I've Gone Country A blog about a city girl learning a whole new world

I’ve never planted sunflowers before.

This year I decided to try, you can imagine how excited I was to see this!

Funny how some things just stick out to me in a such a neat way.  I love it when something I hadn’t planned on all of a sudden becomes a life lesson for my soul.

It began when I looked up some information on Sunflowers, to learn a little more before I planted them.

This is what I read.

“Sunflowers are heliotropic, which means that they turn their flowers to follow the movement of the Sun across the sky east to west, and then returns at night to face the east, ready again for the morning sun. Heliotropism happens during the earlier stages before the flower grows heavy with seeds.”

This immediately touched my heart and made me smile as I thought about those little flower faces following the sun across the sky.  It was as if God was speaking to my heart…saying learn from this flower….follow me.  Look to my SON for life.  Keep your eye on Him all day long, follow him.  Look to him when you rise in the morning until you retire for the evening.  Then, do it the next morning….and the next…and the next.

But don’t be like the older flower that fails to keep following the sun because it is to burdensome, because it takes too much effort and energy.

You, continue on, follow my Son all the days of your life.  There you will find warmth and happiness and you will continue to grow, maturing and developing seeds to share with others, plant those seeds along life’s way.

I will give you the strength to keep following.  Even when life gets hard and sometimes things seem like they take too much effort.  When it’s easier to just take in the good and do nothing in return, you, keep your eyes on my Son.

So, I smiled in my heart as I took in this lesson and I’m pretty sure I smiled outwardly as I stood there alone in my little garden, hoe in one hand and seeds in the other.

So, I planted those sunflower seeds one by one into the dirt and He planted His seeds into my heart.

I can’t wait to watch Him grow them both.

I like the long warm days of summer, green grass, flowers cascading from hanging pots, beautiful sunsets and watching lightening bugs dance in the dark.

When winter rolls around I feel like this little guy looks, gray and somber.

Spring is around the corner and I am anxiously awaiting the arrival.

At the end of the summer last year my older sister and I just decided to take a day.  A day for a long walk.  We talked about a little bit of everything as we snapped pictures along the way.  It is rare for us to take a day to do things like that.  Matter of fact I don’t know when the last time was that we did just that…spend an afternoon together with no time limits or interruptions.  We both have families so usually someone is with us.  We LOVE our families so we enjoy that too, but this was a special time to spend together and soak up the last of the beauty before the winter dreary days rolled around.

We walked down cool shaded alley streets.

Admired old stone walls with tufts of moss here and there giving it so much charm that it drew me in to take a closer look.

It was then that we could hear water trickling close by, so we peeked through the cedars to find out why.

There was a lovely fountain surrounded by flowers, ferns and a manicured lawn.  A little paradise just on the other side of that dense row of cedars.  We never would have known had we not taken the time to listen and look.

We noticed all kinds of things that day, like this door that appeared to have a face.

Now, one has to wonder if someone planned it that way or was it just one of those things that just happened.

Either way it made us smile.

There is something stunning and reverent about tall church steeples as they grace the skies.

And why is it that an old iron gate can demand your attention with its striking details?

We saw a beautiful arched breezeway

attached to a church with matching arched doors

and windows.

It was just beautiful.

The courtyard was so charming it made you want to just want sit a spell.

We enjoyed a wide variety of old homes with unique features as we walked.  Like the blue glass window panes found in this home.

Apparently in the early 1800’s it was believed that sunlight shining through blue panes of glass would be of benefit to people suffering with arthritis, possibly other medical issues as well.

There were many beautiful homes, all adorned with flowers and lush green shrubbery.

The architecture was just amazing.

Upon completion of our walk we popped into the old hardware store, enjoyed looking at all the items of the past and purchased some chocolate that reminded us of a certain candy we loved as children.  It wasn’t the same candy we remembered so I suppose we will have to continue looking and trying many other pieces of chocolate along our search.  🙂

We strolled down the brick sidewalks to a quaint little Italian diner and ate leisurely on the patio.

What a great day it was to be able to take in all the sunshine, beauty of nature and stately buildings.  As beautiful and interesting as all that was, the best part was just spending time with my sister, she oozes with love for her family and friends.  She and my younger sister are my prayer partners and confidants.

They help make any day bright no matter what time of year it is.  😉

In the Fall, whenever I am on a walk I’m just like a little kid constantly picking up an assortment of leaves.  I’m amazed by the many colors, shapes and sizes.  Yes, a few acorns always seem to come along with me too.  I like the tops, they remind me of little hats and always make me smile.  😉

The weather’s been beautiful and the temperature has been great, but rain and cold is on it’s way.

I decided to cover my plants for they will not fair well if they are not protected.

So, I raked up some pine needles that had fallen all around.

With only a couple pulls of the rake I was all set to go.

I carried pile after pile to the flower bed where they could do their job.  I nestled them around my plants and shrubs. They will help insulate from the cold bitter winter weather, keep the plants moist and provide nourishment back into the soil.  Later, evidence of what all the pine needles actually accomplished in the midst of the dead of winter, when it looked as if nothing was happening, will be evident.

As I looked at the pine tree from where all these needles had come I saw the mountain in the distance.  Each tree changing colors, dropping their leaves, doing just what they were meant to do.

I’ve seen it happening before my eyes with little acknowledgement as I pass by.  Busy with life, you know, so many things to do.

Sometimes I even begrudge the season for it seems that no matter how much I sweep, leaves continuously cover our deck the whole season.

But today when I walked through the fallen leaves and gathered the pine needles I thought a little differently.   I was preparing my plants for the cold winter weather that was coming soon.    Here was a plentiful resource just waiting for me to use.  It had been provided I just had to take the initiative to gather and apply it.

It’s the same with God’s Word.  It is a plentiful resource just waiting to be gathered and applied in my life.  I need only take the initiative.

I reflected back to times in my life when I felt like I was in the midst of cold dark winter days.  Times that I had not used the resource.

When I needed it most it seems that there were people all around me that shared the Word with me.  Like leaves fallen from trees.  Quietly falling all around me sometimes without me even noticing, sometimes I begrudging noticed and didn’t appreciate what was before me.  But they still quietly fell.

Yes, that’s when His workers took care of me, when I didn’t even know what I needed.  But they did.  They prayed for me when I wasn’t even aware of their prayers.  They encouraged me with kind words and actions.  They were spreading God’s protective blanket of love all around me, covering me with His Word.

It protected me, nourished me.

Winter passed and His Word’s working power became evident.  Yes, even when you couldn’t tell anything was happening.  The Word was nourishing the soul preparing for future growth.

The Word of God is everywhere.  It is written, it is spoken and it has been memorized in the hearts of people.

So we are told that we shouldn’t just know the Word, but be doers of the Word.  So we too can do just what we were meant to do.

Share the Word….like leaves falling on the ground.  Each one of us a different color a different shape and size, yet beautiful and unique. ( Even a few nuts with funny hats 😉 )

Each with a purpose.

Each made in the image of God.

James 1:22

Last year we had three Ukrainian children spend the summer with us.  I shared many pictures and stories about them here on the blog.  Many of you will remember.  This year the children went to another host home for the summer.  We were fortunate enough to get to see them a couple of times.

I probably took a million pictures last year of the kids and them with the animals.

This is one of Margaret sporting a pair of sunglasses the boys shared with her.

From the moment they arrived on the farm they eagerly took care of Margaret.

Artur

Vlad

and Vika all loved to bottle feed her.  Sometimes they would get aggravated saying one fed her more than another had.

Margaret loved being the center of attention.

Even the morning they were to fly back to Ukraine…we all loaded up and went to say goodbye to all the animals and feed Margaret one last time as a family.

It was sweet.  She had grown to love them and they had grown to love her.  She depended on one of us to take care of her needs.  She not only needed food from us, she needed love and attention and that is just what they gave her all summer long.

My pictures are few this year, but the moments I happened to capture are priceless.

Vika and I went to check on Margaret in the pasture while the boys were elsewhere with Billy.  However, they too spent time with Margaret, later they were excited to share with me how much they thought she had grown.

These two seemed to immediately pick up right where they left off.

Margaret is friendly to a lot of people, but she doesn’t let just anyone cuddle this close.  She obviously remembered Vika and recognized her voice.

Margaret was abandoned by her mother right after she was born, that is why we had to bottle feed her.  I remembered thinking I just didn’t have time to bottle feed a baby calf.  Billy and I had just agreed to have three orphans come stay the summer with us.  We were going to be busy enough without adding bottle feeding twice a day to the list.

But God…..

God always amazes me with the lessons He teaches me, if I will just be still.

It seemed that Vika in particular related to this little calf.  She kept asking why wouldn’t Margaret’s mother feed and take care of her.  She would look at the mother and shake her little finger at her.  Then she would turn to Margaret and tell her it was alright.  She would pet her and speak kind to her, everyday, several times a day.

They grew very close to one another.

Shortly before the children were to leave last year, the final calf was born into the herd.  It was a girl and we named her a name that was similar to the kids family name, in honor of them.  They loved that, Vika especially would beam with pride when someone asked the name of the new calf.

She was beautiful, just like them.

So this summer after Vika saw Margaret she wanted to see Stephanie too.

She was amazed at how much she had grown.

Stephanie is like most of the other cows, they don’t have a desire to get close to humans.  They are content to watch from a safe distance.    Margaret is different because we provided for her the love and attention she needed so she loves us and trust us.

As I watched Vika love on Margaret it was as if God was once again teaching me.

Here was a little calf orphaned through no fault of her own.  People came into her life and nurtured her and she benefited from it greatly.  This little calf is a lot like our Ukrainian children.  They by no fault of their own are orphans. They have been fed, clothed and loved by many other people other than their parents.  Thankfully people, long before we knew them, considered and met their needs and have been showing them love.  People who decided that even if they were busy with their own lives they just had to take care of their needs.

Even though Stephanie bears their name she is not close to Vika or the boys.  They would love to show her some tender loving care, but she won’t let them.  She just watches them from afar, little does she know that she is missing out on a lot of precious love.

It takes more than a name, even a family name, to have a deep mutual love and respect for one another.  It is the tender touch of someone who gives you a hug and you welcoming it.

The soft familiar voice of one who is glad to see you, calling you by name and you responding favorably.

Someone who feeds you when you are hungry or warms you when you are cold and you are thankful in return.

Someone who spends time with you just because they enjoy your company and you do the same with them because the feeling is mutual.

Someone who loves you just because you are you…..

and you are thankful for that.

No, you don’t have to be blood related, to experience real family like love.

This was last year, the first night the children arrived.

This was the day we took them back to the airport three months later.

Talk about growing!!!!  This was about two weeks ago.

The summer is over and they are headed back to Ukraine.

Please keep them in your prayers.

My personal thanks to the many people who have and continue to care for these and other children in similar circumstances.

We all need love…

Pray for God to show you who needs your love today, I promise you will be the one who is blessed every bit as much as them.

Never goodbye…..just I’ll see you later.

I love you Artur, Vlad and Vika…..you have a big piece of my heart.

It is always an exciting time when the girls start having their calves. This is Carl, he was born last Sunday.

He is beautiful, strong and happy.

I never tire of entering the pasture and seeing a brand spanking new baby.

It warms my heart when Mama is taking care of her baby and everything is going along as it should.

I felt a little sorry for Carol, Carl’s older sister.

She kept checking Carl out and hanging around.  Every now and then her Mama (Toot) would nudge her to go on.  She looked as if she was trying to figure out why her Mama was giving so much attention to this little guy that showed up out of nowhere.

Toot brings Carl out into the pasture in the mornings and in the cool of the evenings.  The other day all the big cows were at the creek.  Mama quickly got out of the water when I pulled up.  Carol joined her.  They stood as if they were at attention.   She faced the back field and just stared.  Little did she know that I figured out that was where Carl must be hidden.

Sure enough after I hung out at the creek I made my way down to check the brush for Carl.  I try not to bother the animals but I do keep my eye on them.  The temperatures are really high this week and the baby can dehydrate quickly if Mama doesn’t tend to his needs often.

It is hard to find those little guys.  Here he is hidden in some brush across the little creek from where I was.

Mama’s sure do know how to nestle them in good.

Just by me seeing him like this I can tell that he is alright.  His head is up, he was alert and was in the shade.  The position of his body lets me know that he is just resting and not in distress.

That lets me know that I can go on about my other chores and not worry,  Mama and baby are fine.

Each day she lets him join the herd a little more.

And each day you can see changes like his wobbly legs are stronger and he is becoming more inquisitive.  He walks up to the other girls as if he is getting to know them.  Sometimes they nudge him to move and other times they just don’t pay him any attention.

Eventually he makes his way back to Mama….

and just like that he plops down in the grass and practically disappears.

I actually walked up on him the other day when I approached the blackberry bushes to do a little picking.  I had no idea he was hiding there.

By the look of his eyes it appears he was startled to see me too.

He jumped up and scooted past me, deciding he better go find Mama.

Little stinker….he sure is cute.

The next day I happened on seeing the two of them together by the creek.

Congratulations to Toot she sure has a good looking little calf.

Welcome to the farm Carl 😉

We will be having baby calves before long so I am doing what I always do, checking in on all the girls.  This time of year it is hot in the pasture.  The flies like to swarm and when you are hot and expecting that can just be miserable.   Billy sprayed them for flies just the other day.  They don’t like it at first, but once they get a few sprays on them it is as if they realize that it really does help and they stop moving away.   I suppose we all have our moments in life like that.  We can be miserable, be it things that we have gotten ourselves into or just the things in life that happen to bug us.  We can go towards help and get relief or run away from the help and let things keep bothering us.

As I entered the pasture I noticed all of the cows were enjoying the shade by the pond.  Oh, there were still a few flies here and there, especially for the cows who didn’t want to be sprayed, but for the most part they were able to sit and enjoy their surroundings.

They know the sound of my 4 wheeler and most of the time they just look at me while I pull up closer.  They were so content in fact that I just turned the engine off and stared at them for a while.  There was a nice gentle breeze blowing every now and then.  I certainly could understand why they were just lying there seemingly without a care in the world.

Margaret, our little calf that we bottle fed last year likes to see me.  She usually makes her way up to me.  But, on this day she too was so content she just looked up at me and chewed her cud.   I always greet the girls by name as I walk around them and check progress with their pregnancies.

Margaret watched as I surveyed everyone.  I called her by name and rubbed her back and across her brow.  She leaned her head toward me as if to thank me.

I decided to just sit down with them, right beside Margaret.

All the girls are nice and don’t mind if I am around.  They know me, I have helped many of them with birthing their babies.  They welcome the help when it is needed, but they keep a safe distance from me otherwise.  If I had reached in to pet one of these cows, they would have instantly gotten up and moved away.  They know I have never hurt them, I provide feed for them and care for their needs, but they still don’t trust me completely.  They were older when they joined our farm, they trust only to a point.  Many of them will let me touch their heads when they want to be touched, but it has to be on their terms.  I still continue however to show them daily that they can indeed trust me, I so enjoy them and want to be close to them.

Margaret on the other hand, really, really knows me.  Billy and I fed her daily, by hand.  We have petted her and consoled her when she was rejected by her mother.  Her daily needs were met by us and she welcomed our love.  Billy and I even picked her up from an icy bed of water in the pasture this winter and warmed her by the wood stove at the house.  Nursing her back to health and hand feeding her once again until she could recover enough to feed herself, she allowed us to meet her needs.

I think Margaret knows she can fully trust Billy and I.   We have shown her that we love her, not just by words, but by actions from the very beginning of her life.

As I squatted down beside Margaret I smiled as she welcomed me.  Instead of jumping to her feet she turned her head towards me……

And laid it in my lap.

I can’t even begin to describe that feeling.

I thought of my walk with the Lord.  When I was small I easily enjoyed God.  I noticed him in the everyday things around me and welcomed the things he provided for me.   As I grew into my young adult years I took those things for granted. I acknowledged His presence, but kept a distance from Him.  I didn’t want to get too close.  I can only imagine how it made Him feel, longing for me to put my guard down and draw closer to Him so I could really get to know Him.

Now many years have passed and I must say that I feel I am more like Margaret.  I began to trust God more and more in the little things.  He showed me He would provided for my needs and take care of me.  I had to give on my part though. I had to step out in trust and let Him love me.  I had to put down the barrier, and when I did, I finally quit moving away from Him and started moving toward Him.

I now enjoy sitting at the feet of Jesus. I trust Him, I WANT to be in His company and I am so thankful that He wants to spend time with me.  The love and peace that I feel is once again ….. indescribable.

I am blessed.

Bright sunny skies, warm air and longer daylight hours make me smile.  I keep a mental list a mile long of things I would like to accomplish once the weather permits.  However, while I am in the midst of chores I find so many things that are picture worthy.

Things that make me stop, admire and take a picture…or two.

So, without further ado I bring some of them for you to see as well.

These mushrooms were among others I found while shoveling mulch behind the chicken coop.

These beauties were along the path as I carried items from the cabin to the Lodge.

This little guy was hanging out with me while I pressure washed the porch at the bunk house.

Ahhhh…another gem waiting for me to spot her near the woods as I moved along the back road.

Working the flower beds I found this precious piece of art from a bird that has apparently moved to another home.

I parked right beside this tree at the grocery store.  I couldn’t have picked a prettier place to park if I had tried.

While dog sitting our grand dog Penny, I noticed she enjoyed the sunshine too.

More beauties along the beaten path.

Because of Roo….this is an ongoing chore, keeping the water container clean.  But, I have to admit he sure does look cute when he hops on top and gives a loud “cock a doodle doo”!

The phlox greeted me the other day when I went by to spruce up the cabin.

Billy and I keep handing off cleaning the garage to one another.  I ALMOST started it the other day but got side tracked by this bird’s nest I found in a bucket.

Pretty amazing. Surely this took a lot of trips back and forth for whomever built this nest.

Pretty violets are always one of the first flowers that turn my head in the woods.

This plum tree demanded my attention when almost overnight it bloomed these beautiful pink blossoms.  No work for me here, just admiration.

While walking with friends we came up on this little guy.  Not my favorite critter…..but at least he was small.  Ewwww….wait that must mean there is a mama and lots of brothers and sisters around….YIKES.  Glad I didn’t think about all that then.

Sometimes I even stop the car just to take a picture, this was one of those times.  It almost looks like its face is looking right at you and it’s reaching out its little arms excitedly saying HELLO!

Well, that’s how it works, before I know it the time has slipped away.  The chores aren’t finished and have to be rolled over to the next day.

I head to the house.

Meanwhile, I smile at the sight before me savoring the closing of another perfect day, and take another picture.

Spring fighting with Winter.

That is how Billy describes the weather we are having.  Each day is different from bitterly cold to warm and sunny.  There has been a lot of rain in the midst of it all.  The girls are just about tired of it, I’ll have to say I am siding with them.  I sure am looking forward to long sunny days.

Saturday Billy and I went to the pasture to set more hay out for the girls.  Clementine and the rest of the herd love to see Billy coming, especially this time of year.  They stand and patiently wait for him to retrieve the roll of hay from the barn.

What a muddy mess!  It was so bad that even with the tractor we weren’t able to do much.   Normally we use another piece of equipment to move the hay, but today the tractor was going the have to do the trick.

The girls were trying to wait, but they sure did moo a lot.

I like to think they were just cheering him on instead of complaining about it taking so long.

Margaret was one of the first ones to get right in there and start eating.  Perhaps you remember she is our little one that we bottle fed all summer and who almost froze to death this winter.  She keeps holding her own even with having so many odds against her, I am proud of her.

They were glad to get the hay, even if it meant they were going to have to battle the mud.  This is just as far as the hay could go for this day.  But it sure didn’t seem to bother them.

Shirley looks like me when I dig into a bag of chips!

Margaret is on the left and Darling is on the right.  They were both born around the same time last Spring.  It is easy to see here how very small Margaret is.  It isn’t a good thing, but it is what it is.  Darling’s mother is the biggest heifer we have so she is…shall we say… “big boned”.   She does stand taller than most of the girls born last Spring.  Still, Margaret should be much bigger than she is.  I hope that she will do some catching up when the grass comes in.  Milk replacer is not the same as a Mama’s milk. She has received plenty of sweet feed, mixed grains and hay.  We have showered her with love too, BUT she needed her Mama.  I honestly think a mother’s love would have made a HUGE difference.  She has made it this far and I hope she has a bright future.

Billy works to make the best of the muddy mess, rolling the ring to the new hay bale. 

Helping to keep the hay in one spot and from being spread out in the mud and ruined.

They are such sweet girls.   They know he is taking care of them and they love him for it….and so do I. 🙂

Although it is a bit depressing to have gloomy skies, wet days, brown grass and mud holes, the rain is an important part of the beauty to come.  Spring will bring us beautiful pasture, the girls will be laying in cool green grass, chewing their cud in no time.

It is amazing how quick things dry up when the sun shines and the rain ceases for a day or two. Things are much nicer in the pasture today since the sun came to visit yesterday.  We are scheduled to have a few dry days in a row, that makes for happier cows and happier owners.

I was headed for a walk and noticed that the weeping willow budded.

A few of the goldfish have even emerged from their hibernation.

The day lilies reminded me they were still there, ready to stand tall and show all their glory in just a few short weeks.

I’m as ready as they are!

Always a reminder, beautiful things are happening even when we can’t see it at the time.

Genesis 1:11

And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.