Following the Season

Later nights, later mornings; our schedule has changed in big ways to say the least. These changes are the result of a new, different season.

Listening to a podcast several months ago, I heard the authors speak about different seasons and recognizing that there will be seasons where things change. Whether it is keeping up with the laundry, having a clean house, going to bed earlier, or even just your overall work load and how a new season may change not just one but many aspects of your life as you know it now.

One year into home owners, one year into homesteading and we can honestly say we are proud of the progress we have made. Could we have done a few things better? Absolutely. Could we have done more? Absolutely. But at the end of this year, August 2019 to August 2020 we can look back and see that we accomplished so much all while working full time. In my last blog post, I mentioned a change in situations for us job-wise. I honestly believe that when God closes one door, He opens a better one. As this month began, Josh found a company he could work for and truly have fun at. With that, we have entered a new season. Our days are different with the new schedule and we are excited to be able to work more.

However, we must recognize that in this new season, we can't beat ourselves up about going to bed after midnight when we work until 10pm or later. We can't be upset about the massive weeds taking over when we are working all but one day per week. With understanding a new season, we find we need to have a new sense of grace for ourselves. We plan to make another video soon to talk more about this season and recap on the year.

That being said, I've made a list of some of the lessons I have learning this past year.

~ To take less selfies and more pictures of the world around me

~ To relish in the gentle happiness of the little moments

~ To respect and offer a peaceful mind in upsetting times

~ To understand the true balance in the world between God's creatures

~ To take the time to slow down and appreciate the world God created as it is

~ To ride the waves with every storm that passes and know that this too shall pass

May whatever season you are in remind you to give yourself some grace and know that this is only a season and that another one will follow to bring change again. This season has shown us to be appreciative of the change in pace and to slow down on a few projects we thought were so important. This season opened our eyes to places where we were missing the mark as well.

When you have a predator problem, you feel absolutely violated - we discovered we had a predator problem with the disappearance of 50 chicks from our brooder. So we reinforced the bottom with chicken wire, thinking that would keep them safe. We had 18 turkey poults arrive, only to have 12 disappear the first night home. Several weeks ago one of our broody hens hatched 3 chicks and about a week ago, we caught a rat eating the last one.

Since this discovery, Josh has successfully shot dad and 2 young kids. We know, however, that mom and 3 other kids are still on the loose. We aren't talking mice here, the kids are the size of my hand and dad was the size of a gatorade bottle. This experience has made us anxious, mad, and we seriously just feel violated. With more chicks coming in one month, we need to get this rat invasion under control and quick or these chicks will be in our house until they are ready for the tractor. Another hard lesson learned this year from the animals we have added into our lives.

That said, we have to keeping going and moving forward as life will leave you behind if you let it. We have laid traps that stay empty and poison is out of the question at this point. Praying that we are able to make the solution to this problem. Who would have thought we would be hunting rats one year into homesteading. Here's to learning and always trying to grow where we are!