I recently had a homeschool mom email me and ask if we did farm tours.
They had just finished reading Charlotte’s Web and wanted to see and learn about real pigs on a real farm.
I LOVE farm visitors, so I said sure come on out!
They stepped out of the car and were excited to see the many, many chickens we have right now.
They have 3 hens in their suburban yard so the 9 year old in particular was jealous and said we were “so lucky” that we got to have more.
Next up were the pigs and especially the baby pigs.
While we were standing by the mamas and babies, a rat ran through the cement blocks that sit by the fence.
(They are there so I can step up and reach feed into the pen.)
They were so excited to see “Templeton”!
I hadn’t seen that rat there before so I was just as surprised and amazed as they were.
What are the odds….they came here to see Wilbur the pig and they get to see Templeton the rat too!
As awesome as that was, I had to be a little honest with them…the sight of the rat, while pretty fascinating, filled me with a little dread….rats can do a lot of damage to a farm.
Last fall, Lindsey and the kids replaced a number of feet of cement in the barn floor that the rats and burrowed under, broke up and hence destroyed.
There are also factors of disease… (hello bubonic plague!)
But despite that, it’s fun to see our farm through visitors’ eyes.
Most of the time, I see the endless work and worry….never-ending projects…weeds where they shouldn’t be…
But they see beautiful animals living the way God intended…the space and fresh air of the country…interesting looking machines…chickens happily pecking around…cute baby pigs…
It’s fun to be reminded there’s almost always a different perspective…you just have to remember to look for it.
What’s in the farm kitchen this week
When it comes time for chicken harvest, I stock up on soups to put into a roaster or crock pot to be ready to go after not spending the day outside processing.
This was a super tasty favorite this year!
I put some pork hocks and a decent amount of water into a roaster for about 12 hours. I pulled the meat off the bones and added soaked mixed dry beans, salt, pepper, garlic, potatoes, carrots, onions and celery to the mix for another 12 hours at a low temp.
So so so good. Mouth watering! Highly recommend!
(For those of you getting a half/whole hog from us, be sure to have the hocks saved for things like this! The other processing option is grinding up, but don’t give up this tasty part of the pig.)
Bible inspiration this week
Just like it was interesting seeing our farm through the fresh eyes of a stranger, sometimes I need a fresh set of eyes on God’s Word and it’s promises.
Satan LOVES nothing more than to help us think of God’s Word as boring and out of date.
Or if you’re a life-long Christian, that you “already know everything”.
The best way to combat the devil is opening up the Bible and starting to read.
For the word of God is alive and active.
Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
Hebrews 4:12
It’s amazing how just picking a page and starting to read has the wonderful truths come up off the page and settling in our brains for thinking about and learning from.
I heard a quote this past week: “A Bible that’s falling apart is usually owned by a person who isn’t.”
Encouraging you this week to read and read and read some more to allow God to bring his love into your life.
