Tag Archives: baby chicks

Cultivating Calm Amidst Domestic Chaos (Hint: It’s with God)

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Ah friends! It has been way too long! I’m not even sure where we left off… but let’s just jump back into it, okay? I want you to imagine something for me. Then we will both be in the same head space to get the point of this weeks muse. So here we go.

Ten baby chicks are in the house still. Tucked in a corner with the red heat lamp glowing even though they don’t need it. Except now they are almost fully feathered “teenagers” who are getting crowded in their little brooder cage. You feel bad, so have to let them out for some free time and to stretch their wings. Bottle baby goats have arrived. Three rambunctious little boys who are running a muck through the living room. They are treating your living room furniture like a playground (and an outhouse). Your five older hens and rabbits have just had their snacks and have been let out for the day. The dog has been fed but is vying for a bite or two of your bagel. Are you there? Okay, so this was me a few weeks ago. Still in my nightgown, sitting on the floor, coffee cup in hand surrounded by messy chicks, running goats and a big goofy lab drooling on my leg (yet unshaven for the warmer weather). As I sat there surrounded by fluffy feathers, drool, and untold messes on the floor that will need to be scraped, scrubbed and mopped for the 5th time this morning, I smiled and mused: What the heck have I done, and how will I ever survive this chaos?!

Yup, that’s me, with coffee cup, on the floor giving baby birds treats!

Did you imagine it? Did you smell, taste and see it? I laughed, not because I found it funny really. Oh, don’t get me wrong — I chose every bit of it. I wanted to be right there. I laughed because it was crazy. I laughed because it was slightly funny, the scene before me. It was funny because I put myself there. I was slightly overwhelmed. Yet, I was happy. And smiled because I was. Perhaps your chaos is not the same as mine. In fact, I suspect most of you do not have the same chaos that I have. Maybe you are that young mom with toys and diapers and a home that is also overwhelming, but in a different way. Maybe you are older and dealing with aches, pains, appointments and a supplement drawer overflowing with ailment aids. Your house is tidier, but your mind is cloudy. Perhaps your chaos is the in between… carpooling, school lunches, technology demands and your mini van has become the home office for calls, fast food and cat naps in the school pick up line. It smells just as nasty as my living room floor with that hockey equipment in the trunk. Oh friend, your chaos may be different than mine, but I am almost positive you can relate.

Does the word “chaos” have a bad connotation in your mind? I’m not sure. I looked it up and the definition seems to have some darkness to it. Maybe I chose the wrong word to describe the feeling I had on the floor that day. I say that because it wasn’t wrong or evil… just, well, chaotic. Perhaps it conveys a “lack of control” when things are just everywhere. Or is it just like the beginnings of earth… a void with no purpose or direction until God came in and breathed life into it? I think that’s the take we see when we think of “biblical chaos”. Or is it the dark sin taking over the world as in Noah’s day where things needed a clean slate and a “start again”? Is my chaos just busyness? A mental health strain that just needs more time? I don’t think it’s evil or sinful. Perhaps my semantics have labeled busy as chaos? Overwhelmed? Whatever — you get it.

Photo by Serge Bardot on Pexels.com

Right now, the house is quiet. Everyone has been fed, cleaned and cared for. The sun is shining. Okay, a hen just walked through the front door… but so far, the floor is still clean. Now the dog is barking. Trust me, it was peaceful a second ago! And it will be again. I guess the point of this post is to say, be encouraged! Life stages are just that: stages. We move around all the time! Faithfulness is so very much an attribute of God I love… because as much as our world changes and life seems crazy and overwhelming and often messy… God is our consistent companion to hold our hand and carry us through to the next thing. Believe it. Trust Him. Smile, with coffee cup in hand and say, “Yup, You and I can handle this God… on to the next adventure!” And now if you’ll excuse me, I gotta go chase a chicken out of my living room…

Finding Comfort: Shelters for Goats, Chicks, and Us

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It’s another rainy, spring day — and exceptionally cool for this time of year, which means there is little outdoor work to be done — again. I am so behind in the garden. It may not happen this year. The few seedlings that survived may go in pots and be done with it. On the bright side, there was an opening in the builders schedule and our goat barn/shed is complete! She needs a coat of paint, but I am super exited! It looks great and I didn’t have to wait the weeks I thought it was going to take! I spoke with the breeder and I’m going to check out a few babies likely next week…it is happening people!

The chicks are indoor still but growing well… except for “Onion” a little peep who still seems to be fluffy and downy soft. In fact, she looks like a turkey chick if I didn’t know better. I didn’t order turkeys, so that is very unlikely, but it makes me laugh just the same. As I type this they are all quiet and snuggled up together under the heat lamp. It’s a perfectly peaceful afternoon in the house right at this very moment in the rain. It’s silent and still. And feels safe and warm and serene right now. Which has me musing…

All safe and warm under the glow of the heat lamp!

I’ve been looking at all kinds of shelters… goat, chicken, rabbit. I’m constantly on Pinterest or FB Marketplace looking for ideas and habitats. Before moving to Itsnotta farm, I spent hours (and yes, I mean hours!) scrolling for the perfect century home with all the things on my checklist. Yes, the property is full of maintenance that is draining our time and certainly our budget, but I am so thankful for all the blessings we have. Last night, God granted us a spectacular sunset. The sky was a blaze of oranges and pinks and purples. It was stretching far across the farm fields and I am sure it looked absolutely gorgeous reflecting off the lake. Yes, we are blessed to live in a free country surrounded by the beauty of the southern Ontario countryside.

After such a harsh and long winter, and what is turning out to be a very wet spring, I take comfort in our warm home. I take comfort knowing these little chickies are spoiled in my house under the heat lamp. I feel bad for the bunnies on rainy days and try and snuggle and dry them up before bed — knowing all living creatures appreciate a warm, soft and safe place to sleep at night. A shelter. My A.I. overview gives me this description of the word “shelter”:

“Shelter refers to a structure, covering, or place that provides protection from danger, bad weather, or exposure. It can also mean the state of being protected (refuge) or a place providing food and lodging, such as a homeless shelter. As a verb, it means to provide protection or to take cover.”

Those words describe a lot. Protection. Safety. Comfort. Warmth. I think shelter is one of those basic human needs… like food and water. Essential to life. Did you know the word shelter is used 36 times in the old testament, and almost always, the Lord is our source of that protection? He hides us under a cleft of rock, or draws us near, or under His wing. As I hang out with my new baby chicks, they do not like to be picked up as a rule. They squawk and yell and flap about, until I cover their fluffy little heads in the palm of my hand. This, like hiding under a momma’s wing, seems to give them comfort and a sense of calm protection. Shelter, if you will.

The completed Goat Shed! She still needs some paint…

My goat barn is a simple wooden shed. The goats are new to me, but I am told they will “dog pile” to stay warm. And that they hate rain. I’m looking forward to baby goat snuggles. Still, I know they belong outside and can’t stay in the house forever. My family will surely disown me. So, I will do my best to provide shelter. As our Heavenly Father does for us.

What about you, my friend? Are you seeking shelter right now? Do you need to feel the warmth and comfort of a “safe place”? I can’t imagine being homeless and wet and cold. I am lucky. Many in our world are not. My tiny chicks have it better that they… warm, fed, relatively clean, but most of all safe and protected to the best of my ability. Everyone deserves that, am I right? We must do our part.

So, as you’ve come along with me on another weekly muse, I hope you have taken notice of how you are blessed. Are you warm and safe in a cozy spot as you read this? Be thankful. Can you go to God with all your needs and know that He’ll “take you under His wing” and “protect you in the cleft of the rock”? Absolutely! Take a moment to thank Him for it, as will I, and we’ll see you back again real soon as we walk along this journey together, my friend!

Overcoming Overwhelm: Tackling Life’s Challenges One Detail at a Time (or How to Eat an Elephant)

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Oh friends! Have you heard the saying “It’s all in the details?” I’ve been feeling it this week. All the tiny things that have added up. Perhaps details are not the right thing to describe all those little nuggets of the day to day that need to be done but just eat up time. Mother’s day weekend has passed and we’ve all heard the stories of moms who need a break from all the things they do all day… and it’s true. My Pinterest board is loaded with things I’d love to try but never seem to get around to. There always seem to be dishes to do, or laundry, or a meeting, or a stupid walk for my mental health…

It’s not that I am bitter about it, it just seems to be fact that there is always some little thing. A form needs signing. A call needs to be made. A shelf fell down in our bathroom. It sat for days on the counter while I found proper hooks and measured and stuck it back up. It’s more than likely too high, but I am not fixing it again. Even tonight, a belt broke on our riding lawnmower, and the hubby had to hook it back up (with much fiddle-dee-dum frustration I may add to get it all aligned and working). It was a task that seemed to take way longer than it should. A hook. A lost button. And don’t forget to feed the dog. Empty the dishwasher. Is it me? Am I so disorganized I never seem to be up to date? Or is that just life?

Speaking of life… that comes in little things, too! If you have been following mittonmusings for any period of time, you know that one of the goals, one of the bucket list items, one of the long sought after tasks were chickens! WELL THEY ARE HERE!! Six beautiful little babies arrived on Thursday. Even then, there were tiny glitches. They were supposed to arrive on Tuesday, but the hatchery didn’t get orders and so we were postponed a few days. Don’t ask me what happened to the day old chicks that were born on Tuesday?! Maybe I don’t want to know. Anyway… teeny little peepers are now running around my living room (well not literally running around, but they are contained with lots of space in my living room). Again, they have been an example to me of tiny details making all the difference. They each have their own markings and personalities and have grown so fast in less than a week! Tiny wing and tail feathers are starting to show, and their legs and necks are stronger than the day I brought them home all snuggled together in a cardboard box. I am beside myself with joy. So is the dog. Beside himself that is, I dunno about the joy part.

Six baby Chicks have Arrived!

Even my momma robin nesting in the barn has chicks now! Tiny buds are sprouting in my flower bed. Thousands of tadpoles are lining the edges of our pond. The mosquitoes are returning, too. Billions of tiny things are springing right now! What are some of the small, seemingly insignificant things you have noticed in your world today? Have you taken the time to seek them out? Or are you feeling the crunch of all the details in a different way?

I suppose, therefore, it is ones perspective of the details, or “little things” that produce the outcome of our emotions behind the events. Do we struggle and feel overwhelmed that there are too many little things that need to get done? Or are we patient and take one thing at a time and enjoy it ? Savouring the details like fine wine. They say that the easiest way to eat a giant elephant is one bite at a time. And so it is.

As I ponder these things, I am reminded about the story of the mustard seed. Jesus explained that even if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can move mountains! I’ve been looking at our property … and we are learning there are a lot of details in maintaining such land… not to mention an old house and a bunch of creatures. I can easily get trapped in the frustration of pride, jealousy, anger etc. that the world view puts on home ownership. Keeping up with the Jones’? Ha! Let’s just focus on getting the grass cut. Of course, I want to have the beautiful gardens and whimsical bunny hotels and bird baths, but these things take work (and cash). Should I be so focused on the big picture? Or is God asking me to eat my elephant one bite at a time? Is it possible to have all I want in under a year of living here? My guess is that it’s not going to work out that way.

Let’s go back to that mustard seed. Perhaps my theology is all wrong in my comparison between faith and house chores. Maybe I shouldn’t compare earthly things to heavenly. Yet the tiny mustard seed… in fact all the seeds I have been looking at lately… are an example to me of how much potential are hidden in the small details. An acorn becomes a mighty oak. My little peeps will grow and produce eggs soon enough. The surrounding farmer fields will soon be higher than me. Things around here will get done, eventually. I have faith. I read somewhere that the meaning of the mustard seed is that our faith is only as strong as the One it’s placed in. And my faith is in a great big God who has blessed us with Itsnotta Farm. So many prayers of petition went in to moving here. Prayers for not only the physical, but that we would do God’s service here with this space and for this time in our lives. It’s an adventure I asked God for. Therefore, I am confident He will see us through it… and all the details that go along with being here.

I’m feeling like this post is a little convoluted. My A.I. assistant is going to tell me I’m not fluent and should “create headers to make my readers understand my message better”. Another detail to worry about. So, you’ll forgive me if I am just throwing you in my messy musings without clear and concise thoughts and conclusions. After all, I am trying to eat an elephant over here this week. Perhaps it will taste better with some mustard.