Thing One on the walk, ruffed by the wind.
Tulips.
Mia and two Murphys. It is going to be a short year for pasture, we are still recovering from two dry years. And to be truly sustainable I can only run a very small flock of sheep. After that the land suffers. So the lambs will be leaving the farm after a few weeks on the good pasture. I am sorry to say that I have decided that Mia will leave too. This was a hard decision. But the right one.
She was my first hand reared sheep but the agony she goes through every year, when I have to go in and pull out all those dead lambs one after the other is just beyond cruel. Awful. This has happened twice now and she has only just survived each time. And she is still lacking vigor. I have only a few paddocks and it is impossible to keep her away from the ram in the fall. It would be evil of me to allow her to get pregnant and then lose all her lambs in the most terrible way year after year. She cannot breed. Sad, but one of the things we have to deal with as organic/sustainable farmers is taking out the ones who get infections or cannot breed. I am sorry.
Lets think about something else for a minute. The walls have been clad, and the men come back today to tape and mud the cracks. Suddenly the room looks small and echoey. However we are moving forward at a rapid rate now.
Apple blossom. This is where we stand under the apple trees and inhale…
then exhale. There are some beautiful moments on the little farm that allow us breathing space to deal with the difficult ones. There breathe in…
then breathe out. Cherry blossom.
The grapes are leafing out..
And the peaches are setting.
New trees in the daily view. Mr M’s on the far right (North), by the yellow fire hydrant, once the leaves come out you will see the trees better.
And a roof for the Coupe. A great accomplishment. The black on the side of the old house is builders paper, once the roof is finished they will start that side.
Good morning my darling friends. I hope you do not feel too bad about Mia. But my promise at the beginning of this blog is that I will tell you the truth of things. You all know about life and its ups and downs. No need to go into it. Every life is like this. We just see it more clearly and simply on a farm.
Author was collected into a cage last night in case she needs an operation today. I will take her in to the vet shortly. She has become more and more lethargic in the last 24 hours. For two days she has slept in the empty indoor pig pen. Both her kittens were lost. She was too young being only a kitten herself.
This is not a happy clappy post is it. Let’s go back to the apple blossom and stand under there for a while, listen to the bees and breathe in that heady scent. It will be better soon.
Have a lovely day.
your quiet friend, celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
64 responses to “The scents of spring help soften the hard decisions.”
Nature dresses for spring to cheer you with what has to be the hard choices – all farmers must make them, something many don’t understand. I often tell loudly outraged anti-meat eaters some of the most caring / most animal friendly people I know are small farmers who raise livestock. Farmers actually see and experience life’s cycles: sadness and joy. They know their animals.
These are not lawn ornaments. They are farm animals and farmers do what is best for each.
Paws crossed for Author.
I was going to ask the obvious about Mia a few weeks back: thought you would decide to let her go and keep Blue Murphy . . . Yes, it would be lovely for all of you and us loving the farmy to see her placed, but then you need for the table too, don’t you! Am wondering about darling Author too: you’ll be able to tell in the next post . . . and then there are the beautiful blosssoms on the tree and the ground to make a little difference . . .
Sad. I read another blog today (The Common Wanderer) about coming upon a dying bird that had just been dropped by an owl and deciding to let nature take its course. In a way, this is the same sort of dilemma you have. Love that lets go is not cruel; it is honest and true. Mia might have ended up with humans who kept her, but did not love her due to her “weakness.” Suffering from a physical condition is one thing, but even for a sheep suffering from lack of love, now that is true suffering. Mia is fortunate.
Dear, sweet Celi, my heart goes out to you and all of your lovely creatures. Life, and death, go on. The world has its hard edges, to be sure. Thank goodness for the beautiful and gentle and blossom-scented parts that bring us through. Peace, my darling.
K
Dear Celi, living as close to the earth and its rhythms as you do, you live the cycle of birth life, death and renewal which never ends, bringing with it all the emotions that make our lives so rich,,, and reading about your farmy, and the love and the comings and goings makes our life richer too, thank you.
The blossoms are heavenly. And of course tough decisions have to be made. That’s life. No need to apologise for it.
Hard decisions are just that . . . HARD. 😦
I understand. It is just like that sometimes.
So sorry about so many things. Farming is tough on land and hearts of GOLD
Be well
HUGS