My Neighborhood Graveyard

The hills, valleys and trees are all frosted over around our place and is very beautiful. Cold but beautiful.

I wanted to take a walk up the hill through a plowed under wheat field to take pictures of an old graveyard. I recruited Larry to come with me so we bundled up in warm clothes and coats and went on a little hike.

The grave markers were from the early 1800's to the middle 1800's and were scattered over an area. No rhyme or reason to the burying it looked like. Quite a few of the markers were knocked over and destroyed.

The marker was for a 3 year old and 4 year old. People that lived back then didn't live very long. I'm grateful for knowledge that we have today to take care of ourselves.

She seems to be watching over the valley.

A view from the graveyard. I love this picture of the old barn.

Larry nice and bundled up. It's around 22 degrees give or take a couple of degrees.

I'm in the middle of the graveyard looking up to the top of the wheat field.

On our way back down the hill to the truck. It was a beautiful view.

Our home road curving into a white wonderland.

At first I thought it sad that these people were buried up in a remote area where they seemed all alone but then I remembered that they are not there.They are in the spirit world and when the time comes for them to return to their bodies they'll know where to come to get them and they will no longer be up on that hill. 

But until then it's a peaceful sort of place to be.

Winter Garden

For the last several weeks around here we have been freezing cold. Ice has formed on everything. 

My sunshine, even if covered in ice crystals.

Strawberry plants under the cover of snow and ice.

Our raspberry bushes.

Blueberry bushes.

A view of most of the garden.

Apple trees. Next month I start trimming them.

I pray that this freeze hasn't killed our berry, herbs or fruit trees.

We are still enjoying the produce from our garden that we had this last year. Strawberries, Raspberries, Blueberries, Plums, Apple cider, frozen vegetables and fresh acorn squash, butternut squash and spaghetti squash. We are thankful.

Today Was Bitter Sweet, Goodbye Agnus and Francis

Larry and I have been discussing on whether or not it was a smart idea to keep Agnus and Francis our Nubian goats that we have had for 1 1/2 years. We originally got the goats for part of our food storage. The thing is I didn't plan to love them as I do. I kept going over pros and cons in my head and the reality was we would financially be better off to add powdered milk (which we already have) to our food storage and other supplies than to fork out money each month to feed and take care of the goats. Also when we left town it was a hassle to get someone to come and feed the goats. I kept putting off advertising them for sale. I didn't want anyone to buy them for meat and this time of year that would be very likely. We were about to run out of alfalfa pellets and I didn't want to buy any more so I e-mailed Kim who I bought the goats from to ask her the best way to sell them and to let her know the reason why we were. She responded and said that she would be willing to take the goats back. OK now what? Do I give them back to her and try and sale them and get a little something for them? I thought about it for a couple of days and called her this morning to talk. I asked her if I brought them back what did she plan on doing with them. She told me that she would keep them and breed them, sell their babies and milk them. Agnes and Francis's moms were still with there. By the end of the conversation I was crying. After taking care of them I know I will feel a loss when they were gone. This afternoon Larry and I drove them to town in the back of  Larry's truck and took them to reunite with their moms.

Bitter = I will miss them.

Sweet = They will be somewhere where they will be loved still AND I can visit them.

Exploring and checking out what goodies might be had.

Moving back in with their moms, getting reacquainted

  with family and friends.

Agnes already has a boyfriend. Expect a baby in 5 months or so. I mean literally because we saw the action.  She wanted to have a baby it looked like to me.

Kissing again.

Agnes and Francis looked like they were going to be happy there so I'm happy. Did I cry when I we were leaving them. You betcha.