This morning was warmer than it has been recently. I milked the goats in fifty-degree sunshine, feeling it gradually warm as we chored. If there are clear skies to let the sunshine through, the thin atmosphere allows the air to warm up quickly. Clouds kept us from getting to sixty degrees by breakfast, but it climbed into the seventies eventually.
A couple weeks back I challenged Steph to have oatmeal for breakfast every day but to choose a different recipe each time. I am not a fan of plain oatmeal. The challenge proved a success; we enjoyed a number of gourmet oatmeal dishes. The success continues, as we have not had plain oatmeal since. This morning was a cranberry oatmeal.
With the rain still coming, the grass keeps growing. I’ve been using a weekly rotation of front yard, back yard, side yard for the goats. Even with fourteen does, they can’t keep up with the small space. That will change once the rain stops. I’m hoping to get a cutting of hay yet so I have plenty of roughage through the winter.
We’ve been enjoying having school in the afternoon. We find that we get much more done around the farm if we spend our morning hours on projects. After naps, everyone seems more quiet and ready to study. It’s been going more smoothly from my perspective.
Dane, Shawn, and I moved five more wheelbarrows of compost out to the garden plot before cleaning out the barn the rest of the way. Shawn is free of fever today, thank the Lord.
This morning in family devotions we prayed that God would provide us a way to get animal feed, considering with the quarantine we cannot go into town. We have a couple weeks of goat feed, so I figured we’d have time to discover the answer. But God answered our prayer right way!
Lamar found out he could go into town this morning with the car, as long as he was alone. They are allowing shops to be open a few hours in the morning. Shoppers can come into town, so long as they are alone. Lamar checked with me and ended up buying a few months’ worth of feed for the animals here while he was out. That will make things a lot easier in the coming weeks.
We have the food we need for a good while, but we’ll run out eventually. I wonder how other families without freezers are getting along. I suppose if one person is allowed into town, they could still get what they need. The police said children are absolutely forbidden from leaving the house.
We are not in a war, and we are not in danger, but I am getting a glimpse of how people may have felt, closed up in a city, scanning the skies for bombers. Everyone is in hiding here, waiting to see if the virus will get them.
We’re trying to train the calf to drink out of a bucket, so he and Estrella were staked apart today. But this evening when I went out to milk, she had pulled up her stake, and he was merrily nursing. One side was completely empty, and he had started on the other, leaving us only a bit over three liters. At least she stood perfectly still the whole time–or was it the half time?
Lamar says he’s had communication from Lima and from Pennsylvania authorities that indicates they are being considered for a flight very soon. If they get a call to leave, I’m going to try to drive them to the airport in Cusco. We’re hoping that showing plane tickets and government emails will be enough for the police to let us through the checkpoints.
Please pray about that. These other things don’t make me anxious, but I do feel a measure of worry thinking about being separated from my wife and children by officers enforcing the quarantine.
*Due to tremendously slow internet speeds (due to everyone in Peru being locked up at home on the internet), this blog post took several hours to upload. You’re welcome.
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Juan David 