Sometimes we can find more than we are looking for without realizing we are seeing it at all. Robbie was missing and had installed himself in the back of the car thinking we were going some where, but I was just charging the battery. When I processed the photo, I realized the entire farm was reflected in the window, but I did not see it when I was looking through the window at Robbie. Life is like that. We think we see what it is we are looking at, but in reality, we miss everything else right in front of us.
There have been quite a few events to write about this past week, however; it was not the blog site that was down after all, it was the internet provider. For some reason, it appears that the farm account had gone over its limit and was suspended to a dial up status. At that speed, the blog was not accessible due to the high number of photos, so I was unable to post anything. Finally, we are back online properly and up and running. We are limited to only one provider, so really must live with their rules.
What I want to write about is how people feel they must interfere with others. I have eliminated my presence on all forums, including Facebook, because there are always those who have such negative things to say and I am a very sensitive person. Some people can read the comments and dismiss them, like water off a duck's back, but I cannot.
Yesterday, I wrote a small note to a person who was on a forum I was involved in for 2 years and basically got shunned out of. It is true that I did not have any farming experience upon starting this venture and it is true that mistakes have been made, some at the cost of animals. But, please tell me that this does not happen to anyone else. Tell me that everyone is so perfect that there are no mistakes made, even after growing up on a farm and farming for years. Tell me that those people who have done the same thing the same way since they started their own farms know everything and folks like me, who have spent years researching prior to investing in animals in real life, and continue to learn and research and not practice what is common because everyone does it that way, are not stupid.
I contacted the person who was on the forum that I was and was part of the ostracizing group to help me move out of there. In print on the forum they openly expressed their dislike for me. My last post was a simple requst to find a trio of adult turkeys, and there was a bevy of advice from everyone telling me not to get turkeys. I had a terrible experience with my first turkeys, true. I got babies and they bonded with me and stalked me, following me wherever I went, sitting on the roof of my house or on my truck or on the stairs waiting for me. I hated them and put them all in the freezer. What I have learned is that one cannot judge all animals from one experience. So, I thought I would try again with adults who would not bond to me. I did NOT ask for advice. Seldom ever did I ask for advice. Yet, one person said that I posted asking for advice and didn't take it anyhow and she did not like me.
So, all the hurt was brought back to the forefront yesterday, when the person I contacted looking for the email of a transport company gave me unwanted advice. I did try Shetland sheep when I first started out, on her advice. The Shetlands were wild though, not handled and terribly unfriendly. I sold them all. Having learned from the turkey experience though, I know that not all Shetlands will be like the ones I had. I know that now, so I wanted to try again and bought 2 bred ewes and was looking for a ride for them. That is all. I did not ask for the advice, which was not to get any more sheep until I was successful with the ones I have, and to source my market for the wool first. I distinctly remember reading that the same person used her wool for insulation. Hmmmm. Not now, perhaps, but for the first while, prior to finding or lucking out for a source to process the wool, the wool was used for insulation, yet I am told not to buy sheep. You see the juxtaposition here?
I know I should simply ignore the comments and let it go and I will, but I need to process it first. I am not sure why people tend to be so harsh with me. In person there is no such thing, which is why I have divorced myself from most of the internet, where people can hide behind their computer screens and spout off anything that comes to mind.
I did not reply to the person's advice and comments, only thanked the same for the contact I requested. I felt like saying some things, but I am trying to honour the good in all people. Wouldn't it be so much better if everyone did the same?
What I want to write about is how people feel they must interfere with others. I have eliminated my presence on all forums, including Facebook, because there are always those who have such negative things to say and I am a very sensitive person. Some people can read the comments and dismiss them, like water off a duck's back, but I cannot.
Yesterday, I wrote a small note to a person who was on a forum I was involved in for 2 years and basically got shunned out of. It is true that I did not have any farming experience upon starting this venture and it is true that mistakes have been made, some at the cost of animals. But, please tell me that this does not happen to anyone else. Tell me that everyone is so perfect that there are no mistakes made, even after growing up on a farm and farming for years. Tell me that those people who have done the same thing the same way since they started their own farms know everything and folks like me, who have spent years researching prior to investing in animals in real life, and continue to learn and research and not practice what is common because everyone does it that way, are not stupid.
I contacted the person who was on the forum that I was and was part of the ostracizing group to help me move out of there. In print on the forum they openly expressed their dislike for me. My last post was a simple requst to find a trio of adult turkeys, and there was a bevy of advice from everyone telling me not to get turkeys. I had a terrible experience with my first turkeys, true. I got babies and they bonded with me and stalked me, following me wherever I went, sitting on the roof of my house or on my truck or on the stairs waiting for me. I hated them and put them all in the freezer. What I have learned is that one cannot judge all animals from one experience. So, I thought I would try again with adults who would not bond to me. I did NOT ask for advice. Seldom ever did I ask for advice. Yet, one person said that I posted asking for advice and didn't take it anyhow and she did not like me.
So, all the hurt was brought back to the forefront yesterday, when the person I contacted looking for the email of a transport company gave me unwanted advice. I did try Shetland sheep when I first started out, on her advice. The Shetlands were wild though, not handled and terribly unfriendly. I sold them all. Having learned from the turkey experience though, I know that not all Shetlands will be like the ones I had. I know that now, so I wanted to try again and bought 2 bred ewes and was looking for a ride for them. That is all. I did not ask for the advice, which was not to get any more sheep until I was successful with the ones I have, and to source my market for the wool first. I distinctly remember reading that the same person used her wool for insulation. Hmmmm. Not now, perhaps, but for the first while, prior to finding or lucking out for a source to process the wool, the wool was used for insulation, yet I am told not to buy sheep. You see the juxtaposition here?
I know I should simply ignore the comments and let it go and I will, but I need to process it first. I am not sure why people tend to be so harsh with me. In person there is no such thing, which is why I have divorced myself from most of the internet, where people can hide behind their computer screens and spout off anything that comes to mind.
I did not reply to the person's advice and comments, only thanked the same for the contact I requested. I felt like saying some things, but I am trying to honour the good in all people. Wouldn't it be so much better if everyone did the same?
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