Tag Archives: psalms

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!

Sheltering Mercy

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Short but sweet this week! I figured ya’ll are like me and up to your eyeballs in Easter Preparations, so another thought from me is just adding to your list… but I did want to share a little something that I have been dying to get my hands on since it arrived in my mailbox. Besides, it’s been a while since my last book review and I figured it was about time.

Let’s dive in. “Sheltering Mercy” by Ryan Whitaker Smith and Dan Wilt is described as “prayers inspired by the Psalms”… and it is exactly that! A little purse-sized hardcover containing a collection of poems or writings based on the first 75 Psalms. The writings are not exactly scripture, nor paraphrases, but, as the writers put it, “free-verse prayer renderings”. For me, they are perfect for quiet meditation, and I have been dying to do some journalling, artistic illustrations to go along with each collection! (If only there were more time in the day, right?). I think this little book would be perfect for that type of meditation as the paper is heavy and the margins spacious. There are a few black and white illustrations scattered through the book, but a splash of coloured pencils would be perfect!

If you’ve been reading mittonmusings for any length of time, you know that I have a love-hate relationship with David and the psalms, not to mention my own practical versus artsy personality. I’m just not sure where I fit in. This little collection hits home when I need to foster the creative side of my devotions. In case you didn’t pick it up, Ryan Whitaker Smith is the son of worship singer-songwriter Michael W. Smith. That collaboration is a lesson in itself for worship, reflection and artistry in the contemporary Christian world. Why wouldn’t these potential song lyrics be just right?

So, if you are itching for some traditional written prayer meditation for your Easter Season, or maybe you are looking to branch out with your artistic side, give “Sheltering Mercy” a gander. Published by Brazos Press and lovingly donated to mittonmusings by Nuts About Books, I’m looking forward to marking it all up over the holiday weekend!

Happy Easter, my beloveds, until next time!

One Woman’s Mid-Life Crisis

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Well. It happened. Officially. The children have scattered in various directions screaming and ducking out of the way. The hubby is cowering with mouth a gape, unsure of what to say or do next. The world as we know it will never be the same: I have hit my mid-life crisis. Oh, you would never know it to look at me. Okay, I have filled out around the middle, have lots more grey hairs and a few more wrinkles, but people have already seen those changes and are used to them. And it’s not the biological clock that has stopped, either. The batteries are wearing down and it’s getting slower, but the hands still move in a perpetual motion. I am afraid to say it — But — It’s my mind. My brain has synapse overload; the old noggin has shorted out and fired neurons that should not be fired. I have hit the point in my life where

*sziwip* POP *sparks * and fizzle —

and then a wisp of smoke.

Toast.

I have come to the point where I am wondering: What happens next? Where do I go from here? What is to be had for the rest of my poor, pathetic life? This is the last week of school. The kids will be done for the summer and we will be flitting from place to place, soaking up the sun and enjoying time off. I have some things planned, and we are always busy. No, it’s not the day to day things I am talking about… there are always lots of those to do. It’s the big questions: What am I here for? What does God have planned for me next? Who? What? Where? Can I have chickens? You know, important stuff.

Tonight we watched our middle son walk across the platform at grade 8 graduation. Middle of the road. The geeky stage between elementary school and high school. His suit jacket was a bit too loose and his dress shoes just a bit too tight. His classmates a mix of blossoming adolescents … none quite there… yet. The valedictorian speech was full of hope and promise…of journeys made and travels still to come. Oh, what little you know in junior high! And now? Me in the middle of life. Caught between aging kids and aging parents. Careers established but you can’t retire just yet. Dreams have been sought after — only to find that reality bites.

I’m even having trouble with mittonmusings. I have been reviewing “YouTubers” and popular “vloggers”… should I start videos?! Our life isn’t sensational enough… and yet so many videos go viral and are deemed “successful” simply by documenting their cats sleeping… or dogs eating broccoli. I look at top google searches and try and understand algorithms and analytics… and what’s up with advertising?! Should I be aiming at being the next top influencer for 2020? Shall I do “unboxings”? Of what?! Muscle ache creams? My monthly subscriptions of granny square crochet shawl patterns? (Which wouldn’t be bad, actually…who wants to sponsor me?). Oh no, my friends, Blogging is not for the faint of heart.

  • Purple Hair?
  • Or dog videos of monthly subscription boxes?

(Photos by superrgb and curology via unsplash)

Am I the only one who wants to sell everything I own and move to the country to raise chickens?! Am I the only one who is considering a purple streak in my hair to just be wild and crazy? (oh poor introvert me… to indulge in such revelries…) Sometimes I wish I had a bit more gumption, a bit more chutzpah, a bit more throw it to the wind and see where it takes me. But alas, I too, will have to simply climb the next rung in life’s ladder. Fold the next load of dirty laundry and paint the deck this summer just like everyone else.

Photo by Aaron Burden, unsplash

I used to laugh at King David, the writer of the Psalms. He always seemed a bit “up and down” shall we say? One psalm is full of praise, worship and green pastures…. the next is woe to me, Oh Lord, please smite my enemies. Such drama. Or maybe David was simply having a mid-life crisis, too! I think this is why so many turn to the Psalms when we hit those bumps in life… misery loves company. We are comforted by the fact that David, the messed up guy who often let his emotions get the better of him, was still considered the man after God’s own heart. The creator of the world, created mid-life too. He welcomes our questions — even the big ones. He sees the future even when we feel like ours is pointless. I’m still praying that He will give me a little boost in the right direction and re-connect my fried brain. I’ll keep you posted on it. And maybe, just maybe, show off that YouTube video of me in the beauty salon getting that streak of purple in my hair.