Lest you think it's all sunshine and cute baby bunnies around here (although we do have plenty of these too!), I have one of my "keeping it real" posts for you. There is always a silver lining though - such is a life with hope in Jesus! These particular cases have caused us to learn more and hone our skills in animal husbandry.
Sometimes, a tiny rabbit will fall out of the nesting box. On cold days this can end in tragedy. One time it happened and the mama rabbit pulled fur from the nesting box and made a mini nest for the fallen kit. We were able to rescue that one in time. Sadly this week my children discovered 6 kits had fallen out of the nest of one of our rabbits. This particular mama rabbit did not figure out how to save them with some fur. We lost 4 of the 6 since it was cold through the night. Our best guess is that the doe had been startled while feeding her kits and had jumped out of the nesting box while several of them were still attached. There is not much we could have done to prevent this. Thankfully, the doe still has 5 kits remaining.
Another disappointing situation involves the honey bees. I did lose one of my hives - the smallest hive which had been a swarm I captured last spring. They had food stores, but it seems they were too small of a cluster to deal with the cold weather a few weeks back. Another "thankful" is that I still have 3 hives that seem to be managing ok. I try to feed them as needed.
These experiences drive us back to the drawing board, as it were, to learn more and adjust our care accordingly. Our kids are right there with us learning these tough lessons too, and I hope this makes them even more conscientious in their care of living things.
Thank you for reading, and I hope we can always find ways to encourage each other - even in sharing our struggles!
Wednesday, February 24, 2016
Friday, February 19, 2016
How it all Started
This story has been told many times lately, by our family, and usually provides a chuckle or two. I'll share it with you!!
This past November on our township election day my husband came home from work. Since our polling places are open into the evening we decided to run over to the township building and vote. We had all 4 kids in the car, so we took turns entering the building and casting our ballots. Check. Civic duty completed for the time being.
Well, it was not over; I came to find out. A few weeks later I started receiving some mailings - three to be exact - from the Butler County Election's Office! Each of those mailings congratulated me on my winning and were accompanied by some paperwork. What did I win? Here is the list (in no particular order): Venango Township 2 Year Auditor, Venango Township Constable, and Venango Township 6 Year Auditor. At this point I was thoroughly confused. Husband comes home from work again, and I show him these papers that have come in the mail. He just starts laughing, and saying something along the lines of, "I didn't know THAT was going to happen!" WHAT was going to happen, husband????
Seems that my beloved took the opportunity on the election ballot to write in my name on every available line! I guess maybe some of the residents of our sweet little township maybe forgot to also check off their civic duty because I was able to win 3 offices with just one (write-in) vote!! After some further research and phone calls to the election office and township supervisors I decided to pursue the 6 Year Auditor position. I had to fill out tax forms and get sworn in (had to get that notarized) and attend a township meeting. All the while my man is in the background just shaking his head and feeling pretty proud of himself for what he "created". He even had some of his friends from church come up to shake my hand and congratulate me on my new role.
In all honesty....I could have sent back all the paperwork and chosen the "decline the position" boxes. I did not have to do this, but we have decided that this will be a good learning experience and a nice way to further involve ourselves in our community. Working through a box of paperwork to complete this year's audit has definitely given me a greater appreciation for what goes into the oversight and maintenance of our township.
There you have it.....the beginning of my career in public office. What a beginning, eh?
TTFN! I hope your weekend is just lovely!
This past November on our township election day my husband came home from work. Since our polling places are open into the evening we decided to run over to the township building and vote. We had all 4 kids in the car, so we took turns entering the building and casting our ballots. Check. Civic duty completed for the time being.
Well, it was not over; I came to find out. A few weeks later I started receiving some mailings - three to be exact - from the Butler County Election's Office! Each of those mailings congratulated me on my winning and were accompanied by some paperwork. What did I win? Here is the list (in no particular order): Venango Township 2 Year Auditor, Venango Township Constable, and Venango Township 6 Year Auditor. At this point I was thoroughly confused. Husband comes home from work again, and I show him these papers that have come in the mail. He just starts laughing, and saying something along the lines of, "I didn't know THAT was going to happen!" WHAT was going to happen, husband????
Seems that my beloved took the opportunity on the election ballot to write in my name on every available line! I guess maybe some of the residents of our sweet little township maybe forgot to also check off their civic duty because I was able to win 3 offices with just one (write-in) vote!! After some further research and phone calls to the election office and township supervisors I decided to pursue the 6 Year Auditor position. I had to fill out tax forms and get sworn in (had to get that notarized) and attend a township meeting. All the while my man is in the background just shaking his head and feeling pretty proud of himself for what he "created". He even had some of his friends from church come up to shake my hand and congratulate me on my new role.
In all honesty....I could have sent back all the paperwork and chosen the "decline the position" boxes. I did not have to do this, but we have decided that this will be a good learning experience and a nice way to further involve ourselves in our community. Working through a box of paperwork to complete this year's audit has definitely given me a greater appreciation for what goes into the oversight and maintenance of our township.
There you have it.....the beginning of my career in public office. What a beginning, eh?
TTFN! I hope your weekend is just lovely!
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