So my dream won't die.

 The carrots come in and we pull up the rich dark earth with our bounty.

I'm so used to carrots being all nice and long and one size for the most part

but when you grow your own that's not the way they come up out of the earth.They come

up small and round, some big and long but they're all different. Grown from the same seed planted in the same dirt. My children working on this little farm of ours seeing the creation of God's handiwork and I love seeing their eyes light up at the wonder of animals and fresh produce.  

The girls busy helping work. It takes a lot to keep them on the task at hand and it takes me twice as long but I know that if I don't teach them to help they never will enjoy it as much later on.

So as I pull my food from the dirt, they wash and pick up. They work along side me and they're more work than the actual work itself, but they need the work. They need me to be along side them and help them. I don't send them to play by themselves or put them down for a nap. I tell them, "it's time to work put your boots on". They smile and coming willingly.

This country farm living they seem to like alright. They prance their way across these fields. They know this land. They know it's theirs as well as mine. They know where the ant hills are and they know where our clothes blow in the wind and soak up the suns heat. We get stools and make them stand tall as they practice hanging out clothes and learning to serve. Learning that the living has work to do.  

The living also has loving to do and with camera in hand I see the two at the bottom of the steps

in the early morning sun. Animals already been fed, clothes hung out, breakfast made and a little girl who is already tired. Needing encouragement to keep pulling through her tasks. She doesn't think she can....but we know different. We know we must teach her to love her life and the work that comes along with it. We each have it to be done and the little girl has to learn it.

So we pull her close and she works close to us so we can encourage.   

The cows need water

The chickens need food

Little boys need watching 

Honey needs picking up from Mr. Macky who keeps his bees on our property. The man in the funny suit who saves jars of honey for us every year.

I need to connect with my children. I need to be beside them so I can teach them and train them. They need to see the work. They need to be able to do the work or this farm and our dream dies when they grow up. When I'm put to dirt I want my dream of a small rural farm to still be running strong. I want them to understand that anything worth having will cost them.They will get dirty. They will get tired. But in the end this brief season I have with them to look into their eyes  and face and work beside them and with them, will be remembered for a life time.

summer 2012

blessings from the farm