Note: Since these updates are intended to be farm updates for a readership of various spiritual beliefs I’m planning on keeping them secular for the most part. But, as faith influences (or should) all aspects of one’s life you’re going to get a little of that part of me as well. I don’t expect to come across as arrogant, phony, preachy, or condemning when I touch on spirituality and you’re allowed to roll your eyes and skip over any subject you don’t want to read about.
The animals were fed a little late this morning because Ann and I slept in. Church was cancelled so no reason to hustle through chores. I read one sermon to myself and we listened together to another on-line before we started the day. I don’t think we honor the sabbath day as well as God intends but we do try to attend worship each weekend and spend some time relaxing, often with family and friends.
We socially-distanced hiked with Ann’s daughter, Liz, and her boyfriend (and hundreds of other families) and our dogs at Purgatory Chasm in Sutton on Saturday afternoon. Ann and I have been talking about visiting there for years, every time we drive by the sign on Route 146 South, but have never made it due to other activities and obligations. But this new reality of calendars being empty of “events” gave us a free afternoon to visit there. We had a great time and it was refreshing to see an unusual number of families with young kids out and about enjoying themselves. We decided that their afternoons would ordinarily have been taken up by sports team practices or other activities.
I realize a lot of people have been directly affected by illness of family members, loss or transition of jobs and investment savings, or with the stress and fear of exposure to family members working in the health care profession. To you our hearts and prayers go out.
There is also the group, though, that are enjoying this quieter, sort of eerily idylic life reminiscent of days gone by when shops and businesses were closed on Sundays and life was less hectic. Having free time isolating at home, folks are cleaning out basements, washing windows, and doing the little projects that they’ve been putting off for years because there was always work or another obligation to get them completed.
It’ll be interesting to see once this coronavirus crisis is over if there will be a stronger emphasis on quality and quieter time with family and friends and lives less full of busyness. Maybe even a time when the Sabbath day is kept in a way that honors our creator.
Lots to reflect on these days… Next week I promise the updates will be more farm related!
Lambs: They are doing well. I’ve been supplementing the two smaller female lambs with exta milk twice a day. The bigger male sibling is fat.
Bobcat: Weekends are when I check my trail camera. Lots of raccoon photos but this bobcat is the best photo of the week. I see I need to change the camera settings as I still have the month and year wrong on the photo display.
