Go Fish!

The day arrived when Tommy's Fish Truck would be in our local area and it was time to stock our two ponds. Rhonda and Rachel traveled to Carmi to purchase the fish, while Mark was at work, and Trey and Amanda took Maggie for a rabies shot, and Rio Bravo to be gelded. Divide and conquer!The order of fish was large, and the twelve bags filled the back end as well as the middle seat of the Escape. There were Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, Red-ear, and Minnows.
Once Rachel, Rhonda, and the fish arrived at Providence Prairie, Trey and Amanda were waiting with a stake and some twine to help float the fish in the water to acclimate them to the pond's temperature. After about fifteen minutes, Mark arrived home from work and helped in the process of removing the fish from the bags, freeing them to their new life in the ponds. Strangely enough, the minnows looked like small slender goldfish.

In our recreational/swimming pond behind the cabin, we watched as the fish swam away. Soon, our Muscovy duck arrived back from his wanderings at the barn. We wondered if he would eat the fish but figured they would be under the water enough by then that he couldn't harm them. Catching the movement of a fish out of the corner of his eye, he began swimming faster and faster until he caught up with the fish and gobbled it up! We were horrified as we watched him eat five or six of our newly purchased minnows! If you look closely at the picture, you can see a tiny little spot that he is eyeing---the fish.

Maggie, a few sticks, and some waving arms helped to scare him away, but I'm sure he'll be back. In a short time, they should be dispersed throughout the pond doing their job of feeding the bass that we anticipate will grow and reproduce. We sure hope Mr. Oliver Muscovy won't eat too many new fish before they do.

Maybe in a few years, we'll have some good fishin' in our ponds!

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

"See that you do not look down on one of these little ones.

For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven."

"What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep,

and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on

the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off?

And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep

than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off.

In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing

that any of these little ones should be lost."

Matthew 18:10-14

Root-a-Tiller

Trey and Mark have been busy, and boy are the pigs ever happy! Our pigs are out on the field again with a purpose! With the panels that Trey and Mark fashioned our pigs have become root-a-tillers! Using their noses as plows, they are turning the soil as their pens are moved twice daily down the field.The pigs root up the ground, while dropping natural "fertilizer" as they work. Our root-a-tillers are hard at work!