Full Circle Moments

Have you ever experienced what I call a full-circle moment? A moment when you are present, grateful, and aware that the universe has you exactly where you need to be, and you can see the entire picture of your interactions? I had a full-circle moment on Sunday. On Sunday, my former student-turned-good friend, Amanda, came down to the farm for a visit. As I stood looking at Amanda, Amanda's son, and my daughter, I was well aware of my chosen path's trajectory.

I met Amanda as a twelve—or thirteen-year-old seventh grader. Amanda's quiet, serious, wear-my-heart-on-my-sleeve personality and kind heart instantly drew me to her. I saw a lot of myself in this young lady. She surrounded herself with outgoing, gregarious friends but chose to sit quietly and observe her surroundings. She laughed at outrageous antics but rarely participated. She was quiet and internalized her feelings, but one knew just by looking at her there was much more going on than she was willing to share. You knew it was a big step if she chose to confide in you. Amanda was a good kid and I enjoyed having her in my classroom for multiple years.

As with all children, as they grow, connections are lost, new connections are made, and they move on through life. I watched her grow and change throughout the years, but our connection became precisely what it should have; I was (hopefully) a favorite teacher of her past who said hello in the hall if eye contact was made. A lovely young woman with a bright future ahead of her replaced the little girl I knew. Moving ahead almost a decade, Amanda became my neighbor when we bought our massive 22-room Victorian mansion, dubbed The Judge's Mansion, to born and bred Brookvillians. Eric and I worked tirelessly for several years to restore this lovely old home from an apartment building to a single residence. It was not until we adopted The Bean that Amanda came back into my life.

I was taking boxes of baby gear packaging to the curb when I saw Amanda taking her garbage out, and we waved. She saw all the boxes for baby products and came over. She asked if I was expecting, and I told her about our baby. Amanda congratulated me and crossed the street. A few months later, we met Amanda on the street while taking Jordan for her daily outing. I walked all over that town with my baby. Jordan became like Norm on Cheers to the downtown business owners. When people saw us walking, they would come out of their stores to say hello to her. She could always draw people in and charm them. I introduced Amanda to Jordan, and we went on our way. Soon, it was the norm to have Amanda, her then-boyfriend, and my former student RJ on our porch steps, asking to visit with Jordan or inquiring if I needed anything.

Dinner with "the kids," evenings spent on the porch, holidays, and meal exchanges became part of the fabric of our lives. Amanda and RJ became our favorite neighbors and dear friends. Amanda was one of the few people I trusted to babysit Jordan on the rare occasion I had to leave her. When I had my hysterectomy, Amanda took a few days off work to help me. When we moved to our farm near Punxsutawney, Amanda helped me pack and move. Once we were no longer neighbors, visits with the kids dwindled. Their lives changed, they moved on, and we moved into "family mode." When "Pandi," as Jordan came to call her, got married, we helped with the wedding, and Jordan was her flower girl. Then Amanda and Craig, also my former student, moved into married life, and we lost touch except on rare occasions when one of us made time to make an effort. Our friendship turned into random and rare messages sent and Facebook likes.

We recently reconnected with "the kids," who are now in their mid-thirties. Amanda now has an eight-year-old son, who is Craig in miniature. Pandi opened a health-based storefront in Brookville, serving coffee with a healthy twist, loaded teas, and nutritious treats. My Wellness is her cafe, and it is delightful. I am always thrilled to promote my former students and their endeavors. Amanda will join us at Springtime at the Farm on Saturday, May 4th, from 9 to 1. Come out and try her loaded teas, protein parfaits, homemade bagels, and other health-based creations. Amanda's loaded teas are Jordan-approved. That is a huge compliment from a fifteen-year-old who would exist on Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Swiss Rolls, and Monster drinks.

Amanda has also decided to carry our products in her storefront. She is now the sole provider of all things The Smiling Goat Soap Company in Brookville. I am thrilled to partner with her and flattered that she wants to carry and promote our products. Amanda and Easton, her son, came to see us on Sunday. They spent the day with us, cuddling goats, hiking the woods, and choosing just the right soaps for her store. It was one of the nicest days I have had in a long time.

As we walked to the spring located in the back forty, I took in the moment. The Bibbed Wonder and Easton lagged behind, talking like two little old men. My husband impresses me with his ability to connect with kids of all ages (probably because they are mentally the same age...insert a wink). They discussed everything from the annoyances of living with girls to their favorite woods and trees. Pandi chatted it up with my girl, and they discussed her participation in her high school musical and all things girl-related. It did not escape me that Pandi was near Jordan's age when she came into my life. I have had the pleasure of watching her grow into a capable, strong, independent businesswoman and loving, nurturing, adoring mother. She has watched my girl grow into a wonderful young woman, and now, I get to watch Easton grow. It all came full circle for me at that moment.

There are moments when the wonders and workings of the universe become crystal clear. Sunday was one of those moments for me. I believe the universe places people on our paths for a reason. Whether they teach us a lesson or we serve a purpose, everyone is in our lives at the exact perfect moment. Our paths cross, then dissect, and sometimes cross again. I am not sure why our paths have crossed again, but I feel so blessed that they have. Although Amanda and I have a fifteen-year age difference, it shows that true friendship knows no boundaries. My close friend circle ranges in age from 23-70+, and every number in-between. For my dear friend Jenna, I am old enough to be her mom. I say our friendship is proof of my innate immaturity. For Amanda, I like to think I am old enough to be a really cool aunt. Like the kind of aunt, you drink wine with and talk about everything. With my friend Jane, she is the type of mother figure I always wanted. My friend Trish is the sister of another mother. My friend Christina is like the little sister I always wanted. Monica and Marie are my kindred spirits. My friend Sherry is my version of a really cool aunt. All of these remarkable women make up the family connection I crave. They are kind, supportive, honest, and accepting; they love me for me, give me advice, teach me lessons, and act as a respectful voice of reason. There is no dysfunction in my chosen family. I love that about them.

On this lovely, seasonable spring day, stay safe, be smart, stay open to those full-circle moments, enjoy those who bring so much to your world, appreciate your chosen family, and keep washing your hands.

Tuesday Spotlight: Lemongrass Grapefruit

Welcome to another Tuesday Spotlight, dear reader. Our spotlight is on the citrusy, fresh, clean-smelling scent blend of lemongrass and grapefruit. If you are a citrus lover, this is your week. I am often asked if we offer a pure citrus scent, and the short answer is no. Although I love the scent of fresh lemon, orange, and grapefruit, it is almost impossible to get citrus essential oils to "stick" in cold-process soap.

Each essential oil has an ideal temperature in which it is stable. The flash point is the temperature at which essential oils begin to evaporate or burn off. For citrus scents, the flash point or burn-off temperature is relatively low. Citrus essential oils have a flashpoint of 118 or less. Although my ideal soap temperature is around 100 degrees, the temperature reached during the saponification process can exceed 250 degrees. Most citrus essential oils cannot withstand the intense heat of the saponification process. Thus, I have found achieving a strong scent when using citrus essential oils almost impossible.

Lemongrass essential oil is my go-to for a fresh citrus scent. Its flashpoint is right around 160-170 degrees. I find the smell of lemongrass holds up well during the saponification process. Lemongrass also acts as an anchor for other citrus scents. I enjoy the combination of lemongrass and grapefruit essential oils. It is light, fresh, citrusy, and refreshing. With warmer temperatures on the horizon, I think this is a wonderful time to try our Lemongrass Grapefruit soap and moisturizer.

The savings are exclusive to the website. No promo code is needed, and the savings will be applied at check out. Now is a great time to try something new, stock up on a favorite, or purchase an affordable gift for someone. On this lovely spring day, stay safe, be smart, enjoy the savings, and keep washing your hands.

Fergus The Bottle Baby

Our luck has run out. Don't panic; everyone is fine. However, we now have a bottle baby. Waddles, our Boher doe, who suffered a horrible case of mastitis and lost a teat, we now call her the one boobed wonder, delivered triplets on Thursday. All the babies and Waddles are doing fine. Although Waddles makes an excess of milk, nature has a way of letting a mama know what her limits are and how much she can handle. Nature told Waddles that she could handle two babies. If left to nature, the smallest and weakest baby would have perished. Our farm does not always follow the rules of nature.

I noticed Waddles was in labor as I walked the perimeter of the fence during my morning jaunt with The Heavy-B on Thursday morning. I went to tell The Bibbed Wonder and then returned to the field with towels in hand to help dry off the babies. When I got to Waddles, one little brown girl was up and nursing. Waddles had just delivered a second black and white baby, still engulfed in the amniotic sac. Waddles was not even attempting to clean him off. I quickly picked up the baby, cleaned off his face, got him up, and worked to dry him off. I noticed his breathing was raspy, and he was not making any noise. I focused on clearing his nasal passages and cleaning out his mouth. He continued to be lax and lethargic, so I hung him upside down and tapped his back. Hanging him upside down seemed to help him clear his nasal passages and improve his breathing. I made sure to dry him well, and I rubbed him aggressively to get the blood flowing.

We got Waddles and her two babies into a stall so she could focus on them without the distraction of the herd. We keep the new mamas and their babies in a stall for a day or two to give everyone time to adjust, receive extra care, and monitor them closely. A third baby was delivered, and she wasted no time cleaning him off and helping him get to his feet. The secondborn was obviously the weakest of the three. Despite being the smallest and the weakest, he was able to nurse and ingest the ever-important colostrum. Although Waddles only has one viable teat, she has successfully nursed triplets in the past. For this reason, we were not concerned for any of the babies.

We checked on the new babies and their mom throughout the day. At lunchtime, Eric came to the house with a small bundle wrapped in his arms. The Bibbed Wonder said he didn't like that the little guy was lying alone in a corner. Waddles was not paying much attention to him; he was cold and lying flat. None of these are good signs. We spent the afternoon nursing the little guy, warming him up by cuddling him to us while he was wrapped in a blanket and trying to get him to take a bottle. Little boys are always slower to catch on to the basics of life when compared to little girls. This little guy was no different. Eventually, we got him to eat almost an entire baby bottle of warm milk. Once his tummy was full, he lay on us and kept warm.

Once he had eaten and slept, his eyes looked brighter, and he was more alert. As with all bottle babies, he did not take long to bond with us. If I got out of his sight, he would bleat the loud familiar MA! that is so common with bottle babies. I made him a bed in a large tote. The tote was safe in the living room. The dogs were put to bed, and their interest in the baby goat waned throughout the day. I, too, tried to sleep in my own bed, but Fergus, we are now on letter F of the alphabet for our names, was not interested in sleeping alone, safely in his tote. After ten minutes of loud bleating, I consigned to sleeping on the couch beside Fergus. However, Fergus had other ideas. Eventually, I brought Fergus onto the couch beside me, and he slept curled against me for the remainder of the night.

With a full tummy before bed, Fergus did not stir until 3 a.m. I have decided I am too old to handle late-night feedings and needy babies. Regardless of my choice, a baby needs me, and I can't shirk that responsibility. However, after chasing down a baby goat and cleaning up baby goat turds from my living room and kitchen, I decided my new charge needed to return to the barn with his siblings as soon as possible. I waited until the temperature reached the fifties and then took my little buddy out to spend time with his mom and siblings. Waddles took him back without hesitation. However, he is not strong enough to fight for his place in nursing. One of us goes to the barn every four hours to give our little Fergus a warm bottle and snuggles.

Fergus is your typical bottle baby. He cries when he sees us, attacks us until fed, is happiest being carried and snuggled, and is somewhat of an outcast with the rest of the herd. His siblings, Fern and Farlow, don't really pay him any mind. They are bigger and stronger. Fergus can't keep up with them when they play. He is content to sit on our laps or follow us around. He has buddied up with two brown Boher babies who prefer sleeping more than playing. Our Fergie is an adorable little buddy, and it makes me sad to see him rejected. I know he will eventually find a friend to spend all his time with, just like Lester did. He will grow to be happy and content, albeit just a little bit different than the rest of the goats. Different is okay, and Fergus will have a special place with us.

On this lovely spring day, stay safe, be smart, care for those who need it, and keep washing your hands.