Current status and today‘s accomplishments:

–Feet throbbing after long busy day on the homestead.

–Brain fogged from exhaustion.

–Overwhelmed at the newness of the tasks before me.

–Rendered more tallow. Perplexed. My recent batch looks more yellow, less white. Plan to fall asleep pondering this fat dilemma. Which leads me to my next point…

– After two weeks of rendering bovine fat, I have taken an keen interest in reducing…ahem…the amount of fat I carry. Tough topic. Lots of excuses. I am middle aged, a momma of six. I have much more enjoyable things to do than repetitive motion causing profuse sweating and intense burning sensation in my muscles. What can I say? Eating a Snickers wins out over exercising every time.

–Despite my no win battle with chocolate, I triumphed and burned 600 to 700 calories Monday through Wednesday. Let’s all chant, “You go girl”. Please, oh please do because I am so unmotivated to keep this up.

–Made eight loaves of 100 percent whole wheat bread with flax today. It is really 100 percent. Not a smidgen of white flour. I despise recipes that are titled “100 percent whole wheat” and include white flour as a second primary ingredient. It is homesteading heresy.

–Prepared peach cobbler for breakfast tomorrow. I know, you wonder about us. Cobbler for breakfast? Why not? The kids love it. My husband loves it and it is easy to make. Every body is happy and so am I. Hmmm…now I will have to stay on that repetitive motion machine longer tomorrow. Bleck.

–Cooked down some soap shavings to make two gallons of homemade dish soap. I used glycerin this time. The soap bubbled two seconds longer than then the kind I made without glycerin. In the end, the dishes were clean and the water looked similar to bath water where my children inevitably leave the soap in the tub turning to spongy mush. Still searching for ways to make a better inexpensive dish soap.

–Cleaned up the kitchen after my husband and children converted it into a miniature horticulture laboratory. They planted four varieties of heirloom tomatoes. The seedlings are resting quietly near the den window. I am waiting just waiting for the day when an exuberant child dashes by the table, trips and overturns those seedlings. It is bound to happen. We have whispered threats to them. Let’s see if they heed them.

Farming involves learning to cope with forces of nature around you. As we plant seeds, we realize from the time the seed goes into the dirt to the time of bearing fruit any number of events can interfere with the production of the final product. If the kids don’t overturn the potting containers, a hail storm or an escapee cow can destroy all the good intentions, dreams and goals. Disease, pests, drought, and disaster can claim the diligent daily work of the farmer. This is not just true for the farmer, but for anyone in life who sets a goal and puts it into action. Goals and dreams take effort. We must confront forces beyond our control squarely, honestly and helplessly. And sometimes, despite our best efforts we have little to show for a day’s work. It is here in the midst of the frustration that we find our only source of contentment resides in Christ. He gives us the strength to carry on. He gives us a hope beyond the sabotaged plans or personal failures. He gives meaning to the failure as we endeavor to walk closely with Him.

Closing this day thanking God for the completion of goals long talked about. I thank God for my aching feet. May He bless our family with many more days of working diligently together to keep dreams of farming alive. Moreover, may He guide those little footsteps away from that planting table and enable us to harvest the fruits of our labors.

Udderly His,

The Kansas Milkmaid