Goodbye Joleen!

We lost a member of family yesterday, Joleen! Her health had been failing since we moved onto the farm and we decided it was her time to go to doggie heaven. It makes us happy though that her last couple of months were on such a fun place living with us, the other dogs and the cats.

It always made us laugh to watch the cats torment her and walk by her swishing their tails because we knew in brief minute that she would let out a deep bark that would have the cats scurrying away telling them "I may not be able to chase you, but I can sure yell at you". We miss her terribly already and will for a while!!! We have gotten a tremendous amount of emails & text messages and we thank you for them.

Rock on Jo!!!!

Carrots, eggs & coffee.....

My mom sent me this email the other day and I wanted to share it with everyone! 


Are you a carrot, egg or coffee?

A carrot,  an egg, and a cup of coffee. You will never look at a cup of coffee the same way again. A young  woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She  did not know how she was going to make it and  wanted to give up. She was  tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one  arose. 

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots  with water and placed two on a high fire. Soon  the pots came to boil. In the first she placed  carrots, in the second she placed ground coffee beans and in the last she placed eggs. She lighted the fire under it. She let them sit and boil; without saying a word.  

In a few minutes she turned off  the burners. She fished the carrots out and  placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. 

Then she  ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me  what you see." 

"Carrots, eggs, and  coffee," she replied. 

Her mother brought  her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The  mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. 

Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled, as she tasted its rich  aroma the daughter then asked, "What does it  mean, mother?" 

Her mother explained that  each of these objects had faced the same  adversity: boiling water. Each reacted  differently. The carrot went in strong, hard,  and unrelenting. However, after being subjected  to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer  shell had protected its liquid interior, but  after sitting through the boiling water, its  insides became hardened. The ground coffee beans  were unique, however. After they were in the  boiling water, they had changed the water.  
"Which are you?" she asked her daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean? 

Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?  

Am  I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a break-up, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I  become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?  

Or am I like the coffee bean? The  bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things  are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

May you have enough  happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to  make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human and enough hope to make you happy. 

The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the best of  everything that comes along their way. The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can't go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches. 

When you were born, you were  crying and everyone around you was smiling.  

Live your life so at the end, you're the  one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying. 

I was an egg for part of my life, but now I am working on being the coffee! 

Rock on!

B

NEW GROWTH

Happy New Year! We all say, "I can't believe it's been another year, it's flown by so fast"! My brother told me he read an article that time really does go by faster as you get older. For example, as a four year old, a year gone by is 1/4 of your life span. As an 80 year old, a year is 1/80 of your life.....something about relativity of time. You get the point:) So time really does feel like it flies by. 

2012 is going to be such an awesome year of growth....mentally, physically, emotionally and financially. Something in the air just feels right. Do you ever have that feeling? This year I am going to live more, laugh more, love more, ride my horses more, eat more fruits and veggies, eat sugar in moderation and exercise more. I don't think that's too much to ask.

Matt has started our new growth already by getting our garden ready. I don't know who is more excited, him or me. He is excited about the actual growth of each plant and I'm excited about eating it:)  I  think we have our priorities straight.

Matt working outside on the garden.

The garden, a 12 x 20 area plus 3 raised beds. The 12 x 20 area will be for watermelons, cantelopes and strawberries. The raised beds will be for lettuce, garlic, potatoes, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers and I can't even remember what else. We do have 2 fig trees coming as well. Matt is looking into canning as well.

Here is the garlic Matt planted right after Thanksgiving.

Don't take anything for granted and live large!!