It's a cold morning, 6 a.m. A frigid wind blows out of the north, with such fervor, that it's blowing the snow flakes into the left side of my face. I squint my eyes against the snowflakes and wind and crouch down beside the first cow that I have to milk. I would be shielded from the elements but I haven't been able to build a milk parlor yet, as miserable as it is for me, I've had to focus on other projects.
We've had a milking house before but when we decided to move back to the mountains, we repurposed the structure for a storage shed and that left me milking outdoors. Well the truth is that we started to repurpose the structure for a shed but that is another partially realized dream...I had to jump off of that to get the new winter cow pen built and set up so we could bring all the cows home to feed hay for the winter.
Speaking of hay, I was able to put up all our own hay this year and it feels great to know what the cows are eating and not to be worrying about what fungicide or herbicide was sprayed on the cow's tacos. It was a lot of work and I managed to blow the motor on the big tractor in the process, however I know that I'll somehow manage to rebuild that this winter. Winter has been an issue in the cabin. With the entryway leading right into the main portion of the house, snow gets tracked into the house and melts into puddles. The wet winter gear gets spread out in the living room to dry and hardly a floor can be found...at least I cannot seem to find dry spots to gingerly place my socked feet as I tend to the fire. The firewood is mainly left outdoors, save the a wood ring, that the children fill daily. It comes in wet and snowy which adds to the mess on the floor. Now my wife is patient and consistently cleans up the puddles and debris but she prioritizes a tidy home so I could see that a solution to the ongoing problem needed to be found. After some discussion we decided that the best option would be to frame up a mud room addition, of sorts, off of the rear entrance of the cabin. When we poured the cabin's slab, we had an additional slab poured at the rear of the home. This served as the foundation for the new place. I decided to pull out all the stops and get that framed in last week. The whole family pitched in and we had it completed in about three days; of course that set me back on a few other projects but it was definitely a rewarding project! It really freed up some space and keeps the mess to the entry mat! I spent two hours plowing snow last night with the last remaining tractor, I mean it mostly works...It seems that I broke something in the PTO output when I was chopping hay for the cows, but despite the quirks, I almost got it all completed then the ignition switch burned up! I'm guessing the broken battery cables constantly coming in and out of contact probably had something to do with the switch failure. I meant to fix that! Speaking of fixing, I finally finished up rebuilding the top end of that F150. It ran great for a while but now it has a misfire on cylinder three again and is leaving me questioning its reliability. I have a 1994 Suburban with low miles that I need to do a few things to so we can use it as a reliable winter vehicle. All it needs is a tune up, a heater blower motor and a new ignition switch and it should be great! I'll get to it soon...After I run out to the leased pasture and grab my seven hundred gallon stock tank, I'm going to need it because it takes a while for the hoses to thaw out so we need to have a reserve supply for the cows should we have some sort of hiccup in the program. I recently replaced the Camshaft position sensor, the fuel pressor sensor and fixed the thermostat housing coolant leak on the F350 , so that should be good to go for another month. We need to get eight more cords of wood for the family for this winter but that's on hold because I recently dropped my saw out of the back of the truck and broke the handle...They want $100.00 bucks to replace that sucker! Oh well I will just pick up a little extra work in my spare time and buy a new one. I might as well upgrade to a full wrap handle while I'm at it!
Welcome to the Haphazard Ranch! I'll get to it as soon as I'm done this OK? It's just as easy for me to feel overwhelmed and want all my problems to go away as it is for you in your busy life! Maybe A new tractor or truck would give me peace of mind and lighten the load? Although my neighbor just had his brand new tractor burn to a crisp because of some wiring issue, and that truck payment always takes the joy out of the problem free ride. As I settle into the rhythm of milking, It's easy for me to look around, under the frosty beast, and focus on the projects that I need to immediately do last week! With the snow and muck halfway up my boots and the underbelly of the cow as my focus...everything seems to be falling down and failing in general! I am struggling to tread water!
Wow! I need to step back! If I stand up and look at it all from a distance I see how favored and blessed I am! I have a beautiful and loving wife who labors day in and night out keeping a tidy home, feeding the starving children of mine, serving me coffee, cleaning cloth diapers, baking fresh sourdough daily, taking videos, editing and posting on Youtube , processing chickens, farming and this is just a little sample of what she does daily. what a blessing she is and a great example of a virtuous woman !I have a pretty, 11 year old daughter who works hard to help her Momma, Is one hundred percent reliable, does laundry, sweeps the house, assists with the little guy, chicken wrangles, plucks and dresses poultry and gets after any demands I place on her. She is a creative artist, draws anything and makes beautiful jewelry. She even makes food for our church family potluck! The other Tuesday, she made Apple Cobbler for our guests because her Momma was busy insulating our new mudroom and helping me! What joy she brings to her Momma and I! Did I mention that she is my hunting buddy? Then I have the toughest 9 year old son! Just the other day he was working with me on a construction site and that kid fell 6 feet onto some rock and managed to use his face as landing gear...not a tear came to his eye! He works really hard and faithfully waters the critters! It is nice to be able to trust him with that. He joins in with stacking wood and shoveling snow and we enjoy shooting together and talking army stuff. I bark random commands and he takes care of it! It's nice to have another man in the house! What pride I feel in the man he is becoming! They are joined by a pretty, little 6 year old daughter, who brings joy to those around her ( sometimes) and works hard like her big sister! Faithfully taking care of her chores and always willing to join her Momma in the kitchen. She has also made food for potlucks and meals! She always has something to talk about or to entertain us with her cute little antics! What a woman she will be! The newest little 0 year old sums up the Fancy clan, I'm sure I will have lots to share about the cute little guy in the future! Right now he faithfully plays the leech on his Momma and Is generally useless! He is great for many smiles and brings us lots of laughter as we enjoy his antics and toddling! He Is a little miracle like the rest and we Thank Elohim (God) For our four miracle children that He has blessed and entrusted us with. May I be found a faithful steward of these gifts! I have 17 Cows, three of them in milk, sheep, goats, chickens, turkeys, ducks and geese. Four dogs, three mousing machines, and 20 acres of debt free land! Our pastor has blessed my family with 400+ acres that he leases to us for a song! I have two tractors, haying equipment, and generous, patient neighbors let me crop share their land! Elohim gave me the skills to fix my broken equipment, The skills to adjust to the current source of work whether it's carpentry, welding or wood cutting ! My In-laws are always supporting my crazy ideas and being generous with their resources! To top it all off we have a snug little cabin up in a beautiful mountain meadow, with a million dollar view and a warm fire! In fact I just stopped writing to stock up the stove and my Wife just brought me a fresh coffee! We have awesome supportive neighbors who offer advice and help as we learn how to farm and homestead. This is just a little insight into our great blessings!
Yes it is true that sometimes I'm not sure how I will pay my bills and put fuel in the truck, I owe the neighbors favors and help, and I am way behind on my commitments, but God always provides and people show generosity by supporting our farming efforts! May I be generous with my blessings and most of all, may I show my gratitude in some way!
I reach down to pet the cow and to speak gently to her. How thankful I am for her sweet milk and composing manure! I don't notice the blowing snow on my face, the cold hands or the clouds! It all looks beautiful to me! I close with a final question to myself that I want to become my ethos! How can I be a wise and faithful steward with all I've been given? I think it begins with a thankful attitude! May God give me the energy, strength and wisdom I need!
James 1: v 2-8 My Brothers, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the proving of your belief works endurance. Let endurance have a perfect work so that you become perfect and complete, lacking in naught. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of Elohim, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given him. But he should ask in belief (Faith), not doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For if a man should (doubt) that he should receive whatever he asks of the Master-he is double minded and unstable in all of his ways!
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