Fire in the sky

With the time change and shorter days in full swing, it is easier to watch the fiery skies of sun set and sun rise.

I spend the first hour or two of the day working on side projects on my computer while I watch the spectacular view through the open glass separating the cold beauty from my cozy mess.

Up until now, the farm has gone through a fair share of changes,  as has my heart. But as with any farm,  there is no time to reflect on such things except amidst the work of the busy day.

A new puppy,  a mellow flock,  "hens" that crow, frost that cuts short a harvest and levels a garden, an extended freeze that immobilizes even the fluffiest of fleece covered friend, and all the little adventures too.

All of the joy and pain and inspiration has come to one point.  "I am the vine,  you are the branches,  remain in me and I will remain in you;  apart from me you can do nothing"
I can trust in that.

To love or to eat

Some days patients runs a little lower than others.

It's been dreary cold and wet today.  I had a lot of stuff to do today.  My flock had other plans today.

Libby seems to think of she wants something and she can aquire it, it should be fine.

She intentionally goes to parts of pasture she knows is of limits,  then encourages all the others to follow. Of course she does not care if she eats our garden,  ends up in a different acrage or lost. I however do care.

I must stop everything I am doing to jump into my boots and run (or clomp) to the field to chase them back under the barbed wire. Which of course they do not cooperate in doing and I end up carrying the littlest one.

Today after my extreme annoyance subsided,  and I stopped threatning to eat them, I loved them.  If I don't go out of my way to love them, I will want to eat them.

They are a big pain because they don't get how their seemingly innocent desires cause more than a little trouble.

Sounds like me with God. I don't always see the bigger picture from God's perspective all the while doing what I want. I don't always get why I am not supposed to do something when it makes me happy and I can do it so easily.

Its a good thing Jesus always choose to love me and never threatened to eat me.  ;-)

The great escape

Spity is very sweet and lovey to people. He acts ands cries like a baby...

Of course to his flock mates he is obnoxious though.

He gets along with his master but not those he is with.

Sounds like most people I know.  We love Jesus,  but treat our brothers with contempt.  Jesus wants us to be one with or brothers the same as we are one with him.

So this big baby of mine also has bad habits.  He is an escape artist. Despite my efforts to guess where and how he escapes,  and try to fix the escape route he still finds his way out.

I never worry though because he doesn't go far.  He stays near his shelter crying till I let him back in.

When will he learn his lesson?  When will be learn that it isn't fun for me to stop what I am doing to let him in?

I wonder if Jesus feels that way about me when I put myself in a bad situation and cry about it till he comes to my rescue?

Character and Company

Libby the sweet Liberator has spent a little too much time around her horn wielding counter parts.

Cessna the docile doe has likewise caught onto some ill traits of her own. (Knocking the baby down when he is in her way of food)

For no obvious reason two days ago, my tubby lamb did a full on, back up, head down, charge into Piper Cub's side the other afternoon. I am not surprised by this. They have learned it from Piper and Spitfire. When you want something another has, bash them with your head and take it.

Zeru also realized the other day when he caught his friend in a lie, that if he continued to witness a favorable outcome to bad behavior, he would stop questioning if it is right or wrong, and just do it for the result.

 "I will have to tell him, if he does not stop lying I will have to stop playing with him. I will still be his friend, but I can't play with him"

I wish I could segregate the naughties from the sweeties, but I cannot.

It just brings up all those scriptures about bad company corrupts good character. About not associating with those who behave a certain way (but only those who claim to be followers, or else we would have to remove ourselves from the world!) And about teaching these little ones to sin.

Naughtiest Flock

After we acquired Piper Cub, and then Libby, a strange dynamic began to develop in the flock. Libby was the third wheel, poor thing, and I tried to give her all the attention I could.

Her breed is supposed to be very maternal, and loving. She was very sweet and passive when we brought her home, and Piper, well, she did not like the addition to the flock. I am not sure if she felt jealous or what her deal was, but she let Libby know what she thought of her.

Piper proceeded quite early on to head butt Libby every time there was even the hint of a reason.

Now, let me say that Piper and Spitty were constantly getting into it whenever food was an issue. But, they both have horns. It is in their nature.

It is not in Libby's nature to be head butt anything. One morning I came out in the morning and there was evidence on the little bully's horn! She was caught fleeced!

There was no denying Libby's poor situation. My only consolation was her larger size.


I quickly went on the search for a ram to keep her company, but one younger to prevent mating for another year.

It took many week before I could find one. By the time I brought the new members of the flock to the hangar, Libby was more attached to her goat friends than the intruders.

As I introduced her to the very meek new goat and two baby rams, he seemed dis-interested at best.

Food came along and as Piper used to attack Libby, now it was Libby attacking the baby ram!

My sweet little girl had learned to become a bully herself, and now she had the opportunity. What has become of my sweet flock?

And there was Piper attacking the new goat AND Libby, AND Spitty when she got the chance.

Zeru and I actually considered her dangerous behavior, and how it may cause the other's to miscarry when they were expecting, and the liability she was. WE considered selling her or joked about eating her because of her heinous behavior.

Zeru began calling her "the German Nazi" which took my be surprise. "Well, she is very naughty, and German Nazi comes from the word naughty because they were so naughty."

Piper attacks on a whim, Spitty has a short temper, Libby is greedy. The newest little goat, Cessna, doesn't follow, which makes herding impossible. The baby just wants his bottle.

I have the naughtiest little flock.

I asked God what to do about this, and how it happened! Then he pointed out the obvious. He too has the naughtiest flock. He calls the down and out, the sinners, the bad guys, the ones no one else calls, and he makes them his own.

I am learning to shepherd the naughtiest flock. I'm not sure how Jesus managed!

Love is patient, love is kind.

Love is patient,  love is kind.
Patient is often translated more literally as long suffering.  To suffer for a long time.  Love will suffer a long time...

Love is kind.  Not a conditional kindness,  but kind out of love.

I sat out this morning with the flock, and Piper wanted to hang out with me while the others grazed.  Yesterday she affectionately pressed her little goat face to the fence while I rubbed her head.

I told her yesterday while I was petting her that we would not eat her because she was being so good.
I know that sounds TERRIBLE right?

I will post about the "Nazi" goat later(yes there is a story to all this) but we honestly knew we may have to sell her sooner than later due to her behavior being a danger to the other animals. And after all, she is a meat goat breed.

But it got me thinking this morning.  I went out of my way to show her patience and kindness despite her punk behavior,  and something seems to be changing. She can be saved.

Then I consider Boe who had a rough life full of bad stuff.  We were patient and kind.  He loved us and we loved him.  We put in the time,  effort,  and money.  Although much of his behavior became drastically wonderful there were still the one or two dangerous traits which we realized could never be loved out of him.  Despite it all, he could not be saved.

God got my attention this morning on this very point.  They won't all be saved. Even if we love them. Even if we teach them and encourage them.  I am talking about people now.  It doesn't mean we give up because,  like Piper we don't know when the seed will bear fruit.  Many will be saved! And while we are here we love,  we are patient,  we are kind.  We do all we can to save them. But like Boe,  it is not in our control. They will not all be saved.  It's not our fault.

The flock and the hangar

We call our flock enclosure"the hangar."

I built that encosure with 90% what I found lying around,  and then whatever inexpensive additional bits I needed to make it sealed and secure... More or less.

Our first animal was a 2 month old nubian goat buck.  We almost named him Max. He cried all the way home "maaaaaa." But for some reason I named him Spitfire.

Zeru and I were discussing that plane in lessons recently which is probably how it came to mind.

It was at that moment I planned to name all of our flock after planes.

Next morning we picked up a doeling boer goat,  3 months old. We named her Piper Cub. The third animal was a 4 month old ewe Finn sheep B-24 Liberator(Libby for short).
We had these three about a month before getting any more.

I have the privilege to watch single engine prop plans fly over most mornings I let them out to graze.  There is an airport near by with many unique planes that must land there.

A week ago I saw 5 World War single engine fighter planes flying in formation right over my garden as I harvested crops!

Zeru and I have seen a 4 engine prop and several double engine prop  planes,  as well as bi planes.

I feel like God had blessed me with these things in my time of growing and waiting.