The Face of an Angel- I Think Not!

Living in the country definitely has its ups and downs. Although they are cute and fun to play with, our goats can be a handful sometimes. In fact, at one time or another, all of our animals have been in trouble.

Meet Lulu. She is one of our two Nubian goats. Our youngest daughter, Carson, decided several years ago that she wanted some goats to milk. We purchased two goats with dreams of making soap. It didn't take long for her to realize that milking goats is a full time job. You can't take a vacation from it, ever. Needless to say, after coming to this conclusion, the goats just became big pets like every other animal on this farm.

The trouble with goats is that they are loud! Every time we go outside they start trying to get our attention. Have you ever heard a goat's Maaaaaa? People who visit us say that it sounds like a man dying. There is another problem with goats. If they ever escape their pen, they can cause some major damage.

Does this look like the face of an angel to you?





Before you answer that question, consider this. Last year our azaleas in the front of the house looked like this.



Aren't they so pretty when they are blooming?



Near the end of the summer, our two goats pushed up against the wire of their pen and pushed it out far enough to escape. After several hours in our yard, five of my front azaleas looked like this. John and I were not happy. He was ready to rip them out of the ground certain that they were ruined.



However, this spring, low and behold, new growth. Isn't that amazing! There are no blooms, but at least they are alive. I hope that after some tender loving care they will be back to normal soon.



As for the goats......they are living happily in their pen. (which we frequently check to make sure they are secure)

Back to my Ordinary Life

I really appreciate you all taking a walk down memory lane with me for the past week, however, it is good to get back to blogging about my ordinary life. Seeing far away places and making memories is always fun and exciting, but I have found that it is in the ordinary events of my life that I find the most joy and peace.

I have actually found that my reminiscing has served to remind me of how blessed my every day life truly is. It is important to remember that when one travels to a distant place that seems extraordinary, to the people who live there it is just home. And speaking of home, I may have been blogging about last years trip; but I have been at home the whole time working in the flower beds and vegetable beds enjoying the beautiful weather. We have had a lot happening in our little corner of the world, so I thought I would catch you up on a bit of it.

My snowball bushes are really showing out this year. They are only a couple of years old and not very big yet, but they have had a lot of blooms. I may try to bring some inside tomorrow.



Our broccoli and lettuce is getting very big. I don't know how much longer the broccoli will take to be harvested, but I am just about ready to make me a romaine salad.



We lost a cabbage, so John decided to put a couple of tomato plants in its place.



Our Encore Azaleas are finally blooming! I always enjoy the color they bring to the yard. I do have five that the goats got a hold of last year that do not have any blooms. That's a story for a future post!



Hostas are coming up all over the place. Our front yard is shaded and I can't seem to get enough of these plants. The beautiful greens and blues of these never disappoint.



Ordinary life can be extraordinary! It depends on how you view things.