Country life for me

As many of you probably know, I grew up on a dairy farm and have built my house on some of the same acreage. I grew up walking the pastures and creek beds, exploring hidden areas and enjoying the animals. I feel so at peace when I am at home, and I feel very blessed that I am able to share this same area with my kids. Wednesday was a beautiful day in Wisconsin, temps in the low 70's and lots of sunshine (for once no rain). I took the opportunity to take a walk with my kids in the same pasture where I spent many afternoons chasing home the cows for milking and making up stories in my head as I went. I couldn't admit it to my parents then, but I loved bringing the cows home. Here are some pictures of our adventures. The kids had a blast walking and exploring a different creek bed than they ever had before and this was Becca's first time having free reign in the pasture. We did have to share the pasture with some of my Dad's beef cattle, but they didn't bother us.

Of course, every deep hole, the kids had to throw rocks in and see how much they could splash. I have always enjoyed traversing the creek in the spring to see how much it changed with the spring floods, and after the big flood we had last year, it should have really changed. I haven't taken the time to walk the creek for years, so it was lots of fun to walk it again. One spot is so washed out, the fence post is hanging in mid air and it has washed into the field.

Then when we reached the farm, my Dad had a surprise for us! He had gotten a billy goat from a relative and Billy came to greet us when we entered his pen. He was very friendly, wanting to butt up against us and push on us, looking for attention. Andrew and Becca were a little intimidated by him, but Joey loved Billy and laughed so hard at his pushing and shoving for attention. Billy pushed Joey all over the pasture, just looking for attention. My brother also has goats, two nannies and two yearlings, my Dad is hoping to breed the nannies and get some new babies this year.

My kids say all the time, how much they love the country, I try to make sure they realize how lucky they are to get to experience these things. I talk about kids who live in cities and never explored a creek, seen farm animals other than in petting zoos, or been able to play outside on acres and acres of land. I hope my children always remember these special experiences and share them with their family and friends in the future.