The Week's Reflections On A Sunday Morning

The fog is lifting and the sun is showing a lot of promise...promise for a beautiful Sunday, and a wonderful new week!

This has been a odd week at Annie's Goat Hill. So...I am going to do some ramblings here...a recap of sorts.

I was "off" by one day each day during the week. Somehow the holidays seem to do that to me. On Tuesday, of course I thought it was Monday. I worked on that thought all day on Tuesday. When the day started on Wednesday I thought it was Thursday. Ha ha! Working from home tends to do some of that too. Oh boy...but that is behind me (us) now.

We had problems with sick kids as well. There was a lot of humidity, rain off an on, no real closure to the dampness. It is dissapointing when you have a great kidding season, no loss of kids, and then you lose two just as they are near the weaning age. But, that is part of life on the farm. Had goat buyers on the farm yesterday, a good couple that come every year. They had the exact same scenario at their farm this week. Sort of knocks the air out of a person. It can be expected from time to time but it happens so quickly and helps us to remember how fragile these lives we care for really are.

I did accomplish a lot of soaping this week, but I need to do a LOT more! I am testing new recipes. Always a big job! Too soft, too hard, not conditioning enough, want good lather. Wave the magic wand, or add chemicals, and you might have it. But the magic wand is Mary, and Mary goes as natural as possible. I wouldn't have it any other way! When I placed my hands on my first bar of hand crafted soap many years ago I knew what I had, and I will continue to present it in that same fashion.

We had dinner with friends yesterday evening. Luise has Alzheimer's disease. Unfortunately she has really been progressing. She is becoming more quiet and her episodes of confusion seem to be growing worse. She has good weeks, but when the difficult times arrive they come in bunches. It is a very sad disease. I have learned a lot from being with her, and I feel blessed to be one that she trusts completely, but there is nothing very good that comes out of it. The good part is someone that I love that I can be a friend to, help whenever I can.

Last night the storms rolled through. When they announced the tornado warning I listening. Bob and I have been in one tornado, thankfully it was a small tornado that pulled us off of the road. But that was an experience enough! So, now I watch and listen. I do not freak out but I do not ignore. Anyhow, we lost power right at 9:00 PM. We tend to forget just how quiet it really is without the sounds of the refrigerator humming, or how dark it is without the lights on the barn, or in the church parking lot next door. It really is beautiful to only hear the sounds of the bull-frogs on the pond. But, yet, we are spoiled by electricity and want it back quickly. It arrived back after a couple of hours.

Today we are visiting with friends, probably going to work on the tractor project. And after we arrive back home for evening feeding, we are going to start the week off right, with rest.

Have a beautiful Sunday!