2020 Reflection – The Good, The Bad, and The Blessings
Turns out, my Grandma was right. When we were little I remember her saying, “Don’t wish away your time as it goes faster the older you get.” At the time I thought maybe grandma was losing it a bit; time is time, it can’t go faster. But I get it now. Lately, I find my weeks, months, seasons, years, are running together. I’ll start a sentence, “Last week…” or “This summer…” only to realize last week or this summer was actually a month ago or last summer. Not sure if it’s just something that comes with age, or because we’re constantly busy, but I definitely feel like someone is stepping on the accelerator of time.
So, as 2020 comes to a close, I want to take a moment to reflect back on the year – the good, not so good and everything in between. Living through a pandemic certainly gives you a new appreciation for the blessings in life; particularly, on the farm, where there’s (what seems to be anyway) a never ending supply of highs and lows.
The Good
Oh there’s always so much good around the farm. A few highlights from this year:
Life
We are fortunate to witness the miracle of birth on a regular basis around our homestead and each time is as awe inspiring as the time before. No matter how busy you are, life just pauses for a moment to welcome a new life into the world…even if you’re up to your eyeballs in a mud-filled disaster and you suddenly realize your favorite cow is giving birth at that very moment. Almost a month early. To twins! You stop and give thanks for the new life and the miracle you just witnessed. It’s an indescribable feeling when you see a new mom instinctively nurture her new born, no matter what the species, she knows that the little life is relying on her to survive.
Weather
We had beautiful growing weather this year. Spring dried out relatively quickly which allowed the cows to return to pasture earlier than usual. We had rain when needed and plenty of warm days too, which kept the pastures healthy and allowed us to put up the hay we need. One of the biggest sighs of relief we breathe is when we have enough hay in the barn to provide for our 100+hay eaters over the winter months.
Vegetables Galore
Our garden was bountiful and the great growing conditions gave us the opportunity to grow some of the best tomatoes and sweet corn we’ve produced. We even supplied a few flowers to a special couple for their wedding day. I love being able to share the fruits of our labor with our neighbors, family and friends. With the help of the kids, we harvested hundreds of pounds of tomatoes, squash, peppers, corn, pumpkins, most of which we shared with others. Even our chickens and goats appreciated the abundance of produce this year, happily devouring any of the misfit veggies we sent their way. We froze sauces and veggies for winter use which leads me to one of my 2021 goals – learn how to can produce.
The Bad
Unfortunately, as we all know, life’s not always sunshine and roses, particularly on a farm.
Death
This year we sadly had to say goodbye to one of our senior equine friends and one particular calf that broke our hearts.
Demarco lived to the ripe old age of 30+, which is quite old in horse years. Demarco’s health was in gradual decline so we made the decision that he would enjoy the summer to the fullest. Come fall, we would humanely put him down so his tired body wouldn’t have to endure another harsh winter. As the senior citizen on campus and knowing his days were dwindling, we let Demo get away with a bit more than the younger horses – he enjoyed his summer lazily grazing in our front yard and eating carrots galore.
On a warm morning in August, Demo decided it was his time to go, relieving us of the burden of making that decision. We said our goodbyes and his favorite person was their to comfort him as he left this world. He’s now buried in our hay field next to his best bud that passed a couple years ago.
Oh, Hope. Hope was born in May and we think she was a twin. Sometimes when cows have twins, they’ll care for only one baby and abandon the other. We think that’s what happened with Hope. Hope was born a fighter, though. We’d see her sneaking milk from any cow that would let her nurse, her will to survive was rather remarkable. Even though our favorite cow, 316, had twins of her own to nurture, she also tried to care for Hope. To help her along, we tracked Hope down in the pasture twice a day to supplement her milk intake with bottles of milk.
Unfortunately, after a harsh storm, Hope ended up with pneumonia so we brought her into the barn to help her recover. Her health was a rollercoaster all summer and we nursed her back to health multiple times. She became the family pet as it was clear living in the pasture wasn’t in her best interest. Sadly, we could never restore her to health and she died at the end of summer.
Mud Season
An unfortunate reality of living in a climate with four distinct seasons is the never ending supply of mud during the transition of winter to spring. While we welcome the warmer weather, we certainly could do without the mud. The simplest task such as bringing hay to the cows often becomes a monumental adventure with stuck equipment. Thankfully, the mud doesn’t last that long and the thawing means green pastures are right around the corner.
The Blessings
Through the highs and lows of farming and life, we are constantly surrounded by blessings. Whether it’s watching the calves frolic in the pasture, or just pausing for a second to watch our children as they grow into young adults, the blessings that surround us are endless. I could write for days about all we are thankful for, but I won’t. Instead, I just want to take a moment to say thank you to our most cherished blessing of all; you – our family and friends.
We are extremely grateful for the support of our family and friends. There’s no lack of work around the farm and we appreciate the endless help we receive from many people in our lives. We have the best volunteer grounds keeping, fence painting, fabricating crew around! But it’s not just the free labor that we appreciate; it’s the words of encouragement when we’re struggling or the excitement shared with us as we experience success, or the willingness to drive to the farm just to spend the day with us. We are blessed to have so many great and giving people in our lives. Thank you!
Here’s to 2021!
We look forward to a safe, healthy and uneventful 2021 and we wish the same for you and your family!
