The Day Winter Came

The Day Winter Came

Autumn brought such beautiful color and a short cold snap that turn the leaves a beautiful burgandy red, orange and yellow gold. After that brief cold snap, it was mild most everyday. The colors on the trees stayed longer and brighter most of the season. One day a strong wind came through and dried the leaves untill they were crisp which made a rustling sound as they moved up and down. The warmer weather was a blessing for the baby llama, Luna. We took her homemade coat off and she was able to enjoy her infant days much more grazing and playing naked in the sunshine.

We had heard of a storm coming but we gave it no mind as the mild autumn had cast her spell of euphoria and complacency.  I stepped out onto the back deck. A freezing cold wave of wind and snow flurried around my face I shivered all the way down to my feet and followed the snowflakes out to the coop.  I felt my heart race to think of the girls in this cold weather and stepped into the coop to turn on the heat lamps. Click* click...there was no light....nothing... then I tried again...click* and no light came on ... no electricity! * (see note below)

Husband usually takes care of these things but he was at work so I had to put on my big girl pants and investigate the source. Sure enough after testing the main outlet with a hair dryer I found the electricity was off . I tried the reset button but it did not help. Rerouting the extension cords to the house from the barn was a bit dramatic as the snowflakes swirled around me in a white out.  I held that "can do" spirit of a farm woman. As I worked, the snow got deeper. I grabbed the cords to the llama trough heater and pulled them out across the pasture, through the backyard gate, across the lawn and plugged it into the socket on the back porch. The chicken coop and llama trough were connected. Success ! 

The next on my chore list was to sew on some velcro fasteners onto baby Luna's winter coat. That went fast. By now the sun had begun to lower fast and it was dark by the time Paul got home. We went to get that coat on Luna. We turned on the back porch light and could see the snowflakes swirling down and blowing in diagonal sweeping motions like a curtain in the cold winds. 

  I wore a head lamp and Paul held a flash light. We were ah mazed at the snow heaped on the gates and panels and we shivered as the ice crunched under our feet and gloves. There is this metallic crunch like a crystal glass vibration as we forced opened the gates. being from Southern California this is quite awesome to us. We entered the shelter and gently cornered baby Luna. Momma, Gaia, made no mind of it.

Luna, 3 months old, had bits of frozen ice on all over her and I pulled them off with my heavy gloves. She was dry under the ice. She grunted and hummed like a child who was getting her face washed but she stood quite still for me to get her coat on. The new coat fit so well with some room to grow and Luna was now protected from the wet cold snow.  Yay ! Done! That night I slept pretty good knowing all my fur and feather family members were safe and warm.

Within 2 days the winter has brought us minus digits to -7 degrees and then it let up and became warmer.  Highs in the 20's and lows in the teens and single digits for the coming days and nights showed on the weather reports. 

The water at the spigot outdoors had frozen which means the water buckets must be filled from the sink or bathtub indoors then carried out to my trusty wagon.  As I pulled the wagon behind me over the ruts of frozen snow, the water in the buckets sloshed.  I made my way to the corral and emptied the buckets into the big water trough. 

Really, I do love our little farm. It is quite an adventure for me.  Everyday brings another lesson, another joy to experience and another story to share. 

As I write this morning, it is 14 degrees. I will stop now as it is time to feed breakfast to my dear animals outdoors. I will fix a nice meal of scrambled eggs, oatmeal, and fresh broccoli for the hens. The llamas are easy. They love their hay of alfalfa and grass.

I wish you all a Happy and Joyous New Year!

Thank you for visiting Little Utah Farm

Deborah Moen
of Little Utah Farm

We hope you can come again.

Until next time you may like to try my post 

 Pumpkin Seeds recipe:

* [Please note: I was new to cold weather, being from mild Southern California, and unaware that chickens can hold their own in the cold.  As I got used to the cold I have let the girls use their feathers and warm bodies to keep warm. I do have a great coop heater panel which I use in single digits and minus temperatures. It has a timer and 3 settings. It is safe for coops on the ground or hanging on the wall. I got it at amazon. ]

Baby Luna has a New Winter Coat~ How to

Baby Luna's New winter Coat



Look at those eyes.



Luna's uncles were ogling. They couldn't believe what had happened to Luna.

Luna grew out of her coat in 4 weeks. It used to lay just over her little tail. So I am going back to my sewing machine to make another. You can get the pattern here

Coat # 1 http://www.dragonflyllama.com/page14/page43/

 

I originally cut mine on a 4" grid and an adult llama would be cut on an 8" grid or larger depending on your measurements. I measured from the nape of the next to the base of the tail and then around the chest. Oh Luna is so soft and she makes the cutest gurgling sounds "Let me go!"

Here is the pattern and directions:

I used 1 1/4 water resistant fabric. it is nice to know you can cut 2 cria coats out from 54" wide fabric.

Just for enlarging the neck and lengthening the coat the blue lines show my alteration.
But making this coat for an adult is full grown will have no alterations.

My tile floor just happened to be 4" grid so
laid down my wax paper and began tracing.

Cut batting, I used 10 0z.

 

 

Note for lining ( above) I cut on right side of fabric with long edge on the right.

Reverse for the outer shell. For the outer shell lay pattern on right side with long edge

on left.

 

 

 

I  machine quilted the batting onto the lining to keep it in place for
and because. Luna is a wiggle worm.

Pin right sides together ( above)
 

Leave a space for turning

Notch curves and clip inside corners.

Turn inside out. Just stick your hand into the opening and pull out what's inside.
 ( Just fold in the seam allowance of the opening) I top stitched 3/8 from the outer edge.

 It was a beautiful day with snow capped mountain and swirly angelic clouds. I just sewed this on my back porch. The warm autumn sun was soothing and the air was so fresh.

Even though the coat is much to small for Luna, I found out this was great for dogs !

This winter coat fits Kollie perfect and who knows she may need it to stay dry when it rains.Cute huh?

Thank you for visiting Little Utah Farm
I have opened a store on Zazzle.com Little Utah Farm
We are creating many beautiful greeting cards and other things with our photography.
Here is a cup with Luna on it. I love the two tone effect. It comes with many colors for the inside.

Baby Llama Two Tone Mug by LittleUtahFarm
Put your favorite photo on a mug.

Do Llamas Spit? The Truth

Storey's Guide to Raising Llamas: Care/Showing/Breeding/Packing/Profiting

The most frequent question people ask about llamas is, "Do they spit?"

 

 

The answer is yes, they do. Spitting in some animals is a survival response when threatened by predators or mishandled by humans. They also spit mostly at each other during feeding. Here are some amazing facts that may be help the public to understand more about these exotic creatures.

 

Llamas get a bad rap from people who get spit on by walking up to a guardian llama in a field or attempting to cuddle with one in a petting zoo.

• A Guardian llama is used for alternative herd management in guarding sheep. The noises they make and their ability to spit with dead aim for a distance of 10 to 15 feet can discourage predators whether they be animals or human. This why we never approach a llama in a field. it is his job to guard that area and he is chosen ( usually best is a gelded male) for this job specifically for this purpose. Not all llamas are guard animals. 
•  Llamas are herd animals require another llama, sheep, goat, to occupy the same space with them. Llamas generally do not like to be touched like horses or dogs do. They are usually in a survival mode when approached by strangers in a petting zoo because they are in a corral alone. Most llamas unless trained do not like to be touched. They appear aloof. This is their way of survival instinct. Do not take it personally.
• Domesticated llamas are trained to accept the handling for their care such as toenail clipping, haltering and grooming. Ask before you touch a llama. The handler will instruct you how to best approach him or her.
• Llamas are a 4 legged work of art.
• They make fine eye level companions. What do you do with a llama? Well that is another story for next time....

Starbuck

 

Below is a video of our llamas about spitting from You Tube on our new
You Tube Channel Little Utah Farm.


 

There are many animals in the wild who spit for survival.

• The spitting cobra utilizes muscle contractions to squeeze glands in its mouth to accurately shoot venom at possible predators to protect itself. This process gives an appearance of spitting. The spitting cobra has been known to shoot venom for a distance of more than 6.5 feet.
• The archerfish hovers near the surface of the water, watching for bugs. When it sees one, it spits a stream of water out of its mouth to where the bug is sitting on a plant. Once hit by the water, the bug is likely to fall off and land in the lake for the archerfish to swallow for dinner. The archerfish has mastered the angle at which it must shoot water to knock down a bug.
• The male scorpion flyuses spit during its mating ritual to attract a female mate. The sticky saliva is spit onto leaves for the females to devour as a distraction during mating. This distraction helps the male to survive after the mating has completed.
• Spittle bugs wrap their bodies in a foamy spit to keep from drying out when they are young. The foam also insulates them from heat and cold. These spit-covered youth, known as nymphs, can be found along the stems of small plants.
• The mighty walrus spits a forceful gush of water at the mud on the bottom of the sea or ocean floor to uncover clams from hiding. This trick is useful for the walrus, which has limited eyesight. Walruses are also known to spit out water when playing around.
  
  Read more: What Animals Spit? | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/info_8444945_animals-spit.html#ixzz2AKVVD8vR

 

Thank you for visiting Little Utah Farm

Luna Llena our baby llama is almost 4 weeks old

She plays happily with the herd and there is a co-operative community emerging as a result of her presence

Hope you all have a great day !
Deborah MOON

 

 

Born On The Full Moon

Join us on our new Facebook Page: Daily updates

Little Utah Farm

 
I really would rather have Googled this event before it happened. It is times like these I am thankful for Mother Nature's help.

Ricky our grandson, came in and told me to grab my camera and get out back. "Grandpa says to hurry!" he coaxed. "Well... just a minute" I said." "No Gma, Grandpa says to come NOW!" I was thinkin' it was a cute pose with one of the dogs or an egg laid in an unusual place. As I walked across the back yard I felt something quiver in my solar plexus. I saw Paul at the gate of the corral, looking inside. "Deborah,  come look at this" he said calmly.

I looked into the corral and Gaia our new female llama had her back to us and what did I see but what looked like to me shiny black rubber tubes coming out of her. I was blank. I just didn't have a reference inside my brain to figure it out right away. Waaaa ! It finally kicked in. Gaia was having a baby!!! A baby llama was arriving to Little Utah Farm.

I was as shaky as Ricky, Ethyl and Fred on the I Love Lucy show when Lucy comes out of the bedroom to announce "Ricky, It's time." Everyone runs around dropping clothes out of the suitcase and in a state of panic.

This was a complete surprise. We knew not of her pregnancy when we bought her at Ron Harding's Farm. The herd she lived with was wild and free roaming around in 80 or more acres. . Gaia was  very young when we got her last December. She was around a year or or year and a half.. No way to tell. Our 4 boys are gelded and so we had no idea we would ever have a baby. We did give it some thought but dismissed the idea.

Shouldn't she be laying down? Will the others llamas hurt the baby? Wonder if something happens? Waaaa ! Then I gathered myself and called my llama friend, Christina Dunlap, in California. She owns Not Home Alone Pet, Livestock and House Sitting Service. "I need you" I spoke into the phone trying not to scream. She reminded me to take a deep breath and assured me usually nature would take it's course. She is really smart and kind with animals and also teaches first aide for pets. She continued to give me an outline of what to expect. I am thankful and appreciative for my friend, Christina, who by the way, was one of the two women who introduced us to llamas at the Pomona County Fair in California about a decade ago.

• It seems to take forever for the baby to be born. It will present itself usually feet first then head. Whew * This is exactly how it went.
• Llamas do give birth standing or in prone position.
• Check to see if the baby's nose is obstructed by the membrane. Check * The baby was breathing freely and the head was dangling as Gaia walked around the corral.
• We did separate the boys from mother and baby. We easily herded the adult gelded males into the corral. Mother and baby were in the nice green pasture.
• Gaia sat down a few times and each time the cria ( a baby llama) gradually slipped out more.
• Once the shoulders come out the cria hangs at the flank or hips and as she hung we held our breath. Then we all watched in awe as the cria plopped out onto the pasture floor.

In moments the baby was moving and wiggling about and Gaia saw her baby.

• Llamas do not lick or dry off their babies. The babies thrash about to stand and the membrane is rubbed off. In 30 minutes baby was standing and falling....standing then falling... standing.
• In the wild the female llamas all gather around the mother during the birth to protect the baby and mama from the intact males. Llamas are ready to breed once they give birth. After the birth and when baby is standing and nursing the `aunties` step away for mother and baby to bond.
• The placenta was delivered in an hour. it was interesting like a giant hunk of liver. Paul buried it deep in the back.
• Babies need to have colostrum in the first 24 hours of life which they get from the mother's milk.it has antibodies to protect the baby. Udders on a llama are so tiny they are difficult to see. Many people give the crias colostomy from goats milk kept in freezers for this purpose. There is also a wax plug in the teats which some people remove to make sure the milk is flowing. Llamas give only 2 oz of milk at a time.

Our new addition to our farm was born on the day of the Harvest Moon, September 30,2012. We named her Luna Llena ( pronounced loona yena) which means Full Moon in Spanish.

Watch Video:  7 minutes: of the mother, Gaia and the birth of her new cria llama, Luna Llena. Baby and mom had a good experience and are doing well and fine.

 

 

A Old Fashioned Caravan ~ Labor Day Weekend

Blue Moon Setting on the morning 9-1-12

The New Moon set just as pretty as she was the night before. It was a special day. I got on my jeans and made little breakfast burritos for the boys and we all loaded up in the wagon to join our antique machinery club up on Main St.

Our entry in the antique tractor caravan Little Utah Farm

The thunder clouds over The Three Peaks were still sputtering. I was a bit worried about lightening. But the rising sun revealed perfect blue skies and a crown of white fluffy clouds over the ranges. The air was crisp and cool and the sunflowers and farms glistened under the morning rays.

The sunflower fields looking southeast in Cedar City,UT ~  Little Utah Farm 2012

Our caravan journey took off from Cedar City,UT with 19 antique tractors and old antique cars and one Conestoga Wagon holding a whole family of kids and adults. My friend Brooke was there and she rode in the old hay wagon with us throughout the caravan. Her husband Jimmy and her brother rode on their own tractors up ahead of us. Iron County Volunteer Sheriffs proved us with an escort.

The roar of the engines waffled through the breezes and the smell of exhaust blew out of the old tail pipes. 8 miles an hour we putted through the wide open country on Minerville Hwy 130. It was like I imagine they experienced a long time ago as they rode on their wagons and stage coaches. One could really take in the scenery and take lot's of pictures or reflect and dream.

Along our route we saw children standing out by their mail boxes and families waved from their porches and doorways. Cars stopped along the route to snap pictures of the tractors as we proudly streamed by with friendly waves. This is an annual event and people look forward to it.



It was 15 miles to The Gap. Here we gathered along Gap Road before parading through the Parowan Gap. Watch this very short video and enjoy the beautiful scenery.

Once we were all lined up we headed out together through the Gap.

The Parowan Gap

There were club members waiting on the other side with refreshments and Iron County supplied portable restrooms. After a rest we headed to the City of Parowan to park all the tractors for a display as part of the festivites of the Iron County Fair.

Everyone Had beautiful American Flags waving in the breeze. Parowan Gap Utah

The scenery was like a John Wayne movie with high rocky red cliffs, white puffy clouds and green prairies. As the caravan came closer to town, there were green fields of alfalfa and farms with cows and horses which spooked and ran from the spectacle. We passed under the 15 Interstate Freeway and into Parowan . Some folks waved from their porches. It was 28 miles to Parowan and I felt like I could go 28 more. We had so much fun that day. We stayed home Sunday and on Labor Day headed up to Parowan to be in the parade. Again we loaded up into the wagon and took off down the parade route waving at all the people along the route. It was again so much fun.

Color Country Antique Machinery Club Parowan,UT Labor Day 2012

Thank you for visiting Little Utah Farm!
I got a another story brewing for next time,
We hope you come back again.
Until then, take care,
Deborah `MOON`

40 Days of Thunder

And Lightening and Rain...

Paul's snapped this picture August 16,2012
From our front porch.

Last night, I awoke to my little Windy ( our Aussie dog) panting with fear along side my bed. “Thunder again,Windy?” It was yet another storm passing overhead. One of 40 since July. I felt her cold nose push against me as my feet slid off the bed and onto the carpet. “Come on girl. “ We made our way together to the “safe room” down the hall. I grabbed her pillows as we went. My fingers held her collar.

 

 

 

 

 

The “safe room “ is a bathroom with no windows. Though using the plumbing is not so safe during a lightening storm, it is safe to Windy as she cannot see the flashes so easily there. I help Windy relax by being calm myself. I sit there awhile with her and she usually calms after a few minutes and then lies down." There, there" I say softly to her.

 

 

           ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

The Cloud's Journey

Early in the day, on most days, the skies are calm here. This is the time for walking and doing chores and outings from groceries to hikes in the mountain meadows. There are mountains all around the whole valley in all four directions here. During the day the white cloud heads sneak up over the ridge and peek up over the high summits. Once in position, they swell and push upwards into tall towers with their flats bottoms pressed against the warm air. They float like islands throughout the afternoon and meet somewhere in the center.



If a cumulus cloud gets big enough and rises high enough it can form it's own cap very much like caps on top a mountain.
this is called Pileus. Picture taken from Little Utah Farm.

By feeding time they squeeze out a few drops of rain. Those rain drops are so far apart I can walk through them without getting wet. I can hear them on the car port tapping and splatting down but I can not see them.

Lightening Before Thunder

Even though lightening comes first, it is the thunder that alerts me. I feed the llamas under their shelter. The hens do not mind the thunder. During one great down pour I saw one of my hens drenched to the skin while the others gathered dry in the coop. Her name is Daisy May. She is a book full of stories but for now back to the lightening.

Lightening.. Good for The Earth?

Well wouldn't you know, lightening is very good for the earth. Nitrogen (N0 2) can not be used by nature until it is fixed into NO 3. Lightening actually fixes the nitrogen in the soil as do legumes like alfalfa and beans. Everything has it's place in the scheme of things. I spend time appreciating such good orderly direction as this. This also explains the surprising growth of veggies and greenery in my garden. Everything which seemed to grow at normal rate, grew to enormous proportions overnight. Yep, there is magic in that rain and lightening.

Land of Rainbows

After the early evening rain the rainbows appear arching way across the open country and sometimes doubled on top of one another. I call this the land of rainbows you can see them through the irrigation sprinklers and make one with a hose and see them often in the summer rains.

Simultaneous Rainbow and Lightening Strike !Right outside my kitchen door !  Little Utah Farm 8-2012

 

 

 The Show Goes On
 

The rain comes to a halt but lightening continues on for hours and on through the night.
The electricity of the storm flickers above the mountains at sunrise like hot coals after a blazing fire. All is still again. My little Windy wakes up cheery as ever. She does pretty well. She has accepted a "safe room" and appreciates my company in the night until she falls asleep. Makes me feel good to help her out a bit.

 

 

 

Thank you, for visiting Little Utah Farm.

 

Well, that is all for now.  

Been brewing up a story about antique tractors and an actual caravan we took last week across wide open country.  Take care, and believe in those dreams of yours!

 

Until next time,

Deborah MOON

Related articles :

http://www.wxdude.com/page5.html Very good page on thunderstorms, lightening and all. You may be amazed at all these kinds of lightening and how they form.

http://www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov/resources/LightningFactsSheet.pdf Not to scare you but it is good to know about the powerful effects of lightening. A good time to adapt a safety plan for you and yours.

I AM MAKING MY OWN HAY

A personal story

by Deborah `Moon` Moen

Deborah Moon Moen August 8, 2012

Providing food for my livestock is rewarding.

While I cut the hay, I become like a true pioneer woman.

 

Hacking and cutting, soaking up the sun, wiping my brow, and finding coolness in the shade and a frosty glass of iced tea, is a labor of love for me.

• We plant it
• Water it
• Let it grow till about 1 ½ feet tall
• Cut it
• Let it dry in the sun
• Rake it in long rows
• Pitch it in the wagon
• Cover it

Startin' it up is a hoot.

I use a heavy duty weed whacker.

1. I pump it
2. prime it
3. pull on the cord
4. the motor whirls and grinds
5. I heft it off the ground
6. swing it gracefully from side to side, low to the ground.

“Better move!” I say to the mice and moles, “Here I come!”

The hay falls down.

In time I am through. I ask the sun to bake the hay. By noon I am back with a long metal rake with a wide toothy comb. I pull the hay into long rows to help it weave together as it dries.

Raking rows LUF 2012

Afternoon I pitch the hay


 I hold the big black tongue of the wagon and pull her into the rows. As I pitched the wagon is filled with heaping mounds of sweet smelling hay. Husband loved my nice straight rows and I could tell he wanted to load the hay too. I decided to share the hay. I got a big grin from him and he went right to work. A labor of love.

Paul pitches hay as the storm clouds approach Little Utah Farm.

And then to dwell in sovereign barns,
And dream the days away,---
The grass so little has to do,
I wish I were the hay! ~ Emily Dickinson 1890 " The Grass"

My favorite part of home grown hay

Here is a very short video (30 seconds) I made of our llamas eating the home grown hay.

 

 

 

 

Thank you for coming by to visit Little Utah Farm. The rains came shortly after the last stalks of hay were tarped and tucked away that day. But that is a story for next time...

Until then believe in your dreams,

Deborah `Moon`

 

http://www.hayinart.com/001405.html#greenwell

Emily Dickinson(1830-1886).
“The Grass”
from Poems (1890)

The grass so little has to do,---
A sphere of simple green,
With only butterflies to brood,
And bees to entertain,

And stir all day to pretty tunes
The breezes fetch along,
And hold the sunshine in its lap
And bow to everything;

And thread the dews all night, like pearls,
And make itself so fine,---
A duchess were too common
For such a noticing.

And even when it dies, to pass
In odors so divine,
As lowly spices gone to sleep,
Or amulets of pine.

And then to dwell in sovereign barns,
And dream the days away,---
The grass so little has to do,
I wish I were the hay!

Garden- Summer of 2012

Little Utah Farm Garden 2012

We had a very mild winter and felt it was safe to begin early in March to till the soil. We laid out all the compost from the bin onto the garden patch. Paul used his Kabota tractor and then attached a rototiller that he had rented. The tiller made the hard soil and clay like cake flour. It was wonderful!

New Garden rows  April 2012

It was so easy to make the rows. I made it in three sections. In one whole section I planted 92 seeds of Peaches and Cream Corn.

July 17-2012

A garden can teach many things and this year I learned that even though the winter is mild there can still be hard freezes in the spring. We had about 4 of them. It was the second week of May when the corn began to sprout and only 40 seeds out of 92 sprouted. I planted more corn. But all in good time, around July, things began to grow in our garden.




In July the moist air came up from the south and Utah got more rain than we ever experienced in our 4 summers here. With the rain came early and late evening lightening and thunder storms. Everyday the white fluffy thunderhead clouds would rise up over the mountains in all directions and meet somewhere in the middle late afternoon. We are still experiencing these storms well into August..

August 8, 2012



My scoop for Llama Bean Manure Tea.

These elements really nourished our soil and fed the plants. There is such a difference in watering my garden with a hose or the sprinklers with city water and having rain to water your garden naturally. The rain seems to energized the plants and along with my llama bean manure tea, my garden grew by leaps and bound what seemed to be overnight. For llama bean manure tea just put one shovel full of llama beans into a 5 gallon bucket and fill to 3/4 full with water. Let steep for 24 hours up to 2 days and scoop out with a gallon milk just cut like in the picture above.

Pumpkins growing fast August 8 planted in July.

The pumpkins planted in July burst forth towards the garden fence. My Morning Glories bloomed and the watermelon is basketball size and still growing. The Early Wonder beets did really well as usual and the spinach, oh the spinach, was so delicious and grew all season.I even had enough to share with my neighbor. My heirloom tomatoes are just now turning red and yellow. I have yellow pear, Italian and red cherry tomatoes. I just picked my first bowl full. Carrots are still forming and will be ready by fall.

My Queen for the day. My first Morning Glory bloomed. August 12,2012

This is on of my favorite parts of summer when everything is lush and green. I would love to have a camera to watch if the garden grows at night. I did notice that it was the new moon last night and in the wee hours of the morning I went outside to look up at the stars. I noticed Venus and Jupiter bright in the sky along with other sparkling stars. I heard the roosters were crowing and imagined the deer were crossing the road to get a nice breakfast in the alfalfa fields. Me and my friend saw tracks going in that direction on our walks.

Well, that is all for now.
Thank you for stopping by to visit Little Utah Farm.

If you have time, stop by to say hello and `like` our new page on Facebook called Little Utah Farm.

Until we meet again,

Deborah `MOON`

The Magical Orange Balloon

"There's a Bright Golden Haze on The Meadow"

Magic can come into our life through sincere appreciation of precious moments, daily necessities we enjoy, natural bonuses like  sunrises and gravity, sounds that take us deeper into the woods, smells that lift our noses over a knowing smile and walks that stir our heart and limbs...

Today I hit the jackpot !

A manifestation of desire actualized! I am so excited and happy to share this with you. How many of you have ever seen a hot air balloon outside your kitchen door? Well, I have. Here where I live they had hot air balloon festivals in September when I first came to live in Utah. I just about wore myself out jumping up and down like a happy kid and taking pictures and riding bikes to catch up with it to see which alfalfa field it would land in. Sadly they quit having the balloons here 2 years ago last September but the memories and photos always brought it back to life. I held a desire in my heart to see those balloons again. I could clearly feel that. It was not yearning or wanting. It was genuine love and appreciation of their beauty ans uniquness that stirred my heart.

Day before yesterday

 I was walking with my new lady friend next door who is by the way just as we dreamed she would be, kind and fun and generous to be with. We came to a part in the road that brought the memory of the hot air balloons to my mind and I began to tell her about it.

MORE appreciation and general happiness

This morning, I saw that the fields at the end of the road were a golden haze against the rising sun and I began to sing that song from Oklahoma. “Oh what a beautiful morning Oh what a beautiful day. I've got a beautiful feeling, Everything's going my way.”

Yep,  sure enough it was definitely going my way because I looked up into the sky and saw a candy corn colored, orange hot air balloon coming over the trees in front of my property. This is ah-mazing ! I quick called my neighbor, Renee to come look. "Waaaa !" we shrieked at the magic orange balloon and then we both slapped a high five in the air.

Goodnes had sent that balloon my way again like “Here you go honey, enjoy”

Me and my GT BMX bike

I asked my husband if he would ride with me to see where the balloon was landing like we did 2 years ago.  Ah.. it was so exhilarating ! We rode like the wind in the fresh morning air like bumble bees chasing the next flower.

We saw the balloon land here in front of The Three Peaks, Iron county Utah






The balloon stood out like a jewel in the rising sun. And I was so inspired to video the moment. Here is the video you can here how excited I am and report the recipe for discovering your heart's desire.

Well, that is all for now. I got another story cookin' on my garden.

Thank you for coming by and visiting Little Utah Farm.

Until next time,

Believe in your dreams!

Deborah

Two Horses in Our Dreams

TWO HORSES IN OUR DREAMS: A GLIMPSE INTO OUR IDEAL FUTURE

This morning while gazing out the window, I see these two beautiful horses grazing on the front lawn. Ha ha ha I even rubbed my eyes as I have been so euphoric lately. I thought I was seeing things

Like a kid on Christmas morning I let out a hard to hold in yelp of joy and got my husband and the halter Paul keeps ready just... in case... We got to keep them for a few hours in our pasture. They were so friendly and easy to halter and guide.



Two horses on our front lawn

They went right though the gate and into the pasture. There were only a few hot breaths and trots in response to the llamas ( horses usually spook at llamas). We were delighted they got used to each other. Paul filled a the bucket with cool water and we hung on the fence watching the whole dreamy scene.





Chico comes to see me.

Back to the horses

I raised my head at the sound of an ATV and sure enough there was a guy with that rancher looking for his horses look. Paul got on his ATV and went after him. Paul found him and they came back down the road together.

Turns out Chico and Trouble live right behind us at the sheep Ranch. Don the owner gave us the privilege of visiting rights from now on. How nice that is. I wanted a few pictures with my handsome horse Chico so I asked Paul to indulge me in my bliss.

Me and Chico = love.

We haltered them back up and walked in a procession down to the ranch with Don on his Honda Rancher. Oh what a wonderful ending to this story. I feel so uplifted and happy to have this unexpected pleasure this morning.

Thank you for visiting, Little Utah Farm
Remember believe in your dreams
Until next time,
Deborah `Moon`

Me and Chico in silhouette sublime and
Paul and Trouble up ahead just about to
 the gate of the sheep  ranch.

In My Dreams Come Flowers

Dreams do come true in many ways.  I had been walking with, Donnetta, my neighbor, down by the Coal Creek, near the Paiute Indian Center. We noticed along the creek's bank, the delightful faces of  Daisy like flowers with a burnt orange centers and bright yellow tips. I had an immediate desire to know their names so I opened my wildflower guide. I felt it was a kind of Gaillardia. While looking it up, I  found a flower that is very adorable to me and makes me smile.  It was Mexican Hat named for the tall center and yellow brim like a sombrero. So cute ! The name of the flower we saw on the bank was  Indian Blanket , a member of the Gaillardia Family.


A few days ago, I was watering my garden and trees and stopped to take a look at some flowers emerging from behind the rabbit bush. My mouth drops open ......there...right in my garden... side by side... are the Indian Blanket and Mexican Hat growing in hard dry clay next to each other.




Indian ~ left and Mexican hat ~ right

I could feel all this excitement well up in that magical moment. This week mother nature sent me flowers exactly as I pictured them.  What else is possible? Check in next week to see what happens next....

Thank you for visiting Little Utah Farm We hope you enjoyed our post. 

Until next time,
 Believe in your dreams,
Deborah `MOON`