Kansas wind

I may have put this picture up before, but I just love it and for the next 10 mo and 20 days, I wont have new ones with this wonderful man so you will have to see doubles!

My husband has worried, and probably does worry that we wont get out enough while he is gone. Anyone who knows me will know I am happy to stay home for days on end without getting "cabin fever" or in our case, "homestead fever" bc I have to go outside no matter what. As it stands, I like going outside. The children and I do a lot of outdoorsy things here and to make up for him being gone, we do daddy things. Its hard for me to go window shopping, out for ice cream or mexican restaurant but I manage.

Today was a nice day, sunny, not much wind and relativly warm. The kids and I went out to the goat yard (the 2 acre section where the goats roam, has the greenhouse, milk shed, chicken barn, goat barn etc on it) to put the chickens and guineas out. We let them out of the barn during the day, but at night put them up. One of our guineas got loose, and we found a nice sized pile of feathers-this bird was adequately adorned for sure! whereever he is, he doesnt need feathers...I know that skunks, cyotes and other carnivores will off with my birds so bedtime happens in the barn.

We spent about 2 hrs putting down new straw, observing the birds, the guineas do an alarm call if they see anything odd like a cat, or feel a stiff breeze... The goats like to go into the chicken barn while the chickens are in, they are hesitant to wander out at first, and the goats chase them, head butt them and generally rile them until they fly at their heads! We cleaned water dishes, and the kids fed the goats as if the goats couldnt forage alone.

As I leaned on the fence, I thought of my husband worrying that I will be too alone. My children were laughing in the background. My eyes filled with tears for missing him and then in the palm of my hand which was behind my back, I felt a warm nose. Nona (larger goat) edged her head under my arm and she leaned on my hip like she loves to do. She is so warm and kind. She tasted my pocket, my sweater and chewed on my belt for a moment to get my attention. She leaned there until my tears were gone. Then she went off to run and head butt her sister. My children threw grass upon me to intice me to chase them. The guineas made me laugh the way they puff up their feathers and down in anger at being pecked by a fellow bird. All the barn cats perch on the fence. The mailman comes and the kids running screaming to see if we have any fabric packages.

I miss him, and I know he will worry. But Oh I am happy here! I will miss him so, and be so happy to have him back to this home we have made on purpose. Some things just happen in life, some people just are. We are on purpose. And we love it here. I love my Kansas with the wide open spaces and the wind, the big sky and the sunsets. The smells and sounds of the prairie. Kansas and her wind miss him with me and I feel stronger for it.