VMSPro

Today we are at a VMS-user group meeting.  Josiah is giving a presentation on what he knows best, our farm and our experiences with robotic milking.

And I am sitting here, watching.  I don't go for public speaking much.  It isn't really a gift of mine, but Josiah is great at it!

Duchess meets the calves

I took Duchess down to the calf hutches to see what she would act like around another baby animal.  The calves were very curios about her and she was equally curious about them.

They sniffed noses a couple of times...

And then they started to lick each other.

Then she decided to stick her head in, to get a closer look.

This is my favorite one

Then Duchess got scared because the calf wanted to give her a head-butt.

She's so cute!

First sunflower of the year

Hiking at Tucquan Glen

This morning I went hiking with my mom and 2 sisters at Tucquan Glen, aka Seven Crossings (it is nicknamed Seven Crossings because you used to be able to drive out the path toward the river, and when you follow the old car path you cross through the stream seven times).

Some of my favorite pictures that I took/someone took for me:

That would have been a good shelter from the rain, if it had been raining.

Cool roots

Do you see all 3?

That was a very big rock, it was interesting finding a way to get down, that didn't involve falling.

The railroad bridge

Melissa standing like a pink flamingo in the Susquehanna River

I like this picture a lot!

It's a good day to play

Hello, my name is Duchess,

And I love...



to PLAY!!!!



It is good

This is a great way to begin summer, sick.

I started feeling really tired and my sinuses were clogged up yesterday.  And today I just feel tired, groggy, and stuffed up.

But it is summer and I am thankful for that.  Even when it is hot, even when there are thunderstorms that wake me up at night, even when I have to pull weeds in the garden or flowerbed.

I was encouraged by Psalm 92 this morning.  It reminded me that even though I am not feeling well, I still have so much to look forward to, and God has done so much for me and for Josiah.  And even when something isn't right with me, that doesn't need to cause me to have a negative outlook on the rest of my day/life.


"It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
to sing praises to the Most High.
It is good to proclaim your unfailing love in the morning,
your faithfulness in the evening,
accompanied by the ten-stringed harp
and the melody of the lyre.

You thrill me, Lord, with all you have done for me!I sing for joy because of what you have done.
O Lord, what great works you do!
And how deep are your thoughts.Only a simpleton would not know,
and only a fool would not understand this:
Though the wicked sprout like weeds
and evildoers flourish,
they will be destroyed forever.

But you, O Lord, will be exalted forever.
Your enemies, Lord, will surely perish;
all evildoers will be scattered.
But you have made me as strong as a wild ox.
You have anointed me with the finest oil.
My eyes have seen the downfall of my enemies;
my ears have heard the defeat of my wicked opponents.

But the godly will flourish like palm trees
and grow strong like the cedars of Lebanon.
For they are transplanted to the Lord’s own house.
They flourish in the courts of our God.
Even in old age they will still produce fruit;
they will remain vital and green.
They will declare,
“The Lord is just!  He is my rock!
There is no evil in him!”

Puppies sleep a lot

Duchess likes to sleep on our barn boots.  We leave them sitting upright when we go inside and when we come out again she is laying there with all the boots knocked over.

I set them all back up for her.

But she didn't knock them over this time.  When we came out in the morning she had them all knocked over though.

She is just so cute!

Puppy love

I can't help but take pictures of our cute puppy!

So sleepy

She loves being held by us, and she likes to cross her front paws a lot



Doing the cute head-tilt




She fell asleep laying like this



Beautiful!  She is the Duchess of Spring Lawn

Lessons from Duchess

This is my first time to be fully responsible for a dog and I am finding out how stressful it can be.  She is absolutely adorable but she is also so much a puppy.  Puppies love to play, and she loves to be around us, and yet it is impossible to be around her 24 hours of the day.  We're busy, we have farm stuff to do.  The past few days we have been spending as much time with her as possible, playing and petting her, trying to help her adjust to the move.

And we have to teach her all this stuff, like not to jump up on us, not to dig in the yard, not to chase cats (although I think we will probably be unsuccessful on this one), how to sit down, avoiding cars and tractors.  All these things that George was so good at.  George was very good at being independent but still loved being around us. 

Right now Duchess is out on the porch, she hasn't been barking or whimpering, but I can tell that she is looking for someone to be around.  She keeps getting up and pacing back and forth looking in the door and the window, she won't go down the steps into the grass where all her toys are, she just goes back to the corner and lays down again.  I want her to be independent like George, but I know she will always need attention, that's just the way dogs are.

And when I'm in the house and we don't have her on her leash, I worry that she is going to wander off and get lost or get hurt.  And then I go check on her again and all she's doing is laying in the corner or pacing.

I imagine this is something like what you feel when you have kids.  You want them to learn to be independent at some point and learn to be their own person, but you still want them to desire attention and love from you. 

Duchess and I have so much to learn from each other.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart;  do not depend on your own understanding.
Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take."

  ~Proverbs 3:5-6

Playtime and naptime

More pictures of our cute puppy.

Playtime with her tennis ball:

Naptime, it's hard work being a puppy:



Josiah was pretending to sleep but Duchess was really sleeping.

She is so cute!