On a bitterly cold morning, the last day of January, Ken brought a newborn lamb into the house.  It could not find it’s mother and needed milk to keep his body warm with the blowing wind and single digit temperature.  But with a some warm lamb milk replacer and a lot of attention, the downward spiral of his life was reversed.

Resting Peacefully After Some Milk and Warmth

Before long he was ready to romp and play.

Up and Moving

He had some giraffe like markings on his hind quarter which inspired our daughter, Ashley, to name him Jeffery.  What a delight he was to raise.  The weather was so cold, the radiator was constantly warm. We kept his bottle on the radiator so when he was hungry there was no need to warm it.  When he was finished drinking I would send him outside to get some fresh air and relieve himself.  Tripp our German Shepherd make caring for Jeffery simple.

The Perfect Lamb-Sitter

Jeffery would follow her wherever she went and when I would call Tripp to come Jeffery did not lag far behind.  Her watchful eye was sometimes averted by a squirrel or bird but, if Jeffery lost sight of her, one little bleat from him brought her running to his side.  They were never far apart.  In play or in sleep they were always together.

A Well Deserved Rest

About 14 days after Jeffery’s arrival, a family came to the farm for a week.  During their stay, I had to be off the farm some of the days and and asked if they would be able to give Jeffery his bottle.

Lunch is Served

Jeffery would follow us as we walked out to feed the pigs.  If Tripp ran up the hill off the path, Jeffery went up the hill too.  Of course, when the children wanted lunch with a campfire Tripp would be there too with his tag-along, Jeffery.  They gave Jeffery his first view of fire as they toasted marshmallows for dessert.  He was mesmerized.

Jeffery’s First Fire

Jeffery went to the barn with us twice daily and by the end of our guest’s stay, Jeffery also developed a fascination for the critters in the barn that were just his size, looked like him, and ran and played with him.  He remained in the barn one time when we had all left and closed the gate.  The children retrieved him.  The next morning we made a plan to leave Jeffery in the barn, if he was playing with the other lambs, as it was time for him to become a sheep.  His dog days were coming to an end.  The day the children left to head back to New York, Jeffery did not come out with us.  The children left and three times a day we would go to the gate, call his name, and Jeffery would come running for his bottle.  When the days got warmer we cut him back to twice a day. Finally the day came when the sheep went out to pasture, Jeffery went with the herd,  A few days later he had no interest in the bottle. Finally came the day that he was in the pasture with his head to the ground eating grass, I called him three times and he never raised his head.  He had finally put his “puppy”  and “human” days behind him and was truly a sheep.

It was a blessing to rescue Jeffery from the cold and give him life. He now lives on another farm but he will always have a special place in the memory of those who knew him.

A broom is used daily to sweep the hay to the horse and mule that they have tossed out of reach.  When Brynn and his family came to visit the farm the broom we used was in poor condition and did not do a good job. Fortunately, Christmas was close at hand and a new broom was found under the Christmas tree.   Brynn is a young man with a heart and a plan. Unaware of Santa’s gift, he returned to the farm a few months later with a sealed envelope.  His parents knew of the envelope but the contents were a secret even to them.  The envelope contained a note and $4.18.

Brynn’s hand written note.

The money from Brynn’s generous gift was used to purchase a child size broom from the local broom maker, Clay Ewing.  The new broom has been used by many children who help feed the horse and mule.

Abe using the broom donated by Brynn.

We want to publicly thank Brynn for his generosity and thoughtfulness.

Brynn (left) and his younger sister Leah (right) holding goats

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For many years the Limmer family, Rob, Becky, Robbie and Maddie, has visited Mountain Dale Farm and enjoyed some country living and spent time connecting with each other. They invited more extended family and the visit became a tradition until tragedy struck. The grandmother and a grandchild were removed together suddenly from the earth. As a memorial to Rob”s mother and niece, the family asked if they could provide a memorial bench where other families could enjoy their time together.

Below are Rob’s words on the event…

My Mom was a critical care nurse and worked weekend shifts to help us with daycare, watching Robbie, Laney and Maddie on Monday through Wednesday while we were at work during the week. Over the summer, she loved taking them on adventures, and had something planned every week. The week of July 22, 2018, started like most any other week in the summer. Laney was dropped off with my Mom on Sunday evening to spend the night because my sister and her husband live ~30 miles away and could not drop off Laney in the morning. On Monday mornings, Mom would wake up and get ready for that day’s adventure, then she would wake up Laney and they would go for a short walk through the neighborhood before coming over to pick up Robbie and Maddie at our house a few miles away. 

On the morning of July 23, while Laney and Mom were on their neighborhood walk, they were hit and killed by a driver under the influence of drugs. The driver lost control of her SUV and crashed into them on the sidewalk. In this moment our lives were shattered and would never be the same again. These past 10 months we have struggled to find our way through the pain of losing them. On this journey, we have learned that honoring their memory in the places they loved could bring us a small degree of comfort and peace. 

Mountain Dale Farms became one of those places that captured our hearts and gave us memories that will be cherished for the rest of our lives. My Mom rarely took a true vacation, instead taking time off to do work around the house or to make sure she attended the kids birthday parties. Four years ago we convinced her to join our family over Memorial Day weekend to visit “the farm” and from that moment she was hooked, and has been back every year since. It was her favorite vacation of the year, and one that gave us priceless experiences. We never had any doubt that placing a bench at the farm would be a perfect way to honor their memory and would be a reminder of all the happiness and joy it brought us all. Thank you so much for making every visit so enjoyable, and for all your kindness and hospitality getting through this difficult time.