Musings From The Farm Comfortable living in your own skin

Spring is all about new life. It is such a wonderful time of year here in the northeast. After a long and often gloomy Winter, Spring is here to lift our spirits. Of course the weather is always unpredictable, (well actually it is unpredictable here all year long) but it has so much promise bursting forth from the ground to the trees. The renewal of life and new life is all around us. Dean and I are busy with new gardening ideas and every Spring there always seems to be one more garden expansion.  This Spring there was a different kind of one more expansion that added more love to our family. We got to welcome a new baby boy into the family. Our son and his wife had a beautiful baby boy, Boone McKinley added to their family. The middle name honors Papa (Dean) who climbed Mt. Mckinley 40 years ago. I’m sure this little man and his big sister will have lots of adventures of their own ( I think I heard someone talking about his first camping trip). We are so happy for them.

Gail is a gifted photographer. She came to visit us back in August of 2015. She recently featured us again at her blog, that you can see here. 

Ah-choo! We have been hearing way too much of Ah-choo this winter. All the grand kids and some of the adults have been hit with some sort of illness this winter and it still seems as if it’s going to be causing havoc right into Spring. With little kids it’s not easy to keep your kids healthy. So what can you do to reduce your sick days? One of the easiest ways and one near and dear to our hearts is to wash your hands often. Of course if you ask we would recommend only using hand sanitizer when you can’t use Alabu Goat milk soap and water; soap and water is recommended as the best way to remove germs from your hands. Try to wash your hands every time you come back home too. Another easy way is to increase the amount of fresh fruit you and your family eat.

1. Keep tissues handy and practice washing your hands after using them.
2. Practice germ-free hand drying- use paper towels or buy a stack of cheap bar towels and use once and toss in the laundry.
3. Clean your food prep work surfaces in between each use.
4. Clean the floors more often, so dust doesn’t accumulate and get mixed into the air you breathe.
5. Try to get some fresh air and sunshine everyday and take at least four deep breaths too; it helps to clear your lungs.

And oh by the way if you haven’t donated blood lately ~  it’s time! The need is great and you’ll feel great about helping others in need.

Predators are just a natural part of the cycle of life. Even though we are raising a bunch of prey here, I have been enjoying watching a lone coyote come and catch breakfast in our back field furthest away from our barn. He is fascinating to watch. He is still as a statute, listening and watch for the tiniest sound or movement under the snow. Then he leaps and pounces on the cold unsuspecting vermin. He does this over and over again until he fills his stomach. He looks absolutely joyful when he pounces. I don’t know why I’m surprised that they look just like a pet. Like a dog when they are playing their favorite game. Every once in a while he would glance up toward me with a wary look. It made me feel like he knew it wasn’t safe to come any closer.

I was totally immersed in enjoying this glimpse into nature when Dean reminded me that he is a predator. And we really need to do something to make sure the coyote doesn’t feel welcome here. He suggested shooting it. He pointed out that just last week we had a chicken mysteriously vanish without a trace. I intervened on behalf of this beautiful predator and suggested we just have our dog Chia bark at him.  I was convinced that just opening the door would send him off, frightened, into the woods. But no, Chia’s barking did not scare him away, he barely looked up. Not until I banged on the window did he leave his potential breakfast behind and moped up the field stopping at the edge and looking back to assess the situation. It took another knock on the window and he disappeared into the woods.

What’s worse than have one predator thinking your farm is a good place for breakfast? Two! This coyote brought a larger friend here for breakfast the very next day. This second coyote was even bolder and defiant than the first. He ventured even closer to the house without any fear of being so close.  I now realized Dean was right and something needed to be done. I texted my my favorite son -in- law and he scared them away this time. I don’t know how long they will stay away. So i will be locking the prey, our chickens safely in when I’m not home. Hopefully we won’t be seeing them again anytime soon.