Merry Christmas

So I am sitting here traveling late Christmas night and looking out my windows at the southern California 'countryside' (how this collection of buildings can be a countryside I don't know) and noticing how many businesses are closed. Other than gas stations and fast food places the stores are dark and parking lots empty. It has nothing to do with the fact that it is 9:00 on a Sunday night, it is Christmas. It gets me thinking about the annual bemoaning of the "secularization of Christmas." Always we hear about how secular the holiday has become and how bad it is. I am actually rather grateful for the secularization. In the area we are now traveling through is there really enough Christian influence to close down whole businesses for a religious holiday? I don't think so. Because Christmas has changed into a holiday that anyone can celebrate, most everyone does. This is not a new event unique to the current generations either. Look at the classic story of "A Christmas Carol". The only mention of a religious figure in the story is found if you split the central word of the title. The story is not about what some would call the true meaning of Christmas, but about a man learning that, at least on this one day, we need to really see and be involved in the lives of others. That "mankind is our business." If that is all some people get out of the day, how much better is the world for that. So bring on the Santas and the shopping. The odd Christmas songs and the parties. For a short time in the year let everyone celebrate in what ever way and for what ever reason the time that, as Dr. Who says, we are coming out of the dark. The darkness of winter and the darkness of our own narrow lives. Merry Christmas and "God bless us, everyone."

Happy spring

We have two new calves, two new pigs, and two new chicks. You would think it was spring. The calves were expected, but not this soon, the pigs were inevitable once the calves came, and the chicks are most exciting because they were least expected.

We thought the milk cow wouldn't calve for another month. At least some did. The rest of us said the bull did not go in the cow pen because she had better hay, even if that was all he was doing when found. The second calf was more of a surprise. A nice pair of heifers though. And we get real milk again.

The chicks are cute. We have never had eggs hatch before. We have never had a rooster before. The hen started out with five eggs. One exploded early, not fertile apparently. Two may have hatched later, but I guess after a few days the hen decides to take care of the chicks she has and kicked out or broke the two that hadn't hatched. We still have two more chicks than we have ever had. Hopefully at least one is a hen. And I need better pictures. Time to recharge the real camera batteries.

Wow

I now have a way to blog without a computer. Watch out world. I can put my pictures and inane comments out in the world from the comfort of my couch with no previous thought. No current thought is really necessary either. So first I thought I would share a nice fall picture from last year as we are getting on to that time of year. Nothing like a golden forest of aspens.

Lambing

Time to attempt this once again. For a few days anyway. Lambing is in fullish swing. They don't seem to be lambing as fast this year. We have never had the shed full and only about six sets of triplets. Of course now that we are having triplets the singles have stopped so the adoption process is not going so well. Most of the ewes in the stanchion are ones that don't like their own lambs. The unpardonable sin, to not like your own lambs. Stay with your head stuck in the stanchion for a few days then get a bell buckled on that will make your ears ring for the next 11 months. Mean aren't we.

Sleep deprivation is setting in. And with today being fast Sunday, caloric deprivation has hit as well. So if anyone has chocolate chip cookies laying around, we need about 10 per day per person. I have heard that lack of sleep makes you crave sugar. I believe that. We are running low on all forms of this high and instant energy food. Kisses, gone. Wednesday's cookies, gone. Nasty store bought cookies that usually go to the pigs, gone. Gummy sour worms, gone before dark I am sure. Good thing this only lasts a few weeks. We would all be diabetic with all the refined sugar, except for the fact that we get constant exercise: walking, lifting, climbing, chasing, wrestling and pulling.

Enough with my semi-somnolent ramblings. Must go supervise the making of oatmeal cookies. Don't bother coming over for any. They will be gone tomorrow.