Tuesday 1 November 2011

How it all started...

"Quickly! Finish eating! I see a herd of goats at the neighbors*!" I turned enthusiasticly from the window.

"Oh come on Jana! It's LUNCH time." Elisha gave me a scowl. "I'm not giving up my lunch for a wild goat!"
"Well I'm going!" Able said as he jumped up. "Lunch or no lunch."
After a brief pause, the four of us burst out the door and grabbed for our shoes. We were off on yet another goat chase.

Goat hunts. To us, that spelled fun. We were ready for one any time. Though we didn't generally go on goat chases in the middle of lunch, they did happen quite frequently. Our goat herd was steadily increasing, with kiddings and catchings. Mum decided that something had to happen. No, she knew we'd never get rid of our bright and cheerful pets. Her decision? It was time to get some goats that had some use other than being weed eaters. And we don't eat meat. We thought hard. The only solution was to get... Dairy goats! Yep, that was what we needed now! Mum went internet surfing a bit and finally found a registered Togg herd that was being sold. There were 3 pregnant does, 1 buck, and 1 doeling. Elisha bought them. They were our starter dairy herd.

A few months later we experienced our first kidding season with dairy goats. Triplets everytime. Things were going good! With the kids, we decided it was time to find out about the Dairy Goat Society. How much was membership, what about registering kids? Though the yearly membership fee was quite a bit for our starting farm, we decided to give it a go.
My kids, Zing and Zeste, and I.

Three years later, we're still in goats. Loving every bit of it. Learning what feed to give the goats (Thanks to Pat Colby's book). How to worm them and then doing it naturally. (After all, what you put into them, goes through their milk into you..) Helping with births. The fun of naming the kids and seeing how interesting a name we can give them. Bonding with them. Facing the problems and getting through them. It all gives a satisfaction that feels good. I personally have 5 goats. Two are beautiful little bush does and the other three are purebred British Alpines. Names are: Chrissy and Misty. Kenita, Zwingli and Zeleste. (Misty is Chrissy's kid. Zing and Zeste are Kenita's kids)

Kenita's face.

Back to the goat chase.... We stormed down the backstairs from the veranda, Elisha stabbed a potato onto his fork as he ran. He told us that he didn't want to be cheated out of his lunch. I didn't really get why he needed the fork, but anyway! As we headed over the paddock, it started raining. It was just a drizzle, but it was enough to get us lightly wet. A previous time I'd complained to Able that the reason that I never managed to catch any goats myself, was because he was always off running before I could even start! So, to be fair, this time he said he'd let Stella and I go first.
He left us with instructions as to what we were to do. Then he and Elisha disappeared into the overgrowth. Stella and I concentrated on the herd, naively nibbling the grass.

"Ready, set.... GO!!!"

Stella and I jumped out at our cue. The goats wheeled around and started running. The boys ran after us, easily overtaking us. I realised that it was time to accept the facts. I just wasn't fast enough to catch a goat. And certainly not with thongs on! Since it had rained a bit, it was slippery and there were bindies (prickles) everywhere. I slowed to a stand still as I passed someone else's thong. Not thongs, thong. There was only one. It was Able's. I picked it up and headed on in the direction I'd seen the goats go. When I reached the fence, I started wondering where the rest were. I couldn't see anyone! I walked alongside the fence. Dusky forms. Who? What? It was Able and a goat.

"Able!" I gasped. "What is it?"
"A doe." He panted.
"Umm, how'd you get so muddy?" I wondered out loud.
"Well," he explained, "I was chasing the herd and they went under this hole here in the fence. I figured that if they could go under it, then I could too!"
"But that wouldn't get you that muddy!" I interrupted.
"I know," he continued "so I'm chasing this goat and suddenly we're going down hill. And since it's just rained, I slipped and started rolling."
Ah... I got it now.
"And then I found, to my surprise, that I could roll faster than I could run!"
He was talking very animatedly. And I was seeing it all happen in my head. I couldn't help but laugh. Wow!
"So I rolled so fast that I rolled into her! Before she could start rolling too, I grabbed her leg. And then came back up here."
I envied his ease in catching them. Or maybe, just maybe, was it how it how he told it? I smothered a sigh of dissapointment. Another chase and I didn't catch anything. Oh well, I thought to myself, this girl is nice enough. I'm going to make friends with this blue-eyed black beauty. That's Dolly.
Thanks to the goat chases, I have a top favorite animal. Bet you can't guess! ;-)
*the neighbor didn't live there, he just came every 3 months to check up his horses that were there. And yes, we'd asked permission.

Friday 29 July 2011

Just kiddin'

Well, my goaty, Chrissy, was 7 days overdue when she finally kidded. AND when we were away. So when we got back, the kids were already 3 days old. Oh and since I haven't said what they were yet, they were are boy and a girl. Misty and Mars. With Chrissy's kidding, our kidding season has well and truly started with two other does already kidded. More posts on the kids and kiddings will follow. :D
Chrissy (the mum) and Mars.

Misty and Mars.
Misty, jumping around. :D

What season is it?

I took all these four pictures in one day (not today..). Can anyone guess or tell me what season it is? ;)

Monday 18 July 2011

Trimming

Why trimmest thou thy way to seek love? Jeramiah 2:33


Trimming.. Have you ever seen a candle being trimmed?
It's always done bit by bit, not too much at a time.

Many people I've seen trim just a little bit, a Biblical concept they used to believe, their clothing gets just a little more immodest, music gets a little beatier, movies get a little higher rated, and bit more violence, prayer time becomes of the past, etc. and bit by bit, they trim their lives down, they lose that interest they had in God. They trim, till finally they are down the to the stub of their candle of truth. They no longer care.

Dear Father, you see the many temtations all 'round, tempting me to trim my way. But with your help Lord, I won't stumble, I won't compromise...

Saturday 21 May 2011

Confused?

Danica told Caleb that they were going to America to see Granny and Grandpa. So when Cherith (another sister of mine) was on the phone to them, Caleb all excited told her that he was going to "Mewica to see Gwanny and Gwanpa and Mum and Dad."

Saturday 7 May 2011

Adopted Bears

We have in this house a Dad, a Mum, a Daddy, and a Mama. Well, actually that is to Caleb definitions. Dad = grandad. Mum = grandma. And Daddy and Mama.

When Nathan, his daddy came, (as Danica and the children are just visiting) Caleb started telling him all about "Dad" this and "Dad" that and we had explain that "Dad" was grandad...
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Right now I am listening to Caleb yelling "come mama dear!" He's trying to convince us all that we need to eat.. and RIGHT now... "come eat!" He's such a sweetie. :D
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Adopted!
All of my sister's family have 'bear' suffexes to their names. Last night Cabie called his uncle Able, "Able-bear." Caleb's adopted 'im. (He even adopted April the donkey.... "Come here April bear.)
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Sadly Danica and her children/my nephews and neice have all left now. :( The house is quiet without Caleb talking and Hannah yelling.

Monday 11 April 2011

Beshany's Blog?

Danica had been talking a bit about Bethany's blog. Then Caleb getting wind of it, said: "Beshany's bogt. I need to see Beshany's bogt!"
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If Caleb see's a picture of Ben and Bethany, he says: "Untle Ben and Arnty Beshany!", or a picture of Ben and Cherith "Untle Benji and Arnty Terif!". Caleb just LOVES his aunties and uncles.
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One day Caleb was admiring his smilie little sister. And he said: "I luj Hunnuh!" :)

Saturday 9 April 2011

Caleb and his isms

Last night Nathan called (Nathan is my sister Danica's husband) and Caleb their 3yd went over and said: "Mummy, I need to talk to daddy".
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Whenever my dad comes around, Caleb calls out all cheerily: "Hey Dad!!!".
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Meal time comes.... "I want my little shpoon!". Caleb is very particular on the spoon size.

Friday 8 April 2011

Genesis 1 Excerpt from my Diary

Genesis 1 is about creation, but notice "In the beggining GOD created the heaven and the earth." So who made the heavens and the earth? God. Next it goes on to say in vs 2 that "the earth was without form, and darkness was upon the deep." What does that mean? That God started with nothing, and made something.

The 1st day he made day and night. Verse 5 had been bugging me, "the evening and morning were the first day" I asked mum: It probably means that God started with the evening, (it wouldn't make sense if it was "the evening and the evening were the first day") but it still hadn't gotten through everything Mum said. Then the thought came "Ask God". So I did, and when I got off my knees it was like I heard: "the first 24 hours". That was it! The evening and the morning were the first day and the evening coming was the next 24 hours - the next day. Like as with Sabbath - it starts at sundown and ends sundown!
The 2nd day the heavens are made - atmosphere.

On the 3rd day God gathered the waters together and made dry land - earth, then named the waters Seas. Next He made grass, herbs, and fruit "and God saw that it was good".

The 4th day God made the sun, moon and stars "to rule the season and to be signs". He put them in the "firmament" - space.
The 5th day - God made/formed the birds and sea animals.
Day 6 - Land animals created/formed. "...and God created man in His own image..." God created Adam and Eve (not Adam and Steve!!) He didn't stop there - He said "be fruitful, and mutiply and replentish the earth." Thus was creation ended and the Sabbath came.

Sunday 3 April 2011

Power Steering

Have you ever had your car get low on power steering? And experienced having to pull on the car steering wheel to make it go the right way? Car steering wheels are difficult and stubborn without power steering. It was built that way and we can't expect better.


Some people seem to think that when something goes "wrong" with someone else, that it means that "that" person should be on drugs. Well the problem is that WE were NOT built to run on drugs. I read this (true) story of a boy that had dissability's and was hyperactive, and his mother (Eve) could not change things very easily. Well at first Eve didn't know much, and put her son on "medication", when her son (Justin) was on the medication, he behaved normally, but she said he was like ice emotionally. The problem was, he wasn't wired for drugs, as we all aren't, unlike cars with power steering.

If drugs were meant for us, God would built that need into us, and told us about it in Our Manual. I don't believe in drugs for man or animal except for anaesetic.

Wednesday 30 March 2011

What do you think?

What do you think of my new blog style? Since I am still figuring everything on blogger out, I am quite excited. Comments are very welcome. ;) ~ Jana

Monday 14 March 2011

Physical and Spiritual Life

I recently read a facebook status of my friend's. She said that she was spiritually hungry because she'd been so busy lately and said "What happens when you are too tired to eat?" Well that got me thinking. What happens when you a really distracted. For instance, once we had someone coming to visit, and we were hurrying and cleaning everything. Well, I was so distracted that I didn't even think of food. I wasn't even hungry. I didn't even feel like eating until I made myself eat, then I realized that I actually was really hungry once I started. And I needed it to keep going.

Well it is the same with our spiritual life. We get distracted, we get busy and forget our spiritual need, and slowly we start to die. We get a bit sick, and if we don't eat and regain our strength, we get weaker still and our spiritual life dies.

Sunday 27 February 2011

Manuals

Cars have manuals. And if you don't follow them, well what happens? The car breaks down. I remember how my brother once accidently put petrol in our diesel driven 4WD. Yes it broke down! We had to drain all the petrol out, and refill it with diesel. Only then we could we drive it.

I realized that we have one too. Written by our Creator’s secretaries. The Bible. It doesn’t leave us in doubt. It tells us, what we should eat, how we should dress, how we should live, what day we should rest on. But not only that, it also has stories in our manual! (I like that.) So much more interesting than car manuals. Stories of other people, stories of what they did and didn't do. The consequences and the rewards.
It also has prophecy in it. Did you know that the French Revolution was because they rejected the Bible entirely? Well it was, and not only that, but the Bible said that would happen. In Revelation, it says where the two wittnesses were rejected, many would be slain. If you are wondering what the two wittnesses are, they are the Old and New Testament. Can you remember the main thing that happened in the French Revolution? That's it! Many were sent to the guilotine. It is sad, but God said that is what would happen to those who reject the Bible.

Let us go back to our manual, and see what it says. I'm sure we don't know enough about it.

Monday 7 February 2011

Surrender

Why the cover?
Why the truth you try to smother?
I don't understand
why you the secrets have banned

Are you proud,
boisterous and loud?
Are you afraid?
Lo, look up at the who you he made.

Share it with Him if none else
To Him uncover yourself
He'll love you no matter how bad
you think youself. Don't be sad.

Surrender to Him your love and life
Sever with anyone all strife
Allow Him to hug you and hold you tight
Allow Him to lead you in the light.

By Jana

Saturday 5 February 2011

Modesty

"John was to stand as a reformer. By his abstemious life and plain dress he was to rebuke the excesses of his time."

 "In the broad way all are occupied with their persons, their dress, and the pleasures in the way..... I saw many traveling in this broad road who had the words written upon them: 'Dead to the world. The end of all things is at hand. Be ye also ready.' They looked just like all the vain ones around them, except a shade of sadness which I noticed upon their countenances. Their conversation was just like that of the gay, thoughtless ones around them; but they would occasionally point with great satisfaction to the letters on their garments, calling for the others to the have the same upon theirs. They were in the broad way, yet they professed to be of the number who were traveling the narrow way. Those around them would say: 'There is no distinction between us. We are alike; we dress, and talk, and act alike.'"

Our appearance speaks. If we are covered in jewlery, immodest clothes, pants, tight dresses and skirts, they might even be modest, but don't speak anything because they are tight. We need to be true witnesses. Our lives speak - by there fruits we shall know them. Let us bear Jesus' fruit and follow the example of John.

Thursday 6 January 2011

Always look up

Always look up. I did this last evening, and I saw the clouds moving at a fast steady pace. And something in my head said "Keep moving". I saw a star shining among the clouds, and my it said "Keep shining".
This morning I went outside and looked up, and the clouds were all peaceful. And it said "Keep peaceful". So in everything, keep moving, keep shining and keep peaceful.