03/31/2021
I usually reserve this page to show off new fur babies or reflect upon life on the farm. Today, I choose to use this space to reflect upon life. I have lived nearly my entire life on a farm and have always been very appreciative of the life lessons that come from my chosen life. People do not understand farmers and ranchers to the extent of knowing the joys, hardships, hard work, sweat, tears, and laughter that are all a part of farm life. Some of my funniest memories come from this life such as playing blind man’s bluff around cow patties and nothing, absolutely nothing can describe the correct placement of a horse’s kicking hooves on your body!! Raising crops and animals teach us about the cycle of life and how precious each day is for us. We are taught about the Creator, as it is easy to see His touch in a sun rising, a new blade of grass or corn, the birth of animals…but not only the good times, we see Him in the not so good times, too. Sometimes, we had a baby pig that was fighting for his life, a cucumber crop being threatened by an early frost, an injured horse needing to be nursed back to health, or cattle fighting pink eye or other bovine illnesses. Sometimes, we experienced things that went beyond words. I remember two of these events…one was from a bad storm we had and lightning hit several head of cattle. I will never forget that shocking sight and thinking how powerful that storm had to have been. Another was the prettiest little appaloosa foal from my mare that somehow got into a ditch and broke its leg. Tom came to 4-H camp to tell me what happened. I just knew my Dad had to give the last act of kindness and I was torn up. Tom settled my nerves and told me that Daddy had talked to the vet and had set the foal’s leg. I knew that was Dad’s best way of saying how much he loved me, because he knew how much I loved that foal. Sadly, we nursed the foal and he grew nearer and nearer to the day that the cast would come off and unfortunately, one day we couldn’t find him and when we did he was found drowned in a shallow ditch. I tell you these stories to remind you that the scriptures are all around us. I can’t help but believe that God spent 7 days, not only creating man and woman, but also this world. This big, beautiful world with every kind of living creature. I have always thought that God must have a huge sense of humor and must have had a field day during these seven days. Just think, just about animals. He could have created a dog…..a cow….a chicken…a cat. No! He knew in his creation plan that the highest order of thinking(that is in us, humans) was there and he must have known that we were going to have preferences and opinions, so he not only created a dog, but also different breeds of dogs. There are hunting dogs, toy dogs, swimming dogs(for you duck hunters), herding dogs, dogs of every kind and color, all created for us! He not only created cows, but he created cows for producing milk, cows for beef production, and cows that are only for pets. Look at all the different colors of cows…black angus, Hereford, Limousin, Brahma, Dutch Belted, and Charolais. Some people have unusual pets like turtles and snakes (not me, for sure) but God did not make one type of turtle or one type of snake. There are many kinds that people become interested in and can tell you all about that certain type of species. Anyway, if you are still hanging in there with me, you must be wondering where this wandering is headed and I am headed that way, now! The past two days have been very difficult as we have been by Lexie, our Cavalier Mom’s side, continually since Sunday night. On Sunday night she started showing signs of going into labor and we excitedly looked forward to welcoming our new litter of puppies. Lexie is the sweetest, kindest, most laid back dog you will ever want to meet. Her goal is to make a person happy and she does a wonderful job of that. Lexie started nesting and panting showing early signs of labor and I was afraid to go to bed and leave her. We stick together like peanut butter and jelly! I took the recliner and she was right next to me. Lexie was restless all night, but no puppies. Monday, she settled and slept a little, then late Monday afternoon, the panting returned and by Monday night, she just could not settle down to puppy business. Early Tuesday Morning, we saw other signs of imminent delivery and knew Tuesday would be the day. By 8 am , Lexie started delivering her puppies quickly and we spotted a huge issue. Lexie had green color in her discharge. All of her puppies were still born. Making a quick call to our vet, our concerns were confirmed. Lexie had placenta disruption, and with the timeline explained to the vet and the first puppy’s position explained, our vet felt the first puppy was in the wrong position and held back delivery. We were given some hope that live puppies could still come, but that hope was soon dashed. Our Lexie didn’t understand why her puppies kept disappearing and our growing concern was for our Lexie. By the end of the day or should say end of two days, Lexie lost the entire litter. No fault of ours or hers, just one of those things that can happen and it did happen. Somewhere this morning, over the rainbow bridge, are six of the cutest little Cavie puppies you have ever seen. Early this morning around 3 am, as the rain began once again, I heard Lexie whimpering. I went to her crate and offered to let her out. She refused, but came to me for some strokes of love and kindness. I went back to the bedroom and gathered my quilt and pillow and returned to the recliner where I had waited with anticipation of the new pups. Lexie jumped onto my lap and laid her head on my chest, allowing me to gently pat her back to sleep. All this must have worked, Donnie got up around 5 am and found both of us working at the sawmill, sawing logs! He didn’t have the heart to wake either of us and left us to rest. Lexie taught me some beautiful life lessons this week and reminded me of others that have kept me these many years. Job 1:21 says, “…the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away, blessed be the name of the Lord”. Psalms 27:13-14 tells us, “I remain confident in this. I will see the goodness in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord, be strong, and take heart, and wait for the Lord”. I guess the Lord knew waiting was not my strength, so He said it twice in that scripture! And finally, a verse that we see so many times when a new baby is born, Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”. This scripture is not only for our new babies, but also for some of us not so new folks hanging around! Today, we leave the past two days in the hands of the Lord and we look forward to tomorrow. As an update, Lexie is doing great this morning and we expect her to make a complete recovery. Once again, the old farm has made a life lesson for me. I go forward knowing that my plans are not always His plans, but His plans are always best for me. It is time to wait, time to refresh and renew, and time to reflect on the goodness of the Lord. Finally, we are approaching the greatest event of all times, Easter, when we will celebrate a living Savior. One who conquered death and the grave, one who is our Creator, Father, Provider, Redeemer, our great Physician, our Counselor, and the last one I will name our Sovereign God. Easter blessings to you and your family. Attend church Sunday morning with a lot of imperfect, but forgiven people seeking God’s grace, mercy, and goodness during this Easter season.
