And now, let there be peace

As Christmas approaches, it's fitting to say there is peace on the farm. It's been a long time coming.

Tranquility and calm has descended upon us. The lambs have all turned the "I'm going to live" corner. Little Grace has been bottle fed for weeks now, and is finally catching up with the others. We are currently weaning her from the bottle, slowly. She's gone from 3 full bottles a day, to 2 a day, and now getting 2 partial bottles a day. We are making our way to no bottles a day. It's going to take about 3 more weeks to get there, but progress abounds. Grace, Clara and LuLu are all healthy, happy lambs. Granted, LuLu does not like this cold weather. All in all, the lambs are growing up. I imagine that Belle and Eve will wean their still-nursing lambs within the next month. They are growing less tolerate of their lambs nursing, and the lambs are eating alfalfa, grain and grazing the pasture. Oh, my heart is happy beyond belief. Each time I drive down towards the house and see them all out grazing, I realize David's dream of a larger flock is coming true. Will there be more? I never thought I'd say it. But, yeah, just maybe there will be more lambs in our future. We survived - and they survived. I can't wait for Jerry, The Sheep Shearer to come this year and see our prizes. Our spoiled sheep have had spoiled lambs. I can see him rolling his eyes as I write this.
And Whisper! You'd be so proud of her. You've all gone down this scary road of will she - or won't she make it through this recovery period, and come out the other side with a successful surgery and healing process. No, I did not take her to the vet this week. Wait a second while I pat myself on the back. Okay, done. We were able to keep her from further escape(s) and harm. Really, I think she's just thrown in the towel, and quit fighting against us. But either way, we are all in a good place, together. And to add to this success, we have created a new area whereby the puppies are now blended with Whisper in a fenced area that allows them their own private access to a portion of the barn, that's exclusively theirs. Did it require David and I to move 13 10X6 pieces of fencing? Why, yes it did. Did it require us to cut another small door in the side of the barn? Check. So now when it rains, or is really cold, the new guard pups-in-training, and Whisper, together get to dictate when they want to come inside the barn. It's also a great way to bond them to Whisper, and get some training with her and what to bark at, staying up most of the night watching and learning to love and respect each other. The 3 of them are all able to eat their meals in a 10 X 10 area together without complete chaos. They eat calmly, and are mindful of each other. It's been a blessing to be able to have them all together - with access to a large, fenced outside area. They will be free to room the pasture in an estimated 3 months. We look forward to Whisper being healed by then, and the puppies ready to take a shot at being free in the pasture, under the guidance of Levi and Whisper, both. This whole process is an evolution. New guard pups, new leg for Whisper, new lambs and new beginnings and traditions on the farm. It takes time and work, but all this time and work invested pays huge dividends. It's like the stock market. It pays well over time, and we are still putting in our time. I can see the rewards coming, and it feels good to let go of some of the chaos, and enjoy the calm that's creeping in.
And since I wouldn't want to let things get too calm, I decided that maybe, just maybe I need an indoor animal. The sheriff had put all animals out of the house on my last crossing. I can't say as I blame him. It's a lot of work to keep the house clean with cats and dogs coming and going, with dirt, grass and hair flying everywhere. After all, it's really dirty outside. Chickens, donkeys, sheep along with rain, mud and dirt does not lend to a clean house.
So what might I want in the house? A really small tiny dog. Yep, that's what I want. An indoor animal. One that stays inside most all the time, with outside potty time, and then right back inside. Maybe can't qualify for this job, as she enjoys the life outside too much. Maybe enjoys her barn time, gravel road time, 355 time, and even her occasional trip down the road to the satellite tower, across the way, to see what's shaking down there. She's even been known to travel across the street to the pasture of cows, and get too close to the edge of their pond. She's all about getting dirty, and it does not bother her in the least.
After some research, I located puppies and dogs for sale around 3-5 lbs. OMGoodness, now that's how a house pet should be. We begin our journey of this online, and ended up at a tiny puppy/dog boutique and found our forever house animal. We adopted a 1 year old MaltiPoo who had gone unpurchased, and who also was looking for a forever home. There we were - together looking for each other. She's just over 5 lbs full grown, a white poodle-looking, curly haired girl with a Maltese curly tail. I'll take her! And we did. She's feisty, but fearful. Brave and afraid. Fan of females, and loves a life of luxury. David built her a little dog bed, with a special pink velour pillow of her own. She wears a sweater, and stands on her back legs like she's in the circus. She doesn't bark, but she does have a odd howl when left at the house, in her confined area when we are away or at work. David named her Sugar. She's sweet, and just like all of our animal population, we love her to bits. Each and everyone of them, brings pure joy.
Our cat community is not taken for granted. They all get along so well, and do a wonderful job of deterring mice, snakes and rats. We still have the occasional possum around, as there's not much that a cat can do to help that. But all our cats do a great job of tolerating, and mostly enjoying each others company. They each have their domain and territory. They are certainly the easiest of the animals to care for. But right up there with easy care, are the chickens. We are holding strong at 16 chickens. 2018 was a year of chicken highs and lows. Our chicken community is much like our cat community - everyone is getting along with no obvious meanies. Having our chickens settled, brings about lots of eggs, chicken-harmony and extermination of all bugs in the surrounding area of the barn, house and garage. And the donkeys have something new for the winter. We had their run-in shed modified. The south side is now covered, so that it's more like a barn for them now. We added rubber flooring in it, and it's now their Donkey Palace. They esp love it when we put their hay inside it. Almost like being indoors, and I must say, they have always been fans of the barn. And we have created a separate barn space of their very own.
So as I often do, I do a census of our population: Chickens: Ginger (RIP Butterscotch), Sunshine, Butter, Pebbles, Pepper, Peaches (RIP Cream), Callie, Goldie, The Twins, Veronica (RIP Penny), Storm (Cloud was a rooster, bye bye to a new home), Whitie, Blackie, CoCo and Frizzle. Donkeys: Mama and Papa. Cats: July, June Bug, Fi (May), Kitty, Sweet Pea, Finn, Smokey and Preston. Dogs: Levi, Whisper, Dixie, Davis, Maybe and Sugar (RIP Bridgette). Sheep: Eve, Grace, Clara, Belle and LuLu. Population: 37
It's interesting, because as a unit, their names don't really sound all that great. But if you knew them individually, most all of them fit their names. Or so I think they do. Cue the circus music. Because that's what it's like around here. The three rings are constantly changing their performers, and some are highlighted more than others. It's been an eventful 2018. One of love and loss. We are still ebbing and flowing around here, but for now, the dust has settled. We are all finding peace, comfort and our place where we belong. Myself included. It's taken me years to get here, as I thought this was only what other people did. All it took to get here was to step out of my box, and realize there's more to life - to my life. I've arrived. and oddly enough, I keep arriving.
Thanks for sharing 2018 with me, and 2019 will bring many things I could have never guessed or dreamt of. That's what happens each year - things I never would have imagined, happen. Like happy accidents. I have titled 2019 The Year of kNOw. Knowing what I'd like to do, where I'd like to go, and the ability to say No. I'm going to focus on knowing what feels right and good, listening to my intuition, and answer when it speaks to me. I've ignored it far too many times in life, but I'm on track now. If it takes turning 55 to find my inner voice, then it's about time to start listening to it. I'll stumble, and I'll fall. But getting back up feels so good.

Peace to you,

Cyndi