Keep The Peace

 

Well friends, it's been about 6 months since I moved here, and the time has finally come - the farm has a name. It came to me as naturally as my coffee at sunrise:   Peace and Love Acres

☮ ♥🐔

You see, there was already a heart painted on the barn from the previous owners, and one day, I randomly added a peace sign above it. I stepped back, looked at it, and BAM - there it was. The name had been waiting for me, right there in front of me, this whole time.

Peace. And. Love

And let me tell you, the girlz (you know who they are 😗) are most certainly a large part of my peace and my love in the barn. 

So here we are at  ☮ & ♥  - the world is still spinning - and I am way overdue for some updates.  Let's get into it, shall we?

Let's talk Huck 🐶

Ah, Huckleberry. The goodest boy. My very first foster from the Humane Society of North Texas. And the reason my mascara ran down my face in the HSNT parking lot on a Wed morning at 8 am. 

Here's the thing. Fostering is basically emotional roulette. I went back and forth. Do I keep him? Does/will Max' family adopt him? Do I return him for adoption because that's what fosters technically do? 

I felt like I was on Love Is Blind - you know the part where they don't decide until they are literally at the alter? Yeah, that was me pulling into the Humane Society parking lot the morning of his neuter. Because here's the deal: If I don't adopt him, he stays and goes up for adoption. If I do, I pick him up after surgery and he's mine. No takebacks. 

The decision? I chose to let him go so I could continue fostering. Cue the waterworks. 😭

A kind staffer - clearly a veteran of fostering herself - asked if I needed a hug. "Yes", I sniffled. She wrapped me up in the kind of hug that stitches your soul back together. She reassured me, "He's sweet, small and adorable. Someone will scoop him up straightaway." And since straightaway sounded like a Mary Poppins word, I trusted it.

And sure enough, Huck was adopted quickly. My heart swelled. As did the lump in my throat when I found out.  

Fostering has taught me something beautiful: I don't have to be their forever to be their safe space. Temporary love is still powerful love. It's joyful heartbreak and I'm here for it. 

The Cat Room Chronicles

Next up: The Cat Room Saga - starring mama cat, Cricket and her fab four kittens. Tomorrows the big day: spay/neuter time! And unlike the Huck saga, this ones less teary because: 

I'm keeping Cricket! 

Plus, two kittens are going to Lauren and Ryan, one to my co-worker, Morghan, and just one lil orange kitty will return to the shelter for adoption. Not bad for a Monday.

Mama is the mottled kitty
I love everything about her 💘

Mini, the bobtail 
Future heartbreaker in Ryan's life

Bug,
officially Brooks' new ride-or-die

This right here? 💕
This is the good stuff

Mama kitty, Cricket as I call her now, is an OG outside cat. She's doing her best to raise her littles inside. Lucky for her, once she heals from her spay, I will release her in the barn with June Bug, who's also a bob tail and enjoys the outdoorsy life. I think the two of them will get along famously. And hopefully keep the mice away, too. 

Hay is a Thing of Beauty

Big News: I had my first cut of hay! 

Listen, I've never been so excited to watch grass turned into big rolls. It's mesmerizing. 

Why so exciting? 

First, it's beautiful to look at.....

I just love a field of fresh cut hay

Second, it's such an interesting process to watch.....

They drove these farm machines down the 
side of the road for miles to get here
(from Leonard)

I used to think tractors hogging the road were just being dramatic. Nope. They're actually going to work. Who knew. I thought maybe they were heading to the gas station to fill up.

As I watched the whole magical hay process, this seemed to me, how it went down:

1) First, the grass is cut and left to dry (cure as the farmers call it). I missed that part - work life got in the way.

2) Then, after it's done curing (days later) a weird looking farm machine with spinning-wheelie-thingies takes the grass off the ground and fluffs it, making it ready for the next step.

2) The finale is this giant vacuum cleaner-meets-transformer machine that scoops the fluffed-grass up into it's mysterious back part, and I assume the farmer then waves his magic wand, and the transformer spins it into bales, just like yarn into balls. 

Every time a bale popped out, I gasped like I was watching fireworks. #farmmagic #haythere

Rapid Fire Updates

Speed round style........

Paul loves his bestie

It hurts my heart that he's getting older 😓

Loving life even during
his molt - currently rocking 3 tail feathers 

* Side note copy and pasted from the interwebs:   Chicken and turkey molting is the natural process of shedding old, worn-out feathers and growing new ones, typically occurring in late summer or early fall. It is a necessary part of a chicken's life cycle to ensure healthy, insulating plumage for winter. During a molt, egg production decreases or stops, chickens may look lethargic, and the process takes anywhere from a few weeks to several months to complete.

Hard to believe it, but guess whose in school.....

Tiny CEO

Brooks started PreK this year and is loving every minute of it! He has such a love for learning, and enjoys the social aspect of it, as well as the routine in it. I'm so happy for him - Go Brooks! 

Side Note: Lauren sent me this screenshot of Brooks, and I thought I'd share a nugget with you about it: Did you notice Dr Honda in the top right? He's a psychologist who has a podcast/youtube that does a deep dive into the contestants and their interactions on Love Is Blind. It's interesting to watch/listen to after binging LIB. Lauren introduced me to it, as an added bonus for after you've watched Love Is Blind and have no new episodes to watch. Dr Honda breaks it all down from a psychological standpoint and I've actually learned some things from him. #freetherapy.

Is it unhealthy the number of times I've referenced Love Is Blind in this blog post? 

Next up.....

My ducks are still in a row - and loving all this rain 

Emmie, Poppy, Pippa, Dora and Hope are all
doing great and the mash is flowing
The goats are living their little goat life back there, too.

Hope is still here with me 💟 and I love every small step she makes in her life. She and I have a rhythm unlike the others. She's my special girl. Hope is a reminder that there's always hope. 

Side Note: The horses who were boarding in my back pasture have all been picked up and have upcoming sell dates, according to Liberty, who often houses her horses with me in the back pasture. She buys and sells horses and mules, and brings them to my Airbnb in the back pasture for a little vacay while they await their new forever home. The horses and mules unknowingly work while they stay - as just their presence detours predators from the back pasture. Love that.

And since there's never enough heavy equipment on site.....

Mia supervising everything like the good girl she is.
Currently, it's the septic system install.

Water line trenched and ready

And did you notice.....

Sweet Mia 💛 My sidekick

Side Note: Mia and I found each other about a year ago now. She's has the temperament of a saint. 

Penny and Dutch are holding strong
on their own 💪

Two of my fav little humans.....

Since big brother has a tractor, this
only seemed fitting for her

Minnie Mouse is king queen here,
besides monster trucks of course

My most faithful companions (besides my 2 doggos outside protecting everyone).......

Where does everybody sleep, you ask?
The better question is where do I sleep.....

Cluckingham Is Everything

The chickens are back roosting in the area in which
I shot the snake in.
Never mind the hole I blew in it.....no, I'm not fixing it

The chickens are all doing wonderful despite the heat. And my little chicks are growing up and blending in beautifully with the flock. 

Here at Peace and Love Acres, the world keeps turning - sometimes quietly, sometimes chaotically, always full of heart. 

But whatever comes, it'll either be good - or it'll be a story. (Lauren is probably so tired of hearing me say that). 

Thanks for riding this journey with me.

Take care of you.

With peace and love,

Cyndi