So many firsts

I feel like I'm filling out a baby book with all my baby's firsts. First word(s), first steps, first foods, you know, first everything. Except my book is a little different. It could be titled something like "Your second life begins when you realize you only have one". And thus, I have many firsts in my second life. 

** There is already a book with this title by the way. You may already have known that though. It's a gem.

Happiness comes from donkeys, not relationships

Ah yes, my sweet donkeys, Poppy and Pippa. My first mini donkeys. 

Their donkey mantra? "Not stubborn. Just like my way best."

Don't let then fool you as I should have named
them Smart and Bad.

So many firsts with these two. They truly are examples of if you let them shenan once, they will shenanigan. Let's start with their first farrier visit by my farrier, Shannon. Now Shannon is not new to horse and donkey nonsense. But I will say, Poppy gave her a run for her money. 

It all started with Shannon trimming Dora and Hope's feet as usual. Nothing new there. I've worked hard at getting Hope to be a good girl when she's getting her feet trimmed. She halters well, stands for Shannon pretty well, and is just really in a good place in her own second life (first life for her wasn't so great). So Hope and Dora are easy greasy when it comes to hoof trims. Perfect, right.

Then, it's the first time for Poppy and Pippa's first foot trimming with me, anyways, as I'm not sure what's happened in their first life prior to their second life. So my guess was this: that Poppy (brown one) will do great and Pippa (white one) will do awful.

Buzzer sound. Wrong. First off, they are easily haltered which tells me they have been haltered before in their first life. So Shannon and I start with Pippa who we thing will be the tougher of the 2 to feet-trim. And amazingly, Pippa did awesome for her first trim. Yes, she fussed and kicked a little, but it all made sense because her feet were a bit of a mess with an abscess in one hoof. So her feet are probably sensitive. The irritated and upset Pippa made perfect sense and I was so relieved. Now I think we are on the downhill slide as we can get Poppy done easily. Little did I know that's when the donkey show would really start.

I would post a picture of what it all looked like but I'm too embarrassed for myself and for Poppy. Poppy's behavior was something I've not seen before. And Poppy's feet were also a mess and super-de-duper sensitive. Therefore, Shannon kept having to tie her up more and more, and eventually Poppy literally threw herself on the ground while tied up, with her eyes wide and scared. It hurt my heart so bad. I can't even explain it as there are no words for what happened. Shannon had to tie 2 of her legs to opposite fences to get her under control, and then once Poppy threw herself on the ground, Shannon had to tie up another leg in a different direction and still.....Poppy kept fighting and kicking. Hard.

It was something I've never seen before. And Shannon kept at it though, getting kicked again and again, as did I a couple of times. To tell you the extent of this, at one point, Shannon asked me to sit on Poppy while she was on the ground to try and keep her still while she trimmed her hooves. Crazy I tell you. I'm going to need therapy after that event. Oh yeah, I'm already in therapy. 

Let's just say that Shannon did the very best she could and never gave up. These donkeys who were once at auction are now safe here on the farm. And getting their feet under control is imperative. No one likes sore and wonky feet. The feet trimming for the mini donkeys was stressful for everyone involved and I'm hoping each time gets better and better and they begin to trust the process of having their feet trimmed and cleaned. 

And to answer the question we all are thinking......it's Pippa whose with child. During the foot trimming, as we stand close to the donkeys, we could feel the little baby donkey moving inside her. And, when watching closely, you can see Pippa's side moving as if an alien is inside her. This will be another first for the farm. A baby donkey birthed here. More good news and yet another first? Lauren and Ryan want to keep this little donkey for their own and to have on their land (eventually). They have even already named her Emerald. Goodness, I hope it's a girl. A boy named Emerald is probably going to be made fun of by the other donkeys. 

How am I this blessed 🩶

Friends don't let friends own just one donkey

Peace, love and chicks

Ryan, my son-in-law works at an elementary school whereby all 7 first grade classes in his school had 5 fertile chicken eggs provided to them with incubators and heat lamps. I was most shocked by the fact there were 7 first grade classes, than about the fact they would be hatching chicks in the classroom.

I digress. Fast forward to these first grade teachers incubating the eggs and having the children be able to watch, learn and witness the hatching of these chicks. But then, what to do with all these chicks? Approx 35 of them. Ryan volunteered my farm to take the chicks, and the school readily agreed. Boom, these chicks appeared at the farm and my chicken count went from 120 to 150. 

They were all about 1 1/2 weeks old
when they arrived to the farm. 

To prepare for the arrival of approx 32 chicks (I think 3 or so were lost in the hatching process?) I dedicated a corner of the barn with a coop and fencing meant just for chicks. Heat lamp and heating pads were placed in there to assure their comfort and needs. Since I already had all the makings for a "chick area" this was an easy process. I've raised enough chicks now that I have all the chick feeders, waterers, heating pads/lamps and such that I keep - just in case I ever need it. All I needed to buy was chick feed. 

So this process of raising chicks is a first for Ryan and Lauren, and to see what's needed and what it takes to raise chicks. And the chicks are doing great! We did lose 2 chicks along this process, as they were just not able to survive. Some chicks don't have what it takes to stay alive, and I always hate watching that process, but the fittest survive and that's the way of this world. Unfortunately, chickens are no different. 

I'm happy to report the chicks are happy and
doing great in their area in the barn. 
They love going up the ramp into the coop, too.

I did have to move Paul and Paul's area (away from his mirror), but I'll get him back and situated once the chicks get older and out of this confined area, once it's safe to do so. The chicks will need to be a few months old and then the fencing can come down and they will incorporate with the whole flock. Currently, most all the chicks are fully feathered.  

The most popular question I get regarding these chicks is "what breed are they?" and apparently no one at the school knew/knows. They are mystery chicks and we'll all find out together what kind of chickens they are as they grow up and show themselves more. The girls will stay and as you well know, the boys will go once they crow. 

Bird By Bird

Despite being a great book (thank you, Anne Lamott) I had a recent 'first' experience with some random baby birds I found in the barn. So what happened was, I saw a (mama) bird deceased on the floor of the barn and in that same moment I could hear baby birds above, crying and crying nearby. I ignored it, as I thought that certainly a mama bird will feed those babies soon. But no, their cries persisted. So I did what I know to do and mixed up a baby-bird mash and proceeded to position myself to feed those babies. And that I did. But as the next day came and went, and I was feeding them intermittently, I put 2 and 2 together to make 4 baby birds who have lost a mama and are hungry all the time. 

Inside this coop was where they would be
stationed for easy access.

Although I knew taking on these baby birds would be risky, I also knew they would not survive without their mama. 

So, I set them up in a bowl in the barn and proceeded to feed them every hour or so and had sent this video to Lauren and Ryan in case they could come out and feed them too, over the weekend. Uh oh. Monday is coming and I have to go to work so how will I feed them? Oh, I know. I'll take them in my car, roll my windows down (it was not really hot at that time) and go out and feed them whenever I can during the day, and then they will travel with me back home. Back and forth until they get older. Yes, I can do that.

In the car to work each day, jiggity jig

There was only one issue. People who parked beside me at work could hear and see the baby birds. I begin to get questions at work about why there are baby birds in my car. And then an amazing thing happened! My fellow co-workers started joining me in taking the time to go out to my car and feed them throughout the day. I would get report(s) from my co-horts about who fed them and when. And since the baby birds were always hungry, they couldn't really be fed too much.

The surgery center I work at became completely invested in raising these baby birds. What a blessing it was! This was certainly a first for us all. It was a first for many people to feed baby birds. It was a first to see baby birds in someone's car. It was a first that we were all doing this together. 

But then it started happening. The baby birds grew. They got all their feathers. They begin jumping out of their bowl in the car. People at work kidded me about them "flying around in my car soon". Unfortunately, we lost 2 of the 4 baby birds as they were not able to sustain life. We tried though. We tried hard for all of them. 

And then, it became time for me to leave the baby birds at home and in the coop to only be fed a couple of times a day by myself, and then fend for themselves with the food I leave for them. My people at work were sad that they were no longer in the car, waiting to be fed. They asked about how they were doing at the farm. They were invested in these baby birds lives. 

And then the time came for me to wean the 2 remaining babies that made it. They would not need me at all to feed them at all, and this was completely instinctual for these baby birds. They were doing what nature was telling them to do.  Then, sadly it was time for them to leave me. 

I knew it was time. I would go set them free
inside the barn.....

After shedding a tear, I let them go. They flew
away, one by one. Only the 2 remaining birds.

Have I seen them since? Yes, I think I have. I do see 2 young birds together here and there. On the ground in the pig pen pecking at the grass. In the barn jumping around and playing. I tell myself these are my babies. Still circling the only universe they know. Granted, I've raised random baby birds before. But these are my first baby birds from the barn, and are now all grown up. Nature is amazing. And to have been a part of this - along with my co-workers - was a privilege. 

Bee Sweet

I did it y'all. I went and picked up my bees to bring them back to the farm for real. This is a first that I kind of want to be my last. But I gotta do it. I gotta try. It's one of my first hard firsts. Does that even make sense? 

The Bees Homestead Area

I got a bee suit. And I got bees. This, my friends, is a 'first' I did not want to do and that I did want to do - all at the same time.

I purchased my bees at The Bee Supply in Blue Ridge where everyone there are amazing beekeepers. They are there to help and assist in whatever way and means you need in regards to your bees. I mean after all, the Bee Class I went to there was like a college course and I should have gotten college credit for that class. 

When I picked up my bees, I was told to bring them home and set the "nuc" (nucleus of bees with 5 frames inside a plastic box containing an established bee colony) directly by my final hive site, and let the bees settle down from the bumpy ride home. I will tell you this. Once I got my bees home, they were mad. Mad I tell you. (Just typing that reminds me of the book I recently read titled Mad Honey - amazing fiction book by the way). I can assure you I had my bee suit on.

Then, after an hour of settling down, I would then transfer the frames from inside the nuc to the hive I've set up. And that I did, with my bee suit on of course. Did I get stung anyway? Yes, but that's the breaks. It's gonna happen, as a bee suit is not bullet proof. 

Then, I set up sugar water feeders nearby to decrease the stress of the hive so they will have food nearby. And I let them be.

When I checked on them the next morning, they were doing their bee things and much less angry. Matter of fact, not angry at all. I loved seeing them settled and doing their own bee-ish nature things. Bees are an amazing creature of nature. I can't wait to see what beekeeping brings. Learning, enjoyment (I'm hoping) and fresh honey. And then in a few years.....maybe an ag exemption. Maybe, but it's worth a try. I gotta try to try at least. 

Feeder nearby, and Nuc still there
due to some bees still hanging out in it 🐝

Electric News

Another first: Lauren and Ryan broke the news to me recently that they think they will be able to move forward with building their house soon. They told me they were working on their pre-approval process and have a appt with their house builder at the beginning of June. This news was bittersweet. I feel like I'm in such a good place (thank you, therapy) with not only myself, but with Lauren and Ryan and all of us on a cruise control of living together. It's happy news for sure, but it's news I'm still processing, knowing that this life I'm leading is going to change again. Thank goodness they will just be "down the way" from me. I couldn't bear it otherwise. I have been blessed beyond measure with their presence, love and light they bring to my life. Watching them evolve into a house of their very own and live their little family life (close by thank goodness) will be one of my most prized gifts I've received in my life. 

And what a way to celebrate.....Lauren, knowing full well I've been wanting to do this, took me/went with me to Electric Cowboy in Lewisville the other night. Yes, we went to a country bar. To line dance. To people watch. To get out in the world. To see what this feels like - and it felt great. 

So much fun with you!

Thank you, Lauren, for encouraging me to get out and about and mingle in life. I can't wait to go back and line dance. And be out with people who are living their lives wanting to have fun and enjoy what life has to offer. Don't get me wrong. I love my life, the farm, my family and all the things I have in this precious second life I'm leading. Now this. The world opening up to me in different and new ways. 

People are doing things out in the world
and I'm going to join in on this fun 🎶🎵

Esp since I'll be having knee surgery later in June due to a medial meniscus tear. That's for next time  - and it's certainly not stopping me from doing things. Well maybe some things, talking to you, running. This second life is something. It's the 💣. And I thank God every day for the opportunity to experience this beautiful and exciting second life, and for all that's to come - for us all. 

Living like someone left the gate open,

Cyndi

But wait, the firsts never stop around here these days. And since there's no running until after knee surgery.....I was told I could (continue to) bike and also swim. And so I shall.

This is a first for the pups - from running cart (stroller) to bike cart. They are unsure, but will adjust with time. Me too y'all, me too. New firsts for everyone.