Today I turned 40 years old with a bottle of champagne and my family on a summit overlooking the North Cascades. We kicked off the weekend on the Pacific Crest Trail at Harts Pass near Canada. The PCT was the first “big girl” trail I hiked after moving to Seattle in 2013. Spending time in complete silence (for hours) was a first for me. It truly changed my life. When I finally grew comfortable paying attention without immediately reacting, I was really able to listen and see life around me in a way I never had before. If someone asks what really led to the end of my career, it was an internal shift I have a hard time describing but ultimately resembles self-awareness, and it probably began on the PCT. I met several through hikers this weekend who started at the Mexico border and were almost done. I asked what they planned to do after such an accomplishment. “Go home and get back to work,” most said. At first it seems anticlimactic but I remember Trent Peterson, a young man whose story I told years ago, as he rode wild mustangs along the PCT. He used to say that the PCT is just a trail, what matters is that we slow down, pay attention and see clearly whatever path we’re on. I looked up a quote from that report to share with you all.
“This isn't to advocate for the PCT. The PCT is just a trail. Get out of the rat race and slow down. Pay attention to the little things, not just the big things, because it's the whole picture we need to be aware of," he said.
One of our chickens went downhill fast over the weekend and died Sunday morning. As is our practice, we took her out to the big oak tree in our pasture under which Freckles the horse was the first to be buried - and now rests alongside several other animals. Farming teaches so much about life and death, and I have noticed the kids do not react to it the way I always assumed kids do. My friends often ask, “How did the kids handle it?” And the answer is, “Fine, honestly.”
With this chicken, we had prayed for her Saturday night and asked God for His will to be done, petitioning that she either be healed or taken swiftly so she would not suffer. And when she died in Lily’s arms the next morning, Lily said, “well, God answered our prayers.”
Someone told me once that there are two kinds of animals on a farm, living ones and dead ones. There is no escaping the reality of death on a farm and while I spent much of my early life completely petrified of sickness and death, both TV ...
Hei Hei the rooster tries to flex his dominance on me so I needed some new moves. I consulted with my kids’ gym coach and tried out what I learned. I think it worked?!
As a 44-yr old mom of little kids and rooster wrangler, I never miss a day of taking the fermented cod liver/butter oil from Green Pasture which keeps my bones and teeth strong thanks to vitamins A, D & K as well as omega 3s! Not all fish oil is created equal and this stuff helped me end my longtime battle with chronic cavities 15 years ago. Use “ALISON” as your promo code at check out for 10% off. https://greenpasture.org/
UPDATE: I was wrong about this! Apparently the white stuff is chalaza which is a protein that holds the yolk in the center of the egg. I will have to tell my neighbor.
ORIGINAL POST: I am sure most of you already knew this, but I was truly shocked to learn that it is very common to eat rooster sperm. Yes, many eggs are fertilized and the way you can tell is by looking next to the yolk. Do you see a white substance that looks almost like a little tail? That is rooster sperm. Extra protein!
I keep my egg-eating chompers healthy by stocking up on the fermented cod liver/concentrated butter oil from Green Pasture. I used to get chronic cavities and this stuff turned all my dental visits to “cavity free” even before I changed my diet to fresh eggs from my own farm. Use promo code “ALISON” at check out for 10% off. https://greenpasture.org/
