Scratching through manure and spaghetti nests

Well, hello.

A week has slipped by already. I had a chance to step back and get a few things worked on around here.

The cows have been a lot of work simply because their fencing is not complete, so keeping them on fresh grass is still challenging so far. I managed to transition them from bottles to a feed pan today... much easier on me. They, however, slurp it up so fast that they assume there should be much more coming. There was a lot of moo-ing going on because of that. Actually, it was mostly Caramel; and he often says "me" instead of "moo." If you pet Buttercup first or give her anything first he just looks at you and says "mmmmeee."

The chickens are feathering out and plumping up nicely. They are also starting to do their job in the field. The picture shows a cowpie they scratched through and left their little calling card on, in the center of it...yay! That means they are sanitizing the pasture. If you aren't familiar with Joel Salatin's methods, once the chickens scratch through it, the cow manure won't be contaminating the groundwater or air. The chickens have aerated it and it is well on its way to becoming fertilizer for the pasture.

Speaking of scratching through manure, this week there was an influx of bad news about food issues (and many other world issues for that matter). It can really be overwhelming to think of the greed at the heart of someone who is willing to cause sickness or death to countless others in the name of profit, but that is simply what is happening in the nation today. One of my biggest challenges is to find a way to champion the causes that matter, but then compartmentalize them. Here is why. We are the intuitive sensing gender and that means that the weight of the feelings that are aroused in us because of sin is much heavier. That can be a real problem if it overlaps into daily life... and that is what has been happening to me.

I was told there is a book out called Men are like Waffles, Women are like Spaghetti. I used to resent stereotypes like that because I have a very strong logical and analytical side as well; but you know what? It's true. Things become very easily all intertwined for women. It's the reason we can handle doing so many things at once. However when one of the spaghetti noodles (or more) is toxic, my little spaghetti nest that I'm making in the woods for my family isn't the joyful place of peace and hope I want it to be anymore.

I've thought about this a lot because I do believe it is irresponsible to ignore what's happening in the world. But, for me, it has become a hinderance to let it be tangled up with all the rest of the good things in life- things of joy and hope and peace. So my solution is to address the bad, but try my hardest to keep it out of the spaghetti. I want to be able to return to my nest and the hope we have been promised; and remember in His presence is fullness of joy. He has given grace and peace to us, and that makes for a very lovely nest.