March...

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I started writing this post two weeks ago. It's been open on my laptop and I have tried to come back to it a couple of times without success. It's been a rough couple of weeks again. I've been really struggling as this goes on, but I'm trying very hard to just take one day at a time. I tried to go out with Kevin to run some errands a week ago after days stuck in bed in misery, and I ended up in the ER.

All we can really do now is take things one day at a time and one step at a time. Appointments take time. Treatment options (which I hope become more available) take time. So it's useless to try and rush through. I am going into a little gentler time of month in the next few days, so hopefully I'll have a few good days before I'm at the start of this cycle again. Kevin has also taken ill, so it has been a time of focusing on keeping our farm and household running the best we can, and trying to take care of ourselves at the same time.

The weather has been... nuts. It's been warm and melting, freezing again, raining, snowing, sleeting. You name it. The sap has run maybe twice and both times were very short runs giving us less than half a bucket of sap, not nearly enough to even bother boiling. It's been an unusual spring here compared to the past several years. It has been a very strange winter here, one like I've never seen. We have not seen a single deer since New Years, and we always have deer into April with us. We haven't found a single deer track. The winter was cold, and harsh. And here we are at the end of March, and we haven't even been able to boil one pan of sap because it hasn't run.

Today it's raining, which I'm grateful for. I am keeping the wood stove going, and after chores was able to get some Hot Cross bun dough made, so that is rising by the fire. We have been waiting on a delivery of feed all morning, they have to leave the feed a mile from our house because they cannot drive our lane, so I have been anxious worrying that it would get wet and ruined, but it arrived safely and Jim picked it up for us and brought it home.

All of the animals are well, thankfully. Everyone is anxiously awaiting an improvement in the weather. They are inside today, where they are warm and dry. All of the babies are doing great and growing like weeds, they have all doubled, maybe tripled in size!

My last pregnant doe, Beatrice is due next week. She's getting very close. It will be a lot nicer for this little kid coming into the world now, at our usual time of year, than it was for the surprise kids that came so early in the cold.

I have a bunch of pictures to share but I'm so not organized right now. All of these pictures are from the last two weeks all on different days so please bare me with, you'll see mud, snow, ice, and a mixture of everything in them :)

I am excited about the changing weather, and I am finding a new level of patience I didn't know I had. Yesterday I had twenty minutes where I had zero pain - none. I have not had zero pain since one partial day in August and I was still taking meds from my surgery then. It was a miracle, I felt like I had been transported to a different body. I hope it was a message that good things will come in time and with the right path forward. It didn't last very long, but it was a huge blessing.

Here are a few pictures from our March...

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Little Miss Sunshine, AKA Puffin was sure enjoying sunning herself...

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And trying to look taller than she is...

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more snow, after a bunch of it melted...

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Kevin had to come and plow the barnyard a bit so everyone wouldn't be standing in snow... they appreciated it...

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Especially the short ones...

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The sugar shack asleep in the forest...

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Lavender has been spending more time in the barn - during the day, so she can play with the other babies. When it's too cold for them to be outside, they get the run of the place inside and love climbing on the hay.

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And then the rest of the time, she relaxes in the rocking hair.

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I have really been enjoying having fresh milk again... there really isn't anything better...

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except fresh cream... it's like gold to me...

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And the boys, they are staying warm by the fire, waiting for it to warm up so they can get back outside for another expedition.

I apologize for falling behind on blogging, and also a lot of your blogs. It's not on purpose and I don't plan on making it long term either. It's been a slow month, focused on rest, going through the motions... survival.

But the time of renewal is coming.

Comments

Primitive Stars said…
Afternoon, so many sweet furry faces you have, I so enjoy your pictures of them, makes me happy, Take Care, Francine.
The JR said…
I hate hearing that you've felt so bad. Kevin too!

All the babies are so cute. Glad they are all doing well.

I hope one of the Dr.'s can come up with a solution to your pain.

Take care,
Ramona

p.s., I changed my google+ id so it is showing up different
wranglerkate said…
Hi there - Thanks for sharing your blog and your life with us who read you. I find myself feeling for you with your battle to be well, and it occurs to me to ask you whether you have ever considered alternative care options, like acupuncture, or essential oils. I use doTerra certified therapeutic grade oils in my own life, and while I don't know your specific circumstances, my thoughts are that there's probably a protocol that might help you. These oils are pure and natural, and so don't have the damaging side effects of synthetic medications. My husband is an Alzheimer's patient, and I am using the oils on him. I was surprised to realize that the benefit I receive simply from having the oils on my fingers while I apply them to him has meant the last couple of months without any headaches. Very unusual for me. The company has a website, and you can search around the internet for information. If it resonates with you, it might be something you want to consider including in your daily regimen. At any rate, I wish you all the best, and good health. Kate.
jaz@octoberfarm said…
i can't tell you how happy i was to see this post! i think about you every day and wonder how you are doing. i don't know if you have seen all the sugar shacking i posted recently but i bet it would interest you. we are going to the mother of all maple festivals early tomorrow and then that will be it until next spring. i am a bit sugared out at this point! hang in there! spring will show up eventually. it was warm here today but snow is in the forecast!
just 'popped' over to check on things and lo & behold a new post! yay! I am glad you had a pain free time and hope it is a little showing of things to come. it has to be.

Does the goats milk have enough of a fat content in it to make butter like cows milk? Just curious. Are you making cheese? Yumm-o!
Hope the pain goes away soon. I will be thinking of you and praying for you. xoxo
Willow said…
Aww ~ what a terrific share !
Seems like more and more farms with sheep and goats are having beautiful Great Pyrenees for herd guardians. Loving your baby goats !
Mostly just ponies and chickens in our barn lately ~ of course I love them dearly .
Oh Donna, I wish I could help. This winter has been terrible as far as weather. Being sick makes it so much worse. Not that I practice it myself, but don't let the despair get the better of you. Spring is coming. Sunshine is coming. Hold on. That's what I'm trying to do, hold on until spring is here.
I wish that your twenty minutes of no pain multiply daily.
We to in the middle of the Canadian prairies are struggling with this winter. It just won't leave. They are predicting warmer temps by mid week but I can't be hopeful - just yet! I wish I lived closer to help you out...I hope you will feel better as time goes on. Nothing worse then feeling unwell. Take care!
Suzan said…
The weather here in Atlanta is also crazy!! We're calling it the roller coaster weather with freezing temps for two days and then up into the 70s. the plants must be crazy. Of course you have the extreme of cold weather conditions. Must be very difficult taking care of your animals not being well. Hopefully something will come up to help you to be pain free!! thoughts and prayers always for you!
Sunny days are coming, Donna...thinking of you and Kevin getting healthier every day. Take care.
N

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