I had a hard time getting my fuzzy brain to work correctly on our Saturday morning workday. I was overwhelmed with fixing our goat issue (read here and here). Plus we had several families coming over for a workday at our property to help us get some things in order for which we needed manpower. My mind was scattered, had much information sparking through it, I was tired, and we had much to do.
The preparation to have many people over hadn’t happened due to my being busy with goat issues, Callan being busy with goat issues, and work coming in. The work coming in was a good thing. The goat issues - not. It takes alot to just keep our tenthold operating on an even keel. But when we have several crises in a row, entropy quickly takes over.
We all got up and tried to pull ourselves and our place together in order to host our friends for the day. It was a task. Living in a campout situation on an every day basis, being in order is always a task. But today’s job of pulling things together was especially tasking.
We grabbed coffee and hot chocolate but no breakfast. That would just be another time consumer and mess to clean up and we weren’t prepared ahead of time with something easy like banana bread like we would usually try to do. We did feed and milk and doctor the animals.
And then Ashley and Callan started on pulling food together for the day. We usually try to have food that can be prepared ahead of time. But, with the events of the past few days, that didn’t happen. We were way behind our food prep schedule.
Leah, the sick goat, looked better this Saturday morning. She was no longer shaking when she stood up but was still weak. She was very interested in food. We were cautiously encouraged.
A friend showed up with his bobcat and set to work moving cut cedar into a burn pile.


Then his family showed up and set to work in the outdoors and the kitchen helping us pull the food together.

Then more friends showed up and started beautifying our driveway by picking up and moving rocks.

Then more help showed up that started cutting and hauling cedars and weed whacking old, long, dry grass in the pasture so the rains could bring up new grass for the cows and goats to eat.


And more friends showed up and finished making a rock planter in the shape of a star.


One which we’d started long ago and not gotten back to finishing.
And still others cemented in animal pen posts in post holes that were drilled out a year ago. Others brought food. Others washed dishes. And the list goes on……
We are so thankful for the body of Christ who came together to serve one another. The work we did was hard to measure as there were many people working on many different projects so the effect was not cumulative. But, the work that was done was the type of work we needed a lot of hands to accomplish and not take weeks and/or months for us to accomplish alone.
It allows us to move forward and onto more tangible tasks like getting the garden beds up and the hoop houses over the garden beds. Getting a pasture planted for the cows and goats. It allows us to see the lay of the land where we’re contemplating putting a house that was previously occupied by lots of cedars. It gets us closer to having another animal yard. And so much more……
We ate home butchered turkey enchilada casserole, fresh fruits and veggies, pico de gallo and chips, cornbread, salad, brownies and homemade fresh cow milk ice cream.
Those who were outside working were showered upon for a short while. Some came in. Others said they welcomed the shower. Then it blew over, the rain stopped falling and we resumed the workday amidst the mud. We were thankful that the majority of the rain waited until 5:30 a.m. the next morning. The cloud cover and moderate temperatures made for a perfect workday environment.
The little ones enjoyed the animals: baby goats, chickens, turkeys, rabbits and cows.

Some walked the sick goat so she could get out of her hospital trailer.
All in all, we had about 50 people, besides our family out to Plymouth Rock Ranch on our Saturday workday. What a blessing our friends bestowed upon us, sharing their time, tools, resources, hands, backs and muscles to aid us in our quest to take dominion over our 20 acres of Texas Hill Country. Thank you one and all!
Cousins
The Sentry : )
The Power and Ease of a Bobcat
The Hungry Jaws of a Bobcat
The Power of Fellowship
Little One in the Country on a Mission
Getting there with the Soldier’s March
With a Little Twist Thrown in….in True Coghlan Fashion : )
Straight into the Arms of Dad

The Faith of a Child to Trust that His Daddy Can Do Anything…..
Including Tossing a Big Boy Over His Shoulders….Mission Accomplished!
With the help of friends we were able to accomplish much. It is that much more sweet when done with the loving help of friends and families and sweet fellowship.
By the end of the day I was convinced that, barring something unusual, Leah, the sick goat, was going to make it. We have a long road of getting the animals mineral levels up to where they should be. But, we’re learning and I’m so thankful to have a resource like Linda to mentor me in this process of learning to care for the flock that God has given us.
Proverbs 27:23
Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds.
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