Feeling Frazzled

I've been going 0 to 60 since last week and the hectic pace is quickly catching up to me.  "If I can just make it one more day," screams in my head.  Kid's schedules, managing the Ranch, part time work at a nonprofit, and the deterioration of the cleanliness of my house are taking its toll on my body AND my sanity.  Seriously, you do NOT want to come over right now, yuck!  Thankfully, my littlest ranch hand, with a servant's heart, is stepping up to help her poor mama.  She is there when I need her, only getting frustrated when she doesn't get the credit she is due.  God bless her, and her sisters for calming poor mama down when my head is spinning and my plates are crashing to the ground.  What I wouldn't do without the calming influence of my hubby and kiddos in the midst of chaos.

Stuck in the Muck, Yuck!!!

A week ago the Colorado Front Range Foothills were blessed (note the hint of sarcasm here) with over two feet of snow.  Over the past week that two feet has melted into a disgusting, stinky, mucky mess that I am helpless to do anything about it.  To add insult to injury, the past few days have brought more rain and snow to the Ranch.  My chicken run has turned into a nasty cesspool, and my goats are hopping from tire feeder to tire feeder to get out of the muck.  I'm tired of the rain, the snow, and winter for that matter.  I'm ready for warm temperatures, dry weather, and a chance to clean pens.  I'm getting grumpy with the gloom, and the only critters that seem to not mind the weather are the ducks!

A Letter to Winter

Erudite navigating through 2+ feet of snow.

Dear Winter,
I am not sure if you are aware of the date on the calendar, but winter ended nearly a month ago yet I look out my window and see that you have not relinquished your icy grasp on the Rocky Mountains.  Personally, I prefer my snow in January, not April.  The foothills have seen snow since Wednesday evening, and despite our desperate need for moisture we would rather see rain and green grass.  My chicken coop is a soggy mess and Dauntless and triplets are itching to go out of their shelter.  I implore you to please pass the torch to spring and enjoy a nice vacation until your return in December.

Sincerely,
Sonja

Happy Poultry!

Yesterday my chickens and ducks enjoyed sun and warmth. Today they're stuck in the coop having woken up to heavy, wet snow.  The Colorado foothills are awaiting a two foot snow event by tomorrow evening.  Ahhhhh, springtime in the Rockies!!

Cute Little Fluffy Butts

Seven sweet ducklings and eleven chicks have joined the ranch.  Egg sales have increased, now it's time for more birds. I've gotten a few pretty ones, the rest are good layers.

Torn Between Two Worlds

I live a hectic, yet simple life now.  My days are filled with my kids' activities, work with the Colorado Horsecare Foodbank, and ranch chores.  I grew up smack dab in the middle of suburbia.  My pets weren't livestock or even dogs for that matter, they were fish and hamsters and a guinea pig.  I didn't live on acreage.  I loved malls and fashion and metropolitan life.  Oh, how God had other plans for me!

My fashion plans were cut short by marriage and children.  A move to the Rockies opened the door for a new adventure.  I've always loved animals.  Though very allergic to cats as a child, I would play with them until my eyes swelled.  I tried to catch bunnies in the backyard with laundry baskets and carrots.  Now I breed Nigerian Dwarf goats, raise chickens and ducks, and own 7 dogs and 5 cats.

Recently, I had a night out with hubby.  We went to a local mall that is more of a destination than a mall with more high-end stores than I've ever seen in one place.  I felt awkward, underdressed walking among all of the high fashion.  Designers I had loved and followed in my youth now having lost touch with as I grow older.  I began to long for the luxurious fabrics, latest fashions, designer labels.  My mind swam with questions; what am I doing, why am I farming, why can't I be like everyone else in suburbia.  Hubby and I had an amazing night despite my insecurities rearing their ugly heads.

Once home, I was reminded of why I'm doing what I'm doing.  I'm no longer a fashionista.  I no longer follow fashion trends and crave the latest thing.  My ranch brings me great joy, I belong there.  I'm happiest mucking pens, collecting eggs, and cuddling baby goats.  The running joke is that the floors in our house are the "barn floor" with kids, cats, and dogs tracking mountain dirt in.  Sweaty and without makeup doesn't bother me one bit.  I may long for my old life from time to time, but I realize I'm not that person.  I've grown, I've changed, I'm the person I should be, a farmer!

Embrace the Mess

I looked across the kitchen this morning at the clutter of life.  Most of it belongs to the kids.  My dining table has become a dumping ground for backpacks, coats, and school papers.  I claim the disaster on the hutch, that's where bills go to die.  Too often, I frustrate myself with all of this, the clutter and the mess.  Then I step back and think about how miserable life would be without the kids clutter, their daily hullabaloo, how quiet and clean it will be when they leave, and I embrace the mess.