quick thought

Somedays the stress of being a responsible adult can become overwhelming and the dynamics of working on a family farm can be enough to drive me crazy.  On those days, I have to stop and remember what is at stake if we give up, not that we ever would. The cattle is the reason I met my Husband the reason our relationship works. Its amazing how much farming is really because part of your identitity and gets in to your blood.
I grew up on a rural Ohio Farm in the middle of nowhere, actually it was Hillbilly country and it was very nice. I knew what it meand to katch crawdads, never wore shoes and my mom made almost everything we needed.  I spent most of my time in the barn playing with the animals or since our goats were "free range" (this isnt a term we used but has become quite popular now) I roamed all over ther farm with them while they grazed.  Animals were my best friends, hay was my currency and animal talk was the dominat languafe. There arent that many farms left and my homeplace is no longer but I remember how great it was to learn the independance of wandering all around the farm, I was never bored and I learned a lot. Today I am glad to give my child the oppurtunity to live the life I knew growing up and no matter what it costs to maintain the farm and cattle, we will do it, not just for ourselves but so our kids can know the true meaning of what it means to be responsible and grow into your own person.