Poor Little Tree

Charlie Brown's Christmas tree was a sad little tree.  All bent and scrunched over.  Sad looking and pathetic...

It kind of reminded me of our satsuma tree.  In its defense, the satsuma tree is a very young tree, but today when I went out and picked the four satsumas off of it, I thought of Charlie Brown's tree as they sort of look similar.

In years past, we had a navel orange, a satsuma, a lemon, and four tangerine trees.  But unusually cold winters with temps down in the single digits demolished, obliterated, and decimated all of our citrus except for the navel orange and the new satsuma tree.  

I was thinking back to the times where we would pull all the fruit off the trees and make marmalade and freeze gallons of fresh-squeezed tangerine juice and eat delicious oranges.  Unfortunately, those days are gone...  for a while at least while we get some new citrus trees in the ground to make up for those we lost.  Almost as sad looking as the little satsuma tree is, is the sum total of the harvest off that tree:

Slim pickin's indeed!  I did purchase a Blood orange tree, a Meyer lemon tree and another satsuma tree that I'll be putting in the ground this spring.  Maybe next year our citrus harvest will be larger than four satsumas!

The Light of the World

This morning we had a meaningful service at our little country church.  It's a tradition we've done for quite some time.  We call it the "Lighting of the Tree."  We have a normal Morning Worship Service, with Bible Study, singing of old hymns and carols, prayer and a message.  This morning's message was on Luke 1 beginning in verse 26 when the angel Gabriel was sent to announce to Mary about her being chosen to give birth to the Christ Child.  The angel told Mary, "The Lord is with you."    He went on to tell her the great news that she, a virgin, had been chosen to give birth to the Messiah.  Mary, of course, had lots of questions.  Before leaving, the angel told her, "With God, nothing is impossible!"

At the end of the message, the lights are dimmed and a big candle on top of the tree, representing Jesus, is lighted.  600 years before Christ, the prophet Isaiah was speaking to Israel.  Due to their idolatry and unbelief, they had been taken into captivity by the Assyrians.  They were in dark times.  Isaiah had hope, though:

But there will be no more gloom for her who was in anguish; in earlier times He treated the land of Naphtali with contempt, but later on He shall make it glorious, by the way of the sea, on the other side of the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles.  The people who walk in darkness will see a great light; Those who live in a dark land, the light will shine on them.  Isaiah 9:1-2

In Matthew 4:12-16 we see Jesus' inauguration of His ministry fulfilling this prophecy.  Jesus had many "I AM" statements: I AM the Good Shepherd, I AM the way, the truth, and the life, I AM the gate, I AM the Bread of Life, I AM the resurrection and the life.  One other I AM statement was Jesus saying, "I AM the Light of the World."

The theme of Jesus as the Light of the world is prominent in New Testament Scripture: 

• John 1:4-5
• John 8:12
• John 9:5
• John 12:46

Jesus was truly the Son of God and came to the world to save sinners.  In Matthew 5:14-16 Jesus gives the believer a challenge for the ages!  Go shine your light before men.  Illuminate the darkness.  Live lives that point to Jesus.  Be intentional about shining your light.  Give all glory to God.

At the conclusion of Scripture reading, our church family is invited, one by one to come to the front and light a candle to represent the light of Jesus living within believers and a commitment to shine our lights for Christ.

It is a quiet time, a reflective time as the candles on our tree are lit, one by one, as the piano is softly played.

The tree was constructed by the father of the gentleman in the photo above many years ago.

Even though our church is small, it took quite a while for everyone to get their candles lit.  There was no rush though.  It was a peaceful, worshipful moment.

One thing important about a light, if you take a lighthouse, for example.  The light keeps people from being shipwrecked onto the rocks.  The light also gives guidance so that those who are lost, may find their way home.

Jesus is that perfect Light!  Shine, Jesus, Shine.  May we shine for You in all we do.

The Christmas Cactus Parable

We've had a Christmas cactus that has never bloomed.  It just sits there and looks very... cactus-like.  Christmas comes and Christmas goes and nothing happens.  Until this year.  We tried remembering to water it.  We moved it to various spots in the house.  Finally, we placed the cactus on the back patio and noticed that the cactus suddenly looked healthier, better, and happier in this spot.  Right around Thanksgiving, the cactus started to get red buds on the tips, and then the thing erupted in beautiful blooms.

This photo shows the progression of small bud to the brilliant-red bloom!  Legend has it that the Christmas cactus got its name when a little boy from Brazil prayed to God requesting a break from the heat and humidity of the jungle.  On Christmas Day, the boy exited his hut to find the jungle around him filled with red blooms of the Christmas Cactus overnight.

The Christmas cactus that for so long sat dormant, sullen, and moribund has made a dramatic turn for the better!  We stop by and peer out the french doors and admire it's blooms often.

So it is with people, with events, with dreams, hopes and wishes.  For so long things look unchanged in situations in your life.  People and events look hopeless.  Sometimes things go on like this for what seems like ages.  But you don't give up.  You must have patience.  Try new things, places and changes of scenery.  And then one day...  Then one day, unexpectedly, you're met with blooms and happiness!  May your Christmas be merry and bright and filled with blooms and happiness. 

The Mobile Vet

Tricia called Dr. Chip, the Mobile Vet, to make a farm call and palpate the cows.  We have the bull in a separate pasture because he's dangerous.  When we see the cows coming into heat, we put them into the bullpen with the bull and let them get amorous.  Over the months, they have come back into heat, meaning that they were not bred.  We don't know what the problem is.  Perhaps the bull is not "hot."  Maybe there is a problem with the cows.  We wanted to get those issues addressed.

The veterinarian arrived and Tricia got the three cows isolated in the barn and in the head gate so that the vet could put on his rubber gloves and palpate.  First up was Rosie.  Rosie is eighteen years old.  The vet said she is NOT bred, but is still cycling, meaning she COULD still get pregnant.

Next up was Elsie.  Elsie is a beautiful heifer.  She is also A2/A2, so is highly sought after.  Up to this point she has not calved.  Another vet on a previous farm call, removed a cyst from her ovary.  She came into heat after that.  The Mobile Vet said that there was fluid and a fetus that the body would absorb and then she'd go into heat again.  So she DID get bred but lost the baby.  The vet thinks we should get rid of her, but we want to try just one more time.

The final was LuLu.  He palpated LuLu and said that she is two months' pregnant.  So she'll be calving in the heat of summer in July 2026.  Summer is not the opportune time for calving and milking, but we'll take what we can get.

LuLu is two months pregnant

So we know that Nicky, the bull, is fertile and will continue putting him and Rosie and Elsie together when they go into heat in hopes that we can get them all bred.

Running Out of Time

Our fall tomato crop has been better than normal this year.  Every single day, we've been going out and picking the nice red ones that were ripening on the vine.  Without the heat and bug pressure, the tomatoes have thrived.  We've been cooking a lot of them, making homemade cream of Tomato soup and also freezing a bunch of them for later use.  And Tricia, each day, would tell me, "You ought to see how many tomatoes are STILL out there on the vines!

It was with that hopeful thought in mind that we received the news of temperatures plunging to 28 degrees Monday morning.  Oh no!  We have to pull all those tomatoes off before the freeze, but Sunday afternoon was a busy afternoon for us.  Starting at 2:30, we were Christmas caroling with our church at the Veterans Administration Home, Jeff Davis Living Center and Camelot Brookside Nursing Home followed by a fellowship at the church.  Tick Tock!

Tricia and I got home and changed, bundling up as the north winds were blowing and the wind chill was already below freezing.  It took about an hour, but we got all the green tomatoes off the vines before we lost them.  It did get down to 28 degrees and then last night it got down to 30 degrees, but now, the two week forecast shows highs in the 70's and lows in the 50's.  We just ran out of time.

These are some Chadwick Cherries:

And more...

Black Krim, Cherokee Purple, Creole, etc.

Here are some Black Vernissage tomatoes...

Had we just had another couple of weeks, many of these would've ripened perfectly.

We have them in boxes and will see if they will ripen on their own.  If not, we'll make Fried Green Tomatoes, chutney or relish, or salsa verde.  I would rather that they would be red, ripe tomatoes, but when Plan A is off the board, we switch to Plan B or Plan C.  

Farewell To Mocha

Yesterday afternoon a tragic event happened.  Tricia called me and told me that Mocha was in respiratory distress.  Mocha is a Nubian goat that is spotted all over.  She's a really pleasant goat.  Some goats are trouble, but Mocha has always had a calm disposition.  I ran out to the pasture where she was and she was gasping for air.  She fell on the ground, and we worked to see if there was something we could do to help her.  Tricia went back to the house for meds and I coaxed her to the barn where we could work on her without all the other animals in the way.

As it turned out, Mocha succumbed to whatever medical issue that suddenly came over her.  We were both sad as we always are when we lose an animal.  It's not uncommon.  We've lost a multitude of chickens, several cows and a number of goats.  You try to do your best to raise them in a humane manner, knowing that you gave them a good life, but fully aware that death is part of it.

I went and got the wagon that was to serve as the hearse to bring Mocha to her place of interment.  LuLu arrived to pay her respects.  I can't say that LuLu and Mocha were friends, but LuLu looked sad to learn of Mocha's passing.  As I pulled Mocha off in the wagon, a trail of curious animals followed me to the gate.

In the very back of the garden, between the strawberries and the sugarcane, lay the spot I picked out for Mocha's final resting place.  The previous day we'd received a little over an inch of rain, so the soil was easy to dig it.  It wasn't long before I had a DEEP hole dug for Mocha.  

At the appointed time, Mocha was lowered into the earth, and I began to shovel dirt over her.

The job was soon done, and I fashioned a crude cross with some oak limbs and some baling twine and decorated it with a camelia bloom.

I stood by the graveside, and it seemed like some words needed to be said for Mocha.  I went inside and found "The Pastor's Manual" by J.R. Hobbs.

The Table of Contents showed plenty of information for how to properly conduct funeral proceedings.  It gave direction for all manner of funerals - young, old, and many others.  Try as I might, I couldn't locate directions on how to perform a Funeral Service for a Goat.

Well, we know why, right?  Goats don't have souls.  We'll miss Mocha, nonetheless.  She was a good animal, and we will miss her around Our Maker's Acres Family Farm.

Bring Something Made With Honey

At our last monthly meeting of the Bayou Beekeepers Club, we were asked to bring something made with honey for the club to enjoy.  We met tonight and had our normal meet and greet from 6pm to 7pm.  We meet at Green's Cafe.  Tricia and I enjoyed a homemade burger on a jalapeno bun topped with grilled onions and pepper jack cheese.  We talked with other club members and then the meeting began with the Pledge of Allegiance and a prayer.

We talked about what you should be doing right now with your bees, namely purchasing equipment and boxes to prepare for the spring when we'll be making splits.  An open question and answer period then goes on.  We have very new beekeepers and very old ones, too.  When all the questions are answered, there is a "show and tell" time where members bring equipment and demonstrate its usage.  Finally, there were door prizes given.

Before the meeting was adjourned, peoples' attention was turned to a table of goodies that beekeepers brought that was "something made with honey."  Of course we had to try a little bit of everything and recipes were handed out.  We feasted on a variety of homemade treats, including caramel, honey bars, cinnamon rolls, bit-o-honey, pecan pie with honey, berry tarts with honey, granola and BAKLAVA!

Baklava was Tricia's contribution.  Baklava uses phyllo dough.  In a buttered baking pan, you layer 10 sheets of phyllo dough, brushing melted butter on each sheet.  On the tenth sheet you sprinkle a combination of chopped pecans, toasted coconut, brown sugar and allspice. 

 Then you repeat the process.  On the tenth sheet, you put another layer of the pecan mixture.

For a third time you layer 10 sheets of phyllo dough, brushing with melted butter.  Yes, it is a rich dish.

You preheat the oven to 350 and then cut the pastry into diamond shapes with a very sharp knife.

The baklava goes into the oven for 45 minutes and then is taken out and allowed to cool.

But you're not done.  In a saucepan, you combine 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup water, and 1/4 cup honey and bring to a boil.  Simmer for 5 minutes.  Tricia adds the honey AFTER it stops boiling to retain the nutrition in the honey.  

Then we drizzle the sweet mixture over the baklava.

Cover and allow to sit for 24 hours while the baklava soaks up all the sweet goodness.

Then it's time to eat!  I wish I would've taken a better quality photo that would show the flaky, delicate layers with the pecan/coconut/spice mixture saturated with the honey glaze.

After sampling a little bit of everyone's "something made with honey" dessert, we left the meeting very satisfied.  We fellowshipped with friends, learned about honeybees, and engorged ourselves on products made by the incredible honeybee.