Trials Abound and Blessings Abound Even More!

Sunbathing Chicken Style

Ever go through a time when it seems like trouble piles on top of troubles until you cry "Uncle"!? The past few weeks have been like that here on the homestead. As I mentioned in my last blog, we had a trial over a used refrigerator purchase. So, bad refrigerator returned to the horrid people we purchased it from and deposit made on the glorious refrigerator God brought our way. Mother and Son returned from Florida with our new Silver Fox Rabbits in tow. So, into a house already topsy turvy from the whole refrigerator situation and young chicks ready to go outside, we now had their suitcases and treasures from Florida and rabbits who's cages had not yet arrived. Now our house was in major chaos and the stress level was registering on the seismogram at the nuclear plant in Southport.

I put out an SOS and was able to acquire a dog crate for temporary housing for the rabbits. The rabbits promptly proved to be bad roommates. The chicks were moved out to the tractor. The chicks promptly found escape routes from the tractor! We arranged for a friend to help us transport the refrigerator. The friend and Son were unable to move the refrigerator due to it's heaviness and plans were made to come back the next day with reinforcements. The tension increases.


The rabbit cages arrive and are put together and the rabbits moved into their new condos. They do not know how to drink from water bottles so I have to give them water in bowls until I can train them to the water bottle. The J feeders don't want to hang right so I have to get wire and fix them so they stay proper. 

All the while, the chickens continue to find escape routes from the tractor but fail to understand that the route goes both ways so they walk around and around the tractor trying to get back in! In a few weeks they will be too big to get out through their escape routes. We purchased a waterer that isn't a "hanging" waterer but Son fixes it so that it does hang. We also purchased a hanging feeder but then Son found an old dog kibble auto-feeder that he decided we could re-purpose. With some creativity and a few screws, Son did just that. That piece of recycling work saved us $10.



Now, back to the refrigerator -- Yes, we are dealing with all these issues at once. Juggling them like a juggler trying to juggle chainsaws. We had scheduled a time to go back with Friend, Son, and Re-enforcements but Re-enforcements didn't show. Friend didn't want to try again without Re-enforcements. Man we were purchasing from was giving us 30 minutes before our next opportunity would be five days hence. Son starts removing the doors and declaring that the refrigerator was coming home one way or another. I beg Friend to come try once more and call Pastor Son to come help. Son gets the doors off refrigerator (not an easy task let me tell you!) and Friend finds that without the doors, the refrigerator is much lighter and easy to move. Refrigerator gets transported at last! Son and Pastor Son reattach the doors and all seems to be settling down. Pastor and Family had come as well so we had a nice time showing them our rabbits and chickens and chatting for a spell.

Chicken waterer

You noticed I said "seems to be", right? Yeah, well, sweet Son is determined to connect the refrigerator to the water source so we would have water and ice. He is exhausted from a very long day of dealing with chickens and rabbits and stuff. But, nonetheless, Son proceeds to crawl under the house and gets the line run and all seems to be going fabulously at this point. But, the sink plumbing decides to spring a leak. Such is the way of old houses. We go to Home Depot to get a part. Still leaking. All that can be done is turn off the cold water to the sink and deal with it in the morning.

Re-purposed food dispenser

So, Palm Sunday and we are not in morning services because we are at Home Depot to get plumbing supplies. Back home and Son sets to work. It was not an easy fix but after several hours and multiple attempts, he finally is victorious over the plumbing. Praise God!

Waterer & Food Dispenser

Son is not my biological son, he is my spiritual son given to me by God. How I ever deserved such a blessing I don't know that I will ever understand. How his biological parents failed to see what they had in this son of theirs is totally beyond my comprehension. I recall so many times his father called him lazy and stupid and good for nothing. I can't reconcile that with what I see in this young man. What I see is a young man who knows so much about fixing things whether plumbing or electrical or carpentry. Not only does he have a gift to "see" how to fix something, but he works with such determination and pure joy of being able to say "I did it!" God has gifted him with wisdom and love and kindness and a smile that never ends...even when he is ready to drop in exhaustion, he still smiles and still presses on.