Of chickens and goats

Many days without posting - I've been busy AND out here on the prairie in Colorado, wireless connections are iffy. I think the wind blows the little electrons off course.

Anyway, on Friday night James and I flew to Denver - I'll explain about James another time. Yesterday, Saturday, we spent the whole day driving all over Wellsville looking for a place to rent. Until we find something, Tom is bunking with a couple in his congregation that has a guest house. It's a really neat place - constructed of straw bales and faced with stucco. It's about seven miles out of town, on the prairie. The picture above is the view to the northeast from the front door. It is fun to wake up and watch the pronghorns and rabbits and hawks. The wind might kill me, though.

So, yesterday, one of the houses we looked at was also on the prairie, but only about two miles from town. It was in a small swale and protected from the wind by some old, large russion olive and cttonwood trees. It was an old farmhouse, but newly refinished on the inside. Quite cute. When I walked around to the back, I saw four chickens - free range chickens!! They ran off into the field and I followed them down an overgrown trail, which led to the neighbor's house - about a quarter mile away. There, I was greeted by three large goats, laying on the carport and looking at me with great interest. At first I thought they were big dogs. I talked to them as I walked by, and they got up and followed me down their driveway to the main road and back to the rental house. Very pleasant companions.

This whole new adventure started just before Memorial Day weekend this year. Tom and I were going to spend the holiday weekend building a chicken coop and some raised garden beds in Mickie's backyard. (Mick is my oldest and he and his girlfriend, Amanda, live in the house next door. That's another whole story for another time.) We had done the research, drawn up the plans, figured out the costs, chosen the type of chicks, and everything!

On the Friday of Memorial Day weekend, Tom got a call asking him to consider an appointment to this start-up church. We didn't build a chicken coop or raised beds that weekend. Instead we prayed and talked and made lists of pros and cons and slept on it. On Tuesday, Tom called the powers that be and said he was willing to meet the people in charge. Ten days later, he flew to Colorado, met with everyone, and decided it was something he had to do. I have not seen him so energized in the years I have known him, so how could this be wrong?

Amanda had been talking about getting goats, too. Does Salt Lake City allow goats in residential areas?

So, we won't be renting the house on the prairie with the free range chickens and friendly goats living nearby. The landlord won't allow pets. Go figure. We're still on a search.

Tomorrow Tom and I and two of the lay leaders of the congregation go to Plano Texas (Texas in August!) for a new church start boot camp. Don't know what to expect from that, but I'm keeping an open mind.

Pray for me.

An Accidental Clergy Spouse