From Sunrise to Sunset

Time marches on, doesn't it?  We're already at the end of January!  Since we're past the winter solstice which was on December 21st (the shortest day of the year), each day is getting a little longer.  In fact, I checked the Farmer's Almanac and right now each day the sun is setting 1 minute later than it did on the previous day.  That is nice and will allow me to get some things done in the afternoons once I return home from work.

I took a few pictures of the sun rising and setting on Our Maker's Acres Family Farm.  This is one right across the road from us where you can see a nice pink glow where the sun is coming up in the eastern horizon amidst a cloud-filled sky.

Sunrise in cloudy skies

I've zoomed in a bit and the camera's auto focus did not cooperate, but I think you can make out what (or who) I was trying to zoom in on.  Why it's Mr. Ed, our neighbor's pretty horse!  I'm not sure what his real name is, but we call him Mr. Ed, although we've never heard him talk.  Sometimes we walk down the road and pull handfuls of clover to feed Mr. Ed and rub his nose and he seems to appreciate it.  Seeing the silhouette of a horse against the backdrop of a pretty sunrise with roosters crowing in the background, makes me appreciate rural America and the simplicity and authenticity of country living.  I enjoy watching a sunrise.


Mr. Ed welcoming a new day

We have a full agenda this week with the Southwest Louisiana District Livestock Shows in Lake Charles, work, school along with a multitude of things to get done on the farm:

• My tomato seedlings all have their first true leaves and so it is time to separate them, re-label them and re-pot them into larger containers.  Then I'll spray some fish emulsion on them. 
• I also need to weigh the meat birds.  I read last night that a 6 pound live weight bird will yield a carcass weighing 4 pounds, so tonight I'm going to put a bird on the scale to determine if this Saturday is Butchering Day. 
• Then I need to push the chicken tractor with the little meat birds one length up to fresh grass and the same with the pen with the big meat birds in it. 
• We have some weather blowing through tonight, so I need to secure the blue tarp over the large meat bird pen.  At this age (7 weeks), they can handle getting wet and they can handle getting cold - they just don't do well being wet AND cold at the same time.

There's something peaceful about a sunset.  It is relaxing and beautiful to watch.  Here is a shot of the sun setting in the western skies over Our Maker's Acres Family Farm.  The animals all go through their evening routines with the chickens assembling at their respective roosting places in the chicken tractors and the cows gathering around for us to toss them some hay.

Announcing the end of another day

Psalm 113:3
From the rising of the sun to its setting
         The name of the LORD is to be praised.