The Blessings of True Mountain Farm

The Lord gave me new eyes for something here. I was trying to sleep last night and lay restless. The thought came to my mind, “Have I shared on my blog about how wonderful it is to live in this new place? Have I expressed well the joy I have when I look out the window and see my daughter hauling hay out to the horse when it’s 15 degrees outside? The pride I feel towards my 10-year-old as she bundles up for yet another below-freezing morning to let the chickens out, to pour hot water in the water bowls, to feed the cat? The refreshment I experience by stepping out on the deck and breathing in the smell of the pine trees?”

The answer was a resounding, “No.”

Today I’d like to spend a bit of time loving on this new farm (homestead) life God has given us!

Did I ever tell you what sparked this interest for us? It was a new friend we met this last May (hard to believe I didn’t even have an inkling about chickens, the difference between hay and straw and how to put a blanket on a horse just five months ago!). Elizabeth had advertised her farm fresh eggs on craigslist-just 2 miles from our old house. Could it be? Someone in our area has chickens?

El Guapo had taken that Friday off so we invited ourselves over to her homestead to meet her, her family, her chickens and to buy eggs. Little did we know that God had a bigger plan for us that day!

We stepped out of the truck that Friday and took it all in. Goats, a llama, a horse, lots and lots of chickens running around. Very fun, waddling Peking ducks. Elizabeth greeted us in overalls, pigtail braids and a bandanna head scarf. Oh my word. I started thinking, “Why are we not doing this? How can we do this?” Little did I know that El Guapo was having the same thoughts. After spending over an hour getting to know their family and sharing ours with them we came home with five dozen eggs and a dream. We started talking with the girls about making this dream a reality…then came the Realtors, the moving boxes and three months later we had our own acreage. With a barn! And now, three months later, thanks to Elizabeth and her family, their support and encouragement, advice and gifts of chickens and ducks we are moving forward with this dream turned reality!

While we appreciate the eight years we spent in suburbia, the sidewalks for strollers, roller-blade practice and paved roads to learn how to ride a bike, the pool and parks to meet friends and neighbors we are excited beyond belief to be here in this place, during this season of our lives.

We are loving this new opportunity to teach our girls to care for animals. The circle of life, the responsibilities that come with living here. The daily life of caring for something bigger than ourselves. We’ve made several mistakes with many more on the horizon. But it’s all counted as memories and lessons learned in this new adventure here! And some days I wish for overalls to go with my pigtail braids and bandanna : )

The moral of this story (so far)? Take every opportunity to pursue the dreams in which God places on your heart. He’ll close the doors if it’s not the best plan for you (and open those that are). We know. We tried several doors before this one opened. And I am so glad he chose to bring a wonderful family like Elizabeth’s into our lives. So glad he brought us to this place.

Thanking the Lord for this True Mountain Farm this snowy, cold day in Colorado.

La Gringa