Some days I feel so on top of this whole thing. I’m canning like a mad lady, the garden is overflowing, the lawn is beautiful, the chickens come when my husband whistles, and the kids don’t kill each other. Always a plus.

Other days aren’t so encouraging. Like when we find a pile of rotten chicken eggs layed neatly in the hostas. Or when my son’s cucumber plant dies. Or when there’s a collection of red tomatoes staring at you and you have a fever and you don’t want to think about canning.

The garden has been slower overall this year. Some of our seedlings didn’t transplant well, then we lost several of our tomato plants and potatoes to our black walnut tree. (Thanks, juglone.) A few squash vines have died prematurely. And I think we may have given up on weeding.

(Part of our jungle.)

The goat has been breaking all of her own rules, as I’m told goats will do. Some evenings she comes to us right away when she hears us scooping grain. Other days, she likes to provide free rodeo entertainment as we chase her all over the field. Some days she gives us almost a quart of milk, but when she’s feeling feisty we’re lucky to get two cups from her. You start questioning if the time and effort put into milking is worth the small return.

We’ve also had some distractions on our minds recently- some hard decisions for my hubby, the beginning of the school year for both of us, and the arrival of our third child have discouraged us from regular chores. The chicken coop needs cleaning, the lawn needs to be mowed, the kids toys are exploding on the driveway. There’s preservation to be done and fall garden plans to be made. Homeschool decisions, books that have to be read, arrangements for fall tasks, housecleaning, and the list goes on.

Such is the ebb and flow of things. Today, I’m feeling very behind and frustrated with my lack of progress. But tomorrow brings a new day, and a new opportunity to keep moving forward.

Well then, let’s press on, shall we?