Postcards: 6 Weeks

Annabelle declared a couple of weeks ago that Hannah had taken over Mama’s life. She is a funny one, that oldest daughter of ours, and not too far from the truth. She wasn’t complaining but rather stating what seemed an obvious fact to her. At six-years-old this is the first baby she’s been a bigger girl for and so perhaps was not aware that babies come and take over your life (and your sleep) for months to come and that is just the way of things.

But with five babies growing far too fast right in front of me, I am happy to surrender my arms and my days to this sweet little one and her needs. The dishes and new garden plans and disordered cabinets will keep; babies are only babies for a second, it seems.

Speaking of babies, this Mama right here had hers. She dropped a “boy” calf that the children realized was a heifer a day later. 

I’ve not been in the pasture much since Hannah’s birth so this is all I have seen of the unnamed calf but I hear she is “very cute”. This also means we may not be far from milking Mabel once a day once again, Lord willing of course.

And finally, the rain came and with it a rejuvenation of the garden. These squash (or are they pumpkins) and eggplants in the kitchen garden are making their comeback from what seemed to be the depths of dehydration. Stewart and the boys prepared garden beds in what was the entirely failed chicken field summer garden area. And now greens and squash and beans are sprouting up and it makes a mighty fine stopping place when Hannah and I are pacing during those fussy evening hours.

The meat birds and pigs are also on that evening stroll and I think about how many babies ago it seemed we might never get around to growing our own meat. But the Lord made a way, in His perfect time and providence and, holding our third daughter in my arms, I see His provision all around us.