Still Learning

Whew! It has been a busy week! Everything just seems to take a little longer these days. I think we are still in survival mode… even though it’s been almost a year since we moved out here to the country. I can’t believe how time has flown! So many changes, so much to learn. Learning. It’s what I’ve been musing about this week. If any of you have been with me since the beginning, you’ll know that mittonmusings.com was born out of a desire to continue learning… to understand how posts, blogging and all that jazz works. I can say that I have, indeed, learned a lot over the years. We created landing pages, contests, social media platforms, and many of you followed along during 30 Days of Blessings. That was fun!

I can honestly say that moving to a new town also had some learning curves. For one, everything closes so early here. We have adjusted our schedule to get shopping done, and meet the school bus at the very early morning pick up. Let me tell you, for us nighthawks, that first week of classes was tough! Yet, here we are at the end of the school year, and I can barely sleep in on weekends now! (I refuse to be a morning person, I refuse to be a morning person, I refuse to be a morning person…) Learning to have the hubby working from home and juggling our time together with less kids hanging around has been an adjustment. Simply knowing where to store stuff in a new house is sometimes a challenge! So much change. Not to say that change is bad. In fact, I think learning to change, adapt and grow is vital to life. You need it. Even if it’s hard — it’s important.

Often, that change is a struggle. Like the old song says, you can’t go over it and you can’t go under it. Sometimes, you just have to go through it to learn. You trudge along, make mistakes, get messy and manage with some trial and error. When we had our kids, they didn’t come with instruction manuals. We just had to learn. Then the next kid came along and all the rules changed. We had to learn what worked for that child. We were crazy enough to do it four times, each with a new set of adventures to learn! Even when the chicks arrived… I read, researched and tried to study… but I am still googling things and watching videos! Did you know that chickens must “learn” to roost at night? I just got back from putting them to “bed” and they were all huddled in the corner. I tried lifting them up one by one on the roosting bars… but a chicken’s brain is little. It’s going to take some practice. We shall keep learning together.

Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels.com (not my ladies, but roosting!)

Humans have been learning together for years. Some of us are better at it than others. Our youngest had to do a year end project on a person or people who have “changed the world” as we know it because they did something. I wonder if any major changes have happened recently that future generations will do school projects on. Covid-19 world-wide pandemic anyone? I’m not much of a history buff, but time has a way of creating learning curves for the human race… whether we like it or not. It’s all part of God’s plan!

I was struck recently about the disciples and the early church believers and their misunderstandings. We know “it was all part of God’s plan” — but the early church had to go through it. How many times do we hear Jesus saying they just didn’t get it? Not that His parables were so cut and dry, mind you. Can we blame a few fisherman who see and hear things they could never have imagined and expect them to fully understand what was happening? Who would believe that such a great leader and teacher would allow His own arrest and crucifixion? And for it to all be part of the plan?! I am convinced it was a difficult learning curve for the followers to comprehend. Good grief! It’s hard for us to understand and we have it all laid out for us in black and white! Still, we continue to learn.

What about you, my friend? Are you in a season of real learning? Perhaps, you are the one teaching and getting frustrated with your students. Be patient. It takes time for some of us to “get it”. Often we have to struggle through it. Some of us have to be taught it over and over. Others just seem to have the gift of easy understanding. Nevertheless, we all must keep learning. Learning and growing and changing and adapting. It’s the way the Potter needs to shape the clay. It’s the way the vine and the branches get pruned and new growth starts. Fruit blooms from the new growth when our attentions are snipped and focused. Sometimes, we have to be taught to roost and rest at night. We need to be shown how to relax and not huddle in a corner. Yes, my beloveds, life is learning. Let’s share the journey together, shall we? We’ll meet back here again soon!

Photo by Akosua Gabriel on Pexels.com

Pecking Order

Oh my beloveds! As I chat with you, my chickens are wandering around my living room. If you’ve been following mittonmusings for any length of time, you’ll know: it’s a dream finally fulfilled! The hubby and kids already think I am turning into the crazy chicken lady… alas, I fear it is true! I ordered wallpaper and toys for the coop. My instagram is loaded with tips and tricks. I have been monitoring growth charts and stages of development. They have grown into full-feathered ladies now and really need to move outside to the coop… only it’s not quite ready yet! Almost, but not quite! So, as any good mom, as any good new chicken mom, I indulge in their baby needs a little longer. I’m allowed – it’s my dream – don’t judge!

The Ladies … each with their own personality!

Seriously though, the chickens have been so fun to watch. They definitely have distinct personalities: Mort is my weakest link, and Mavis is the boss lady. The rest fall into line in perfect chicken “pecking order”. I can see where the term comes from. In six short weeks, my little flock has fallen into their own rituals and routines as they follow each other around — exploring — but at their own pace and personality. I hope to be at the top of the food chain (after all, I have the treats!) but we’ll see how it all pans out once they are out on their own! I may be chasing crazy hens all over the yard soon.

I suppose my little flock is like any other herd or family. Kids, chickens, mother-in-laws, we’re all the same. Cows, offices and schools – same deal. Principals, roosters and work wife… we all play our roles and fall into place as we grow together. That’s just life, isn’t it? Sibling rivalry is part of growing up, right? I’m guessing it is. And the muse this week? What about the followers of Jesus? Did the twelve have their own pecking order? How did all the early Christians get along?

I’m guessing that thousands of years haven’t even put a dent in human nature. Jesus’s disciples had their own pecking order as well. Peter, the Rock. John, the beloved. Biological brothers and lifelong friends. Women. Certainly there was a motley crew of followers, each touched by a savior, but with their own unique personalities and backgrounds. Not unlike our churches of today, eh?

How did this motley crew ever get along? Photo Credit: The Chosen

Yet, our human nature was tested by a new set of rules. Jesus’ agenda didn’t fit the rules of pecking orders. He demonstrated this so clearly when the boys questioned who would be at His right and left hand in Heaven. They didn’t get it. It’s not about who is right or left… it’s who will be willing to serve. The last shall be first. The pecking order is reversed. The weakest hen must be the leader.

Of course, nature is so designed that survival of the fittest keeps everyone safe. My chickens must rely on alarm calls from a leader. And I suppose, leaders must do their God given gift of leadership, too, but our attitude about it must be kept in check. We must learn to be humble and tactful. We must learn to lead in love… for the protection of the flock, not for our own selfish gains. Sometimes, it’s only through God and lots of prayer that we can be part of a “coop” where we don’t gel with those around us. We learn to love the unlovable.

So, as much as I am enjoying watching “my ladies” grow and mature, and laugh at their silly antics, I must look beyond the pecking order and appreciate each one for their own personalities. Not only in the coop, but in my own circle of influence as well. Join me as we grow together here on #itsnottafarm! Crazy chicken lady, here, at your service!

Living Water

Well, my goodness, it has been busy here the last few weeks. Rural spring sure is hopping amongst the farmer neighbours. A few days ago, a large trailer was travelling back and forth several times along our otherwise quiet road. Several times. I know this because the dog has now taken to chasing slower moving farm vehicles, and I am beside myself that he is going to get killed under a large tire. He’s slow, and likely would never catch anything, but … well, you know. A Momma’s heart worries. Anywhoo… we discovered that it is “hay season” and the trailer was carrying large quantities of feed to be bundled for storage at the neighbouring dairy farm. Apparently, this is a very specifically timed event as the hay must be completely dry before storing… in case of mold and other nasty things that would obviously hinder long term storage under plastic wrap.

The rains have been frequent in recent days, so the farmers were under constraint to take advantage of the dry days. And so they have! Those rains also meant our own “hay field” (aka our front lawn) was also in need of some harvesting… which was a challenge with our broken down lawnmower. Nevertheless, we are tackling the yard one step at a time, including our pond. Some lovely ladies came out last week to install our pump and some plants to “get the water flowing”. I am super excited! We now have a beautiful sounding waterfall and the pond is beginning to clear. We have a tonne of tadpoles, and a pair of ducks and several butterflies have been visiting, so it must mean something is working!

A “Before” shot of the pond.

When we first moved in, the pond was quite overgrown. We knew little of what it held and how to return it to its former glory. At that time, we did hire a crew to dig it all out and give us some idea of what we had. It was late in the season by then, so installing any sort of filter was not worth overwintering… which brings us to now! There are two levels to our oasis, and we discovered somewhere between 12-14 goldfish survived in the 3 or so feet of nothing. Spring budget included a pump to cycle the water up and flowing nicely over the “spillway” waterfall from a shallow “bog” to the deeper fish pond. The “bog” will be filled with oxygen producing plants that will be a natural filter for the fish below. Once everything hits that magic “balance” of nature’s perfection, all should be a wildlife paradise!

A work in Progress

Like most starts in life, it is currently a work in progress. The pond is still murky. We don’t have full plant coverage yet. The pump is working but we have to make sure the water levels don’t fall too low or get too high. Quite a bit of soil has leached down around the pond liner and my experts tell me it wicks the water out and seeps into the ground. This isn’t what we want. Yet, we need some plants to “have their feet wet” (i.e. be planted just off shore to be boggy but not in the water). It’s all very complicated. Nature is fascinating. I continue to be amazed and challenged by it at the same time.

And so my muse this week is about water. One of the most basic elements on earth… and yet, oh so profound! Learning more about wells and pools and ponds has taught me water is most precious. It seems to be in abundance… until it’s not. And then you panic. On more than one occasion we have had a ‘stop’ in our well and water doesn’t make it to the faucets. It’s just not something we had to deal with in the city. And so you begin to be aware of water and how valuable it really is. It just amazes me that fish and tadpoles and grown frogs and birds and plants all seem to exist when we just leave them alone. Yet order always seems to run to chaos. Left alone too long and plants seep into lining, water wicks up into thirsty soil, balance goes off and things begin to fall apart.

We have a waterfall!

And so it is with us. There is no wonder that so many Biblical references revolve around water. Living water. A never ending cycle of ebb and flow… yet in perpetual balance keeping everything alive and in sync. Until a drought comes along. Or thirsty soil wicks it away. Or too many fish and tadpoles compete for resources. Plants stop thriving and can’t do their part in keeping the balance. So often our relationship with God is similar. When all is “flowing” things go well. It only takes one little thing to go off balance to disturb the whole ecosystem. One temptation leads to lies, deception, mistrust. One comment wicks away at the good stuff, and you are no longer just getting your feet wet… you are drowning in despair. Or you’re not connected in properly and the pipes are leaking. Do you see it? As we have discovered, a once tranquil oasis often takes a lot of hard work and budget to get back to that peaceful balance. Will our pond be the same as it was when the original owners put it in? No, of course not. My landscape tastes will be different. My goals for what I want out of the pond may not be the same as the original designer. Still, I start with keeping the water flowing.

It’s been a pleasant reminder to me to try and balance my spiritual life with the rest of my life. When I am connected to others who encourage me, who pray for me and who lead me in the right direction, I keep living water flowing. Christ refreshes my soul. His living church keeps things oxygenated so that baby tadpoles grow, fish thrive and the system “stabilizes” so that more life can be drawn in and spread out. When the lining of our souls get a puncture wound, or the connections aren’t right, the system breaks down and we leach out all the good stuff. It’s a work in progress, but I hope you get a moment this summer to appreciate some water. Fresh, flowing water. Take a moment to reflect on how such a simple thing can be so profound. I’ll keep you updated on the tadpole count !

Tadpoles