Bunny-The Peace That Surpasses Understanding

Our Wayward Rabbit "Bunny" on Little Utah Farm

When a new face comes to Little Utah Farm, I and my husband have a special practice to instill peace among our animals . For example, when we bring home a few new hens, we place the hens in a large safe kennel and place it in the shade under the apple tree, and sit around it with the resident hens and ducks and the dogs. There is a lot of sniffing and gawking, and then everyone relaxes and begins to enjoy the space together. This practice has worked for us.

Bunny on the other hand has not had the benefit of the family get together in the safety of the kennel. He is getting to know the family in his natural way. One day I saw him in the backyard munching on sweet green grass blades and chomping down chicken scratch. I was concerned what would happen if the dogs rushed out of the back door into the yard. Would they chase him ?

Maven and May go to investigate what Bunny is eating.

Yesterday I let the dogs out and then noticed Bunny in the middle of the yard. Over the next few seconds my mind raced with worry and then I took a breath and regained my peace remembering that peace begins with me. I walked away from the door and allowed things "out there" to unfold.

The Peace that surpasses understanding.
Walker and Bunny are getting along very nicely.

I returned in a few minutes to empty the trash and I saw Bunny communing with the hens, ducks, and the dogs. It was a beautiful pastoral scene with wild birds and warm sun. The dry brown grass had begun to flourish like spring from the recent rains. All looked so peaceful and content.  I was filled with gratitude and a sense of relief. So explains my title for this post, "The Peace That Surpasses Understanding"

Thank you so much for visiting Little Utah Farm,
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Until next time,
I wish us all peace and contentment.

Deborah Moen of
Little Utah Farm 

Are you on Facebook ? We have a Facebook page called Little Utah Farm. Join us daily for more farm life pictures and videos.

And did you hear ? Little Utah Farm has a store on Zazzle. We put our photographs and art on coffee mugs, pillows, blankets, t-shirts, ornaments, greeting cards and more. Here is one of our Collections of Holiday Season Farm Animals. We have goats, llamas, hens, ducks on greeting cards, wrapping paper, ornaments, gifts, and more. We also have a Holiday Season Horse Collection, Vintage Tractors Collection.

Holiday Season Farm Animals
by Deborah Moen

Holiday Season Horses
by Deborah Moen

Vintage Tractors
by Deborah Moen

A Field Of Rainbow Sparkles

A field of Rainbow Sparkles. Notice behind the fence in the long
golden wheat stalks are covered with rainbow sparkles. 

It was a bit below freezing this morning. As I went out to feed the animals, I noticed the field of golden wheat out back was white with frost and sparkled like diamonds.

I took Venus, my hen, out of her indoor kennel set her down in the sun room with water, lot's of scratch and feed, a bit of meal worms, and oatmeal. I give her a head start on breakfast then let out the the rest of the hens and ducks.

I was drawn to the sparkles on the long golden wheat stalks and how the whole field was dotted with rainbow colored sparkles of frost.  The field was entirely lit up like the fairy realm was greeting me. I ran to get my camera to capture it.

See the rainbow sparkles? Looks like jewels.

The screen on my camera is dark and I was unable to see the sparkles but I focused in that area, kept my finger holding the focus while I shifted to the right then back again. Click* I once read that would pick up the sparkles better and I have had some luck with that.

I held my camera and pressed the shutter half way to hold the focus, shifted to the right then back again
 to pick up the sparkle. 

I stood there taking in the scenery so magical and so pretty ! I had seen rainbow drops hanging from the corral bars in the morning sun, and in patches of the pasture like glitter, but today, I was looking at a whole field of rainbow sparkly jewels.  As the world turns, moments like these are short lived. So I snap a photo, for a long lasting memento,  Photographs also provide me with testimony. Would you believe me if I told you I saw a field of rainbow sparkles ?

These look like tiny Christmas lights.

Thank you for visiting Little Utah Farm !
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Until next time,

Deborah Moen
of Little Utah Farm 

Little Utah Farm Store has a special Holiday Collection of Holiday Farm Animals with blankets, wrapping paper, cards, t-shirts, pillows and if you like the design you can transfer to other products.

Holiday Season Farm Animals
by Deborah Moen

We also have a beautiful Collection of Gnomes, Fairies, Angels, Unicorns and more for gift giving to yourself or your dear ones.

Christmas Gnomes Faeries & Angels
by Deborah Moen

The Zen Of Winter On Little Utah Farm

Winter on Little Utah Farm photo by Deborah Moen

WHOOSH!

 It was the second week of December. As the door opens a blast of vaporous swirls came licking into the kitchen. Paul, my husband, was leaving for work. the temperature was -20 degree temperatures. He hunched his shoulders ducking his head deeper into his jacket then reached back to close the door.

There was a moment of silence that followed. His truck lights hit the front windows then disappeared. I could hear the crunching of ice fade as he rounded the corner and drove towards the main road.

I remembered back when we were first dating. I used to watch his tail lights going down the road when he left. That memory always uplifts me.



My thoughts turned to baking cookies. It was baking day ! Paul and my grandson love my homemade chocolate chip cookies and the oven would keep the kitchen nice and warm. I began getting out the flour and the brown sugar, the 3 Pyrex measuring cups, the wooden spoons and mixing bowls. I turned on the oven.

Soon I would be going out into the freezing winter temps and onto the icy paths to feed the llamas and the hens. How they handle these conditions was not for me to know. I laid awake at nights before falling asleep feeling guilty for my nice warm bed. But I got to thinking, Nature has that figured out. For all I know they enjoy it rather than the heat of summer.


We have built the llamas a 3 sided shelter and provided heaters in the water trough and infrared heating lamps for the ducks and hens in the coop. The llama corral is filled with gravel and sand to keep it dry.

I made Arapaho's winter blanket.

In our first year here, Arapaho, our Suri coat llama, (shown above) shivered in the cold. His fiber was thinner than the others and hung down in loose twisted ropes or twine like Rasta braids. Shivering warms a body they tell me but I ended up making him a blanket anyway.

I also made Little Luna a coat for winter. 

The llamas have adjusted to the weather. Not a one of them shivers.. Even Luna Llena (pronouned yena) our surprise Harvest Moon baby ( 1 year and 5 months of age) does fine in the cold. Her first winter we made her a coat also.

In my day dreams I imagine an adjoining barn where I could peek through the kitchen window and see the llamas all lazing about inside earthing ( soaking up the goodness of the earth) on the dirt floor or munching in a big standing bin of premium hay. My hens are roosting on tops of the stalls or pecking though fresh straw for some scratch I laid the night before like the tooth fairy.


B-E-E-P ! The oven was preheated at 375 degrees. It was time to mix the brown and white sugar, crack the eggs and put in the vanilla. I love mushing that all that together. I take down the flour add some baking soda and salt. Mixing in those dry ingredients is not as easy and then comes the chocolate chips. The heavy wooden spoon does the job real good. I scrape it all into a container and snap down the lid for chilling in the fridge while I go out to feed the llamas and hens.


I put the mixing bowl into the sink and turn on the hot water to soak. I promised to only lick the zucchini bread batter and leave all the others alone, well, maybe sometimes I lick the brownie batter bowl also. It is fun for me and tastes so good.



On goes my shirt, my sweater, my coat, my shoes, my scarf  to cover my face. Thank goodness for gloves, the warm insulated kind. Once I am out the door and begin walking towards the shed, I am acclimated. I keep a swift gate and a happy face and smile at my loved ones who live outdoors. They really seem well and good in this cold. I feel satisfied watching them eat. Early in winter, after the first snows, I shovel a snowy labyrinth ( linking paths) in the pasture. I shovel and scrape open connecting feed stations and lay the hay in each one. It is still thrilling for me to open the gate and see them run through the white glistening snow along all the connecting paths and find their hay.

I figured out the best thing to say as I leave the freezing cold and go back into my warm home is... I live in the country, my dream has come true.



I realize, winter is a time to chill out, I mean, to slow down, relax, get more rest, organize recipes and photographs, bake cookies and breads, watch some funny movies, write more stories and letters, meditate and hibernate, like the roots of the grasses and trees.


 Winter may seem like a never ending cycle but really it is the perfect length of time. Winter is just long enough to miss and appreciate the green grass and the balmy breezes and the sounds of crickets in the night.


Thank you for visiting Little Utah Farm ( 18,516 page views)

Deborah Moen
of Little Utah Farm

Read my story about my gloves : A Farmgirl's Gloves

Here is our Vintage Tractor Collection which comes on mugs, pillows, cards, magnets, throw blankets, and more.We have Farmall, John Deere, Allis Chalmers, Ferguson, Ford Vintage Tractors.

Vintage Tractor Collection from Little Utah Farm Store

Eggplant As Bread Sandwich

Cut 2 slices of eggplant 3/4" thick. Brush with oil and grill in skillet.

This sandwich I made with mozarella, fresh red pepper, and baby spinach. I slathered on some mayo and eggplant dip too. Next time I will put a bit of eggplant dip on the side instead. Get ready to lick your fingers after each bite. This is messy but oh so good !

Deborah Moen
Little Utah Farm

Thank you for visiting Little Utah Farm ( page views 17,365)

Until next time, check out Little Utah Farm Store

Calf Moon and Stars Square Pillows
by LittleUtahFarm

1947 Case S Vintage Tractor Lumbar Pillow
by LittleUtahFarm

Right out of Little Utah Farm's Garden

Yellow and Red Pear Tomatoes Kitchen Towel
by LittleUtahFarm

Delicious Keto Hamburger Buns

Delicious keto burger buns recipe

Just made these and they are so good !

Here is the recipe for keto-burger-buns

All you need is Mozarella cheese, cream cheese, eggs, almond flour, baking powder, salt, and parchment paper or a silicone mat for baking. Oh and melted butter to brush on the top.

RECIPE IS HERE:

https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/a19712917/keto-burger-buns-recipe/

This went together really fast. While melting the cheeses I was leary. How is this going to turn into bread, I wondered.

Keto burger bun recipe dough is 

Once the eggs and almond flour was added I scooped up 6 handfuls and plopped them down on the pan. The butter is for brushing on the top before baking.

I preheated the oven to 400 degrees

and slid the pan in for 10-12 minutes adding 2 minutes for a golden brown finish. Your times will vary.

Here is what I got.

Baked to a golden brown.
Keto Burger Buns.

These buns smelled like cheese bread

and tasted like cheese bread. The texture was perfect. They held together under the big strong hands of my husband. He really loved his hamburger.

These buns were light and fluffy
yet sturdyenough to hold together.

Recipe link here:

https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/a19712917/keto-burger-buns-recipe/

Deborah Moen
Little Utah Farm

Thank you for visiting Little Utah Farm

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Check out Little Utah Farm Store on Zazzle

I'm Too Sexy For My Tractor-Men T-Shirt

 Are you too sexy for your shirt? Easy to customize. Put your own image and text on this T Shirt. More styles available. 

I'm Too Sexy For My Tractor-Men T-Shirt
by LittleUtahFarm

A Farm Girl's Gloves

My box of gloves. 

A farm girl's gloves are her best friend throughout the year.


There is a glove for every chore and activity. I didn't realize how much I use gloves until I misplaced the box clearly marked "GLOVES" with a permanent ink pen. I have been making do by borrowing from my husband and buying new pairs now and then. This morning while cleaning the hallway closet, I found the box on a shelf at knee height. What a joy to be reunited with my box of gloves !

Meet my gloves :

My Cold Winter Gloves

I own a rugged pair of gloves built for a cowhand with rough leather lined with softness to protect your fingers and hands in the freezing cold. When I look down at my hands on a corral gate I feel like a rancher or cowgirl from the old west. These were my first winter gloves in Utah. They are great for wiping away snow from the backs of llamas and hay stacks. Unlocking gates and dialing a phone can be near impossible so I take a glove off to unlock the latches and put the glove back on.

Thse gloves are good for watering
 or any wet chores.

These warm sweater knit type gloves with the rubberized palms and finger tips keep your fingertips dry and they are great when watering your herd and flock. There is nothing that is good about getting your gloved fingers wet on a cold, single digit morning.

Use gloves with Thinsulate reflects the
 heat right back
 into your hands and fingers.

Thinsulate is best for keeping your hands from freezing. It reflects the heat back into your fingers. Once my hands were painfilled with bitter cold, not even the barn heater gave me comfort. My fingers were numb. But put a pair of working gloves with thinsulate and the hands warm up very quickly. I do have a a slight size issue with these as the fingertips are an 1" longer than my own.

Driving and Parade Gloves

I have a sort of fancy work glove that is a creamy sort of leather for driving the tractor and the four-wheel buggy, we call it. They have a bit of smudged dirt on the underparts from running my hands on the wheel. I do have a clean pair that are good gloves for the parades.

One of my favorite pair of gloves
with the purple trim.

My mid-weight gloves are flexible and serve to warm my hands when weather first turns cold. These also make good weeding gloves. I have 4 of these. Some with splits on the inside of my fingers from grasping tumbleweed or mallow stems and worn spots on the finger tips from pulling the earth this way and that to plant. Here are two of the pairs below.

Hail to the all-purpose glove for gardening, weeding,
feeding, and most any chore.

This mid to lightweight glove also serves as protection from the sharp dry alfalfa stems, baling string, and the equipment when we take the bales off the trailer and onto it's place on the pallets. These are good for feeding hay to the llamas.



I do love my gloves. When I do not wear them my hands are rough as unpolished wood and I cannot feel any soft or silken surfaces without feeling my skin pick at the fabric like a hundred cactus needles.  

I am so glad I found my box of gloves. All is well in my world.

Deborah Moen
Little Utah Farm

Thank you for visiting Little Utah Farm,
(17,138 page views)

Until next time,

“Finn fell asleep draped in Kittens and dreamed that the corn walked the earth on skinny white roots, liked to joke with the crows, and wasn't afraid of anything.” 
― Laura Ruby, Bone Gap

Vinatge Child Feeding Hen and Chicks Kitchen Towel
by LittleUtahFarm

The Eagle Tree

Making whole wheat bread
www.LittleUtahFarm.blogspot.com

I was making some Honey Wheat Bread ( recipe in Whole Wheat Honey Bread post ) one afternoon when Paul, my husband, came home early from work and whisked us off to see something special. He wouldn't tell us what it was. Last time he showed us a whole herd of llama and another large herd of deer grazing just around the country corners of our neighborhood. I was excited to see what he had in mind.  My hands were caked with flour. But there wasn't time to clean up. I knew by experience everything  changes quick around here and I best get going.

The camera and coats were pulled of the hooks by the kitchen door. We hopped in the white F250 Ford Truck and headed on down the road. The truck turned into the driveway of the farm on 3000 North.  Paul pointed off into the distance. "Eagles!"  The Eagle Tree boasted 4 or more Bald Eagles looking out over the snowy alfalfa fields for food. I tried to get a picture but they looked like tiny dots in the lens. Paul took the camera and took off to get a closer view. As Ricky and I waited in the truck, Paul climbed over the green gate and made his way down the lane. It was a long walk down the lane. There was a wind break of tall red winter willows to his left. The dirt was wet and soft from the melting snow. He approached the end of the lane and turned right towards The Eagle Tree till he got to a fence. We saw him snap some pictures.

Three Bald Eagles in the old elm tree.
Iron County, Utah
www.LittleUtahFarm.blogspot.com

We saw him turn south past the fencing and kneel down amongst some rabbit bush. "What is he doing, Grandma?" asked Ricky. Just then we could see the beautiful chestnut red horse approaching him. "Grandpa has a way with horses" I said. And we watched him do his magic.

After some loving pats on the horses nose and neck and some kind affectionate questions, he snapped a picture of the horse. The eagles wings spread open and off they flew in to the sky. He and his new horse friend, wandered back down the lane together. The horse knew his boundaries and stopped halfway down the lane and returned to his pasture.

When we got home I cut the bread dough in half and let it rise on a tray near the floor heater in the living room. In an hour I slipped the loaves into the hot oven. Everyone knows the smell of home baked bread. The house was filled with the scent of it. For dinner we had hot soup, homemade bread and a high spirited conversation as we recalled how grandpa came home and whisked us off to The Eagle Tree.

Thank you for visiting Little Utah Farm (page views 17,037)

Deborah Moen
www.littleutahfarm.blogspot.com

Until next time,

Check out our Little Utah Farm Store on Zazzle for mugs, t-shirts, greeting cards, and more.

Three Bald Eagles In Tree Cozy Throw Blanket
by LittleUtahFarm

Three Bald Eagles In Tree Cozy Throw Blanket
by LittleUtahFarm