Monday, November 3, 2008

One last time

We took the boat out for one last time yesterday afternoon. The weather was so beautiful, we felt it was just too good to pass up the opportunity. I packed a few snacks, grabbed my knitting and the New York Times and away we went! The river is very quiet this time of year. We only saw two other boats out for an afternoon of fishing. We were just looking to enjoy the sun and being on the water one more time. We cruised a little way up stream and then turned off the motor and let the boat drift along in the sunshine. It was so nice to have a chance to talk quietly, without feeling as though we should be up and working on all the things that need our attention here at the farm. (The boat was a bit of a splurge for us and we didn't buy it until near the end of the summer. Our hope was that it would encourage us to take some time to relax each weekend instead of spending the whole time on various farm projects. Honestly, I'm very surprised my husband has taken to the whole idea so enthusiastically.) We talk a lot about how to simplify our lives and how to achieve a better balance of work and relaxation. Of course, the single thing that would simplify our lives the most would be to not have any farm animals, and that is the one thing neither of us is ready to give up. So, there you go!

And speaking of farm animals, the picture shows that someone around here has been on the job! Those orange patches mean that Whitey has been breeding the ewes and, hopefully, we will have some lambs in late March. He has covered 5 ewes so far and the other 4 ewes that are in with him should be cycling any day. Now it is just a matter of watching to see if any of the ewes get re-marked and keeping my notes on the calendar up to date. One of the professors in the Agriculture department at the University of Kentucky tried to drill into our heads a favorite saying of his --"The faintest record is better than the fondest memory". The older I get, the more true that saying becomes!

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