The News

Dulce and Carmelita have two speeds, on and off. The on speed involves bouncing and kicking and running in circles. Just like human toddlers, off speed is curled up, sound asleep, anywhere and everywhere the little gals find a spot to lie down. They are healthy and lovely. We enjoy seeing them try to fool Coco and Priscilla with a little tandem nursing. Sometimes it works and sometimes they get a butt and a kick. I know that most dairy farmers take the baby off the mama cow right after birth. We would definitely get more milk. But there is something precious about watching the family dynamics of the herd. Mama cows are protective and affectionate. At this point in our farm plan, I think we will share milk with the girls, at least for a little while. It brings me joy to watch the babies and their mamas and I think it also makes for a very healthy happy herd.

Priscilla still has some udder edema. I don't know how long it will take to clear up. But she looks better. It is obvious that Dulce is getting a decent supply of milk.

Weather here is cloudy. Not as cold. Rain is forecasted for this evening. The mud is a disaster. Thanks to a neighbor and a friend Philip was able to get the suburban and trailer out of the bog that used to be our front lawn. The creek is running briskly. We don't really enjoy the mess, but we are thankful for the gift of moisture to our water table. Drought is a bad thing.

Every time I begin to complain about uncomfortable circumstances I try to stop and pray for Haiti. I remind the children that even in the most miserable of chores, at least we can come back to sit in front of the fireplace or cuddle underneath clean blankets in our very own beds. We have running water to help wash our pots and pans, and gas to run the stove to cook all the food we have in our freezer. Circumstances in Haiti are so brutally indescribable, I feel inadequate and overwhelmed just listening to the news on the radio. What to do to help? We pray for God to make a way for the helpful provisions to get into the hands of the needy. We pray for God to line up families for the poor children who lost their parents. We pray for comfort for the grief that can know no comfort. We pray for hope and for restoration and for the hungry to have food and for each soul to know love. We pray for God to show us what little thing we can do that would actually count.

I pray for those souls to know courage and to have an incredibly large portion of faith given to them, so that when they are overwhelmed they will not give up. And I pray for the wicked to be stopped from robbing and hurting and destroying.