imagination

Jenny is out of town for a couple of days. Usually she milks Fancy, our Jersey milk cow, and I milk the goats and do the other barn chores. Well, I guess Fancy didn’t like the feel of my hands, or my singing, or something. Either way it was clear she wasn’t happy about something. She kicked the snot out of me twice. Cows can pack a powerful wallop if they have a mind to. I kept at it though. It wouldn’t have paid to let her think that she could just kick her way out of being milked by me. I didn’t end up with much milk, but we got it done. I can’t wait for Jenny to get back.

We are living a life beyond our wildest imaginings. Actually, I used to dream about a life like this. Living on a farm, teaching part time and farming part time. Then I lost track of those dreams for about 20 years. In a haze of alcohol, false starts, and tangled dreams I struggled along until one day I woke up here. You can’t get here from where I was. In fact, you can’t even see here from where I was. But here I am. The only way I can make some sense of those years is to remember that everything that has happened up until now has led me to here. And for that I am grateful because here is a pretty wonderful place to be. I have been truly blessed.

Grace. Unmerited favor.

“We develop an imagination and with this imagination, we reach for God. We live out of the worldview that our imagination has created.” - Father Richard Fragomeni

Imagination is the soil in which my garden grows. The deep, rich humus that nurtures it. “Humus” is the root word from which the word “humility” is derived. Humility means, literally, “earthly”. To be humble is to be of this earth. And we are, indeed, of this earth. Connected. To each other, to God, to Christ, and to the earth that nourishes us. And this is what the Eucharist say to me. That when we come to the table with Christ, we are invited to embrace God. To embrace our connectedness to all with is earthly and all that is heavenly.

So here I am. Relaxing after my contest of wills with Fancy the milk cow. Nursing my wounds. Listening to Bob Dylan on the stereo and contemplating my relationship with God, and man, and this earth we live on. Feeling blessed and at peace. Even at peace with Fancy.

Raw Milk Dairy

Yes, I can say that in print in Idaho. We are a fully legal raw milk dairy in the state of Idaho. After a couple of weeks of self-doubt, during which we sold almost no milk, sales are really picking up. What a blessing. We are so very excited. We sold milk and two kinds of cheese today. The feta cheese is almost always of consistant high quality. The mozzerela is a little bit less consistant but always tastes fantastic. The milk is simply out of this world.

Due to some poor planning on our (my) part we may go through a dry spell with no goats or cows in milk in June and July. Fancy, our Jersey cow, will calve in July and we will again be swimming in milk. We have no idea when or if our goats will kid and will be without when Whisper dries up. We are trying to purchase a bred milk goat or two, but it seems unlikely at this point.

Our pure-bred Berkshire hogs are so delicious from last year that we are going to buy another two piglets this year from the same farm. We also have spoken for a beef calf. How exactly we are going to pay for all this is requiring something of a leap of faith. "Leap before you Look!"

Life is a really grand adventure. Farm, family, and friends take all of my time right now and I wouldn't have it any other way. We are indeed so very, very blessed.

More cow pictures

Here are some better pictures of Fancy our new Jersey milk cow. She is wonderful. We sold milk at the food co-op today. We are able to get a license in Idaho to sell "raw" milk. We are really excited and really, really busy. What a blessing this life is.

My Mornings

Just some funny pictures of Jenny and I milking the animals this morning. Blessings

Love Multiplies

Love is multiplication not division. The more people you love, the more love there is. Love is not divided by how many people you love. With every person you love, the amount of love just multiplies.

Late night here. Just listening to Bob Dylan and the Band. Relaxing in the quiet. The house is peaceful and asleep. I a peaceful too, just not asleep.

I mentioned a meditation a few days ago and I realized that I had been living in fear instead of faith for a few weeks. It seems to have passed. I do have faith. Faith in God. Faith in this family. Faith in this farm. And, even a certain amount of faith in myself.

It really doesn’t matter if we make money on the farm. What matters is the journey. The adventure. What matters is that we try. In order for your dreams to come true, first you must dream.
I was at a meeting tonight. We were meditating and sharing about “gratitude”. I am so grateful for what I have. Not the “stuff” I have. I am grateful for all the gifts I have been given…through Grace. I am grateful for my relationship with God. I am grateful for this family. For my wife. For this farm. For my friends. For this incredible journey. I am indeed incredibly blessed.