H day - Honing in on those skills

H day - Honing in on those skills

     What am I talking about? Do you have a skill that you might want to improve on? I Know I do and I thought I might take a good look at the things I need to accomplish this year. I want to learn a lot more about how to be a better homesteader. This to me means I need to set some priorities and stick to them. Things like when I need to start seeds indoors or what exactly will I plant that will benefit the farm. Show I build a few freeze frames to start some seeds. Well, that needs a schedule plan that needs to be set in place. Sure I already know how to garden since I was taught way back when I was a child by my grandparents, but I have a lot to learn about soil and what plants should be planted with others to benefit each other. I have already started my tomato plants indoors because I know I want to put in strong sturdy plants in the spring that will give the best yield. I have also started my garlics in the fall so they will be ready since I know the weather over winter.

     Planning is one of the best ways to get started on any project and maybe a good record system would help go a bit better too. Keeping track of planting times and weather and what should be planted and when. all that is skills to master the best outcome.

     I would like to introduce a small green house into the farms business and I have a few skills in setting up a greenhouse environment as I use to work in one years ago in OHIO. But I still need to know so much more. that is where I need to do some research. The planting times and times the plants need to be in the greenhouse change as the growing season is different in Georgia is not like Ohio. I need to know more about fertilizing and how to build a watering system. There are so many things I can do to hone in on my skills that I already have, I just have to take the time to do the research and it may even take trial and error to prefect the skills I have. I know practice makes perfect and in time I hope I can get it right the first time especially  if I hone my skills first. Now do you need to hone in on any of your skills? There are so many things I can learn not just for the farm but in many other things. I know my Bible study skills are needed a bit of work too and that of all things comes first before my farm.  Time will tell how things will work out if I make the time to sharpen and hone any skills.

G day Guinea Hogs

G day Guinea Hogs

     American Guinea hogs also known as the pineywoods guinea hogs are a heritage breed of pig native to the USA. They are smaller than the industrial type hog. They are an over 200 years old breed and are known as grazing hogs.

     An adult male can range between 17 and 22 inches high. Females may be a few inches shorter. Their length is between 46 to 56 inches long measuring from the middle of the ears to the tail end. Their bodies are of rectangle shape with a straight to slightly curved back. Weight wise they can weigh between 150 to upwards to 300 pounds. They are all black with very coarse hair, length of medium to long hair which can cast a reddish to blue black color and sometimes even curly. They have a single curl to their tail. Their life span is between 10 to 15 years.

     They are very friendly pigs often given the name floppers because if you scratch their backs, they fall over wanting their bellies scratched as well. They are a great breed of pig for a young child to raise as they are calm and tend to want to be with people. Since they are of the smaller breed of pig they are excellent for 4 H projects.

     The females are very good mothers and sometimes will feed another mother’s piglets.  Bearing litters between 1 to 14 but more than usual 6 piglets are born.  The males are also very laid back and do not disturb the piglets if they are in the same pen.

     Care for these hogs are pretty basic, with dry bedding, clean water and a mud hole in a grazing field is about all they need. Very little grain is needed to feed them and discouraged as it will later give problems in mating and add extra fat. They require very little shelter and love to burrow into ground and sleep all together in a pile. They love left overs and scraps.

Our G daughter Grace is our little pig whisperer and if we have escapees, she is good to get them back to the pen. Many days we can find her at the barn hanging out with them. She loves to scratch Shorty’s belly, he is my favorite pig of all.

      Their meat is one of the best in my opinion, they have a wonderful sweet taste with a good measure of marbling in the meat. Many will make prosciutto with it, and Many gourmet cooks welcome it in their kitchens.

    

 

     I love my pigs here at Earthsblessing  farm and we are a registered breeder with the American Guinea Hog Association. We are trying to preserve this wonderful small pig for generations to come. They have been put on the endangered list. So if anyone would like to add these wonderful small heritage pigs to their farm please feel free to contact us at earthsblessingfarm@gmail.com or call us at 706 499-6356 and we will be glad to help out. We are expecting piglets soon.                                      

                                                                          (2020 American Guinea Hog Association, Inc)

     

F Day- Family

                         Family

Feeling a warmth of happiness when family gets together.

Amazing memories can be made over the smallest of things.

Many great laughs leaving you in tears from laughing too hard.

I could only wish that my family was closer to me still.

Love my children and g children over the moon and back.

You can only imagine how much I miss them when we are apart.

My family is now spread far and wide and it is not often we all seem to get together. My (babies) twin son Matt lives in Savannah, his Josh lives in Ohio, my oldest daughter Bobbi is still close but still a drive away along with her sister Kelly. My youngest daughter Johnna lives just a stone’s throw away but we still don’t see each other as much as I would like to. It seems when the ones farthest away come home one of the others cannot make it. Pop and I would love to travel to see them but driving long distances just seems not to work for our old bones. The farm also limits us to how long we can go. Sometimes short visits can be made and Johnna and James help out 

but we hate to impose. I hate highway trips too.

 My son Josh is looking to buy a new house and I would love to see it and visit my g daughter. She is a real hoot. She is three now and smart as a whip. Matt wants to give us a tour of Savannah and area but we still haven’t made it there. We have made arrangements to go and something always comes up; like the clutch going out in my car or the check didn’t get here on the dates we could have. It kills me that we are so far apart. Bobbi seems to lead such a busy life and she is always making memories with her kids Kianne, Javante and Amara. Kelly Just had a new baby  Willow and I didn’t get to go see her because I had to work. Johnna is never home she has become a workaholic, which worries me because she seems not to spend time with my g girls SavAnna and Grace much.

      I hate getting older and things seem so different these days. I want to still have all my kids home and still teaching them and all my g kids all the things in life my grandparents taught me. I think so much about them and yes we are all still close but in such a faraway way.  Technology helps but it is not the same as having them come home and raiding the fridge and eating meals together every day and just being close. I miss that so much. Now I just pray a lot for them all and hope for the best for them all. paradise is the only place we can all be together forever and I would be the happiest mom in the world if we all make it there.

     

    

   

     Family means everything to me and always has I have fought hard to hold on to all of them from one moment in time to another and my heart has been broken too. I never want to be without my children no matter what we do. I love them all more that life itself. I want what is best for them all and never want them to have to not be close like my sisters and brothers. I have one sister I haven't seen or talked to since 1986 and It is the hardest thing in the world to deal with.  my other siblings  and I text but it is not the same, we were all so very close back then.  I miss them all very much but time changes us and things happen. I hope your family stays close .

       

E Day Ever Wonder

E Day- Ever Wonder

     Ever wonder what you might do if you could live forever? I have so many times and that means never growing old right there with that. I have dreamed of the perfect little house that I will live in and what kind of gardens I would have all around the land I would have. I think about all the animals that I would feed and care for and think of all the different fruits and vegetables I could grow. Wow that is a lot to think about, yet how will we or could we do that when we see our own body fall apart and grow older and weaker as time passes.

     So many people I have talked to think this way. They may say why would anyone want to live forever  look at all the damage the earth has or sickens  or all my friends are dead now why would  want to live any longer?

Did you ever think about what God created for Adam and eve? What did god give them? He gave them a garden to start with small but not so small that they felt like it wasn’t enough, I am sure. He told them to take this garden and create it to be all over the world. Wow that to me sounds like something I would have loved to do. (Genesis 1)

     Did you know that god had a purpose and he is still wanting that purpose to be carried out? Yes he still wants that garden.  Maybe now you could be thinking “I might just want to see that garden and what all it had to offer.” I know I would. God’s purpose has never changed. He gave man the opportunity to create something so marvels that we could never want for anything.

     Just think that if satan was not so greedy to think so much more of himself to interfere, we may have never seen the end of the garden in all its splendors. Well you can do something about that by taking the time to know how god felt and what he sacrifices for all of us to give us the chance to live that live for real.  Just think about Job and all that he endured through all that satan put him through.  He lost everything including his children and he stood his ground even when his best friends and wife told his he was crazy and to curse god. But look at what god gave him in the end. More than he ever had by several folds. Even his children. All because his integrity was not broken. (Job)

     Satan has taken so many of our loved ones away from us and some believe that god has punished us for things we did because of it. God is love he doesn’t want anyone to die. he wants us to live forever in a true paradise without all the suffering that satan causes for us all. Can you imagine all the wonderful things you could accomplish if we did live forever? Wow I know I have a list even a bucket list couldn’t hold.

     Did you ever wonder why the people that Jesus brought back to live never said they were in heaven or even said why did you bring me out of heaven? If Jesus can do those things. Then don’t you think he will do it for all those ones who have died and for all of us who mourn our loved ones?

Did you ever wonder what someone would do in heaven anyways? It tells us that those who go to heaven will rule as co-rulers  with Jesus. Now if all the dead were in heaven why would there be a need for co-rulers? (Revelations 12)

     Did you ever wonder why God gave his only begotten son for us? (John 3:16) What does Jesus Life mean to you? He gave us a perfect model of his life to follow and a prayer to show us how we should pray. The lord’ prayer. (matt. 6:9) How about the kingdom that he talked about is it not the most perfect government ever to be brought about?

These are things that I have wondered about once and I gained the knowledge to understand those and many more things. I wonder if this has made you wonder if I am crazy or not. So many think so but there are more for us than against us when you count all the angels and God’s kingdom and his son and the co-rulers. How can I be wrong especially if satan is not around to make things bad for us. (Rev. 12:7 ,21:3-4)

My last wonder is do you want to know more about the bible? I can help.

D is for Duties all Around the Farm

D day

     Darn it is can be hard to come up with a d day post. So I will just have to talk about the daily duties we must all keep up with here on our farm. It may be a short post today but I guess my pea brain has run out of things to say this week.

     Feeding the hogs is one of those jobs my hubby does and he feeds the chickens and guineas. He collects eggs and makes sure every ones waterers are full. He has been trying this last few days to get the two hogs that got loose back in the pen but that just isn’t happening because we have a bunch of new grass growing and they think it is far better to stay out and eat it first.

     

     My job is to feed all the barn cats and rabbits, that seems to be something they all think is something they get to do all day anymore. The cats take turns eating just because there are a few that don’t get along with the others. My oldest cat Muggles eats all by herself as she has been beaten up too many times by some of the males we have. Fat on the other hand is right at the front door along with dUI first thing when I let the dogs out the go to the potty. Taz, Skylar and dui all eat together and then Simba comes and Dui tries to run him off. The indoor cats all are waiting for me to come straight out of the bedroom for their food first thing. I feed the indoor dogs too. My hubby does the out door ones because they try to escape when I open their pen because the are so happy to see me. 

     loading The Wood cart, now that is a thing I hate to do because I have lifted up too much weight on the wood cart it put my back out this past week and I am still suffering for it. I have the great privilege to lift it up the steps every day.

     You know I will be so glad when that duty is not one I have to do for a while and that is a good reason for me to hate winter. Now once it is warmer I will be back to mowing the yard with the push mower, I love that because I get my steps in.

     I love to cook and I spend a lot of time in the kitchen in the winter, I love making bread and things that are just plain fattening.  I love creating new things too. I have been making all our salad dressings lately. I think it is so much better when you know exactly what is in the things we eat. New recipes are something I love to look for too.

     I will be getting the herb garden up and potted soon. I bought a bunch of new seeds to get going. I have my green onions growing in the window right now. Keeping all my plants I brought in for the winter watered is another thing I have to watch because since we heat strictly with wood it tends to dry out all the plants faster. I can’t wait till it is warm enough to get back out side and plant my garden.

     I always try to get my daily reading of the Bible in first thing in the morning because it is a very quiet and peaceful time of the day for me, before my hubby gets up. That is my favorite time of day too.

Well anyway that is my d day for now I have dinner to go get ready for. It ended up a lot longer than I thought!

   

Confounded Pigs

C Day

Confounded Pigs

     Why is it every time it comes a bad rain storm the pigs always find a way to get out? It has been pouring buckets and when we went to feed the pigs, they had all escaped. Thankfully the registered pigs didn’t go far from the pen and they went right in as soon as they knew food was coming. They had busted out of the back of the barn.  After fixing the spot where they broke out We called and drove around the property to see if we could find the other three but so far no sign of them. One is my girl Lucy, she is the oldest of the pigs and is very much pregnant. The other two are feeder hogs and one is fixed and the other not. Maybe a neighbor found them and got free groceries for the day or piglets. I do hope they get back up the hill and back where they belong though, especially Lucy.

     On a good note, I fixed the roof from leaking in the ceiling of our kitchen. No, I didn’t go out on the roof, but I cheated a bit by using the flex tape they advertise on the telly.  That made my day because now I shouldn’t have to mop anymore. Time will tell. I had used the tape before and it does do what they say it does. I give them an a plus. It truly worked too no more mess! The rain is coming down in pools now too!  

     I made a batch of chicken salad today but I didn't have grapes so I substituted them for mango and it turned out to be a great caribbean like salad. here is the recipe:
 2 halves chicken breast,
 1 stalk of celery, 
1 cup  mayo, 
1 tb of lemon juice
A dash of garlic powder,and onion powder,
1/2 a mango cubed
Mix well and enjoy!

     Days like today are only good for two things and that is a hot mug of cocoa and a good book  cozying up by the fire. After being in the rain I feel like that may be the best Idea I had all day.

I hope you enjoy this blusteriest rainy C day as I have (not).  I can’t wait till spring!

*Update on pigs, they are all home safely now no neighbor got lunch today!

B day Being Prepared Up on the Farm

B day

Being Prepared Up on the Farm

     This year I want to be prepared and have a systematic way of doing things, like budgeting, being on top of things, simplifying, minimalizing and being a bit smarter. I have been reading a lot of books on how to help us with this here on the farm. I am not a prepper per say in the way most folks plan for Armageddon, I just want to be more organized this year.

     Planning gardens and raising animals on the farm can be a bit daunting, especially as we get older and things are not just as easy as they once were. January is a great month to get started with plans of what we are going to do. You know all those things we may have got done last year but were derailed somehow. Or maybe starting a greenhouse business.

     Since I am no longer working I have to set time to find a new job, one that accommodates not only the farm but my field service, yet pays the bills too. Now that takes some major planning there. First thing every morning I look at the jobs that might fit my criteria. That is a hard one because I already have the farm job that will been a huge undertaking again since my hubby has been working it mostly by himself for the last several years as I worked. I want to work in a place where it will not only help with the monetary things but also help with the farm. We have flip-flopped our job descriptions a few years back and now I want to get back to farming but not by myself. Really we can use all the help we can get.

     We have so many things to do here on the farm and I always seem to add to the list. Fences are one of the things that is top of the list right now. We have new piglets arriving soon and the pen is not the pen we once had. we need repairs there as well so getting the fences in the pasture ready will give us the chance to do repairs on the barn and the pens around it. We also have a few pigs that need to be processed and that is a couple  whole days job and then some.

     I have saved seeds and set them aside for this year’s garden and that will be a huge job to get ready. I want to have all my seeds started in advance that need to be started now. For spring planting that means that I have to find a place to store them. This year I want to add more herbs for teas and soap.  we are going to be potting existing plants we have growing here to sell like blueberries, Carolina Jasmine, Forsythia and wisteria. We are going to start out small though no need to get too crazy.

     We are getting ready to make up a few batches of soap and I have already made up arnica and cayenne salves and lip balms and not just for us, but our children. They have found that the things that I make here on the farm benefits them in their lifestyles also. I just ordered my supplies for much of that. It never hurts to restock up the first aid kit right from the start.

     My list for being prepared seems endless, at least I have begun to get things started. I know we will still be pushing it for a lot of it but we have to always remember to take on day at a time and move ahead. Lots of prayers and hard work, time to study my bible, and get out in service always comes first and time to relax seems to fall in last but I have a plan and that is all I need to keep somewhat on track for this year. I just hope it doesn’t get derailed this year. I hope you have plans to start out the year on a better note from last year, Even if they are small that always counts.

     I just had a call from one of my boys and he needed advice on delivering puppies. now that is a whole other thing to plan for, the momma had two puppies and one* was alive and one was dead when he found them and he needed advice on what else to do because this is a big breed dog and she should have more than just two pups and it is not her first litter. I told him to put her in a calm area and sit with her to make sure she was ok and keep the one pup warm. We have whelped a many a pup and kitten in our day and birthed so many pigs and goats in our time, but sometimes things don’t always turn out as they were planned even if they should be able to birth on their own. Sometimes you might just have to intervene and sometimes even a vet needs to be part of the plan. All I can say is to sit and wait it out as long as the animal is not in pain or peril. Keep the vet in mind and hope for the best.   * The pup didn't make it and the momma is going to the vet. So sad and I am sorry this ended this way.

     Plans are always needed even when we don’t thing they are. always keep that in mind. But even best plans can change and go awry so it is good to have that back up just in case. The best laid plans need a great prayer system to go along with it because the grand creator is the best source of all planning since he created all things. We have to remember that it took more than one day to do it too, so don't over do it. Hope this year brings happiness to all who reads this and I ope your plans work out just as you would have them to.

Aww are We Ready to Start 2020?

I am going to start off this year blogging A-Z. Are there any bloggers out there who would like to join me?

Aww are we ready to start 2020?

     Did you ever dream we would make it this far?

Looking back over the last several decades I bet not many of us figured we would even endure to this year. Just think about all the sci-fi stuff we read about when we were young. We couldn’t even see what we could be living in, but so much of it has come to pass long before we come to this point in our lives. The tech age has brought us out of the dark and into, well not sure it can be said it was light or not but it has been interesting. Did you ever think we would hold our computers in our hands let alone the phones we speak on? What about electric cars or cars that drive themselves? Something we might have seen on the Jetsons.

     Look at all the things we see on the telly about war and pollution of all sorts and death and destruction. The world has grown very small we see things that should never be seen publicly and our senses have been dulled down to numb. Who knew so many could be so insensitive? Sex, rape, child porn, people starving, killing one another and selling folks, which were so many things we were trying to abolish years ago, looks like it only will get worse.

     Our food have been poisoned and grown so quickly that it just doesn’t even taste real anymore. So many farmers have been put out of business or worse so many were being sued by Monsanto for stealing their seed. Wow I bet no one would have ever thought we would ever have that happen. Now the ground is saturated by their round up and causing cancer left and right. Some of us try to grow what little we can just to keep from it too but it is in our water ways only the earth can clean it up now and we may not even have the time to know how that works.

How about our children and schools? Can we really say they are learning more than we did when we were in school? What happened to all the skills of wood working, blacksmithing and metal works, sewing or baking just to make a short list? I don’t know about you but I want to step back in time just to have all that taught to my grandchildren again because these days all they know how to do is grow a phone to the heads and hands.

      I was raised in a time where I was taught how to raise a garden, sew, build things with my hands, and I choose to continue to do just that. I keep adding more skills through the years of things that my grandparents parents did. I farm and can food, make my own soap and crochet and sew. I can skin my own hogs and bake pies and make homemade noodles, things that I know how it is made and what goes into them. So many folk these days seem to think the grocery stores and department stores (which by the way are also being replaced by the internet) are where things come from. Most kids these days have never been to a real working farm and adults are squeamish if you tell them you wrung a chicken’s neck for dinner.

     How many read these day, I think not many because I see many kids in school struggle to get through one book and many say I don’t read because it is boring. Wow I have gone on so many trips without leaving the house with a book. Yeah and reading the Bible is taboo these days it is just a story and so many don’t even have a clue God’s purpose for us really is. All because they don’t want to take the time to dig into one of the best books anyone could every read.

     I know there are greater things in store for my life, yet I also know that times are and will get far worse than we see it now. I have a great hope for all things changing into something far greater that anyone has ever dreamed of. I have faith in a paradise in store for those who work hard and do as they are told by our grand creator. How wonderful things will be when we never have to deal with sickness and death of our loved ones, and war, hatred, hunger, disasters of all kinds. Pain, now that is one thing we are all dealing with; physically, mentally and spiritually. How many loved ones have we lost thinking that they are watching over us in heaven. Well not my loved ones, they are just where we have laid them in the ground waiting for the day when they will be called out by Jesus to reunite with those who have made it through all this crazy stuff we keep dealing with here in this ending of things. Yes, the things that were foretold, things that people just shake their heads to and think some folks are just crazy and it is just heresy. Well I hope I see you still standing there beside of me but I can’t say for sure.

     Aww yes, are you really ready for 2020? It is just that much closer to the last days. I will be prepared for what is to come will you. If you think you might need to read a bit you could be right. I could even share my reading with you, you may be pleasantly surprised at what you could learn. They say knowledge is everything but is the knowledge you hold going to save you? I hope so. Ring it in as they say and we will see what 2020 has in store. May we all enjoy it to the fullest and love one another.

Hindsight 2020 or looking ahead

Hindsight 2020 or looking ahead

     This year has been one I have struggled through quite a bit. I really thought we could get a great start on so much and really make things work for us. Wow how wrong was I on so many accounts. See we ended 2018 with a partial roof and all the materials to get it finished in the next year.  Finishing up that school year was one thing that was one thing that kept me from getting things done, by the time I got home I was too tired. By the time spring got here the temperatures seemed to be unbearable close to 100 degrees every day, on the bright side my husband finally got the back surgery he dearly needed. That was another setback.  Once school started this year I had chosen to accompany a student to Atlanta every day for several months and didn’t get home sometimes till 6 or 7 o’clock in the evening.

     In between times we had several litters of pigs and sold a few and lost a few, including our dear goats. Sad that this area has a he population of stray dogs that get dropped off and take a toll on the farmer that work so hard for their animals stock. We are expecting babies any day now. We have had a good share of eggs and no chickens were lost and the guineas are fully grown new and will be laying in the upcoming spring.

     We have had family setbacks, aging parent and big decisions to make for my side of things. My youngest sister has taken my mother in and is caring for her these days. That is a blessing on my part since mom really didn’t want to spend the time with us. I thank my sister from the bottom of my heart. The newest arrival on my husband side of the family is my step daughter and her precious Willow. That is exciting in itself. We would love many more but as it stands now no more babies for us.

     Now comes the hard part to deal with, I quit my job due to over stress and disagreements and I have been searching for a new job. It is very hard for me to think about this because sometimes I feel like I should not have quit, but my health and mental being was far more important for me than continuing to work under those conditions. This was a hard decision to make because I am the head of household since my husband is on disability, and the more I made the less his check was. He seems to make it tough on me at times because I just can’t function on the level I did before and that sends me deeper into depression.  The holidays and shorter days make things that much more excruciating for me. Not that we celebrate but that family members don’t think we exist towards the end of the year because they are off doing their thing with their families.

     I bought a car this summer and I was so happy we could now have our own freedom to go which hadn’t happened in so many years. But that lasted only a few months and my clutch went out. I was having to be carted around again and that meant back and forth to work, which was a lot farther than just going to school and back. I hate being a burden. Now it seems that is all I am.

     Here we are at the very end of the year once again and decisions of so much has fallen upon my shoulders to find a new job and that has been hard being I am soon to turn 60 and really no true experience of any sort. I just want to go back to serving my time as a full time pioneer* but someone has to make the bills. I get thousands of jobs in emails, but only a few have called or answered back. For now I just pray things will be better in 2020. Hindsight I have learned a lot of hard lessons. I have gained a lot of self-control. I have learned to humble myself and to except things that I cannot change. I am working on changing things even more by simplifying and ridding the things that no longer work for me. As for the roof and this house time will tell. Lots of buckets, a good mop and prayers keep things going there. Maybe 2020 will give me that much. Who knows? I can only hope for the best for all of us. That is where my hope and prayers keep me from going over the edge.  To 2020!

*Door to door service for Jehovah Witnesses

Happy, Thankful and Hopeful Putting My Heart on My Sleeve.

 Wow, you know it has been almost 30 years now since my husband and I met and got married. We have been blessed with more than we could have ever hoped for too. See my best friend Laurie made me, drug me to meet Tom and I am so glad she was so persistent. It truly was love at first sight. Somehow she knew that too. She would be so happy to know that we have lasted this long and will be together forever. She passed away a few years back.

Tom and I have endured through many things: past relationships, adoptions, new homes, being run out of town, Tom being thrown in jail several times, Losing custody of a child, getting to know a child, fostering one too. We lost jobs and cars and homes. I have been disowned and he kept me going, lost family gained family  have many grandchildren, but the best thing we have done in our life was to make the truth our own. Jehovah our God. We have been Jehovah’s Witness for almost 30 years as unbaptized and baptized witnesses. We could not have endured threw all we have gone through if we didn’t have god on our side and three cords in our marriage. Studying the bible was the best thing we could have ever done. I just wished I had become what I am today long before that. But I can neither change the past nor would I ever.

See my life was more than a major hurricane. I was far from anything anyone would really care to deal with. I had done things I should have never done like 2 abortions and I lost one child, I have affairs, tried to take my own life several times and I had one child that never knew her real father, and three that had their father but finally gave them up for my husband to adopt. Had two failed marriages, I did drugs and drank too much at times, I was raped and molested and my life was more than I could take and on top of that I was always told I would never amount to anything.

Tom was there to help me every step of the way. He was my strength alongside of Jehovah. I cannot thank my dear friend Laurie enough for dragging me to meet such a wonderful and loving man as I found in Tom. Yes I can put it out there because I know I am so much better now than I could have been if I never opened the door for the two sisters that came to see me weekly. Tom didn’t take long to end his search for the true either. We got married three weeks after our first date. We were baptized in 1994 together and we raised our children in the truth. But now I have the pain of knowing I may lose them permanently to the world. A mother can only pray that they will return to it before it is too late. I have the most beautiful grandchildren and they mean more than anyone could ever know. Surviving together can only be my icing on my cake. As for my dearest friend Laurie, I have the hope and faith that we will soon be united when the resurrection comes along with my children I lost all those years ago and all our loved ones that have passed too.

I still find myself struggling and will till this old world ends. My house is falling apart more and more every day, I ended my job due to things I could never agree with, my husband is disable and our parents are getting older and need us. I sometimes lay in bed all night praying for things to change faster than they have but what would happen if my children don’t come home and the end comes. These are the things I think about day in and day out. I don’t care if my house falls in around me if I don’t have my kids and grandchildren and Tom it just seems all for nothing. But I know no matter how bad things get I have Jehovah on my side and that is all I need to truly survive. Without him in my live I would have, wow I may not even be here today. But I have more than I need and I have my health and my hubby. Life is what it is and I would not change it because I changed when I put on that new personality all those years ago. That suits me just fine. I am thankful for all those year, through good and bad happy and sad I know things will be just fine. Jehovah has promised me that.

When that time comes and I can be invited to meet all those loved ones in the time when Jesus calls them back, there will be no more dysfunction in my world it will all be functional and loving , never seeing the pain again. Happy are those who call upon the name of Jehovah, for he will bring us back to that garden of Eden and there will be no more death sickens, wars and so much more gone forever here on earth.  Rev 21:3-4 

I hope you all find peace and love in the coming year as I have. I will continue to pray for all to join us before the last of the last days.  

October was a Hard Month and Better Futures

      We have recently had dogs come up on our property again. This time was more than devastating because they had found their way into our hog pen. We had our  two goats in with the hogs. The dogs or dog that was caught in the pen had killed our female goat Cloe,  and maimed our male goat Jacob on his back leg. My husband did manage to put the dog down as there is no law or department for removing strays in our county and the sheriff's department gave us the go ahead.

     We tried to save Jacobs leg but it was too mangled and we did not see it was a humane thing to keep him alive in pain and crippled as he was. Our son in law helped to take care of putting him down and burying him. I hated to have to make such an awful decision but we had no choice. Both goats were pets.

    I hate that so many people feel like the country is the place to dump off their stray dogs. We always seem to find them on our property and ending up killing our animals. On a happier note we did rescue a Chihuahua on the way home from my students house. Someone had dumped two off but one did not make it so fortunately.  We asked the neighbors there if it was someones in the neighborhood and that was when we found out there had been two. He is a chocolate and tan older guy. When we picked him up and he was disoriented and very dehydrated. We got him home and fed and watered him, gave him some silver water and walked him. Later he was sitting with my husband and started to have seizures.
He has two as far as we could tell. After a good night of rest he still survived and after a few days he was acting much more like a well dog again. We named him Coco Loco. Now he is a spoiled rotten baby that gets covered up in the chair beside me and acts like a young man now. He loves the attention and the g kids love him too. We also have two new kittens.

    We have begun to cull out the hogs and have food for the winter. I actually helped to dress my first hog. What a job I have still got to grind up the extras for sausage. I might do that tomorrow. At least  I know we will be eating good for a while. We have two more left to dress and one will go to my student's family. In the mean time I made up a few pies, pumpkin and caramel and an apple one. Today my g kids made chocolate cookies and oatmeal ones too. We love to bake here.
   
       I have finished up at the Marcus Center this week and am back at my school. It was a sad to have to leave, but I learned so much and have a whole new perspective on how to teach and deal with Autism. When I got back to my school I was asked to join the Special Education Behavioral team.  This entails getting certified as a registered behavior technician. This will be something I will have to study hard for the exam. I feel very honored and blessed to be asked to join this team.I feel like the blessing will be continued on for many other students and will help other teachers who have students that are dealing with Autism in their class rooms. I never expected to have this position to serve my children in such a way to help teachers also and I feel extreme happiness for this opportunity.  I have to say that Jehovah is and has been at my side through all of this.  I will miss my new found family at the Marcus  Center , but will go to visit when I get a chance.

     We have been blessed with a beautiful new  baby g daughter Willow, Oct 23, and we couldn't be prouder of our daughter Kelly. Despite losses of the month we had more blessing to be thankful for. Here's to new beginnings, and a new month.

Autism: Something that has Taken Our Children

Autism: Something that has Taken Our Children

     As many of you know I have been working at the Marcus Autism Center (M.A.C.) in Atlanta. It has opened my eyes to see we have more than just a small amount of children affected by this problem. It doesn’t pick a color or race size or background, it is like a cancer taking so many of our beautiful children away from us. Yet we can have a little bit of hope.

     I have been working with everyone there in my small classroom. These folks are the most loving and happy bunch of people I have ever worked with in a classroom situation. They are training our children to see the positive things in life, as they have enough negative issues in their lives already. Yes, it is a rigorous and sometimes seemingly a bit crazy experience, but when you see these training techniques truly work, you begin to see the most amazing things happen. Change in, traits that someone untrained would never think could ever work.

     Training is not just for children, but also all family members, paraprofessionals and caregivers and teachers. This school is one of the only schools on the USA that specializes in the spectrum. I have met many people, from all over the place and this is not just a week training but they start children out at as early as three years old, and serve them all the way up to the age of 22. They are highly trained and have Doctors and Specialists on their team.  There are many young people sharing their love and skills with each of these children on a daily basis. These folks have degrees that continue on as they train too. If it wasn’t so far I would join them.

     I am so happy to be a part of this training and they make me feel so right at home, so much so that I wish my training days would not end. I feel so wanted and loved. I have learned so much, and to be able to go back and help others as I continue to work at the school in East Jackson I hope gives me a greater joy to help them.

     

If you have a child that has been taken by autism I would recommend this wonderful school for every parent, school or caregiver. It gives a great piece of mind and hope for all discouraged. Please do some research and see for yourself. There truly is hope.

Tearing Down the Barn!

     I know that everyone has heard of the three little pigs and how the wolf blew their houses down but now I have a story about the 23 pigs who tore the barn down. We had all but one pig penned up in the right side of the barn yard with a couple of goats and one pig is that pig was earlier terrorizing my yard and gardens ended up in the left side of the barn in that pen. We have 12 new pigs that have been born this year and we are back to having them run the yard because they are small enough to go through the fence. They have also dug their way under the barn walls to go from one pen to the other.

Broken Barn Wall

     Today the hubby calls me on his way down the drive telling me he doesn't see any pigs in the right side pen and would I check it out. Sure I tell him. When I got down there all of the pigs had moved from one side of the barn to the other. They had up rooted a board that was dividing the two sides of the barn and broke the corner off so they can move freely between the two pens. In the meantime one of the bigger baby pigs had once again got its head caught under the gate and was stuck there. (You would think they would learn after doing it yesterday.) I lifted the gate to let him loose and he took off to the other side of the pen. I know our barn is in need of an overhaul because these guys are so destructive. Just another thing needing to be done here on the farm. This is what pigs do tear up and mud up.

My big boy Jamie  now he could tear up some mud!

Left side of barn 

Right side of barn

     Meanwhile, I cleared all the lambs quarters weed out from around the pen and fed it to the pigs until feeding time. That seemed to make them happy. I sure hope they can make it for a little longer so we can get the pasture electric fence  restored from the goats and donkeys so we can put them out there for the fall. We might not have a barn at the rate they are going.

     Next time we will talk about this little pig went to market.

Thankful

Hey guys,

     As you all may know by my post that I am proud to be one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. I have been studying for almost 30 years now and trying to do my part as a minister to send out the “Good News of the Coming New Earth and Heavenly Kingdom of HIS Son Christ Jesus.

     Today I want to let you all know that I would have not been in the place I am today if I had not found the truth all those years ago. I am thankful to be alive and serving such a wonderful God as Jehovah. He has seen me through many hard times and giving me many happy memories of the past. I have been blessed with a wonderful family 3 girls and 2 boys, and soon to have the 7^th grandchild arrive. I have a wonderful husband of almost 30 years and a roof over my head and a job, and a small farm, not to mention my health and wonderful friends in the truth. What more can I ask for?

     I pray for my children every day that they too can find true happiness and serve alongside of Thomas and me one of these days. These are the things that make life good; family, one united in the truth and loving one another.  I would love to share my Godly Devotion with all of you in this time as we all see that this wicked system we are living in proves we are living in the last days as stated at Chapter 24 of Matthew. It is not too late to say you too will join the meek one of the earth (Ps 37:11).

Today and always I am thankful for all I have. I hope you also find this happiness in your life.