they snatch up all those pesky bugs. Up and down they go. (It is not easy to catch them in flight with the camera I am working with, but here is evidence of their return.)
Life is full of ups and downs, but this has been a week of what feels like mostly downs. I guess it is the ups that help get us through the downs. God did not promise an easy life, but He did say He would be with us to help us through it. It is God I look to for strength, courage, and peace throughout the turmoil of life. I can't shake the worry and depression that have overwhelmed me recently....and continue to seek God to get me through this.
The stormy weather is symbolic of my emotions....with tears raining down and then rays of sun breaking through the storm clouds. LeRoy reported 1.25 inches of rain on Good Friday and 3.86 inches for the week.
Good Friday was an emotional one. Just 2 years ago on Good Friday (April 9th) we moved to this farm. The weather was just as rainy, but our lives were filled with hope and anticipation. Those feelings are still usual, but I have been over-ridden by concern for Daniel, who started his 400 day deployment duty on 4/20/11. There was a send-off ceremony in Decatur for Daniel's battalion that we went to, hearing speeches, having refreshments, and meeting the Commander and Sergeants he has been working under.
After visiting with different army folks for awhile, we took Daniel out to dinner. With nothing else to do, we said our goodbyes and then watched him head into the Army building to finish helping get the 236th ready to roll.
Here is a link to a Facebook page of Daniel's Army Unit that posts pictures and up-dates: http://www.facebook.com/friends/edit/#!/pages/236th-Inland-Cargo-Transportation-Company/184773554902402
Daniel's Company was to head to St. Louis airport by bus at 2am Saturday morning, flying to Texas around sunrise. However, a tornado hit Lambert Airport in St. Louis before his company even left Decatur. The
twister had torn off part of the roof
and blown out half of the large, plate-glass windows in the main terminal, closing the airport....seen in this photo I got from the Pantograph. I was not worried about Dan, and knew this was one (of probably more) hurdles the 236th would overcome. 
Later in the day I got word from the Face book page that they had all safely made it to their destination. Here is a photo from that post of their travels. (click on photo to enlarge it.)
I can imagine the soldier in the foreground pulling the bag, as being Daniel. These guys all look the same with their hats on.
Saturday evening Britney asked me if I had felt sad today. I told her not teary eyed sad, but depressed or down in the dumps. She said she was glad that she wasn't leaving for a few weeks yet... which will give me time to adjust...and she admitted needing to recollect also. I am not looking forward to sending her off either.
It is nice to have more life springing forth here on the farm. Peonies + Hosta
Amiga's being lame hasn't helped with my down attitude either. It is hard to know if she is healing or not. Since it was so nice out Saturday, I walked Amiga around on the lunge line 5 different times, for about 30 min each, to let her graze. She did not get to do anything but walk around and eat....which she seemed to be quite content with. Zorro comes home next weekend which is going to add to the chaos... but I am up about his return.
Sunday...I did school work all morning and then we went to late Easter service. Once home, I planted forsythia co-worker Jeff had dug up for me.
I was going to work until it started raining, which was predicted for 2pm.
After getting all the plants in along with the rooting compound on stems for starters, I continued along the flower bed/rock garden and pulled weeds. The soil was just the right dampness to allow for easy pulling with most.
It was after 6 and still hadn't started raining, so I started in on chores, but as I was finishing, the sprinkles started. In this video, you can see the chickens heading in. The cows are a little more difficult to get in. They need to be convinced that the grain will be worth the trip.
I poked along, taking my time to get back to my desk. Once seated and ready to get school work done, I was suddenly exhausted. I did not last long....I was too tired and it was late enough to call it a day.
After 7 hours of sleep, I was up at 4am hitting the school work hard. It was sprinkling when I got up, but didn't amount to much, and it actually cleared off long enough for grass and pavement to dry up during the day.
Tuesday Amiga got lose twice, pushing past Joe once when he was bringing her in from the pen and once when she was in her stall and he was putting a handle on the door and had opened it while the gate was open. He said both times she went running off. I was in slaving over school work at the time. Later, while brushing and cleaning hooves, I became concerned about her legs or feet. She stomped her back left leg while I was cleaning her front right hoof. And while cleaning her front left hoof, she seemed to flinch. This lameness and the fact that in two weeks Britney will be leaving for two years of missionary work in Guatemala, makes me want to cry. Whaaaah.
We have been holding the brown baby chicks to try to tame them. I let them visit me while
Wednesday, because I hadn't really evaluated Amiga since my lesson last week, I decided to go ahead and take her to my lesson today, and look at her with Marj's help. I could not get Amiga to load on the trailer. She would put her front legs on, but not step up with her back legs. Britney was helping and ended up getting her finger badly cut when Amiga was pulling back on the rope. Then I pretty much just broke down. I sat on the edge of the trailer and cried.... feeling so bad about Britney's finger and Amiga not loading. The worry about Daniel being deployed, Amiga being lame, and Zorro being okay coming home was more than I could shoulder. I turned my eyes to heaven and prayed. After a call to Marj because I was now late, she came over and helped me load
Amiga. In her arena, we quickly could
tell that Amiga was still lame. I rode Bien, but he just wasn't the ride I am used to with Amiga. Thursday I kind of muddled through teaching. I was just not my normal self. I have been in a funk of some sort. It was a cold, gloomy, rainy day, again... which didn't help any. While working at my desk, I got so sleepy, I just took a nap on Dan's bed. Abbey joined me. I think she actually misses Dan. I know these barn kitties are going to miss Britney.
It was supposed to get down to 41 degrees over night, but felt colder with the wind chill. I had been turning the light off on the chicks during the day and back on at night, but I left it on all day today. In the afternoon we found one chick perched on the top edge of the tank. Bad bird. I decided to put the light on out in the coop for the ducks overnight and also out in the barn for Norman. Courtney came over after her lesson with Zorro and we talked quite awhile, deciding to keep Zorro at Marj's a bit longer. He has made such good progress, we hate to see any set backs, and working him here is pretty difficult when it is so wet, windy and muddy.
Friday the sun was out and by
the time I got home from school it had warmed up quite nicely and there was barely a breeze. I had done enough school work late into the night and early this morning, so planned on giving it a rest. First a little nap on the lawn chair out in the sun. Then to do a thorough cleaning of the two stalls. I let Norman out on the front pasture where I had put Amiga in her "grazing pen". Joe had picked up a free flag and 22 foot flag pole last weekend. He had cemented the base in the ground and then today Britney and I helped him get the pole put back together and the flag up. 
Now we fly the American flag high in front of our farm house. In terms of our flags ups and downs, I would like to think that it will go up and come down each day, but the reality is, it is much simpler to just leave it up. We do not mean to dishonor it in anyway. We are proud to be Americans and fly our flag high. We need to figure a way to light it at night.
This is how it appears coming up the drive to the house.
As I often gaze upon our flag, not only do I get a gauge of wind speed and direction (in this photo it is 12 mph out of the south), but I am reminded of Daniel and take time to reflect on our troops and say a prayer for them.
We ended up doing a lot of tree trimming Friday and other work around the yard. The three of us came in and watched Survivor together. I was finally feeling a little more normal.
Today was another warm day, almost hit 70, but the winds were relentless. I spent a great deal of time working on school work, but also took little breaks to move Amiga and Norman in and out of the barn, 
walk with Britney and the dog, and mess with chicks and ducks. I mowed a riding path in the side pasture, but got the tractor stuck in the mud when crossing through the water way. (It looked dry enough on the surface... wrong) It took me a good 10 minutes to get the tractor out, and about as long to get the mud cleaned off of it once back at the barn.
We cleaned the ducks swimming pool and area in the coop and just straightened things up in and around the barn and other buildings.
Nothing like a little sunshine, a loving moment with the barnyard pets and work on the farm to lift the spirits.
Psalm 125:4 Do good, O Lord, to those who are good, to those who are upright in heart.
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