I've missed talking to you this summer.
Kai has changed and grown so much, his little words starting to really come out. He walks around calling "Muno" for Bruno. Chore time is his favourite time of the day. Wearing either his own or one of his sisters' hats, he tromps out the door, across the lawn and down to the barn. Rarely does he fuss about walking far, he's just happy to be along. He's a true farmer at heart!
I missed telling you about the how the girls took over chick chores in the brooder this summer, getting their first chance at responsibility and earning a bit of money at the same time. They were proud of their accomplishments and we were so proud watching them but of course that's a parent's response:)
I rarely talked about the cattle, the joy we get out of watching them move into new pasture every day. Cattle therapy really should be a thing because it is so relaxing!
Something about walking through nature every day, watching the seasons change under your feet and around you changes your perspective.
But I could also have told you about the mornings that came too soon after evenings that were too long with chores. Frustrations when pigs got out or that last calf didn't go where it was supposed to. The clock that never stopped ticking and the deadlines, even self-imposed, that we missed because things weren't properly in place.
I'm choosing not to dwell on that, other than to say that it was a hard summer and almost all our energy went into making sure the animals were fed and watered and where they were supposed to be when they were supposed to be there. It seems like a hard summer and finding out we were taking a loss with farming was the last sucker punch.
But there was also so much beauty and one of those pieces of beauty I'm going to miss so so much is the conversations in the farm store or through email, though I hope those don't stop!
I just love when you come here, share about your day to day, the new baby or grandbaby, the new recipe you tried out that you loved, the extreme joy or sadness you faced in something.
I know we are making the right decision for our family for right now and if the Lord wills, we will be back in some greater capacity at some point. But that doesn't take away from the sadness I still feel about this decision, the way I worry that we are not being fair to you or to ourselves in some way, even though I know we couldn't keep going the way we were.
I struggle with feeling guilty for taking away this local food source for you, although I hope you'll check out the option we are still leaving open at this point.
All in all, we hope God will continue to be glorified through our lives here as we seek to better our little corner of the world we are currently in.
In the meantime, the farmstore will remain open through the end of the year so be sure to check it out and place your order today!
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