Falcons, Feast, and Famine: Loving the Little Moments in Life

As I am sitting down to write this, the sun is just barely peeking over the trees. My one-year-old and I woke up a little earlier than usual, so today will be an extra slow day. I began brewing some coffee and went out to open the chicken coop. Our first egg was FINALLY gifted to us yesterday. A tiny brown oval covered in poop and feathers. We definitely need to change the bedding again.

While waiting at gate of the run, I heard the other birds of the neighborhood off in the distance. Mostly crows and robins but today I was three falcons dancing with each other. Or fighting each other off, but it was such a swift action that it wasn’t short of a dance. Then one swooped over toward me and landed on a post on our chicken run. It looked over my girls as if deciding whether or not to grab one. We do have netting over the top since predator birds are present here. Nonetheless, I told that bird to get lost and for my girls not to worry.

Because they may be just silly chickens, but they know when there is something out to get them. I’d love to give that falcon the benefit of the doubt, but it did look pretty mischievous. On the other hand, it looked magnificent. What a gorgeous and skilled creature God created that graced my sleepy eyesight. As it sat for a minute, no more than two, I just looked at all of its features. The sharp, needle point of its beak, curved quickly that the end. Its black, swift eyes able to see the most acute movements. Its lovely, speckled feathers, all hues of gray and white. I’m still wondering just what kind of falcon it was. Perhaps not even a falcon? A hawk? Hold tight, let me nerd out and get my Audubon society bird identification book…

Well, it wasn’t a falcon. I believe it was just a common red-tailed hawk. Either way, it was a stunning site in the early morning sun. The hawks are still dancing around, rousing up the murder of crows in our adjacent evergreens. Looking out to our small yet large garden and just thanking God on this Sunday morning. I never thought I would be able to say I started a homestead from scratch. I thought it would only ever be just another pipe dream of mine, like joining Cirque du Soliel or being the next Hunter Thompson style writer (HAH!). Just THANK YOU. Thank you, thank you, thank you

My coffee is still miraculously hot since me and my youngest are the only ones up. Usually, right when I wake up and start making noises and movements my three-year old not far behind. It’s rare when I can have a (somewhat) quiet morning and drink a beverage that is HOT. Most mornings its tepid tea or cold coffee as quick as I can so that my ravenous children can eat first. I’m still a nursing mother, and that for me, still means nursing through the night. It’s trying times during these childbearing years but it’s worth it. Because I love it, it the most frustrating way, I love it.

I’m very blessed to have my second child be the one who doesn’t sleep through the night and is the more, what’s a good way to put this, challenging of the two. My first was a new moms dream. He was sleeping 8 hours through the night by 3 months, without me doing much of anything. He nursed well, co slept, and was generally pretty chill. My second, Augustus, even though he is very mellow as well, he poses new challenges for me that I wouldn’t have been able to handle as gracefully if he was my first.

I had a hard enough time with PPD, being in a new state away from family, becoming a wife, mother; all the new hats on my head felt very heavy at the time and I didn’t feel like I had the support that I needed then. But God got me through, like always, with my blind faith and utmost surrender things, were on a constant rise back up. As they are again now in this season of my life.

Musings on Feast or Famine

My dear friend and helpful real estate agent dropped by recently to tell me she had a friend for me. This is the third time someone has tried to help me make friends in this new state of Idaho. Making friends hasn’t been my focus, nor building the community I want, but there will be a season for that. Such as it is, she said something that struck a chord in me. She mentioned how busy she was with work and all the houses and clients she’s got in the works. Then she said, “it’s always feast or famine”. I just thought for so long with that phrase reeling through my head. Feast or famine. That’s just such a polarized, very loaded, phrase.

Am I in a feast or famine stage? It could be either one depending on how i look at it. On one side, we are very abundant. Our garden is fruitful, our chickens just laid their first egg, our house is paid for, we are not in a WANTING more place. On the flip side, we are on a TIGHT budget. We are a one income household. I don’t make ANY money with this blog. my husband recently switched jobs which brought a raise; however, we now have to pay back a large amount of the initial sign on bonus he took at the previous position.

I guess it boils down to if I’m feeling pessimistic or optimistic. My heart tells me we are in a glorious feasting season, which saddens it a little because that must mean famine is near. Then my rational mind shows me we are already in a stage of ‘famine’ because of all the mentioned reasons. In turn, bringing that silver lining of ‘the feast is soon to come’.

Honestly, I don’t feel like we are in either one. I feel as though our backyard homestead is on a very slow and gradual rise. It can really only go so far since were in a suburban neighborhood and we don’t have any land besides our standard backyard.

The sun is just starting to reach our garden now. The light is a morning gold. Gently sweeping away the cool night. Today was one of the first chilly mornings of the summer. Thats how you know autumn is approaching. And I’ll tell you the truth, I can’t wait to be embraced by the cold once again.

Until next time friends.

Cheers to your current season of life, feast, famine, or a happy place in between!

Tayler

Tayler