Breakfast again...

I drove by a Catholic cemetery on my way to breakfast this morning. I actually drive by it just about every day. But today for some reason I flashed on the the thought that I don't want to be planted in a box underground when I die. To me it just seems like such a waste of space and resources. My wish is to be cremated and to have my ashes spread in a wooded area. I want my remains to be returned to the earth to be used again, not decomposing in a box somewhere taking up valuable space.

As I parked at the restaurant I thought about life after death. I do believe that there is something after life ends here. When Dad died I felt grandpa and Aunt Betty (Elizabeth) very strongly in the room. Then when I was seated at a table I suddenly recognized the song in the background, Galileo by the Indigo Girls, how appropriate! Re-incarnation... Ah! Something more to think about.

Just so you don't think I am totally morbid today I had better change the subject here. Let's do a 180 degree shift here and talk about life, specifically new life! Yesterday I took a road trip and drove out to my sister's farm in Wisconsin with TJ, a resident from the group home that I work at. It was a beautiful day for a ride in the country. We left the traffic and the stress of the cities behind and drove into blue skies and sunshine!

It is about an hour drive and when we arrived my sister Cheryl was watering her newly planted flowers. We were greeted by a Nelia, Cheryl's dog. Nelia was barking and growling until she heard my voice. I was driving the house car and she didn't recognize it. Nelia quieted quickly when she knew it was me and came over to properly greet me.

First stop was the baby goats. They were arriving slowly this year. There were only a few newborns to hold. Cheryl brought a couple over so we could get a better look. One she had already named "Trouble." I had to laugh at that because "Trouble" is what TJ calls me. He also refers to me as "pest" to which I always reply, "Yes I am!"

Next we went down to the barn to see the baby lambs. There were many babies here, but they were moving so fast it was hard to take pictures. Cheryl again caught a couple and brought them over for TJ to hold. Cheryl had a particular favorite, Spot, that she couldn't find. She seemed just a little worried as she was uncertain the mom who she was attached to was actually the real mom. Spot was a little under-nourished compared to the other baby that was with that particular mother. I was also re-introduced to "Sweetie" one of the bottle babies from last year. She was looking very nice and strong. It is amazing how fast they mature. Next year Sweetie will be having her own babies.

We moved on down to a pasture farther away from the barn to see the baby calves. The cows were grazing at the far end of the pasture, but Cheryl had brought a pail of grain with her and called the cows when we got close. They came running at the prospect of a tasty snack of ground corn. Close behind were numerous baby calves. They were so cute and playful. The moms were Scottish Highland, but they had been bred to a polled shorthorn bull. It seems that all of the local vets were afraid of the horns. I find it amusing that the one vet who is not afraid, is a woman.

Cheryl said that there was a new calf born just that morning in the next pasture and asked if we wanted to go find it. I was game, so we kept walking. We hadn't gone far when we found the momma cow but not the baby. At this point Cheryl suggested that we move to the other side of the fence as the mother was not familiar with us. We didn't have to walk much farther before we found the baby alone in the woods about 20 yards from the mother. As we walked closer the mother shadowed us from the other side of the fence and then walked over to her baby who was wobbling to her feet. We watched for awhile as the baby tried to find the right place to nurse. The mother's bag was full and the teats were swollen to the size of sausages. There was plenty of milk for the little one once she figured out what she was supposed to do.

After walking back up to the barn Cheryl peeked back inside and found the little one she had been looking for. Spot was hiding by a fence. Cheryl grabbed him and brought over. TJ didn't want to hold this one, so I did. Spot was very little, but strong. Hopefully the mother that he became attached to would continue to let him nurse.

It was hard to leave and drive back to the city. It was so green and peaceful there, budding with new life and promise. But, we had to get back. As we got near downtown Minneapolis the traffic became congested with the afternoon rush hour. As we inched along bumper to bumper I could not help but contrast the stress of the city with the bucolic serenity of the country. Someday, maybe...