There was a me - Sentimental Moment

There was a me, before there was a mom. I was my parent’s first child, and I was loved and accepted for exactly who I was. I had adventures and experiences, as a child growing up in Chicago and Arkansas: friends, family, jobs as a teenager, that helped mold me. As a young woman I went out and explored the world that became a part of who I am away from my parents for the first time. I have had wonderful experiences and a full book of my own story, and glad that out of all this came you.

I have thoughts, feelings, experiences to share with you and many I haven’t, to spare you from the hard moment’s that could have changed you. Some of my best friends swear they will tell you stories they think you should have heard, but for me, I have always just been here to be your mother. I do like you an awful lot. I would pick you out in a crowd. You’re charismatic, intelligent, interesting, and fun people – now that our life includes Ashley we are “people” I love hearing your stories; I adore sharing in your life.

Know that no matter how old you are; no matter how much more you know about a given subject, no matter how far away you go, or what you do, I will always be your Mom first.

It is the road I chose and it guides nearly everything I do. It is as natural to me as breathing; it cannot be turned on and off.  I am sure, my conversations more often than not, I sound more like a mother than a houseguest, that’s because I am.

All of this will be tested in those moments when my heart is tugged, and I forget the new directions we’re all traveling in and I am sure you can think of a time or two. I appreciate that you don’t challenge it and grow with me. There are far worse things in life than to be loved this much unconditionally.

I may have some interesting things to share; you may have something to learn from me, even at this stage in your adult life. Don’t cut me off, because you think you’ve heard it all before, or because I sound like... well, your mother. Yes, I repeat stories sometimes, but that’s because those stories are important to me and I am just trying to relate and share of myself. Listening patiently is a skill, and for me, there is a connection for the here and now, and the past.

Believe it or not: I lived in an apartment once, rented a cabin once.  I had to learn to cook and organize a house after I left home.  I went to an excellent college and kept excellent grades.  I went to grad school while a young single mom  and with the help of my parents to give you a home.  I won awards in my field because it was important to me to excel in the path I was on.  Sometimes, I didn’t even know that I was going above and beyond others, it just was the way it was. Oh and yes,  I fell in love, and had my heart broken ... more than once.

I raised you in as much as a democracy as I could.  From the time you were little, I would seize the moments for you to make decisions of your own. That, too, is shifting for me as a mom as you travel down your adult road. As adults, I have things to learn from you, and value your opinion and input.  Every chance we get if we can all slow down for a moment, create new memories, share our lives, we’ll all be happier in a life well lived.

Myrtle and Carolyn and Oats

We have added two new chickens to our little flock.  Myrtle a Blue Orpington and Carolyn a Cuckoo Maron.  They are 6 months old and instantly seemed to stabilize the 4 months old in the pecking order.  All 5 hens slept next to each other instead of Dottie having to sleep alone.  This morning  in the January rain, I took out not two, but three separate serving dishes of warm oats for the girls.

 

Chickens love oats and they are a great source of vitamin B, calcium, protein and antioxidants. Warm oatmeal is a treat for your flock. Oats have also been shown to reduce death rates in flocks and improve their general health.  Oat hulls to chickens' diets can reduce pecking and aggression. Oats are proven to make chickens more resistant to heat stress and exhaustion. 

Baby chicks feed a ration of oats will be healthier overall. Ground raw oats can also help clear up a case of pasty butt in baby chicks, a potentially life-threatening condition often brought on by stress or chilling.

One of the ways I like to serve oats in the winter is in the form of oatmeal. You don’t have to cook the oats, just heat up water and pour over the oats to moisten them.  You can use Quaker Old-Fashioned rolled oats, but you can also feed your chickens whole oats from the feed store. I don't really measure anything out, I just plan on enough oatmeal so each hen gets a nice treat, just enough to warm them up a bit.