A Time of Transition

     "Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petitions, with thanksgiving, make your request known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."   Philippians 4: 6-7

                                                        Our neighbor's farm at sunset.

     This week I have experienced many changes in routine, attitude, ideas, and faith.  It started Wednesday morning with an e-mail update from Daniel that he sent at 1:30am (which was 10:30 in the morning for him).  This lead me to ask him questions, get  answers and ask more questions.  In just a few short days, I gained information and new insight which left me with this understanding of his new "home".  He is living in a  clamshell tent at Bagram Air Field (BAF).  It is an open bay style tent with cots.

Here is Dan's view looking from his top bunk in his clamshell to the left at other clamshells. 




 Below is a view looking into the back of his clamshell with all the extra mattresses.










    





     BAF is a "coalition base" or "joint forces" base, which means US soldiers are surrounded by other countries military forces, such as French, Polish, Czech, Australian, Spanish, British, and Canadian.  There are others, including local civilian people working there called LNs or local nationals. Plus, they have people from other countries, such as Kyrgyzstan, China, Russia, etc. called TCNs or third country nationals working there too...30,000 people there on the base with Dan right now.  As Jean said, "This is a huge opportunity for Dan to broaden his horizons."  As for me,  I have suddenly taken a new interest in the world....usually I am just in my own little world here on the farm.  Now I am paying attention and listening to
                                                                                   the world news.
In this photo he took, he was looking to the right of the open part of the clamshell.  You can kind of see mountains.  He says that the mountains are always hard to see because of the dust and low clouds in the air.


     We had some breaking news here Wednesday at about 6pm, just at the end of chore time.  We were kind of hit by a tornado.  It is rather scary how it came up so fast.  Sunny one minute and then bam.  I couldn't get all the chickens in the coop before the storm hit.  Most of the adults, including the turkey, were already in, but it was all I could do to get the 3 ducks and 16 chicks in in time.  I was in there when the storm hit and ran to the house, getting drenched in the process.

     Here is a picture from a video and a link to the U-Tube video of it. 
This is an impressive video, but Rated PG13 because of language. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m143wyz3SfI

     
     If I was in that car, I am not sure that I wouldn't let a swear word slip out myself.  I would definitely be yelling at Joe to stop the car and I would also be praying.  According to the police scanner, there was a tornado rotation near Downs...The funnel cloud outside of downs was spotted moving towards Ellsworth.  The tornado was on the ground - at 600 / 2100 East, which is exactly a mile SW from our farm...then it touched down again about five miles NE of our farm.  We had two motorist from US 150 come to the house for shelter. They both said they thought their cars were going to blow off the road.  It was unbelievably windy.  I wonder what the wind speed actually was.  We stood in the kitchen and dinning room watching it all.  Guess we should have been down in the shelter.  oops.  We didn't know it was a tornado....you can't hear sirens out here.
An eerie calm came over the farm

and we could see that 1/3 of our big pear tree was blown down.  The 2 renegade chickens came out from under the horse trailer, very wet, but they had survived.  We heard that more strong winds were coming, so the two ladies made a run for it, getting in their cars and heading to Le Roy.  Joe and I went out and got the last two chickens into the coop, checked on the horses and cows and returned to shelter as the next front hit.  It was not near as bad. 

     Thursday I heard that Marj's barn got hit.  Joe and I went over to see the damage (I hope we weren't gawking).  It was amazing how some of the metal was pealed off the walls and 2X4's were split in half lengthwise. 

     It was unbelievable and quite scary to behold.  Luckily nobody and no horses were hurt.  My heart really ached for Marj...to see such destruction.  We work so hard to build up our dreams and then bam...they can be shattered so quickly.  Things can be rebuilt, but we need to be patient during the time of transition. 

Joe started on the removal of the big section of our tree by cutting it up. 

     Friday I came home early and messed around at my computer and in the yard. I also helped Joe with tree clean up. 

     I did some laundry to get ready to go to Carols and then after dark I went out to sort the baby chicks and keep three for myself.  I was trying to get hens but still am not too sure which is which.  Some of the hybrids have strange combs and waddles. 

     Saturday after chores, I finished packing up dog stuff and my bag.  Just before leaving, I went out to get the chicks.  I had put my three in a cage so I needed to get them in the fenced yard with the ducks, but keep the other 13 chicks in the coop.  What I finally ended up doing was keeping a 4th chick that was insistent and persistent about staying with my other three.  So we packed up 12, the dog and headed to Indiana.

     Once at Carols, Joe did not waste anytime in starting on tree removal, while Carol and I got the chicks settled in to their new "house".  Chris and Travis came just in time to help cut the first tree down.  The chain saw blade got stuck so  we had to use the Expedition to help pull.  A break for a yummy lunch together and then Joe quickly cut down a second tree, learning from his mistake on the first one.  We decided 2 was enough.

     Then we proceeded to work at branch and log clean up...and sit around the fire to relax.  Travis and I had difficulties with one particular log.... but got it into the fire.  It was a very warm day, but bonfires have a certain draw to them...maybe they should call them bond fires.

 

     While sitting by the fire, we discovered a mom and baby raccoon. 

They were high up in the big old maple tree just 10 feet away.  I think our commotion and the smoke from the fire aroused them. 


In the early evening we enjoyed a great grilled steak dinner and chatted away.

     Just after dark one of the baby chicks was flying into the porch window.  Upon investigation, we discovered most of them had dispersed from their area in the barn.  We got them rounded back up but were missing one.  We suspected the mama coon may have been the perpetrator. 

     Sunday morning we did a chick count and 2 more were missing.  A bit latter Kaysha came over with a chicken leg.  The coon must have gotten her fill by the third one.  We proceeded to move the chicks into a much safer, more confined area. 

     Then we took a nice drive through the country and went to a rails to trail and went on a very enjoyable walk.  The day was warming up quickly (almost 90 at 10 am), but in the woods it was nice and cool...and not even too buggy.

     Joe and I headed back home after a late lunch.  We drove through some pop-up storms and arrived with temperatures in the low 60's with high winds.  Courtney, who farm sat, said it rained all day Sat. and Sun. 

     Memorial Day Monday I started on some ideas I had for a tribute to our armed forces.  Giving it a rest (It will be my next post), I caught up on e-mails and Facebook and then headed out to complete long over due chores, like draining, cleaning and refilling both duck pools. The 3 girls were so happy to have clean, deep water.

     We had a guy sandblast and paint the roof and front of our new trailer.  It  had probably gotten too hot causing all the paint to crack.  We changed 
                                                     it to white so it will be cooler.  The little
aqua trailer sold quickly so we have now transitioned up to the larger one.  Joe painted the inside top and front to lighten it up for easier loading.  Once he was done, I worked on cleaning it out so we could have our first go at it.



Joe took a much deserved rest.

Late afternoon, Marj and Richard rode over and we (Courtney, Joe, Mike and I) had a trailer lesson.  The dos and don'ts with a three horse slant load.

  Marj looked at both Amiga and Zorro and we decided both are still not sound.  Big sigh...it is so hard to sit and wait for Amiga to heal....I really want to ride her.  Vinni and Roni ate out in the pasture while waiting for us.

Next was the real test....could we get them to load in this new trailer?  Amiga took a few minutes to decide to go on.

      Zorro was much more hesitant.  We finally got him on and hooked up and he decided to bolt back off.  He hit the end of the tie and kept going, breaking it.  So...then we needed to get him back on.  The second time it took quite a bit longer.  But Richard was able to do it. This time we shut the back door right away and then got him tied in.

     Mike, Courtney, and Richard rode with Joe who drove the trailer back to Wellgreen Farm and I rode with Marj back there.  It was so nice to be back in the saddle again. I rode Roni, who is a rescue horse, with a lot of get up and go like Amiga. Joe and I watched some TV together while eating a late supper. We have been doing this a lot lately...which is a nice transition.

Today as May came to an end, I had a leisurely morning and then headed off to mail a package to Dan and give an exam at school. Good news about our pension...our State legislators are going to leave it alone and look else where for money.  Maybe they should look inside their own pocketbooks.  Once home I was dead tired.  I don't get it....finally I have some free time, but now I have absolutely no energy.  I feel like I got hit by a train. Took a long nap, got up and moved around like a zombie trying to shake off fatigue while watching Joe work his butt off mowing.  No motivation what-so-ever.  The four remaining chicks just started venturing out from the bushes by the coop.  Until today they had stayed in the coop or hidden under the bushes.  I think they thought a predator had wiped out the rest of them.  After dinner I brushed the horses and went for a nice walk while enjoying a pretty sunset.

     Tonight I got another e-mail from Dan...who has been very busy lately with training and work.  He is in the United States Army Reserve...as a 25U Signal Support Systems Specialist. 
He likes doing his job and working
long hours.  He joked about the other soldiers telling him he should become an officer because they are known to work long hours and work hard. He has moved to his new living quarters and gotten internet hooked up in his "room" and is quite happy with his set-up.  He has a great attitude of comparing life there to what it could be...stationed out at a camp, rather than comparing it to home.
This photo was taken at Ft. McCoy while he was relaxing with the soldiers from his battalion.


I also saw this picture of Britney on Facebook tonight, of her working at the Convalescent home in Antigua.

     I couldn't help but think how much I love and miss her.  You can see the love and compassion in her eyes as she talks with this old man.  The warmth of her smile and touch of her hand can be felt.  What a beautiful young lady, both inside and out.
.

A Time For All Things

"And in the end, its not the years in your life, 
but the life in your years that count."  -Abraham Lincoln

    There is a time for work and a time for play.  A time to eat and a time to rest.  A time for peace and a time for war.  Exercise, sleep, house cleaning, farm chores and yard jobs are all included as well.  But most importantly, time for God....a time to pray, read the Bible and sit and listen.  Sometimes it is so hard to balance this all out.  There just isn't enough hours in a day.

     Our resident squirrel who lives in the corn crib, came over to the garage roof to help Joe clean maple seeds out of the gutters.  She would eat the seed and drop the propeller part on to the ground.


     Tuesday the 17th was a busy dissection day at school. Once home I needed to sit, eat lunch and rest before heading out to the barn.  (I actually took a little nap even.) Joe and I completely cleaned out the two stalls and then filled them with new wood shavings.  Just as we were finishing
                                                     Courtney came over to work Zorro.

We chatted a bit and then I watched her work Zorro out in the round pen. 









Then I groomed and loved on Amiga who is still on stall rest. 

It is so good to have Courtney coming back here on a regular basis.

 

     In the evening, I read an e-mail update from Britney: "Just wanted to let you all know that I am safe. For those of you who haven't seen in the news, Guatemala has declared a 30 day state of emergency in the Peten region. There has been a huge massacre in the north of Guatemala by a Mexican drug "mafia" and 27 innocent people were killed/beheaded. This is a huge and unexpected emergency for Guatemala, but I am completely safe where I am at and it doesn't directly affect me. Please keep Guatemala in your prayers."     It was time to pray.

     The cow boys looking in on Zorro and probably wanting their evening grain.


     Wednesday I headed home early enough to go to Marj's for a riding lesson.  Since Amiga was still on stall rest, I rode one of the horses who is boarded there, but for sale. He is a 16 hand Tennessee Walker I thought I would give a try.  He is a very nice, gentle horse, but needed a lot of pushing to get him to move out. Again, nothing like my hot little Amiga, but he would be good for less experienced riders.  It just got me re-thinking about the possibilities of a third horse here.  All in good time...or maybe I need my head examined.

     Thursday our vet from Gibson City, Emily Tucker, came to give the horses all their annual shots, cog-gins test, etc.  She checked Amiga for lameness, and like the farrier, said it wasn't real pronounced, but she did look off on her back left leg.  While I had Amiga in the round pen free lunging her, she took off and raced around like a wild woman.  I was not driving her up at all, but had to "push" her back out away from me when she came in to the center of the ring at a high stepping pace. She looked so pretty prancing around, and you would never guess she was lame.  But, when in gait, she was taking shorter steps on her back left leg.

      I think the ducks have reached their adult size, while the chicks continue to grow and get into trouble.  Although the ducks make a big mess with the water where ever I put it.














     Friday we finished up the rat dissection lab.  I was quite pleased
at how well the students had done.
I went to Ann's after school to check on her condo "renovation" project, catch up on life and celebrate the end of a work week.  We soaked up a few Bud Light Limes and enjoyed snacks while conversing for almost 2 hours.  On the way home I bought a few little trees and some flowers.  Then I was off with Joe, Bob and Marge to have dinner at Jacks.  When I got home, going to bed was about all I had the energy left to do.

     The iris are in full bloom and are just gorgeous.  Don't forget to
                                                               take time to smell the flowers.

I picked some and put them in a vase along with this pretty and unusual peony.

     Saturday I was up early and bound and determined to get my final exam, review, and study guide written.  It was supposed to be rainy all weekend but didn't look too threatening to begin with.  By noon the sun
had broken through the clouds
and I decided to plant the Althea (Rose of Sharon) tree before the rain came.  I put it in front of my office window to replace the red bud that did not make it through the winter.  I also staked up the bird bath that had the bottom broken and had kept falling off the pedestal.


     I continued with flower planting around my new little tree and birdbath and moved to the wheelbarrow planter next. It ended up being nice all day.  The wind picked up a bit, but it never did rain.

     Sunday morning it looked like rain...but we only got a few sprinkles.  I took this picture before the sun came up.  After Church Sunday I went to
                                                     school and finished up my exam,

printed and xeroxed it along with the study guide and vocabulary review.  I was done for the day!....no grading, no prep, no school work!!!  It was mid afternoon by the time I got home but threatening to rain.  I took a nap and then messed around outside, brushed Amiga, watched the chicks and ducks, and pulled some weeds.


     Speaking of weeds, our State legislators have been in the process of trying to pass a bill that will cut pensions for public employees.  Teachers, social workers, and other public employees across the state have been rallying to try to stop this.  Things are still uncertain.

     Monday morning the sun was shining but it was very windy. Because I had spent so much time at school Sunday, it did not feel like a Monday.  I had a ton of grading because I had collected the Rat Lab Packets...5 days of work the students had completed.  So, even though all my plans and paper prep were done for the year....the grading was astronomical, but it would have to wait.   We had a cookout at growth group and a time of fellowship.

      Today when I got home from school, I set out to do my grading in the picnic shelter.  The breeze was almost too strong to make it possible, and I also got very sleepy.  It was time to nap in the hammock.  When I woke and opened my eyes....guess who was peering down at me?  Two of them actually.   I have spotted up to three little ones at once, which I believe the big mama has been raising up in the rafters of the 3rd floor of the corn crib.  These little ones do not show much fear...hope it doesn't cost them their lives.



     I heard this song "The Words I Would Say", by Sidewalk Prophets, while driving home today, and it really struck a cord with me (get it...lol). Not only does it give me encouragement, but these are the words I would say to Britney as she faces new challenges in the mission field in Guatemala.  I also hope it would speak to Daniel who is on a military mission over seas.  And even give encouragement to Courtney who faces the day to day challenges at State Farm and when working with her horse here at our farm.  I would say these words to all of you, whom I love.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fpKwja0j50

Some of the lyrics:
Be strong in the Lord and,
Never give up hope,
You're going to do great things,
I already know,
God's got His hand on you so,
Don't live life in fear,
Forgive and forget,
But don't forget why you're here,
Take your time and pray,
Thank God for each day,
His love will find a way,
These are the words I would say