Farm Blog Posts

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Generations

“A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever.”
‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭1:4‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Next to the driveway for the farm is a Southern Red Oak tree. This oak tree is one of the oldest trees on the farm. It has survived storms, droughts, pests, and damage to its trunk and limbs.

I remember playing under and in this tree as a child. My granddad worked under this tree on farm projects and equipment repairs. It served as the afternoon shade during hot Mississippi summer days.

For generations this tree has been here, just like my family. For generations my family has owned, worked, and lived on this farm. Through bad times and good times, we have survived and thrived. Sacrifices were made and compromises found so our family and this farm land would continue to exist.

This Memorial Day, we think about those who sacrificed everything so we can live in a free country. For generations, this country has survived and thrived as the free country it is. By the grace of God and the sacrifices of generations, we are free. So this Memorial Day, let’s remember those who gave all for us so we can thrive. Thank you from #welcome2serenity and may God bless you all.

To view our photo of the week, go to https://welcome2serenity.com/photo-of-the-week/

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A new day

A constant on the farm is life and death. We see new life created and old lives extinguished, but with both there is always the new day.

This week, I learned of the passing of a friend and family member. This person had an impact on my life that shaped my career in IT and my view toward farming in general. A friend, who came by our house and talked to my dad for hours about anything and everything. He helped me to get my first major job after college and helped to ensure my advancement with my career.

While processing the news of his passing, I began to think about the amount of death that I have seen on the farm. I have seen baby animals be healthy and happy to die hours to days later. I have seen still born animals and watched as the mom dealt with the loss. I have seen predators massacre livestock and mentally dealt with the loss. With all of this, there was always a new day.

The new day, the next day came no matter what. God gave us that reassurance that He has control and that everything is part of a plan. There will be a new day, a new dawn, and a new life.

Though we may mourn, those that pass will start one final new day and what they leave behind are good memories and love. So now I look forward to the new day each morning with beautiful sunrises and sunsets. With plenty of opportunities to create memories between. Thank you for visiting and #welcome2serenity.

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The Split

One of the chores at the farm is beehive inspection.

Hive inspection is done to determine the health and stability of the bee colony. We look for any warning signs such as hive beetles and wax moths. We check to make sure the queen is healthy and laying eggs, which leads into checking for royal cells.

A royal cell is the birth chamber of a new queen. A new queen is laid to produce a new colony or to replace the current queen, if she is old or unhealthy. The royal cell is also the sign of a future swarm. Since a colony can only have one queen, when the new queen hatches a swarm occurs splitting the colony into two colonies.

During a hive inspection and relocation this week, a royal cell was discovered. So while relocating the original hive, the royal cell was moved to a new hive, where it will hatch a new queen to produce a new colony of honey bees. Beekeepers split hives all through the spring to avoid swarming of hive.

Just like with our families, children grow and leave the colony to go forth and create a new colony. Although we are different from bees, there are a lot of similarities between the bees and us. Once a bee leaves, it doesn’t come back. Our children may leave but they often return home to visit and feel the family love.

The split is inevitable but it’s whether it’s a controlled or uncontrolled split that matters. Life changes, lives change, and the world continues according to plan. #welcome2serenity

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Queen Bee

Today is Mother’s Day, the day we celebrate mothers for their sacrifice, love, caring, and devotion to their children and families. So while thinking about Mother’s Day, I reflect on one of the hardest working and busiest mothers….The Queen Bee.

The Queen Bee is bred by the hive to serve as mother for all future workers and in most cases the next queen.

The queen is cared for by a group of close bees. They feed her, care for her, dispose of her waste, and go wherever the queen moves to, which is how the hive functions. The worker bees love and care for their mother and the mother provides for the current and next generation so necessary work can be done.

Moms do the same. They provide and care for their family and prepare everything so that future generations can exist and prosper. They teach their children and bestow values that carry into the next generations.

So on this Mother’s Day, thank your mom for all that she does and has done. Tell her that you love her and show her that she did a great job by your daily actions, how you love others, and how you care for others. Mothers, next to Christ, are the greatest gift from God.

The Queen Bee without her, we would all become extinct. Without her, other bees exist to pollinate plants and trees, which in turn provide oxygen and food for us.

So love the Queen Bee. Care for her, protect her, and be devoted to her.

To all of the mothers today….HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY and Thank you from Welcome 2 Serenity.

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Another Spring

Another Spring is here and the farm is full of new life. From baby chickens to new bees, from new plants to new blooms on established plants. This is a wonderful time of the year.

While doing chores this week, I took a little time to walk around and really enjoy the farm scenery. I was reminded why I named the farm “Serenity”. Sometimes you get so busy with chores and responsibilities that you miss so much. It’s nice to stop and enjoy life, to remember joyous times, to “smell the roses”, and to let yourself feel God’s gift to us all.

Have you discovered yet, what your serenity is? Once you find it, enjoy it, love it, and thank God for it. Welcome to my Serenity!

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3 Points

Along with our last post, The Foundation, our farm had to have 3 points for guidance. Why 3 points?

3 Points have been significant from the beginning of time. Examples: The Trinity, the perfect triangles, the rule of threes in writing, and 3 points of reference in navigation. So lets take the last example, 3 points of navigation….our farm needs navigation so we had to start with our 3 points of navigation.

The first point of navigation was myself. I want to bring the farm back to life. With that I wanted to raise vegetables, livestock, and gain life skills. I wanted to be self sustaining as which as possible. The biggest thing was I wanted to give back to the community with knowledge, education, and farm produced products.

How do I do that? With the next 2 points of navigation: our values and beliefs.

Our values guide us to take care of our livestock and treat them with respect and care. It also guides us to grow and preserve healthy, organic vegetables, fruit, and berries so that our bodies are healthy. It guides us to take care of the land and water that God has provided for us. Our values are also to education ourselves and others, to help our community.

Our beliefs guide us to remain as self sustaining as possible by using the skills that we have gained and to develop new skills. That everyone has the ability to take care of their needs but should step forward when someone needs some help. Our belief is that no one should have to worry about what is in their food and about the health welfare of their family because of what they eat or drink.

3 Points…….That’s what has started this farm up again and will continue to guide it as long as we keep our navigation set on those points. With serenity comes the security that all of our needs are being met and that we are prepared for the future. How wonderful is our 3 Points of Serenity?

You say to God, ‘My beliefs are flawless and I am pure in your sight.’ Job 11:4

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The Foundation

The Foundation…..the most important part of anything in existence is the foundation. It is the starting point for a home, a relationship, a business, a country, a belief system, etc. It is the foundation is not set correctly and firmly, then whatever is built on it will not last long.

This farm was started years ago on a foundation that was formed out of nothing but the land and what grew on it. Today, I have the advantage of starting with an existing foundation that including barns, a chicken house, tractor and equipment, and knowledge gained from my dad’s, granddad’s, uncles’, aunts’, mom’s, and grandmas’ experiences. The farm is covered with pecan trees that my granddad planted and nursed for years. Ponds that were dug years ago providing water for livestock and stocked with fish.

This week, we were finally able to make progress on our new greenhouse and just like every building we started with a foundation. From the foundation, up went the hoop uprights and the support system. When the greenhouse is completed, we will be able to grow vegetables year round for years to come. We will be able to start plants from seeds in early February which will put us months ahead of the growing season.

The Foundation……our bees start with a foundation of honeycomb for both storing honey but also laying eggs for brood or new baby bees. The Foundation……..chickens and other birds start with a foundation of pine needles, sticks, leaves, etc. to make the nest for their young. Everyday I learn more and more from observations and experiences on the farm that reaffirm what I read in the Bible. This is my serenity.

Psalm 104:5 He set the earth on its foundations, so that it should never be moved.