My Grandpa Eldon was famous for his sayings. He always had one that seemed to fit the situation and he even shared this skill with my great aunt. They would share these sayings at family gatherings and then kind of crack each other up. One of his favorites was "Around Robin Hood's Barn", meaning taking a less than direct route to a destination, or meandering.
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| Grandpa Eldon and his herd of Angus, circa 1960's |
When I think about our farm and our family, this is the phrase that seems to encapsulate it the best. We have not taken a direct route on anything, sometimes leading to frustration and sometimes leading to a greater adventure. We plan, we re-plan, we adjust and move ahead and then find ourselves back to the drawing board! I'm going to convince myself that as we age and gain experience, our new plans reflect that new knowledge. Sure, that's it.
We've definitely been "round Robin Hood's barn" in the twelve years that we've been married and trying to make a go of this nutty dream of our farm. We are parents to two kids and foster parents to many. Currently we have Angus cattle, Berkshire pigs, Suffolk and Crossbred sheep, chickens, Muscovy and a few other random ducks, three horses, a couple of farm dogs and an endless and ever-changing population of farm cats. We also have a small collection of fruit trees that I hope someday to officially call an orchard at some point and a garden that provides for our brood. Oh, and there's our "vineyard" - which consists of one extremely tenacious grape plant which we have tried repeatedly to kill.
This blog will likely be another trip around the ol' barn! It will include recipes, farm humor and updates, information on our livestock, and maybe even some home school nuggets or ideas for Sunday School and kids' activities! Who knows what will show up, but it promises to be a learning experience for one and all! Join us on our journey as we head "Round Robin Hood's Barn"!