Monthly Archives: June 2012

Saved 2 Indigo Buntings today!

Mike’s parents just put the nets on their blueberry bushes last evening, and today there were already birds stuck in them. 😦

Fortunately, Mike & the boys love birds & are good rescuers. 🙂 (Notice I didn’t include myself in that – I am afraid of birds…don’t like flapping wings, lol. Though I’m always willing to snap the pics!)

Mike was excited to be able to save not one, but TWO Indigo Buntings today. What a beautiful color they are! 🙂

I’ll try to put a post up soon about the Krider’s Red-tailed Hawk Mike rescued last year. AMAZING! 🙂

Search me, O God

I woke up the other morning reciting “Search me, O God, and know my heart…” This has long been a passage I wanted to memorize, so I thought perhaps that was the day to write it out on a notecard to begin that process. After my devotion, I began my hunt for where this verse is in Scripture. I knew it was in a Psalm, and a quick concordance check brought me to Psalm 139:23-24.

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Too funny – I just finished memorizing verses 13-16 of this same Psalm with a baby blanket I just crocheted…I wonder if I should just plan on memorizing the whole Psalm, lol!? 🙂

About an hour later, I was working in the milkhouse & had about 15 minutes to listen to Moody Radio. Just so happened to be a short program by Joni Eareckson-Tada on. Imagine my delight when she began her program with this same Psalm passage as a song!!

After milking, I went online & printed Joni’s program – click here to hear/read it. Then I went to one of my favorite sites – and downloaded the background music for the song. Click here to go to that site.

As I weeded a raised bed that day, I just kept playing this song & practiced memorizing/praying the first verse.  Search me, O God, and know my heart today. Try me, O Savior, know my thoughts, I pray.  See if there be some wicked way in me.  Cleanse me from all my sins and set me free.  It was such a comfort for that day – especially since the devil seemed to be working overtime here: cows went through a fence, so Mike had to spend WAY more time than he wanted to getting them back in – boys came home from a sleepover at a friend’s house, so they were SUPER tired & cranky – paid $85 for washing machine repair man to fix an overflow valve only to have the washer still leak after he left… 😦

But somehow, my spirits weren’t dampened that day – hmmmm – wonder why?? 🙂

And the blessings out of those “issues” that day? Well, Mike got the cows back in + all the roundbales moved so they wouldn’t get ruined if they broke through again; the boys rested & were more pleasant after that; Mike was able to re-attach a tube to the washer so we didn’t have to bring the repair man back! Praise God for leading me to LIVING WORDS that helped me to not dwell on our circumstances, but delight IN HIM! 🙂

One final note – I love that the first line of the song ends with “today”. After I’ve had a “high” day with the Lord, I often find myself “coasting” along the next day – perhaps forgetting/neglecting to pursue Him like I did the day before. I like the thought of communicating this request with Him EACH DAY. May I remember Matthew 6:34: Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Help me to remember that You provide the perfect amount of grace that I need EACH DAY. But also, that I still need to seek You each day – not because You won’t still help me or You aren’t there, but because I NEED to remember that it IS NOT ME winning the battles, it is You, working through me. AMEN

Tag-team hay…

Mike & Bill continued to work together in hay yesterday.  With the threat of rain (WHICH WE SOOOO DESPARATELY NEEDED/NEED), instead of Mike raking all the hay, he only raked a row or two, and then Bill quickly followed with his roundbaler.  They got more than half of the hay baled before the sprinkles got steadier, and they stopped for the day.  Today, the rained-on, unraked hay will dry out; and Lord willing, they’ll be able to finish up tomorrow.  🙂

Hay – round bales

This week, Mike worked with a good friend of ours, in hay. We don’t own a roundbaler or rake, so they coordinate their tasks & help each other out. While Bill roundbales here, Mike squarebales at Bill’s. 🙂

Working cooperatively is such a great exercise – really forces us to plan & try to be as efficient as possible as we consider others’ schedules.

Thank You, Lord, for surrounding us with supportive friends who are willing to walk alongside us in our farming journey. What a blessing that when You create opportunities for us to receive help, You also open doors for us to help others. AMEN

Michael & “Nanner”

It’s official:  Banana is Michael’s calf! 🙂

I know, I know – he could easily say he has 10 calves, because WE have 10 calves…

But that just wasn’t the same for him.  I think it’s cute that he just wanted one he could call his own… (don’t tell him I said “cute”, lol)

It was a good reminder that in my “adultness”, I too often gloss over those little, “easy” gifts, like giving responsibility & quality time.  We get so bogged down trying to figure out what we can afford to “buy” the boys for gifts, that we can lose sight of the gifts around us.   Thank You, Lord, for using children (even teenagers) to remind us to slow down and just practice “being”.  Continue to open our eyes to Your Gifts which surround us each day.  And as our boys grow, may there be a part of them that is able to retain this beautiful, innocent “childlike faith”.  Perhaps children in their future will remind them of it, just as You use them for me.  AMEN

Michael’s excitement was a joy to watch when Mike told him Banana could be his – guess there’s nothin’ like having one of your very own. 🙂

They bonded immediately – she is especially loving the extra attention…

Goatsitting…

We are helping some friends by watching their goats as they leave town for a couple days for a medical procedure. 2 mamas + 5 babies… They arrived at sundown, so these pics aren’t the best. I’m sure there’ll be better ones tomorrow!

We pray for the success of Brittany’s oral surgery – for the safety of their travel, for the medical staff as they help her, and for her family who travels beside her – may they be supportive & compassionate caregivers as Brittany recovers. And Lord, we pray that while these goats are here, they remain safe & enjoy our grass – may the fences keep them in, and our lives be entertained by their playful antics. Amen.