Friday on the Miller Farm Archives - View from the Front Porch

13 05, 2022

Favorite Sounds

By judythemorgan|2022-05-09T06:01:26-05:00May 13th, 2022|Friday on the Miller Farm, Miller Farm Friday|2 Comments

A Blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara

For years, one of my favorite sounds has been the rustling of pages as people at church open their Bibles to find the passage being used in the sermon. Nowadays, many people use digital media for the Bibles so there is no sound. In fact, some preachers have gone from saying “Open your Bibles” to “open your Bible app.”

I am not a fan. I still use a physical Bible and rustle the pages.

This morning Beekeeper Brian and I were working at our plot in the community garden, and I discovered a new favorite sound.

It is the sound of the wind blowing through the corn stalks. We have planted several rows of corn along with squash, beans, and peppers.

As I was pulling the weeds from around the peppers, I heard the most wonderful rustling. I stood up to see the corn gently swaying in the breeze. It was a very peaceful sound that made me smile.

I considered making a video of it but I’ve discovered videos never quite look or sound like the real thing. Instead, I took a selfie with the corn to remind me of the moment.

I will be back to work in the garden. Weeds are relentless. I just can’t be guaranteed the wind will be blowing.

Fortunately, I have the sound of the corn stalks rustling recorded in my head. I smile each time I think of it.

29 04, 2022

Egg Hunt

By judythemorgan|2022-04-30T16:25:37-05:00April 29th, 2022|Friday on the Miller Farm, Miller Farm Friday|0 Comments

A Blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara

The chicks I brought home from school last semester have started to lay. I can tell by the smaller size of the eggs.

I can also tell by where they are laying.

Yesterday Beekeeper Brian found some eggs in an abandoned coop that is just outside the chicken yard. It serves as a hiding place for chickens who find themselves on the wrong side of the fence and need to escape the dogs. I guess they feel more comfortable laying away from all the big hens. It just means we get to have an egg hunt regularly.

22 04, 2022

New Pan of Awesomeness

By judythemorgan|2022-04-22T05:51:56-05:00April 22nd, 2022|Friday on the Miller Farm, Miller Farm Friday|0 Comments

A Blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara

Our church meets in homes on Wednesday evenings. We eat dinner together and review Sunday’s sermon. At one time, I regularly brought our contribution to the meal in a particular 9×13 pan.

It became known as the “silver pan of awesomeness” because whatever I brought in it was loved by all.

I have had the pan for so long that I can’t remember where I got it. It is old enough to have pinholes appear in the bottom so I must line it with aluminum foil to prevent the contents from dripping out the holes.

I didn’t mind doing this for a long while. After all, it was the “silver pan of awesomeness!”

At a recent Pampered Chef party I hosted, I received enough hostess reward points to replace my silver pan. I had to think about it long and hard but I finally chose a new pan.

I made Chocolate Bit Bars in the new pan and they were awesome. I can officially call this the “turquoise pan of awesomeness.”

8 04, 2022

Ruckus on the Ranch Version 2.0

By judythemorgan|2022-04-08T08:29:01-05:00April 8th, 2022|Friday on the Miller Farm, Miller Farm Friday|1 Comment

A Blog By Chicken Wrangler Sara

This book is still one of my favorites and a favorite of all my classes. They regularly ask for the “Whoa Ruby, Whoa Wyatt” song. They really enjoy galloping around the room.

This year, I have a new angle.

I ask myself the question “How many times can I gallop around the room without being in pain for the rest of the day?”

The answer is usually “one less than I galloped.” Getting older is hard on the body but I’m not quite ready to give up playing with the kids.

Ruckus on the Ranch – the original from Jun 7, 2019

Rachel has worked as a personal assistant for a woman named Jane who is visually impaired and has somewhat limited mobility. Rachel takes her to the places she needs to go and helps her around the house. Last April Rachel and I took her to see the Texas Tenors for her birthday. Jane enjoys music very much and in fact, we sit together at Bible Study so I can sing alto to her soprano when we sing the hymns.

Before we even went to our seats, I stopped at the merchandise table. This is usually a bad idea but in this case, there was a newly published children’s book entitled Ruckus on the Ranch. It was a gift we could all enjoy. It tells the story of two horses, Wyatt and Ruby, running amuck on a ranch and being chased by all the farm animals as well as the cowboy and cowgirl. They eventually get tired and lay down to rest. All is quiet until… Wyatt gets stung by a bumblebee.

Of course, there is a song sung by the Texas Tenors that goes with the book. At the part where all is quiet, the three men sing “Oh what a peaceful ranch” in beautiful harmony. It is my favorite part not only for the music but also because when I play it in my music class, all the kids lay quietly.

Then when Wyatt gets stung, they all jump up and start galloping around again. It is the perfect song for when the classes need to get some energy out – like the month of May. It also gives me a workout as I gallop around with them.

Sometimes on Miller Farm, the chickens run amuck. Then I put food out and they all get quiet. At that moment I hear in my head “Oh what a peaceful ranch” and hope no one gets stung by a bee.

1 04, 2022

Peeping Cooper

By judythemorgan|2022-03-31T21:35:31-05:00April 1st, 2022|Friday on the Miller Farm, Miller Farm Friday|0 Comments

A Blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara

There are advantages to having a large dog versus a small dog. For one thing, I don’t have to worry about stepping on him. Nor do I have to reach down to pet him.

There is one thing I will never get used to, though, seeing him in my kitchen window.

You’ve heard of a peeping Tom? Well, meet peeping Cooper.

11 03, 2022

Teacher skills

By judythemorgan|2022-03-10T12:39:41-06:00March 11th, 2022|Friday on the Miller Farm, Miller Farm Friday|0 Comments

A Blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara

A teacher must have a wide variety of skills, especially when teaching Pre-K or kindergarten. I have already mastered the “tying shoes while the child is moving” and “zipping 22 jackets before the class is out the door.”

This year I have added to my skills. I can now “catch the snot before it hits the floor.”

The most prized skill this week has been remaining positive when you are more than ready for Spring Break.

For that, I pull out my magic hat!

4 03, 2022

New Beds

By judythemorgan|2022-03-03T20:26:31-06:00March 4th, 2022|Friday on the Miller Farm, Miller Farm Friday|0 Comments

A Blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara

We recently bought two new beds for the dogs. There is a larger one intended for Max and a smaller one intended for Coco.

Cooper, the Australian Shepherd has his own enormous bed in Rachel’s room.

Coco loves her new bed.

So does Max. Fortunately, he doesn’t mind sharing with Coco.

Cooper, on the other hand, will not share with anyone.

Perhaps we should have purchased three of the same bed.

25 02, 2022

Convention Finds

By judythemorgan|2022-02-24T21:10:37-06:00February 25th, 2022|Friday on the Miller Farm, Miller Farm Friday|0 Comments

A Blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara

One of the best parts of the music convention is the exhibit hall. There are hundreds of booths with thousands of magical things.

Since it is for all levels of music teachers, there are fundraising ideas for bands, orchestras, and choirs, costume ideas for bands and color guards as well as fun things for elementary and preschool.

Each group has its own section, so I walk around the fundraising section getting samples of popcorn, fudge, and whatever else they offer. Then I spend the rest of my time in the elementary section. There I can find instruments, puppets, books, bulletin board ideas, and many other things I didn’t know existed.

This year I added a finger puppet to my chicken collection:

I also look for a new instrument every year. Keeping with the fowl theme, I found a shaker that sounds like a duck.

I actually bought two of these because….why not?

When I showed one of my sixth-grade girls my new things she said, “Mrs. Miller you are silly!”

Yes, yes I am, thank you very much!

18 02, 2022

A Family Affair

By judythemorgan|2022-02-17T18:51:23-06:00February 18th, 2022|Friday on the Miller Farm, Miller Farm Friday|0 Comments

A Blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara

Last weekend was the Texas Music Educators Association Convention in San Antonio.

Thousands and thousands of music educators from across Texas gather and learn, perform, and peruse exhibits. This includes band directors, elementary and preschool music teachers, orchestra directors, and choir directors. It is the highlight of the year for most music teachers, me included.

Catherine, our oldest daughter, and I have gone together for the past few years.

This year, she asked us to help watch Alex while she worked at the Bocal Majority Booth in the exhibit hall since Caleb, her husband, was working and unable to attend. She has worked at this booth for several years in the past helping to sell oboes and bassoons along with the reeds needed for each.

I was already planning to go and since Beekeeper Brian has retired from full-time work, he went with me. It was a family affair.

It was tremendous fun for Catherine to introduce Alex to the people she has been working with since before he was born.

He also got to meet a baby bassoon.

Everyone is making predictions about what instrument he will choose.

Piano is a given as his first instrument. Who knows where he will go from there?

11 02, 2022

Embracing Different

By judythemorgan|2022-02-12T15:40:17-06:00February 11th, 2022|Friday on the Miller Farm, Miller Farm Friday|0 Comments

A Blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara

I have cracked literally hundreds of eggs in my lifetime. As a chicken wrangler, it may be closer to thousands. Our chicken eggs tend to have thicker shells. The duck eggs have a thicker membrane inside the shell.

Most of the time, however, the eggs crack the same way.

We have one chicken whose eggs consistently crack longways:

This was disturbing at first. I was holding the egg and expecting it to crack like all the others. Feeling it crack in a perpendicular manner was totally different.

Many things in the last two years have been totally different. This, too, was disturbing at first. Teaching remotely, wearing masks, limiting physical contact – it was all strange.

As much as I would like to return to “normal” (whatever that is), I have come to accept that different can be ok. I am learning to embrace different.