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Hi Everyone,
Happy Easter! In John 1:29 John the Baptist sees Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. He was God come in the flesh to live a perfect life that he might die on the cross to deliver us from our sins and death. In Revelation 5:12, we read that in heaven the angels are saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.” The story doesn’t end with the fact that he was slain, No, No, No—for God is not dead! Matthew 28:6 clearly tells us that Jesus was not in the tomb where he was laid: FOR HE IS RISEN—just as he said he would. Yes, 2000 years later we find comfort for today, and hope for tomorrow knowing that Jesus died for our sins, rose again, and is in heaven preparing a place for His people—for one day He will return to gather His Loved one’s HOME! Are you ready to meet your God?
Last week found us removing more from the garden than we were putting in. Little by little the garden beds are taking shape. I have seen my share of nut grass, and we haven’t even finished yet. On Monday we worked all day on bed number 5—a bed that has been useless to us for the past five years I guess. Blackberry briars, dog fennel, Spanish needle, nut grass, and Bermuda grass had truly taken over—along with a few large ant beds. For three weeks Steve worked to eradicate everything that was not dirt. Mom and I helped some too, and by Monday afternoon we were finally ready to mark the rows, and fill the walkways with wood chips. Then I got to transplant the cotton—did you know that cotton grows in different colors. I planted a few brown cotton plants, and a few green cotton plants. Then I planted Christmas Lima beans at the foot of the trellis. The sides were planted with marigolds, gomphrena, and broom corn. The middle rows have cosmos and zinnias growing in them. I planted luffa sponge seeds in the back of the garden bed that borders the leaf mold fence. I can picture it all in my mind and cannot wait until the dream comes true. I felt bad that we put so much focus on the “flower bed,” but it was just such a challenge that it was hard to leave it alone. On Tuesday we accomplished 16 feet of bed number 4 so that I could plant cucumbers, acorn squash, leeks, eggplant, and kohlrabi. Thursday found us back in the garden working to get garden bed number 2 weeded so that we can get it planted in a few weeks. The garden is taking shape—but not in my timing. Patience my dear, patience!
Last year we found the mama bluebird beheaded in the bluebird house. We suspected our cat Catapus to be the murderer. Well, the last few weeks we have watched the bluebirds make a nest again in the bluebird house. The mama was sitting on five little blue eggs. Then Thursday night just as we finished the dishes, Mom saw Catapus jump up and hang on the bluebird house. Quick as a wink Catapus put her paw inside the hole and pulled out the mama bird. We ran outside yelling at the cat. The little mama bird was peeping away. Mom chased Catapus down to get that little birdy back—and she finally won. The mama bluebird was still alive, though she had a puncture wound under her wing. We cleaned her up and returned her to her nest. We then got an old pot lid and loosely screwed it to the door of the bluebird house. That way if Catapus jumps up again it will spin her off. To our dismay though—the mama bluebird had died in those few minutes. We were greatly saddened. Catapus and Sunny Boy are great hunters—but I wish they would stick with rats and leave the birds alone. We left the nest alone so that the Papa bluebird would know that his wife had died, and so we could see if our contraption would keep Catapus out. The next day the papa bluebird kept looking in his house. I finally went out and cleaned out the house. Then Saturday morning we saw the papa bluebird sitting on his house singing. That afternoon I saw that he had found him a new wife—and as of today they are busy making a new nest. I am amazed at how fast birds can find mates! All the male had to do was sit there and sing.
Saturday afternoon the new owners of our heifer cow Daisy arrived to take her to her new home. Daisy is due in June, so they will not have to wait too long before they are blessed with their very own supply of milk. They also bought seven sheep for their new farm. Poor Papa had to bring all the sheep up out of the pond field into the sheep barn—but every two acre green field that the sheep past they ran into. Mom finally had to go help him, for just as Papa would run the sheep out of one field, they would run through the hot wire into another field. They finally accomplished their goal—but the barn didn’t hold them all. The calves have been eating the barn walls—as in holes that keep getting bigger and bigger. The sheep found them to be grand “back door” exists. When the family arrived to load up the sheep, Papa was heading out to make deliveries to Gainesville, so he asked Steve to help Mom catch the sheep. Actually Mom caught the little lambs, and Steve loaded them into the people’s trailer. The first lamb in tried to jump out the roof, and then when Steve went to load the second lamb in, the first one came bolting out and hit Steve square in the face knocking his glasses off—and horror of all horrors, his front tooth out. We were devastated! Thankfully Steve had no pain and no blood, and he was actually able to recover his tooth—it was a crown. He is afraid to go get it fixed right now though because of the coronavirus. Thankfully the rest of the lambs loaded with ease. When Papa got home we helped him run the sheep back down to the pond field. We managed to only lose them in one two acre field on the way back.
Today was Easter Sunday, and like the rest of the world we stayed home and listened to the sermon from the computer. My friend Lydia was up helping her sister, and asked if she could spend the day with us. It was such a blessing. She arrived in time to help us milk, and then after the milk was bottled we headed to the garden. We took some time to stroll through the garden and smell the roses, and then we harvested some carrots for a carrot cake. When we came inside it was time to listen to the sermon. Then we listened to Andrea Bocelli sing live at a Cathedral in Italy. He sang about four songs—all in Latin, of which I only understood a few words. The last song was in English—Amazing Grace! They showed pictures of the popular places in London, Paris, Italy and New York City—showing how empty and quiet the streets are as the whole world battles Covid-19. When the music was over we headed to the kitchen to bake a carrot cake for dessert. Then we fixed lamb ribs, sweet potatoes, salad, and stuffed eggs for dinner. If you are interested in my recipes, please stay tuned for the next Recipe Blog—A Homegrown Easter Meal. After we ate Lydia got out her violin and I sat down at my baby grand piano and we spent about an hour playing hymns. Then we had some good girl chat. We had a great day together, and she left around 8:00. I headed straight for the computer so that I could get the Larder email sent and write this journal. It is now a little after 10:00, and I am ready for bed so that I can be rested up for the week to come.
Serving you with Gladness,
Tiare