Yesterday was a day of Thankfulness. Surrounded by the people I love, we spent as much time together as we could and relished every moment. We went out to lunch then drove to the top of Morrow Mountain. Next year, if the weather is this nice, we'll have a picnic on the mountain. It has such a lovely view. All of need to BE in that surrounding more often.
Our son, Don, came home for the day. Ahhhh, the pitter patter of size 12s around the house once again was music to my ears. Yes I remember how to cook for a growing boy. I say growing, he's an adult but he'll always be my baby. Just like I was always my mother's baby.
At 88, Mother passed away on October 10th so this was our first Thanksgiving without her. She was dearly missed. I made it through the say without crying but did tear up on the way home from our day out. I'll always miss her because the hole in my heart will always be there. But I'm thankful for the years we had together, for the life lessons she taught me, for the love we shared, and for her grace.
We're thankful for Bob's mother, Essie. At 94 she's a pistol who is on less medication than we are. Except for her hearing loss, you'd think she was in her sixty's the way she skips around. We're thankful that she still lives independently, plays Bridge as often as possible, reads a novel a week, attends various festivals with me, and is my wine drinking companion.
My beloved husband, Bob, will be home all week. Holiday vacations are busy times and we love it that way. We don't travel any more because we love our home so much. I say home, it's a ranch with 30ish goats, 2 horses, 5 cats, 4 dogs, and about 15 chickens. Something always needs repair or re-thinking so our holiday vacations are full.
This Thanksgiving we will have lived here eleven years. We go no further. It's the place of our dreams and we get great pleasure working on it. Well, most of the time we get great pleasure. It's physically exhausting work but that's another reason why we decided on this way of life. In our late sixty's (me) and early seventy's (Bob) we're better physical shape than we were in our forty's mainly because we move and lift more. Yes, we pick things up then put them down -- a lot.
This year we're bring in bees to pollinate our first ever garden. Having been city dwellers for most of our lives we had to learn how to do everything on the farm. From composting, to tilling, to not tilling, from hauling hot water to the barns because all the water buckets was frozen to setting up heated water buckets. Duh ... .Yep, we've had to learn it all. Each winter instills another lesson to be corrected come spring.
For instance, this year I put the goats on a decoquanate medicated feed in October -- before our first freeze. With God's Grace MAYBE I won't lose any goats due to any parasite infestation. Everyone has been dewormed and is monitored daily for diarrhea or a rough coat; and, supplements are in the barn cabinet standing by.
I'm thankful for my business because it affords me the lifestyle of my dreams. I've always wanted to work from home. Don't know why but I've wanted to have everything I do to be of value. Back when I practiced Interior Design I worked from home. That was fun. Now I'm a ranch manager and soap maker. Neither have anything to do with my college degrees except for my ability to teach myself almost anything. THAT's what I learned from my graduate work and allllll those college hours.
I'm thankful for everyone who as used my products. If you've never made anything before take a moment to imagine how it would feel to have a complete stranger be intrigued enough in something you created with your own intellect and made with your own hands to buy it for themselves or, better still, to give to one of their friends as a gift. What an honor that is. I am humbled by my customers and work to give them products that will enrich their lives.
That's why I make goat milk bath and beauty products. Because I love the quality and value that goat milk offers.From drinking it to cooking with it, to making cheeses and skincare products, goat milk's magic comes from the love and care given the goats themselves. Our goats are incredible creatures and deserve the greenest of grasses, the best of all grains, and the utmost of all care. I"m thankful for this lifestyle and cherish every moment.
Thank you Mother Father God for all these blessings.
