The Weaning Process: It's good for cows, but is it good for you?

Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.

—Psalm 30:5b

“What’s that?” I wondered out loud. I turned down the volume on the TV so I could hear what was going on outside. “Cows mooing at 8 PM?” I was puzzled, for cows rarely moo at night. I shrugged and turned my attention back to the TV.

“What’s that?” I rolled over to see the clock. “Cows mooing at 2 AM? That’s really strange,” I thought. Too tired to investigate, I pulled up the covers and went back to sleep.

At 6 AM I blinked my eyes open and stumbled to the coffee pot. I placed the steaming cup on the table and picked up a book. But I couldn’t concentrate on reading because of the cow moo-athon. “What is going on?” Hesitating no longer, I picked up my phone and texted my farmer brother.

His response explained it, “We just weaned some calves.”

“They sure don’t like it!” I texted back.

Wishes for Baby

Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

—Deuteronomy 11:19

He’s coming soon and we’re getting excited.  We’re preparing and bringing gifts, for the baby boy is on the way.  My first grandson, that is. 

On Saturday we celebrated with a baby sprinkle for his mom, my daughter-in-law Tara. Some of you may be wondering what a baby sprinkle is.  Designed for mothers who already have a child and the big ticket items that go with babies but need gender-specific clothes and accessories, a sprinkle is a scaled-down shower.

This was my first time hosting a sprinkle, and I wanted to keep it true to theme—simpler than a shower.  Not a lot of over-the-top shower games, but something different.  Thanks to the Internet, I found an activity, which invited guests to write fill-in-the-blank wishes for the baby. After the gifts had been opened and the guests settled down with sprinkle cupcakes and sundaes, we took turns sharing our wishes.