My Journey
This new “farm life” journey has a big mixture of who I’ve always been & who I am becoming.
It wasn’t very long ago that I was a devoted owner and lover of Weimaraner’s & Dobermans. At one time I had four Dobermans and two Weimaraner’s. One Weimaraner, Hina is still with us today at the sweet age of 12. The others passed on to rainbow bridge at old age.
Last year at this time I didn’t really like MJ the only livestock at the time. Let’s just say I (barely) tolerated his existence.
OUR PARROTS
Then there’s the relocation of my parents parrots.
These parrots, Hoku & Mahina are well over 20 years old and have been in the same cage since 6 weeks old, where my mom would spoon feed them every day until they could crack a nut. My dad passed away in 2015, that’s when my mom started asking me to take the parrots to my house. Perhaps it was tough for her to see and hear them without my Dad around. He was their primary caretaker once they could eat on their own. It wasn’t until 2018 that I really felt the urgency of making the move happen. Like my dad used to say, “procrastination is the assassination of motivation.”
The very details of that move were quite astounding. When we set out to do it we get to the house and cover the cage with a tarp, it begins to storm—pouring rain and thunder. Bouncing down the stairs (I won’t tell you what the birds were saying 🤭). They get tied down to the trailer and around the corner, up my gravel driveway they go... I forgot to mention that I purchased them a huge, beautiful habitat and I’m so eager to see them in it! Once at the house, just feet away from the new habitat their existing cage falls apart and collapses, the only thing holding it together is the tarp that was meant to simply shield them from the trauma of the transition. Now, imagine these are big amazon parrots who don’t really know us that well. Leo, my husband had to grab them one by one and put them in their new home. There was no room for error, these are his in-laws pride and joy.
Perhaps the collapsing of that bird cage at the perfect spot was a sign... the breakdown of who I’ve always been, chapter one. I was very happy to have the parrots and I took personal responsibility to care for them with the very best I have, my heart n’ soul. They are a tangible connection to my dad whom I miss so much. I know this is what he would want, for the parrots to be in my care. It didn’t take long before the gleam I used to see in his eyes when he’d speak of them, would soon be the gleam in my eyes. Hoku & Mahina are my pride & Joy now. I too am theirs.
THE PIGLETS
Still accepting MJ grudgingly... for a short time we had two little piglets—Amos & Otis. Because they looked like chocolate chip cookies! These piglets belonged to my son, Shane. I’ll hold dear in my heart the process and hard work he put in to provide a wonderful home for these piglets. He always loved animals since a toddler so it was no surprise when he ventured out looking for a calf and a pig and more goats. A little less than a year ago he and his piglets relocated. Still... no thoughts or plans or desire to birth Lawrence Lovestock. I was perfectly fine with having an empty pen and manger when Amos and Otis left.
LAWRENCE LOVESTOCK IS BORN
Fast forward to February 2019—the unfolding and birthing of Lawrence Lovestock begins with a private message from our neighbor wanting to gift us with two baby goats, Lovestocks Zenith & Ledger. These two opened my heart and in crawled MJ. Because it’s my nature to be fair, MJ, Zenith & Ledger did everything together. Including sharing of the pen and manger. Within days they were inseparable and still provide us with endless entertainment & laughter.