Disappointments, timing, constancy, unwelcome species, focus

Over the past several weeks Mama and I have had some disappointing circumstances to deal with. None of those circumstances are life changing or discomfiting to the point that we will have to make any urgent changes to our lives to adapt. They are simply setbacks in life situations that we thought we had successfully overcome. Dealing with those disappointments takes an honest, open, forward-looking plan we can act on together and we are working that plan as best we can, but there is sill the upsetting emotional aspect of dealing with each of those disappointments. I will not bore you with the particulars. Some of the circumstances are upsetting only because of the timing involved. Fortunately, none of the losses immediately impact us, but they do change in a marked way the plans we can make in the immediate future. This too shall pass, and the Lord will let us see His hand at work in our lives in each and every setback. For now, we adapt and keep going.

As is the rule in life rather than the exception, most of the things that disappoint us are caused by the timing of that disappointment versus the overall impact of the loss, the setback, or the generally upsetting way our plans are affected. Since there is no way we can change the outcomes, we need to change the input – our attitudes toward the circumstances that are seen as a loss on our part. God is always in control and without exception, He always has our best interests at heart, so we can keep going faithfully onward in spite of the disappointments this world challenges us with. We are His. We are loved. We are trusting in His care. As long as Mama and I are together, very little else matters. The only upsetting part is in drastically changing our plans so that we can adapt to the very different circumstances we find ourselves facing. Mama and I will pray through this together. It is a small thing overall. It is just really bad timing.

The constancy that the farm provides to our daily lives is a blessing when things get turned upside down in life. The animals still need to be fed and watered, the bees still need to be tended to, the plants still need watered and protected from the heat and soon from the cold. All things move steadily along a path that is easy to track and for the most part, easy to keep up with. We pray daily for the insights needed to spot any sicknesses in our flocks and herds. Little things (literally) sneak onto the scene and cause a sickness or infection that can produce horrible outcomes. So, Mama and I are constantly on guard against pests that can quickly affect the health of our animals.

Right now, we are dealing with an abundance of mice. Disgusting little invaders that seem to find their way into almost every corner of our house. We understand their presence in the coops and barns, but they are wholly unwelcome in the house. I am almost at the point of getting a cat to help us deal with the infestation. Maggie would be proud of us. Traps, sticky pads and other remedies are proving ineffective. In fact, the other day, mice absconded with two of our sticky pads. We baited them one night and they were totally gone the next morning. Victoria has been dealing with a very friendly mouse that will pop out of one place or another – her desk, her closet, her dresser – while she is in the room. That mouse must have a high tolerance for loud noises, because the response on Victoria’s part upon seeing the little visitor is not muted at all.

We are watching a couple chickens which have some congestion in their eyes. In some cases, such an infection can be fatal. We do not know the contagion level of the infection, but we have had at least one chicken die from complications of that sort of infection. Since our flock mingles throughout the day, we are treating the ones showing signs of the infection and watching to see if others succumb.

While we are monitoring our flock, Mama is also watching our little boy goat, the one who had the broken leg, to make sure he does not fall behind any further in growth. His two sisters are very noticeable larger than he is. He was a bit of a runt at birth, so his size may be an outcome of that, but we are noticing that he does not feed as often on his mama’s milk as his siblings are allowed to. HE has adapted to le lesser ration of milk by eating the adult feed we put out twice per day. A bit early for him to do so, but he is getting on well enough for now. All these little things along with trying to build Mama’s business keep us focused on life as it is lived daily. God is good!

Maggie’s second surgery for carpal tunnel release is this morning. We certainly have her and her children in our prayers.