“There once was a boy who could listen.
He could hear a sliced cantaloupe glisten.
And closing his eyes
He can hear the sun rise
By the chirping he knows that it’s risen.” -Hornaday
When I heard this limerick, I was surprised by the clever use of senses in a way that senses aren’t used. Why could the boy hear the glistening cantaloupe? Because of his previous experience with slicing a cantaloupe. And he must have an obnoxious alarm clock like mine. Every morning, as its light brightens my room, it blares a cacophony of bird sounds that pull me from the depths of my dreams and threaten to wake up the whole house.
Thankfully, with the tap of a button it all goes silent and I can beg the cows for just one more minute!
My kids are really into the old “Little House on the Prairie” TV series right now. We enjoy seeing the way people lived in the late 1800s alongside their farm animals. Even though Laura said, “I don’t like cattle very much.”
As a dairyman, I think she was selling them short.
Did you know that cows can smell things six miles away? Now isn’t that something that will bowl you over!
First of all, how do “they” know that? Maybe “they” asked one. “Hey, Mrs. Cow, can you smell that pond of water six miles away?”
Whatever the case, cows are impressive. I love to be around them outside because I always see things that I wouldn’t have noticed otherwise.
When I see a cow with her ears perked up, her nose in the air, and standing at alert, I feel like John Wayne when his horse is telling him the bad guys are coming. It’s then that I know to look up and see what she’s looking at. Sometimes it’s a coyote lurking through the brush; more often it’s a deer sharing the abundance of my crops. Most disappointingly, it’s often a cat sauntering by with its bad attitude on display. Don’t worry, I do care about cats. I care that they eat all of my mice! And, ok, they are fluffy and soft.
My young daughter was recently given an assignment to write a poem about our senses. Here it is.
The Picnic
I feel the soft grass,
the colorful blanket and
the hand of a friend.
I hear singing of the birds,
the meow of a cat,
and saying I love you.
I see friends and family
all around.
I see the birds.
I smell the aroma of apples
and the smell of apple pie.
I smell the smell of picked
flowers.
I taste the fresh strawberries.
I taste the fresh creek water.
I taste the taste of special treats my loved one has made.
Proud dad moment. Thanks for letting me share a first poem. I’m continually amazed at our senses.
Unfortunately, sometimes my senses deceive me. Laura Ingalls said, “Home is the nicest word there is.” I’ve got to agree, until I came home to a deceiving smell. My wife was given one of those candles that smell like warm vanilla sugar and cruelty. Here I am, a hungry, tired farmer dragging myself out of the barn and I smell a delicious dessert only to find out it’s a candle! My senses have tricked me! Could it be that we don’t always sense the right thing?
Sometimes senses confuse me. Our Jersey cow recently had her second calf. The moment I saw her, I knew something went wrong. The calf is spotted black, white, and brown. Hey friends and neighbors, this should not be! I bred this Jersey cow to a Jersey bull! Little baby Chippy (as my kids call her) is supposed to be a nice red-brown!
Chippy is not a pure Jersey cow. Turns out that holstein bull is a quick one! For nine whole months, we were planning on a cute little brown calf, but we had a Jersey/Holstein cross being carried around the farm. I needed to see it to know I lost the race.
At all times, senses need filters. Like when we hear a critique from an unthoughtful spouse. What are you hearing? Are you listening to your spouse through the filter of grace and understanding? Or are you listening through the filter of self righteousness and pride? Depending on your filter, your response to them will be worlds apart and will serve to drive a chisel of division or you will pull your connection closer through your gracious response.
Ma Ingalls said, “When you love somebody, it’s worth putting your pride behind you.”
Just like a filter on a phone can turn a smile into a grimace and a frown into a cheesy smile, let’s choose to use the filter of grace and forgiveness for the things we hear from those around us.
Meet your farmer – Jonathan Gerdes. He and his wife run a farm-to-table raw milk dairy in Caledonia, Minn. If he isn’t in the barn, you can find him dating his wife, playing with his kids, leading youth group, or flying in the sky. Visit gerdesfreshfarm.com for more info.
Raspberry Floats
Recipe for a simple and fun after-Valentine’s Day treat.
2 cups raspberry sorbet
4 dessert cups, placed in the freezer for one hour or more
Edible gold leaf glitter
2 cups ginger ale
Place a scoop of raspberry sorbet at the bottom of each glass. Sprinkle with gold leaf glitter.
Pour ginger ale in small glasses and serve alongside sorbet.
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