life is hard – Living de Good Life

Farm Life Is a Good Life!

Farm life is a good life but a hard life! We have lived here on de Good Life Farm for almost seven years! It hardly seems possible! I still remember dreaming about the days from our home in a nearby subdivision. We talked for years about what it would be like, what animals we would raise, and I did a LOT of research! However, no amount of dreaming or research prepared me for the constant ups and downs!

We Must Replace the Poly Tape Electric Fence – Escapee #1

We began talking about replacing the electric poly tape with field/cattle fence after taking our last batch of meat chickens to the processor. It was that week in June that Odin decided he was going to take a vacation. I guess he missed the chickens or didn’t feel needed? Who can know, but three nights in a week, he escaped the back pasture. One of those nights it took us an hour and a half to find him. From that night, we knew we had to cable him for his own protection until we could figure out a way to keep him from escaping.

Thank goodness for good friends!

We made plans to purchase field fence and on the hottest day of the summer, two friends came to help Jeff get that big job started! Brutal was the weather but our friends’ desire to help was just as strong! The three of them worked for hours on that extremely hot 90 degree Sunday to get two parts of the fence put up! Their help was amazing and gave us the momentum we needed to get the job done!

Escapee #2

Then another animal decided to taste freedom — Fred, a 9-month old Jersey/Hereford cross steer. I don’t know what it is about the number THREE, but he also escaped three times in one week! After the third time when someone had to call and let us know he was out, we decided we had to contain him in the barn until the fence was completed.

This however was difficult to execute! When we found out he had escaped, he was down by the road trying to get into the pasture with Mocha, Jersey and Daisy. I’m sure he just wanted to play but his entrance to that pasture would have created a whole new set of problems!

I have to say my husband’s years of being on his dad’s farm definitely have come in handy for many situations here at de Good Life Farm! He stayed calm. Me? I wanted to run around behind that steer and chase him, yell or cry…SOMETHING! but Jeff wisely told me to calm down or go in the house. Needless to say, I chose to calm down!

Gradually, Jeff worked Fred toward the house and we got him cornered between the milk room and the propane. “Now what?” I asked. Jeff told me to go to the barn and get the lead rope, which I did…running!

Jeff did an amazing job getting the lead rope around Fred’s head but I have to admit I thought it was a lost cause. Amazingly, Jeff’s patience and methodical tenacity won out! Again, I thought, “Now what?”

One Against Two

We began the trek through the gate and across the back yard toward the barn. I wish I could have taken a picture of the process, but honestly, we had our hands full! Jeff is a strong man, raised on a farm with steers. He instinctively wrapped that lead rope around his waist and started to walk. He COULDN’T MOVE! That steer was STRONG and he had NO INTENTION of moving!

Here I am, standing behind the steer, and I decide to push on his behind to help Jeff gain some momentum! HAHA! My 125 pounds made NOT ONE IOTA of difference in the distance between us and the barn! So, being rather resourceful, what did I do?

I began putting my boot on the back of Fred’s leg which forced him to take a step. So we began our trek to the barn, literally ONE STEP AT A TIME! But, we made it!

We got him into Jersey’s stall, and made sure there was hay and water and walked out. He wasn’t happy but I breathed a sigh of relief! He couldn’t escape from there even though his head-banging indicated he thought he could!

Chain Reaction

milking Jersey in the middle of the barn

As is true in life, for every action, there is a reaction. The reaction to the fact that Escapee #2 was now residing in Jersey’s stall meant that everything had to change when milking time came! This really wasn’t an issue for me. It gave me access to the cross breeze and I didn’t have to sit lopsided in the straw! However, it did impede traffic in the barn while she was there.

Fred looking out the crack in the barn door between head-banging episodes

Meanwhile, we realized that until the rest of the field fence was put up and whatever was making the electric poly tape lack in charge was figured out, Fred had to remain in the barn. That gave us the necessary motivation to work tirelessly (that’s a weird word, because we were exhausted and muscles we had never heard from before were screaming) to accomplish the task at hand.

Git-R-Done!

So, back to getting the fence done. We worked on the back fence which was easier in some ways and harder in some ways. Rather than pounding fence staples into wood posts, we had to connect the fence to metal t-posts which meant taking a weird little metal apparatus and affixing it around the t-post to the fence. Not as easy as it sounds! While working on the corral fence, I had become efficient at being the “fence stretcher”. However, now I was the “apparatus attach-er” and Jeff was the “fence stretcher”! We completed that side of the pasture in one day.

The next morning, when I tried to get out of bed, I couldn’t. I could barely ROLL out of bed. But, one thing farm life has taught me is that it doesn’t really matter whether you FEEL like it, what has to be done, HAS TO BE DONE!

So, I took it easy for awhile that morning, rested my back and took Tylenol (something I don’t take very often at all). By noon, I felt that I could again be the fence stretcher. So we began again and completed what was necessary that day to enclose the back pasture. This meant we could set Escapee #1 free. It thrilled me to see Odin’s happy face and watch him once again bound across the pasture!

The amazing thing that has happened is that by putting up the field fence and taking down three of the four strands of electric poly tape, and replacing one strand of worn poly tape, the electric current on the fence through which Fred had escaped suddenly jumped to 7,000 volts! He will certainly feel that if he attempts another escape!

Inmate Released Back into Society

Fred returned to the pasture with his family

To date, no one has escaped again…and so I can definitely breathe a little easier.

Confused Chickens

Chickens wondering how they USED to get through but no longer can!

The last phase of the pasture transformation was putting hard cloth on all the gates to prevent the chickens from leaving the pasture. This accomplishes two things. First, they now have to remain in the back pasture where they can be protected 24/7 by their capable livestock guardian, Odin. Secondly, they can no longer get into the back yard to eat my grapes and flowers, as well as they can no longer get into the neighbors’ yards.

They have tried every which way they can to get through, but they are now truly “pastured chickens” and not “backyard chickens”. This makes me very happy. If you haven’t read my most recent de Good Life Farm book Odin and Merlin: The Amazing Team at de Good Life Farm, you may buy it here: https://www.amazon.com/Odin-Merlin-Amazing-Team-Good/dp/1639840745/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Odin+and+Merlin%3A+The+Amazing+Team&qid=1631722987&sr=8-1. After reading this book, you will understand how important it is for the chickens to remain in an area where Odin can protect them.

The End….??

Daisy with her new friends Merlin and his hens

So, this is the end of this very long post. But, it is definitely NOT the end of the tales of the tails, trials and ticklers here on de Good Life Farm! I hope you have enjoyed reading. If so, check out the Books page and see which stories you would like to read…and you may subscribe to this blog. You will find a variety of topics to interest and amuse you! Thanks for visiting! Enjoy your day! I’ll leave you with a sweet picture.

Life Lessons Learned on the Farm – Part Two

JUST DO THE NEXT THING…

Moon setting in the west as the sun rises in the east. A new day.

Just like laughter is a part of life, so sadness is as well. Death is part of life and therefore, it is a very real part of farm life. And, even if not death, sadness and failure are parts of life and definitely a part of farm life.

On the farm there are two kinds of death: the expected and the unexpected. Both are hard. Both are sad. We mourn the deaths of the animals involved whether a planned or unexpected death. Life is precious!

People have said to me over the years that they just wouldn’t/couldn’t “name the animals” that were going to be used for food. I have explained to them again and again that as each life is born (or hatched), the preciousness of life is not dependent upon the purpose of that new life. It wouldn’t matter to me if the animal was named “A”, “B”, “C”, or “T-Bone”, it hurts when a living being that you have cared for day and night dies. The vacancy is almost palpable.

We have had a pregnant cow die right before our eyes just days before her calves (yes, twins) were due. We have had steers and heifers processed whose scheduled demise caused two weeks of tears prior to that scheduled date. We have lost laying hens for an unknown reason and we have lost a whole flock of layers, including a wonderful and beautiful rooster, to a predator. We have lost meat chickens to unknown causes as well as the scheduled processing date. Death is a loss, planned or unplanned, and because we are emotionally vested in each of our critters here on the farm, the death of each one hurts.

I have to admit that the unplanned deaths, like the layer hens, Griffin, the rooster, Heidi, the pregnant cow, and I’ll include our golden retriever, Beau, in that, who we lost last summer at the young age of four and a half years of age, to complications from the heat wave, hurt really bad. I feel sometimes like I have shed buckets of tears since coming to the farm, and that is hard to deal with, but again, all death is difficult to deal with.

So, what do I do when faced with devastating hurt? Well, I might want to curl up in a ball and cry, or hide under a blanket, but when there are still animals here depending on me for food and comfort and care, that just isn’t an option. So, regardless of what I FEEL like doing, I just do the next thing that has to be done.

If it’s milking time, I milk. If it’s feeding time, I feed. There are still a lot of critters here on the farm that need care, not to mention the humans that live here as well. JUST DO THE NEXT THING.

It might feel mechanical at first. You might have to force yourself, but I have found that there is comfort in routine. Knowing that I have to go milk and feed the animals helps me get up when I wouldn’t be able to otherwise; it helps me think of someone else besides myself and it reminds me that regardless of how sad I am, that there are still living beings counting on me for their well-being.

Life is hard! There is no question about it. However, there are ways to 1) counteract the difficulties and, 2) help yourself get past them! Focus on the positives. Focus on the lives who still depend on you. Stay with your routine. Don’t give in to curling up in a ball.

Sun rising on a new day as the moon sets in the west.

As the moon rises and the sun sets on your hard day(s), try to allow the hurts and disappointments of the day to be laid to rest with the day. Remember: the sun will rise again tomorrow and each day after that and before you know it, you will be back in the swing of things, with the sadness a memory, but not a debilitating condition…and just DO THE NEXT THING!

I hope this post has been a help and an encouragement to you. If so, subscribe to my blog so you don’t miss the next post in this series “Life Lessons Learned on the Farm”. Have a great day!

*Disclaimer – I am not a therapist. This blog is not intended to function as counseling for severe depression. Seek help if your sadness and depression is more than a reaction to a sad life circumstance. I am just sharing what has helped me.

I’m BAAACK!

Hi everyone! WOW! Seems like ages since I was able to post on my blog and I have really missed the outlet! Writing has always been such a wonderful way to dump what was on my mind…a way of release and somehow, writing by hand on a piece of notebook paper that gets lost in a sea of other papers just isn’t the same.

So, in a nutshell and hopefully without including all the emotional trauma I have felt, I will tell you “where I have been”. Several weeks ago it became apparent that my more than ten-year-old MacBook Pro was having issues….so I began attempting to back up my data (yeah, yeah…I know, I should have been much more diligent!). I tried three different methods but none of them would/could complete the process of backing up.

I felt panicked because on my hard drive were 15-20 partially finished manuscripts of books not yet published, as well as a multitude of ideas for books not yet started. Also on my hard drive of utmost importance to me were legal and financial documents for our farm and a whole host of other impossible-to-replace documents. But, it was the unfinished books that were eating at me!

It eventually became apparent that the computer was dying, and it took its final breath even though I felt like I was giving her CPR! I was devastated. My husband, who does IT for a large corporation works on PCs and not on Apple products…and suggested that I go with a PC so that if something happens to it, he can fix it…so that’s the route I decided to go for now.

However, that didn’t fix the loss of data. I contacted a couple of my nephews who know a lot about the computer world and it was suggested that I find a local recovery company, especially after Microcenter charged me fifty bucks to tell me they couldn’t help me and that they needed to send it to their recovery company for a grand total of “at least” $1300!!! O my! I thought I would faint.

Thankfully, a week later, I had a recovery disk in my hand for a little over $400 and the assurance that they were able to recover all my data! I was elated! Then, my husband found a wonderful HP professional laptop on eBay and I got it for $375 (thanks to birthday gifts and a temporary loan from my son)! So, I am now back up and running…kind of!

So, yesterday, when I was finally able to get on my blogsite, I discovered that I had tons of messages from people who found my blog and were kind enough to leave comments of how my posts encouraged, entertained and intrigued them! It was so encouraging to me that I feel as though new life’s blood is coursing through me and I just want to get back to sharing my journey!

Some upcoming topics will be more posts on my journey on the death of my dream; new life expectancy here on the farm; where I go from here; and so much more! So stay tuned! There will be much more to make you laugh and cry and maybe even scratch your head in amazement or wonder. Thank you for accompanying me on this journey! Hope you enjoy your stay.

One note: I have been putting off the launch of my new website because of the lack of a computer…but it’s coming. Not sure what to do about my calendars that I had planned to sell since we are already almost at the middle of December. But, watch for it!

www.dianeorrauthor.com!

The rest of the rest of the story

I have been thinking and planning to write this post for several days now…and now it has an ending different than it would have been had I had written it then…but I will tell the story as it has unfolded.

Over the next several days after my last post, I became totally amazed at the intelligence and self-preservation this “stupid” chicken possessed…totally dispelling my beliefs that she was “stupid”. She got into the habit of waiting until it was dark when her flock was all settled in the coop into their spots on the roosting bar and in their nighttime “trance” and she would sneak into the coop and find a spot on the roosting bar. (If you don’t know chickens, they can be very ruthless, especially when one of them is ostracized for one reason or another, or when one of them is weak or has been injured). When I would go out in the mornings to feed them, she would patiently wait until I fed them and they were all busy eating. Then she would sneak out of the coop while I cleaned and filled the water. I would then put some feed on the cinder block outside the coop and she would eat in peace. She spent the days in the pasture finding worms, eating grass and taking care of the manure piles she found. This continued until yesterday!

Chicken (nka “Tenny”) eating feed off of block after escaping the coop

I found that if I went out too early at dusk to shut them in, she would get left out of the coop. She would wait until it was very dark to be sure they were all settled down for the night, deep into their nighttime “trance”.

This particular night, I watched her from the kitchen window. I saw her hanging around the coop, no doubt waiting for her flock to settle down so she could go in. It was nearly dark and I didn’t see her anymore, so I headed out to do my “chicken count” and shut the coop up. As I got to the door, I saw her huddled right in front of the door. I experienced simultaneous sadness and anger! She appeared at first to be dead, then I realized she must be in shock. There was blood spattered and feathers scattered all around. She must have been brutally attacked by one (or more) of her flock as she tried to enter the coop. Bless her heart! She looked so defeated. It broke my heart.

I didn’t have my gloves on (and I have this thing about picking up chickens without my gloves), so I headed back into the house to ask for Jeff’s help. He came out and as he reached down to pick her up, she ran away toward the corral. I was relieved that she was moving, however, in hindsight, I should have followed her to make sure she was safe in the shelter. I didn’t.

The next morning, when I came out to do chores, she wasn’t hanging around anywhere near the coop or the barn, like she usually is. I looked around and she was just inside the corral fence but out in the open, looking pretty bad, but still breathing. I felt immediate remorse. Because I hadn’t secured her safety in the corral last night, she had been beaten by the pelting rain, hail and wind during the night. I was thankful a predator hadn’t taken advantage of her condition. I felt so sad for her.

I gently carried her to the shelter farthest from where the chickens could find her and settled her into some hay. I honestly don’t think she will make it, but I wanted her to be comfortable. Bless her heart…she has fought hard against the bullies of her family and I am angry at them.

Chickens, by nature, are ruthless…which is one of the reasons I am not a fan of chickens themselves. I love having them, seeing them in the yard, and gathering and enjoying the eggs they provide, hearing my rooster greet the morning…but I am reminded again how mean they can be. It’s a sad day here at de Good Life Farm. Farm life is hard. Some days are good and rewarding and fun. Others are filled with hard and sad things…this is one of those days.

But, just so I don’t end on such a depressing note…Spring has sprung here at the farm and we have begun acclimating the cattle to the fresh, lush spring grass. We must do this gradually…so for 3-4 days now, they have been enjoying the pasture grass and sunshine for 30 minutes right before milking time. They are so cute. They romp and play like big puppies when they leave the barn and then settle down to the business of eating!

I have noticed an increase in their milk over the last few days…don’t know if that is coincidence or just the result of them being happy to be outside some. They amazed me by responding to the “dinner bell” when it was time for them to come into the barn for feed and milking. Such good girls!

The calves (Snickers and Hazel) have become quite vocal when they think it’s time for them to be let out into the pasture. They almost sound angry if I don’t respond by opening the gate!

UPDATE!!!

Before this post got published, there has been an amazing turn-around in the health and well-being of the chicken who has shown herself to be tenacious, brave and have more stamina than I would even have imagined. I am going to name her “Tenny” for “tenacious”. Yesterday morning, after I found her, we got her all set up in one of the shelters with straw bedding, food and water. I didn’t want her to become a hawk’s free lunch just sitting in the pasture and I wanted to protect her from her flock when they got out of the coop.

She was so weak and listless when we put her in…I suspected when I checked on her at chore time, she would have died. But, NO! She was sitting up in the coop! Didn’t appear she had eaten anything, but she seemed more alert! And this morning when I went to the shelter to check on her, she was STANDING UP and it appeared she had eaten some food! I am absolutely flabbergasted that she is bouncing back. The wounds on her head are healing and she seems to be regaining strength!

And, in conclusion, I have to include this next photograph! Snickers and Hazel…once cattle get the taste of fresh spring grass, it must be like a drug to them…they want more and more. Of course, my job as their caretaker is to carefully manage how often and for how long they have access so that I can keep them healthy. But, every time I head to the barn for midday chores…or, for that matter, go outside for anything…they start yelling as if I have forgotten they want to get into the pasture. One day it’s Hazel, the next day it’s Snickers. Today it’s Hazel. I wish you could hear her. It isn’t a sweet, imploring “moo”…it is a very disgusted and demanding “moo”. Anyway, you can see her mooing at me in this photo!

Snickers and Hazel screaming to get into the pasture.

I know these are frustrating times. I sense a “covid-19” post in the near future. But, just keep safe…and find things to make you smile and always, count your blessings!

Farm living: life and death

Let’s be honest! Farm life is hard. Rewarding but hard! Especially when the circumstances are beyond your control….like the pasture being too wet for the cattle to be in it during the spring, and a heat wave once they can get in and start eating which means it stops growing! Top that off with a bad growing year for hay so, the year we have to feed hay all summer long…it costs a lot!

Yes, there are many rewards for living this good and hard life…the joy of caring for animals, the ability to know where your food comes from…literally knowing what that animal put in it’s mouth every day of it’s life and that you know it was raised with respect and in the most healthy way you could raise it. Living close to the earth and being dependent God for the outcome of your labor is a very humbling, and yet, wonderful way to live. However, there are some real hardships, circumstances that are beyond your control, which call your faith into play…the WHY you do what you are doing.

This post, I’m sorry, will not be one that tickles your funny bone and gives you that “good feeling” that a lot of my posts about the farm may do. It is with a heavy heart I write that I lost one of my layer hens this morning. I have no idea what happened, other than I heard her body expel her final breath while I was in the coop feeding them. It crushed my heart.

The death of our animals/critters, even after five years here on de Good Life Farm, is still so unsettling and heartbreaking to me. Even the planned “one bad day” deaths are difficult for me to deal with, but the unexpected ones just crush me.

The first death we experienced here on the farm was Heidi, Hershey’s mom. We brought her here to give Mocha companionship because she was so lonely being here on the farm without her mom, Jersey. Mocha cried day and night for days, so Jeff decided to search Craigslist.com for a friend for her. He found a lactating Jersey whose personality was described as being “more like a pet.” When she arrived at the farm, it didn’t take long for them to become best buddies.

Heidi gave us Hershey, our first beloved Angus/Jersey cross steer, but she died a year later before giving birth to her twins, from a disease we couldn’t have known about beforehand and one which began in her body before we even brought her here to the farm. Watching a massive animal die in front of your eyes…one that that has become part of your “family”, when what you were expecting was to celebrate the joy of new life, is pretty heart-breaking and devastating! The feeling of sadness and helplessness was overwhelming!

Then a few years ago, a weasel or mink took our entire flock of layers in two nights, including our sweet rooster, Griffin, who died doing his best to protect his flock. Now, I’m not a “chicken lover” but I greatly appreciate the beauty and diversity of the chicken breeds and I love gathering their eggs, besides the asset they are to our pasture and cows.

Other losses we have experienced were meat chickens through the summers, and although it makes me sad, because of their make-up and the heat of the summer, it is somewhat to be expected. We have lost cats we had hoped to make a good home for, who because of their upbringing ran away rather than trust us.

And, then there are the calves that we raise for beef. I am fully aware when those precious babies are born, that in about two-years’ time, I will have to say good-bye to them as they fulfill their purpose. Raising the calves is probably my favorite thing here on the farm. Jeff frequently has to remind me that I am not their mama…but, I bond with them from the moment they are born and spend time each day, loving on them, just hanging with them and making sure they are getting everything they need. I spend time training them to be led on a lead rope so when they weigh 7 or 8 times what I weigh, I can have some control over where they go.

People have said “You shouldn’t name them”! Are you kidding me? Would knowing them as “254” or “ABC” mean that I would love them any less, or be any less emotionally attached to them as I care for them each day of their lives? NO! So, I may as well give them a cute name befitting their cute personality! It means that truly, they are given the best love, care and respect that I can give them for EVERY day of their lives except for their “one bad day” when we load them on the trailer, knowing they are completing their destiny by providing food for our family and others who choose to buy their meat from us. So, amidst tears (sometimes cried over the previous two weeks, or longer), we say “good-bye” and “thank you.”

Yes, I have a very tender heart, but it’s more than that. I give these animals the very best care that I can give them while they are here and maybe what hurts me about the unexpected ones is trying to figure out what I could have done to prevent that death. I find joy in the mundane, monotonous day in and day out routines of the farm chores. But the days here are anything but dull and mundane to me!

So, when you think of me, or read my funny and wonderful stories about life here on ‘de Good Life Farm’, please remember there are many tears shed amidst the bursts of joy and laughter. And…thank a farmer for doing their best to provide you healthy food for your family!

SAD UPDATE: Before I could get this edited and published, discovered another death in the chicken coop this morning. Hope I can educate myself and figure out how the predator is getting in and out so that it can be remedied before dusk tonight. This is a hard day!

(I will add pictures later…my computer is spazzing and I just want to get this posted.)

Tag: life is hard