Proverbs 16:9The heart of man plans his ways, but the Lord establishes his steps.
Rowan ducks at Bauernhof Kitsteiner. After one successful incubated batch and two successful "in the wind" batches, we now have seven males (which we need to cut down to just two very soon) and sixteen females.
Our guinea fowl. We lost a batch last year due to an error on our part. But we just brought in a new batch. These animals are incredibly dumb (I mean look at the size of their heads) but voracious tick eaters. However, our new batch isn't returning to the safety of their home at night which concerns us.
So the one thing about farming that challenges me more than anything is the lack of planning that you can do. I mean, the night before, we will often sit around and discuss what we need to get done the next day. We are using a new app. on Trello to keep track of jobs that need to be done on the farm and who is doing them.
And yet as dawn breaks, we find ourselves pulled in directions completely unplanned.
A quick example.
A few nights ago, I went to dinner with my friend Cara. She really helped me brainstorm my homeschooling day. There are some things that just aren't working for me, and I came up with a new plan.
This plans stems from the fact that the kids have approximately 6-8 school things they need to get done each day. But between the four of them, the things are scattered throughout the day. This means that while they, personally, are only schooling around three hours a day, I, the mom and teacher, am busy schooling for what feels like the entire day.
So with Cara's help, I decided to try some twenty minute stations. This meant setting a timer and requiring all four kiddos to be in their station for twenty minutes. At the end of the twenty minutes, they picked a new station, and we all moved at the same time. If they need to opt. out of a session due to the need to poop or eat or do a chore, then they could wait for the next twenty minute station.
Day one of the plan went well. And overall, I am loving this plan; I have high hopes for success and for us to be finished schooling much earlier in the day.
But day two of the plan, I remembered why my homeschooling plans often fall apart. I remembered why any plan for a farmer can often fall apart.
It's called: the farm.
Specifically it is called: the animals on the farm who rarely do exactly what you planned on them doing especially on the days that you were really hoping they could do as they had planned.
Eight-year-old Sidge is now completely in charge of our chickens. He checks on them three times a day, waters them, feeds them, collects their eggs, and reports back with any problems. That morning he and the girls returned an injured chicken to the flock. It was a success, and we think she is going to make it! The girls often accompany their brothers on their chores, but the brother is in charge.
Nine-year-old Isaac is now completely in charge of our duck and geese flock. He also checks on them two to three times a day, waters them, feeds them, collects their eggs, and reports back with any problems.
So yesterday morning when Isaac came in with a little sister in tow, I expected the usual report. Only instead I found out that there was a dead duck in the paddock and its head was missing. Hannah was very animated about this. Her eyes were wide as she added little comments to Isaac's documentary.
Headless duck. You can't make this stuff up folks. #Ican'tbelievethisismylife
I quickly surmise my situation. JB is at work. Murphy's Law folks. Tijmen who can also help me handle tough situations is hunting in the woods. One of our female wwoofers is out doing other animal chores. And the other has the day off. My in-laws are off on a long to-do list in preparation for holiday company.
That leaves me. And four kids if you count them. And at least one dead duck. One headless duck.
So I head down to the paddock which is down a pretty steep hill. All four kids want to come with me for the following reasons:
- Isaac because they are "his thing" and he feels responsible. (I loved seeing this ownership in him.)
- Abigail because she loves all things bloody and medical.
- Sidge because he loves farming and wants to understand everything.
- Hannah because she has to be in the middle of anything going on.
Off we go. Sure enough there is one headless duck in the middle of the paddock. A goose is also outside the paddock indicating there was a scuffle or some fear that sent him flying or scampering out. The fence is not down anywhere but there are pieces of the duck scattered throughout the paddock. I think I see tracks but can't be sure. I count the ducks. It looks like only one got taken.
So I clean up the dead duck parts (yes, this is another moment I should say #Ican'tbelievethisismylife.) By this time Tymen has read my text, finished hunting, and joined me. I quickly call JB who confirms the feelings Tymen and I share on the situation. This was probably a raccoon who often kills for sport and not necessarily to eat. (I really feel frustrated that the animal who took this duck down didn't eat it. Truly it makes you feel better if you know this is part of the food cycle instead of just a bored raccoon.) Last night the dogs went crazy, and they seemed to chase something off, but I couldn't have been sure. Butif it is raccoon, the chances of it returning the next night are pretty high.
Only option: move the ducks and geese up into our yard for a few days to help break the predators' cycle. Predators won't usually come close to a house so it will up our chance of not losing more ducks or geese. We all feel very lucky that we only lost one animal in the mayhem.
I set the kids on their twenty minute schoolwork rotations in the house telling Siri to set twenty minute timers and the boys to help the girls rotate, and they seem to be prepared to do a good job. Allt he while Tymen and I spend the next two hours relocating the ducks and geese. Remember I mentioned they were down a pretty steep hill. This means about a half dozen trips carrying paraphernalia up and down this hill. We set up a new paddock. We take down the old paddock. We set up a second new paddock that we can move them into in a few days. And then we move their water and their feed and herd them into their new home.
Following this adventure, I wasn't too hopeful for the next. My friend Karen came over to borrow one of our rams for a breeding season. Unlucky for all of us was the fact that the rams were currently out on one of the far sides of our pasture meaning we either had to harness the big daddy and walk him all the way back to their truck or take their truck into the far reaches of the pasture. We opted for the latter and friendly Admiral went without a hitch thanks to our strong Tymen and a strong man Karen recruited as well. Karen has since told me he has integrated beautifully with his ten wives and that he's taken to the guardian dogs she runs as well.
Shortly after that I realized that my father-in-law had accidentally taken my keys with him into town. He had two pigs in our neighbor Billy's travel trailer and after dropping the pigs off to be processed, an axle on the trailer broke (and a wheel went flying into a parking lot nearly hitting a lady). So he was sitting on the side of the road, and I was needing to take my boys to the orthodontist with no keys for the journey. Thankfully we remembered a back-up key we had stashed away for just this type of adventure, and I was able to proceed to the braces check without a hitch.
Here's the truth: I don't really dislike anything I am doing. Okay so picking up pieces of a dead duck isn't on the top of my love list but overall, it's an adventure, and I'm learning a lot. But trying to couple these adventures with my job as a wife and a mom and a teacher is really challenging me. I'm learning. I'm trying. And some days, I'm succeeding. But overall, this biggest lesson I am learning is that I can't make plans. I have to wing it. And that goes contrary to so many parts of this planner's personality.
I'm trying. I'm learning. I'm hyperventilating. I'm praying. I'm growing. I'm stretching. I'm being. I'm trusting.
And yeah, I'm cleaning up a dead duck.
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