Life On The Farm.
Posted on May 1, 2024
Sometimes things just don’t quite go as planned.
Over the years, I’ve shared my home and farm with cats, horses, kittens, chickens, and Jack Russell terriers. They all had a way to entertain us with their daily antics! Oh, wait. But then there was that mama raccoon who just couldn’t resist turning our garden and flower beds into a daycare for her babies, and the possum that kept trying to chew his way into the barn. And the year a groundhog embarked on a not-so-amusing adventure, excavating a hole beneath the barn that could have easily housed an elephant, while a group of ground squirrels burrowed through a foundation wall, infiltrating my basement. Of all the critters that found a place in our lives, and some even stole our hearts, the feistiest one has sparked my inspiration to be the main character in my children’s books.
I had always wanted to add geese to our animal menagerie, and hubby looked at me like I was nuts. “You’re kidding … That’s a really bad idea.” Everyone else said the same thing. What gives?
“Whatever do you mean?” I would say. “I will care for them like my children, and they will love me like their mother.” So I brought home three beautiful Embden goslings. On a sad note, I lost one baby from stress, but I had two beautiful babies to raise into kind, lovely geese. Challenge accepted.
I held them, chatted with them, and we walked and walked and walked ... They grew quickly and honked their “Good mornings” to me each day. When it was warm enough, I assembled a pen outside so they could swim in the baby pool and eat fresh grass. Man! Could they eat!
Each day, they were bigger than the day before. They would follow me as quickly as their legs could carry them and never let me out of their sight. I was their “mama” goose. They charmed me from the very first, and I was convinced they were perfect! I was raising these goslings into the most loving and respectful geese. No meanness or back-sassing allowed. No way would they grow into grumpy ol’ grouches that chase and pinch.
My beautiful babies grew into graceful, handsome boys. I placed a bench in their sunny yard and kept them company as I read books to them. It was like The Sound of Music out there. Can’t you just hear the singing and see them gracefully waddling across the perfect green pasture? Harmony with nature, I say!
(cue annoying record scratching noise) … Everyone and their opinions were about to prove me wrong.
Those handsome boys turned into ruffians. They stopped respecting me and my space. They would chase, try to pinch, and complain. Talk about complaining! “You can’t come into our pen! Why did you just open our door? Shouldn’t you be bringing us apples, lettuce, or garden treats?”
Yeah, RIGHT … especially after you chased me, cornered me, and I had to yell for help. On a sad note, that wouldn’t happen again. I lost one of the boys for some reason we couldn’t diagnose. I now had only one white Embden goose. I will dote all my affection on him! He will be the sweetest boy because of my love and attention.
But this joker had other plans and took revenge for the loss of his brother. He fired up his snarky attitude and spit it on anyone who came near. But mostly me. Yeah, go ahead and say it. They told you so.
I am not one to give up, and I can report that “Sassypants” and I have come to an understanding. I stared into his beautiful blue eyes one day and used my sweetest mama voice—you’ve all heard your mother when she uses that voice—and explained precisely how well he would fit into my largest crockpot.
He now behaves quite respectably … as long as I’m holding the broom to shoo him away when he starts making that hissing Hannibal Lecter sound.
So, there you have it. That adorable little “bundle of joy” inspired me, leading me to create heartwarming children’s books that center around the amazing—sometimes frustrating—adventures of life on the farm, the beauty of family bonds, and the magic of friendship. Living here on the farm has taught me that things won’t always go as planned. But I wouldn’t change a thing, ‘cuz I think those unexpected moments are the universe’s way of pointing you in the direction you are meant to go.
Disclaimer: No animals or writers were injured during the making of this blog article.
See you in a couple of weeks!
Susan
Susan will be the first to admit… she’s a nerd.
Whether tending her garden, fearlessly experimenting with flavors in the kitchen, or putting the first brush to a blank canvas, she’s constantly immersed in creative/nerdy pursuits.
When an opportunity to leave her 9 to 5 arrived, she didn’t hesitate to pursue her love for language. Her goal was to become an editor and motivate writers to share their stories with the world. Ironically, it was in the world of words and children’s literature where her creative spirit truly blossomed. Drawing from memories of the barn she grew up in, her stories for young readers beautifully capture the essence of farm life and family values, along with kindness, caring, friendship, and acceptance.
She and her hubby live on a small farm in Princeton, Illinois. As her kids grew up and left home, she became caretaker to a flock of escape-artist chickens, her daughter’s lovely Saddlebred horse, and a cantankerous goose who became a beloved character in her children’s stories.
Find more about her and her books at www.finelineproofs.com
