inner peace over keeping the peace. "Peace" kept at your own expense is.not.peace. Remain unstoppable, sweet pea. Just keep trying to try. 

☮

Love, love and more love, 

Cyndi

Me each day I wake up.....

 

and I did get to take Brooks to his swim lesson 😉

Doubling down

This little piggy

Never thought this day would come but apparently I'm a pig-taker for piggies who've previously lived in people-houses. And then those people in the people-houses realize what a terrible idea that was and look for people such as myself. 

And once again, I've been in contact with a family who has an indoor piggie looking for a forever home. Maybe I'm a new contact out on the interwebs for this. This time though, I'm thinking I’ll be a little more careful and choosy about taking another piggy in to the farm. But let me go see about it and I'll decide. Which is code for: I'm getting it no matter what. So I traveled to Bells and met a man in the parking lot of The Dollar Store with a pig named Wilbur. Wilbur is in the front passenger seat and the man is in the drivers seat. He rolls down Wilbur's window for him, and I knew right away he was ready to give me Wilbur. He proceeds to show me pictures of Wilbur in their house, snuggling with his kids in bed, and telling me how great Wilbur is. When I ask about any bad behaviors that Wilbur might have, the man tells me that really his only bad trait is tearing up plastic trash bags. I’m thinking, yes, that sounds about right, Wilbur is getting into the trash.

Nonetheless, I look at Wilbur and think I don’t really want a boy pig because I have two girl pigs - but yet, he’s so tiny and sweet. I ask how old he is and the man says just over a year old and that he’s become reproductively active (code for humping his human family members).

Granted, Wilbur is 12 pounds and mostly full grown at this point. He is what they call a micro mini potbelly pig. He will remain small, but will actually get a little bigger as he continues to grow between one and two years old.

Riding shotgun
He gives pig-in-a-blanket all new meaning

And once again, the story is the same. Wilbur has been living in the house and has become more destructive and is growing up to be a typical boy pig. His family is ready for him to find a new home and, of course, want him to go somewhere with somebody who will keep him inside. 

I find this common pig-in-the-house story thread a bit crazy and silly. When people tell me about their 'indoor pig story' and how it's not working out well for them yet they want their indoor pig to go to someone else to live indoor to possibly destroy someone else’s indoor things blah blah blah it's always an interesting story - yet it never makes sense to me. 

Maybe is unsure of this new creature in the
truck, esp since I gave him her blanket for
the ride home.

So as I drive home with Wilbur in my passenger seat, I’m thinking about how I’ve been told that he is potty trained and will potty on a puppy pad. So on my way back home, I stop and buy puppy pads and bring Wilbur home to begin his new life with us in the laundry room. For now.

It’s one thing if I lived by myself and allowed farm animals to live in the house with me. If I were to do that, Paul The Turkey would be the first one in the house. But since it’s very cold outside and I’m not sure how Wilbur‘s gonna do outside in the cold, Wilbur will live in the laundry room until I decide what to do with him. That seems like a fair trade versus free reign of the whole house. I feel sure Lauren and Ryan would not like a tiny pig mingling amongst us all in the house.

But first things first…..

The Littles investigate Wilbur thoroughly
in the garage before heading inside.

Then the livestock guard dogs need to
give their approval ✅

Wilbur is tolerant of their inquisitive
nature, and then moves on.

So now it’s time to head to the laundry room for the evening and I’ve got him set up with water and food - and I’ll check on him early in the morning. Wilbur takes very little time in locating the dog bed and lays down on it, then immediately snuggles up under the blanket (on the dog bed) like he's a boss. And then....he’s asleep. It’s been a long day for Wilbur. Getting a new home, making new friends, investigating the new yard, and wondering where did his family go? 

The next morning I go downstairs with the 3 Littles and find Wilbur fast asleep on the dog bed underneath the blanket nestled in tightly, all nice and warm. It is cold outside, yet he awakens and follows me outside with the 3 Littles and everyone goes potty - including him. Wonderful I think, he may actually be potty trained. His previous owner had told me that he always went outside with their dogs to potty, except when they were gone and he would use the puppy pad. Perfect. This isn’t all bad. He would need to stay in the laundry room during the day while I go to work, and Lauren was agreeable to let him go outside to potty. Wilbur did really well. But I already knew he wasn’t gonna be staying in the house long-term. Very soon, it’s going to be time for him to meet his new pig friends when the weather is a little nicer. 

And that's just what happened that very afternoon after I arrived home from work.....

That afternoon brought particularly nice weather,
so Wilbur and I went out to meet Maggie first…

Little did I know that Maggie would instantly
love him.❤️

Their love was real. They were each other’s kind. Biggie and Smalls. Wilbur tried to love her a little too much, and surprisingly, Maggie was receptive. Luckily, Wilbur is much too tiny of a pig to cause too much damage for Maggie or should I say impregnate Maggie. It could happen, right? Only time will tell, but I know one thing for sure: I’m going to get Wilbur fixed soon.

So you ask what about Baby the Boar? She’s not interested whatsoever in Wilbur nor is Wilbur interested in Baby. It’s only a Maggie and Wilbur love affair. A match made nowhere, but here on the Graves Farm.

Before I knew it, I was looking around for Wilbur. I soon found him in Maggie‘s pig house. He was snuggled all up in the straw. Wilbur looked up at me from his Maggie-pig-house-snuggles and he let me know that he had found his forever home and his home is with Maggie. From that day on on, he and Maggie would share her pig house and Wilbur would never be cold as Maggie would always make sure they were cuddled up together. I wasn’t sure if Maggie was taking care of him like a son or like a boyfriend, but either way, Wilbur was well taken care of by Maggie from the start. Wilbur never slept in the laundry room again. 

So inside the Goat and Pig Pen, everyone
is getting along wonderfully.
Wilbur has found his forever home….
And his forever herd ❤️
And his forever girl, Maggie ❤️

And as this beautiful love story continues, I did get Wilbur his own little house that only he fits in. So no other friend can go in his little house and he always has a place to escape to, should he need to. A guy needs to have a place of his own now and then. And that’s where I feed him every day too, is in his own little pig house, so he will always be able to have his fair share of food. But you guessed it, each and every night he sleeps with his homegirl Mag Pie.

I goat this

As this wonderful opportunity blossoms where the pigs and goats live together in harmony (with the primary goal of controlling their feed intake so they all will maintain a healthy weight), I decided it was time to make a few changes for the betterment of them all. First, I would increase the amount of space they have in their pen. And secondly, I would get the goats their own goat houses so that everyone has their own space for warmth and protection from the wind. 

It may be hard to tell from the photo,
but I have more than doubled their space.
The burn pile is actually inside
their pen now and that’s not intentional
- just how it worked out 🤷

They have so much more room now and seem to enjoy it.
I had a few random chickens joining in the fun,
but that’s because it took me a while to secure
the actual fencing so that nobody could get in -
or get out

You might have spotted Brooks in the pictures, too. He loves to go in the Goat and Pig Pen and play with his little tikes toys.....who I had actually given these to the goats to play on. Brooks wasn’t playing on them until the goats wanted to play on them, and now they all play on them together. 💟

I love how everybody just gets along🥰

They each enjoy the attention from one another

When I was looking for a goat house (or two) I noticed that shelters-like-that at retail stores, such as Tractor Supply, were not only expensive but not well-made. So I begin looking around for something that was durable for the goats and I came across a guy on Craigslist who makes larger-sized dog houses at his home and sells them off Craigslist. I contacted him and he had two of his bigger dog houses available and was willing to make me a deal. I was not wanting to build one myself, as I certainly appreciate the work and skill that goes into building them. Instead, I have cash for that. 

So I loaded up the trailer on the back of the truck, and I drove to Lewisville to purchase these future goat houses. When I arrived, I found them to be perfect. It was a little confusing for the man to realize that he had built what he thought were dog houses, but yet I would be making them into goat houses. He was very nice about it all, and even loaded them up on the trailer for me. They are well built and exactly what I wanted and need. So back home I go with them, jiggity jig.

I was so pleased with my purchases 🐐
And I got a great deal 💰

Once home, they were loaded off the trailer and ready for a fresh coat of paint. Who better to help with this job? Brooks. He was all in. He got his painting clothes on and we painted both of those goat houses until we were all done. He did an amazing job esp for a 3 year old. 

We got the job done 💪

 

They turned out so nice.
Ready for the Goat and Pig Pen area now ✓

The great thing about life is when you can move heavy things around with a dolly and this was exactly the case with these houses. I got the dolly and moved them one by one over to their resting spots for the goats. 

I have the goat and pig hostel strategically
placed under an 'carport' of sorts beside
the barn to keep everyone as safe and dry
as possible. 
Notice: Wilbur's little pig igloo with fencing 
around it so that he can eat freely and also have 
his own place in case he and Maggie have a spat.

I've noticed sometimes that Coco and Pearl
sleep in the same goat house and other times,
they claim their own place for the night.

Cutie Pie Pearl is claiming her sleeping spot
all while Coco is checking me out just in 
case I brought in a late night snack.

Creating these types of spaces for my loves make my heart sing. They deserve a great life, and I hope to give them just that. My next adventure with these 3 piggies and 2 goats? Nail trims. It's not an easy task and I admit, I'm not up to doing it. But don't worry, I'll find someone who is. I'll probably have Wilbur's nails trimmed when he gets neutered. I'm so proud of Wilbur. He's such a friendly little guy, kind to all those around him, and loves pets. Hopefully we won't have any new little piglets because of him. But if so, I know he'd make a great dad. And I could even put Maggie in her pig dress and we could have a pig wedding if need be. Not sure what rabbit hole I've fallen down, but wow, I love farm shenanigans. My 10 year old self enjoys every minute of this farm circus.  

I wasn't sure if the pigs and goats could actually cohabitate, 
but sure enough, it's magical. And it sure makes my life easier.

Time for....

Dear Cyndi,

Oh sweet pea, how many corners can you turn? You are not likely to stop turning corners because it's such a wonderful feeling as it reflects your healing. After your most recent internal reflection of (trying to anyway) determine your role in it all and taking accountability for the roles you played in the last 32 years of your marriage, you've experienced many feelings that have come to the surface - and you felt them all. Just the ability to be accountable for your own behaviors and notice what your reactivity was, has been vital. You no longer are scolded for your reactions to poor behaviors. That's all in the past now. You have learned what was really happening behind the doors in which you lived. There's acceptance you are working on as to why you stayed. The regrets. And there's also acceptance of the good and fun times inside it all. And why you stayed. Regret has been your biggest demon and you've put him to rest now. Regret is like worry, merely a waste of time. 

As you keep moving forward, you find joy in each day. You feel safe, content and happy. And your biggest achievement yet is the recognition of what self love is. Why you have not practiced self love has many answers. But your main reason was that you were previously living in a state of hyper-vigilance, and since you've taken your amour off now, you can see yourself for who you are. And learn that loving you is something you've not done. You've learned you are a human who did not have every tool needed in each moment. You were not taught how to love yourself or the importance of it, nor had decent coping skills to communicate when you were feeling hurt, angry, disappointed or betrayed. Instead, you tried hard to express your feelings of hurt to the best of your abilities yet to no avail or resolve.

The one thing you do know now is that the years you have left are years that will be filled with compassion for yourself, grace for yourself and forgiveness for yourself. The bar has been raised. This new season of your life will now include less accessibility of those with poor intentions. You now see it so quickly and swiftly move away from it. Your not being selfish. You're practicing self love. 

Peace always,

Cyndi

Awe, the joy of reflection. The clarity that comes as we sit with ourselves in the quiet of the night and know we are okay. It's truly a gift from God. And I thank Him for all the gifts He's bestowed upon me. He knew all along what I needed, and waited and watched, guiding me towards myself. To which I am forever grateful.

Speaking of gifts

There's a very kind and generous (yes, he's also frugal) friend of mine, Dr Brown who recently purchased/gifted me an AI bird feeder. I'm sure you have seen these all over the internet. My friend Becky, from work has one and Dr Brown installed one for his mom recently. Seems they are quite the cat's meow these days.

So I installed my newly gifted AI Bird Feeder and begin watching on the app. The app can identify the type/breed of bird that is at your feeder, and you can watch birds up close and personal, often eating the bird seed super close-up at your feeder. It's a really great concept and a must-have for every birder as well as for those who love bird watching casually. 

Turns out what I saw the most were
my own chickens in the background.

I hung it here first, but decided it wasn't 
optimal here because I
felt silly watching my own chickens
so I moved it out back......

Since I already have 3 bird feeders on the
back porch, I went ahead and moved it where
the birds were already going.

My AI bird feeder caught a 
CooCoo Bird nearby 

I'll keep you posted on how this goes as
I just moved it today.

I'm super excited about the thought of putting my hummingbird feeder just in front of this AI feeder. Awwww, the birds I'll see. Right outside my window(s) and up close and personal in the Smart Bird app. Who knew I needed this. Oh yeah, Dr Brown did. I want to thank him as well as Lauren for helping me get this up and going. Because apparently, Dr Brown texted me detailed instructions to get this up and going and the "hint" that Lauren would need to help me still makes me giggle out loud......

Per Dr Brown's instructions:
"Your daughter might enjoy doing this step"
Code for: you better let her handle this, Cyndi
😉

I did get the AI bird feeder hung up, but really the instructions were detailed per Dr Brown and Lauren did actually do those things as Dr Brown had suggested that only she do. So thanks y'all!

Ollie 

Olive is doing amazing, and she's just over 7 months old now. It seems Olive has a liking for the Littles. Grabbing and pinching them that is, if she can get her hands on them. They stay just out of reach. She'll be up and mobile before we know it though. Get ready, Brooks. Better start hiding all your toys because she grabs and pinches anything she can get her hands on. 

Stay grabby and pinchy y'all,

Cyndi