The Changing of the Guard! Literally!

Happy Fall Ya'll from HillCreek!
We welcomed fall up on the farm with open arms and excited hearts!
It was a quiet couple of weeks as we adjusted to farm life without our flock. Much quieter and a bit less work. It has allowed us to focus a bit more on the animals in the house which include the kittens, the dog and our one surviving chick the "Unsinkable Molly Brown!"

Molly is doing well and she is growing big! We keep talking bout how she is not satisfied being in her broody box anymore! She wants out and she wants freedom! We hope to give that to her in another week or so. 

But first we must Change the Guard, literally! We are going to welcome another new animal onto the farm! This animal has been purchased

for a very specific job and we have high hopes for her! Meet Sitka; Sitka is an almost 6 month old Anatolian Shepherd and she is a Livestock Guardian Dog( the dog behind her is the breeders Mastiff). Sitka was bred up in Washington and has been working with Horses, Cows and sheep alonside her parents and other working dogs already. We look forward to introducing her to a new flock and training her on guarding chickens. Livestock Guardian dogs are fascinating! If you do not know a lot about them, I encourage you to do some research. These breeds were created for very specific jobs and they are good at those jobs. You can read about them here; https://www.facebook.com/notes/livestock-guardian-dogs/list-of-lgd-breeds/802398923193882/, http://rareonthefarm.blogspot.com/2014/09/what-is-breed-and-why-does-it-matter-by.html, http://www.invasiveanimals.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/Guardian-Dogs-web.pdf
There are many other places that you can find information about them. But those are few off hand! We hope that having Sitka and an electric fence will help to keep our flock from any current or future predator! I also look forward to all the things I will be learning alongside Sitka as we grow together in this farm business!

I have decided to start studying Ecclesiastes. This is a book in the Bible where the writer, most likely King Solomon, talks a lot about a time and a Season for everything. He talks about the work and toil of man, about the blessings and desires of God for us, His creation, and about our purpose. I spoke earlier about really getting a sense of the seasons up here on the farm and how they mean something much greater than they do in the city. I have always loved watching the seasons change and Fall is my favorite season. The pictures are just some of the many faces that Fall brings up here. In the city you are impacted by the seasons change, but not quite as much as you are impacted by them up here in the country. Jobs stop when the rain comes and things get too muddy to work with. Preparing animals and outbuildings for winter, so that they are safe, comfortable and can withstand the strain put on them. Thinking through what things need to get done before the winter comes, what kind of preparing we should do for power outages, ice, snow... How to keep animals water from freezing and chicken coops from getting too wet in the rain... gathering firewood and learning how to use a pellet stove. And then, there is also the quiet and slowing down that the changing of the season brings, because you are stuck working inside. So you pause and look at the beauty around you and the glory shining from every living thing. You appreciate the gift of creation and oh wow it is a splendor in all of it's beauty! I enjoyed all of this in the city, but it didn't impact me the way it does now and I look forward to diving into God's word and learning about the seasons in a new and fresh way as I learn what they mean for us here! I made a yummy fall treat this week. Granola with dried craisins and mangos!! You can check out the recipe I used here;https://www.cookingclassy.com/granola-without-oil/

 We finished up fall football last Sunday and the boys had a blast!! They played hard, learned, and had a lot of fun! I think they want to do it again next year! The cool thing about being in a small town is it is hard to find an excuse to not be a part of the goings on in town because you can't really hide from them! So for the first time we are really investing into the City, not just the people, we are a part of and trying to show up for the all the different community events. The kids had their school's jog-a-thon and each ran for an entire hour! It was a lot of fun and very sweaty! I ran with most of them and we had a good time! For any school these fundraisers are important, but I think, even more so for a small town where the demographics are not just on one side of the spectrum. After the jog-a-thon we watched the high school homecoming parade! We have also been to two HS football games and my husband is pretty happy about that! I also joined the PTA for the first time and that is new for me. But again I feel a pull to doing this as a way to be involved in the city and be a part of making a difference in our school and the lives of those we live among. It is all new and a little scary but I am excited to dive in and figure out what life looks like in Estacada! 

 I am not sure there is much more to update right now. So I will leave you with this; Our kids have been focusing on the character trait of Kindness in school this month. This is something that we talk a lot about in our family and my sister sent me this quote this morning. I love it! May we desire to be living expressions of Kindness in a world that right now values opinions over people, stances over serving, and speaking over listening! May we raise kids who long to give kindness no matter what they face and may we be people who give kindness from our very insides every day to anyone we come into contact with! I am praying for this in my own heart and life and I would love to join in prayer with all of you!