Too much perhaps.

Mark and I just returned from our trip to Nfld. on Sunday night and since our return, we've had some good reminders as to why those kind of trips are important.
Let me preface this entry by saying that for the last half of the four-day trip (yep, four whole days!), I spent the majority of my time double checking flight times and preoccupied with weather reports from all sources for all Maritime cities and emailing my mother.  I was desperate to get home.  Partly because I'm a homebody mom, partly because the weather was being tricky and partly because I knew my kids would be wearing out their welcome in West Branch. 
But, we certainly made the most of our time in St. Johns and enjoyed every minute of it. We stayed at some nice places, the weather was really amazing, visited with some great friends and met some new, fun characters.  Overall, a huge success. 
I think I will wait until the kids are older until next time though.

Anyway, since we've returned, we've been on meeting mission 101 and have yet to spend any time in the house at the same time.  I'm currently sitting on two separate hiring committees, am the secretary of a regional organic board, closely involved with the Sunday School at our church, and have recently joined the roller derby league here on the Island.  The latter has been so refreshing and exactly what I need.  I really love all the girls and the activity is a whole new challenge that I'm really embracing with good humour (because some days that's all I've got!). 
I am, by the way, searching for a good roller derby name and am open to any and all suggestions. 

So, between that and Mark's volunteering (namely, as a session member for our church) and his setting up our new business with Bio-Ag amongst all the other farm related things, we are a busy couple of bees these days.  I think I could count the number of words we've said to each other since returning from the trip, on all my fingers and toes.  We are also nominated for the Outstanding Young Farmers award which involves a short presentation at an event in a couple weeks, so that's been sitting in the back of my head as well, although not foremost on the priority list (don't read that bit, judges!).  Perhaps having listed it all out in this entry will have lightened my cognitive load a bit, or, just make it worse.  :S

Oh, and just to keep things interesting, as I was feeding the sheep (nearly done actually) last night I heard a particularly pathetic bleat and watched as a brand-new, still wet baby lamb stumbled out from beside the feeder and stood there shivering.  A quick check found its mother filling her face at the manger, so we got them together and all is well now, but talk about unexpected.  This has been one strange lambing season.  (If I talk like that, it makes this chaos seem like an anomally, but let's be honest and recognize that I am a terrible sheep record keeper....blah.  It's unfortunate that I am also an Organic Certification Consultant which basically means doing paperwork...oh well, sort of like the cobblers kids going without shoes I guess?)
I also had a serious scare when one of my bigger lambs took a case of the runs while we were gone and was pretty down and out on Monday, which I worried meant coccidiosis.  I've never had to deal with it before and knew it would mean trouble for the rest of the lambs if that's what it was. Thankfully, I think he just got a big dose of soybean meal in the creep feeder and learned the ol' "too much of a good thing" lesson.  He's recovered and finally made his way back into the feeder today after a couple days of standing outside of it, looking sadly in at his gorging cousins. 

So I'd better get my control freak hat back on and get back to some committee work, or maybe start looking at developing a marketing plan for the BioAg stuff, since Mark has identified that as a priority for us.  I say that I've already started by mentioning it on this blog, but I don't think that cuts the mustard as my contribution to the business.

A big public thanks to my Mom (and Dad!) for being the bravest/craziest/most generous woman (& man!) for taking on the three terrorists for most of a week.  And my sister, sister-in-law and aunt for all playing the entertainers as well.  The stories from their visit still haven't stopped coming, so some great memories were made to be sure.

I hope this finds you anticipating spring, but still enjoying the throes of winter.

-Sally