Let It Rain Chickens
With 39 chickens on the property, it's always a good time to talk chicken talk. First up, is the mystery of who was eating all the cat food in the barn. Well, how best to determine this? How about I set the Barn Cam right next to the cat food. Drum Roll Please......
Veronica, Is that you?
Callie! And Butter, too?
Storm, even you? Looks like you got there too late, girlfriend.
July, I'm sorry all those silly girlz are eating your cat food.
Speaking of chickens, how are the 24 chicks on the experimental Chicken Farm?
Fabulous! They are growing so fast, that from the morning until evening, you can see their growth. That may be a bit of an exaggeration, but here's how much they've grown:
They are in constant motion, and we even enlarged their fenced area this weekend. We have portable fencing on site that's available, and it's going to good use with the chickens. They now have two fenced/connected play yards, and with a tree included. Next stop? Freedom. Not yet, but when they get bigger, we are going to let them free range. That will be the real test of survival. The donkeys have done a wonderful job of keeping them all alive thus far!
This little cutie is an Orpington, whose miniature look gives a glimpse into her future, mature look.
Rain Is Grace
When Pond Incident No.2 occurred (see other blog for Pond Incident No 1), we were recently left with a not-even half completed "expanded" mess. The intention was originally to double the size of our pond, have an aerator placed in it, with a nice fountain. Insert record scratch here. No, sorry. That did not go well, and the contractors we hired were a huge mistake. So after a couple of weeks of driving by the disrupted ground and scattered dirt each day, we decided to take things into our own hands. Technically, David's hands.
It took David and I both making a conscious decision to handle the problem at hand with as much grace, trust and humor as we were both able to suffice. It's not a horrible problem to have, just one of learning. Noted.
Long story short, David rented a backhoe, and had the resolve to try and see what could be done about this situation ourselves. With no experience in operating heavy equipment, he was determined to jump in, kind of like when you close your eyes and take that final step off the high dive. Grit, determination and courage brings about the leap of faith.
Now, since David is not taking any medication that says: "Do not take while operating heavy machinery", he figured he was fully qualified. I'm not sure why a rental company thinks just anyone can operate this kind of machinery, but they still delivered it to us on Friday. I'm not sure what kind of wavier David signed, or if he pretended he had a license to drive it, they still delivered it to us. I was at work.
This was the photo I received Friday morning:
Oh, and don't forget Maybe was involved in this, too:
Yes, part of the fencing had to be taken down. Yes, it takes diesel. Yes, the seat turns around so you can use the digger or the dump bucket (not their official names). Yes, David started using it right away after a 3-4 minute inservice from the Delivery Man.
By noon, David was stuck. Not David per se, but the backhoe. I can't say what my expectations were, as I did not have anything to go on, in the first place. This was Day 1, and he was doing something we've never done before. So, firstly, he gets full credit for trying, and if first you don't succeed, try and try again. And that he did. 2 hours later, he got it unstuck. He worked hard the rest of the day "learning". It was indeed a learning day for him. Good job, honey!
Now, while the backhoe was stuck, David had called Will. Who is Will? Will is the guy who was originally going to operating the heavy equipment from this so-called company we had originally hired. So why call Will? Because Will would know what to do. Turns out, Will never had a chance to come do the work at our property because he went to jail the day before our "job" was to start. When Will got out of jail, he came to our house to apologize for what they company had "done to us" (his words). He was not going to be working for them anymore, he said, and had actually already acquired another job at a construction company. Will had just wanted to stop by and give his condolences. He left his phone number, and we did not think we would ever see him again, right?
Will's phone number was still lurking around on the kitchen counter on that fateful Friday, and when we needed Will the most, he was there. He offered to come to our house after his work day was done and help get the backhoe unstuck. Turns out even though we did not need him for that (did I tell you, Good Job, David?) Will did offer to come run the backhoe and finish the job of expanding the pond. We would simply need to keep the equipment for a week, and between this weekend, next weekend, and evenings after he works all day, he would come and expand the pond. And so that is the plan, anyway.
David dug all day Saturday, and moved dirt and did an amazing job. I think David moved more dirt than the original company had. Then, that next day, that magical Sunday, Will showed up and kicked a$$ on that backhoe. He'll be back each evening this week, and then by the end of next weekend, he expects to be done. Now you must know a couple of things about Will. He's been in the military, and has operated heavy equipment since he was 7 years old, with his Dad's construction company. Watching him maneuver the backhoe is like watching a chef cook his signature meal. With ease, precision and skill. Yes, there's the jail thing. Yes, you're probably a bit leary about it all. You have every right to be. What we found in Will was the old saying, don't judge a book by its cover. Will's the bomb.com, a stand up guy who's trying to 'right' someone else's wrong. He's doesn't "have to" by any means, but he's determined to. Some people feel the rain. That's Will. He feels for others, and we in turn feel for him, and a life of struggle he may or may not have. We do not know anything for sure. If our mutual assistance to each other is beneficial for all involved, then it shall be. If I end up being wrong about all this, then that's okay too. It's like walking in the rain, not knowing when it will stop, if it will stop or what's just up ahead. We are just walking in the rain on this one, along with our good friends, Hope and Faith.
Rewind back to Saturday, Pre-Will, this is what was happening:
David was digging away, hauling dirt and doing things.
He even gave me an inservice on how to operate it. It takes practice, and when time is of the essence, it's not a good time to be practicing. Time = Money with this kind of thing. Plus, I was scared.
So while he, and then eventually, Will worked on the pond expansion, I vaccinated the sheep and goats and did the things that are more appropriate for me. Being upside down in a backhoe would likely be where I might end up, if I'm driving it.
So while this whole thing will be a blip on the radar of life, we are mindful while we are in the moment. Feeling it all, watching it, and seeing someone reach out and help us. We are most grateful. Something that had seemed so basic got complicated real quick. Luckily, it's going to all pan out, one way or another.
And now, it's raining
Outside the window, the drops of water are starting to kiss the ground. All the animals are tucked in, cushions off the front porch chairs, and garage doors shut. The wind is howling, while the thunder and lightening perform their show - as they do so well. A train is passing through Gunter just as the wind is, horns blowing. And the backhoe sits in the pasture, as if receiving a bath. We were blessed with Lauren, Ryan (boyfriend) and her good friend Sydney who came over today to share a meal and time together. The world is turning, as we are tiny specks in this universe who are able to have an abundance of joy, security and love. When I look at it from that angle, the whole pond thing means so little. In fact, its become a comical topic. Something to laugh about, knowing it's not a serious matter in the grand scheme of life. It's all going to be just fine. No matter what.
Bring on the rain,
Cyndi
