Oh Heaven help us, 'cuz we're going to need it!

Look at what the cat dragged in!



Really! One of our cats brought this little wild bunny to Becca the other day. It was just screaming, as you can imagine! What in the world do you do with a wild baby bunny!?!

Well, just so you know, and so I don't pass on bad information, you're SUPPOSED to put it back in the nest! The idea that Mama won't take care of it because it has human smell on it is an old wives tale. BUT, what do you do when you have no idea where on 30 or so acres this next might be? Why, you spend hours researching on the internet and trying to track down wildlife rehabilitators, who then promptly tell you "I don't do rabbits."

And why, pray tell, do they not "do" rabbits? Well, it's because wild rabbits have a 10% chance of survival away from their mother. Oh freaking grand.

My friends, I HATE it when an animal dies for no reason. I mean, I don't have a problem when we use our farm animals for meat or whatever, because I believe that is one of their purposes on the earth. But to have anything die senselessly... I end up bawling. Especially if I've tried to nurse it, because despite my best efforts, I ALWAYS get attached. And to cry for days over a dead baby bunny will NOT be a good thing for me right now!

SO.... if you're a praying person, PLEASE PRAY that this little critter makes it. We have to feed it/he/she (not certain the gender at this point!) with a syringe, and though it did well the past couple of nights, this morning all it wanted was to curl up inside my shirt. I tried putting it back in its nest (we made one out of an old towel and shredded tissue inside of a cat carrier!) and everything was fine till a little while ago when it decided to investigate things and got its head and foot stuck. Did you know this little thing can let out a shriek that you can hear a LONG way away!? So now, its tucked back in my shirt. Which means..... that I really am starting to love the little thing and I'm going to bawl for a week.

Come to think of it, while you're praying for the bunny, have a kind thought, and add me to your prayers too, huh? I'm needing them right now!

Mares eat oats, and does eat oats, but....

little lambs eat ivy! Sometimes, prayers are answered in the most unusual ways! Today, we were blessed with an addition to our farm family.





Allow me to introduce our new little ewe! She comes from a living history site near here. They had 2 sets of sheep, one set of Gulf Coast sheep and one set of Tunis, both "historic breeds" of sheep that were brought to the colonies by the Spanish and do well in our heat here in the south. Unfortunately, the Gulf Coast ram was killed by predators and the ewe was left alone. Somehow she got into the pen with the Tunis sheep and the ram did what rams will do. *grin* No one thought she was pregnant, but she made her appearance this past Saturday to everyone's surprise.

Because she is a cross-breed, the museum doesn't want her, so they gave her to me! Yay!!!!

Now I need a couple of more sheep to keep the little lady company, and maybe have more little sheep in a few years. I guess I won't have to go looking for wool anymore! YAY!!!!!

Loving the benefits of being a farmer!

Ok, so there's a lot of work involved in this sort of lifestyle. I mean, who WANTS to go out in the dark and cold to milk goats, then spend HOURS (sometimes days!) making cheese? Who WANTS to go spend hours in the hot sun working in the garden, and then even more hours canning, freezing, dehydrating....? Who WANTS to fend off the "play" of a 1200 pound bull, then try to get him into a little dinky trailer just to haul him an hour away, then have to clean out the mess he made inside? Or spend hours working in the pig yard smelling them - piggies are NOT nicely perfumed! Who WANTS to spend all night working over a sick animal just to have them die in your arms? I mean, REALLY! This is so NOT fun!

But then there are the benefits....

Like watching all those seeds grow and your barren plot of ground turn into a lush green garden full of all sorts of yummy things to eat! Or seeing baby goats leaping around and playing "King of the Person" without a care in the world! Or maybe getting to eat all those wonderful things you were able to produce with your own hands and the blessings of God! And DEFINITELY putting nearly 700 pounds of beef (steaks, roasts, LEAN ground....) in your freezer at less than $2.35 a pound, when even the cheap HAMBURGER costs more at the store!

Yup, there are definitely benefits!