Beebe's Big Day
Who knew spaying and neutering were so controversial?
As much as it pains me to give up any of my precious writing-time, I skipped my usual post last week. I desperately needed to give some attention to lesson planning, but mostly, Beebe’s Big Day seemed to overshadow the entire week. Even in the midst of all that, I managed to crank out 6 loaves of white bread for the farmstay and 4 loaves of sourdough. Yay me! Go get yourself a cuppa and join me on the farm while I catch you up….
Welcome to the latest Updates From the Farm! If you are new here, I invite you to check out my About page to learn what this is, who I am and why I am doing this. Or just dive right in! At “Runamuk Acres” you’ll find the recantings of one lady-farmer and tree-hugging activist from the western mountains of Maine. #foodieswanted
Controversial Procedures?
Honestly, I didn’t realize that the spaying and neutering of pets are controversial procedures. I thought it was common practice at this point─I mean, how many years did Bob Barker tell us to spay or neuter our pets at the end of each episode of the Price is Right?
The hateful comments caught me by surprise when I posted a note about Beebe’s Big Day, and I admit, the Mamma-Bear in me took over. While I want to encourage the conversation, I remind you to remember the distinction between constructive criticism offered with compassion and care─and outright judgement and condemnation that helps no one.
Do you spay/neuter your pets? Why or why not?
Overpopulated
Please understand that I have given everything I have and all that I am to ensure every living creature in my care is living it’s best life. From my dogs, to the sheep, to the wasp’s nest in the eves, right down to the shrub growing at the back of the field and the trout fry swimming in the creek on the back 40.
Yes, I chose to have Beebe spayed to spare her from disease and to prevent unwanted pregnancy. This was partly for her own well-being because I love her so, but also because I firmly believe this planet has too many unwanted cats and dogs.
It’s the same reason I prefer to adopt new cats and dogs from my local animal shelters, and also why I had my tubes tied after my second child was born. I believe we have too many unwanted babies on this planet, too. We’re overpopulated.
Humans have become the equivalent of a flea-infestation crawling on the Earth’s skin, feeding on it’s resources and leaving our flea-dirt filth everywhere. If you’ve ever seen a stray kitten so heavily infested with fleas that they’re weak and emaciated, covered in crawling fleas and flea-dirt, you’ll know what I mean.
It may not be right for governments to dictate how many children we can have, but at some point we have to recognize that we have become the infestation and we have to take responsibility for that. Opting to have fewer children, no children, or to adopt is the right thing to do.
That’s just my personal opinion on the matter, but I also believe we should buy more used cars and reduce the number of cars in general, so take it with a grain of salt, lol.
Humans have become the equivalent of a flea-infestation crawling on the Earth’s skin, feeding on it’s resources and leaving our flea-dirt filth everywhere. If you’ve ever seen a stray kitten so heavily infested with fleas that they’re weak and emaciated, covered in crawling fleas and flea-dirt, you’ll know what I mean.
Tough Choices
Meanwhile, the fact that Beebe eats 12-cups of food every day weighed heavily on me. When it was just Murphy, my black lab, I was able to buy a good quality commercial food. Once I brought Beebe home, I was forced to make the switch and now I make all our dog-food from scratch.
Finances also played factor in my decision to have Beebe spayed. Even with my electric bill sky-high, the risk of a litter of giant stubborn puppies was more a financial threat than the risk of disconnection. Puppies would need vet-visits of their own in order to be responsibly re-homed, not to mention trying to cook enough to feed that many dogs would probably drive me insane. So I went ahead and used a chunk of my tax refund to cover the cost.
Maybe it’s not a perfect option, but it’s the best technology we have right now─especially in this rural region of Maine─and with my limited financial resources. At the end of the day, I have make the tough choices to do what I feel is right for my animals and this farm.
Beebe’s Big Day
Regardless of people’s opinions on the matter, Beebe’s Big Day came and I was a bundle of nerves. This dog is super important to me─and to Runamuk. We’re talking about a highly intelligent working dog, who is naturally wary of strangers. I’ve spent countless hours working with her to build a relationship founded in love and trust. One bad experience could break that trust and turn her against me.
The folks at the Carrabassett Veterinary Service worked with me, allowing me to sit with her while she was sedated, so that─to Beebe─it seemed like Mumma was there every step of the way. Once she was out, the staff took over and I went home to await their call.
What a Nervous Nellie I was!!!
It was a little after noontime when the vet-tech called my cell to say that Beebe was out of surgery and everything had gone just fine.
When I went to pick her up, the staff had her sequestered in a recovery room by herself and she was happy to see me. Giving me a typical Beebe hug, in which she presses her hefty head against your legs, leaning her weight against your body so that you’re knocked off balance and expecting you to bend over her to wrap your arms about her shoulders. I obliged, fighting back the tears that pricked my eyes.
Since then, Beebe has been in the house enjoying a bit of a stay-cation as she heals.
Lesson Planning
Meanwhile…we’re in this awkward in-between phase here on this Maine farm. Lambing is done and we await the arrival of “True Spring”, with seedlings lining the grow-racks and lists of projects ready for our attention. With another mega snowstorm rolling in tomorrow, it’ll be a couple weeks yet before that work can begin in earnest.
Typically, I suspend schoolwork during planting season, so I’ve been pushing BraeTek to accomplish as much as possible before then. Homeschooling teenagers is no joke when you realize how little you retain from your own schooling. Fortunately for me, I really enjoy studying and I appreciate the refresher course.
All of our curriculum is either created or assembled by me. To spare my finances and allow for a program customized to meet my son’s unique interests and needs. We have a few select text books and reference books─carefully chosen secular and science-based resources. Mostly we use free resources found online.
I call it “agricultural tradeschool”…combining farming with education.
It is my goal for BraeTek to be fairly well-rounded when he fledges my nest. I want him to have actual life skills─like how to cook simple meals, how to bake bread, how vegetables are grown, how to change a tire, how to clean the house, how to manage his money…
I’ve worked hard to instill a strong sense of work ethic in my son. I don’t want him to be afraid of doing the hard thing just because it’s a lot of work. All too often, that hard thing is the path to success.
At 17, BraeTek aspires to be a graphic novelist. To help him achieve that ambition, our homeschool program focuses heavily on language arts and writing. Through the study of the written word I am able to tie in his studies from other subjects, thereby providing a deeper learning experience. Or so I hope.
He seems content with his homeschool-life, which offers flexibility and is driven by his own interests. Right now we’re studying anatomy in science, the American Revolution in history, and reading our way through the Lord of the Rings series because we can.
Math is the only subject I do not teach. There’s no way I was going to be able to teach algebra, lol. For that we use Khan Academy, which is a terrific free resource.
Devising a custom curriculum heavily reliant on free resources found online does take a commitment in time and energy, as you can imagine. First, I have to track down quality resources, turn it into some kind of meaningful lesson, and then create a follow-up comprehension question or quiz to see what my student has taken from it.
Using Google Classroom, I typically put together a month’s worth of lessons at a time. BraeTek will work his way through them at his own pace and I basically just make sure he’s on track, or facilitate if he gets stuck or has questions.
This works for us, and though it is does take me away from other things I could be doing, I know this chapter of my life will soon be over. There will come a day when I’ll look back and (as Trace Adkins says) I’m gonna miss this. So I will do the work, savoring my role as homeschooling mom while it lasts.
Baking Day
Though I no longer bake commercially, former CSA members still ask for my bread. Folks loved my oatmeal and “Amish White” breads, and my “Extraordinary Multigrain” bread, made with flour locally sourced and milled by Maine Grains. I’ve been baking bread from scratch─without a bread machine even─for 20 years. Woooooooooo! It’s these 3 recipes I’ll share with paid subscribers when I reach my goal of 50 paid members.
NOTE: For more about why I’ve given up commercial baking and why I gave up Runamuk’s CSA program, check out “A Bittersweet Ending”.
While I no longer sell bread or baked goods, I still bake all of the bread for our farmstayB&B, as well as for my own household. I tend to bake 6-12 loaves in a day and freeze them for later use. Right now I’m trying to stock the freezer ahead of planting season. Once the garden is underway, I’ll be loathe to be in the kitchen at all, lol─let alone bake.
I’ve been experimenting with sourdough lately, and I’ve gotten into the weekly routine of making a couple loaves. It’s fun to learn this new skill, to see how techniques from my longstanding experience with yeast-breads compare to the art of sourdough.
What new skill have you been exploring?
Thank YOU!!!
We’re approaching some pretty big milestones with Runamuk’s substack, and I couldn’t be more excited and grateful for every one of my followers and subscribers. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you for your support.
Before, when I published at Runamuk’s website, writing was a lonely endeavor. I never knew if anyone was really reading my work because there was very little engagement there. Substack has been a game-changer─for me and for Runamuk.
I love the community of fellow writers I’ve found here. I love that I’ve finally found a tribe of like-minded peeps. More than ever, I am inspired to write and share farm-life with you. I have so many ideas for articles and stories yet to come that you won’t want to miss it!
We’re just getting started here at Substack, but I see great things on the horizon. Stay tuned, my friends! Much love to you and yours!
Your friendly neighborhood farmer,
Sam
Thank you for following along with the story of this lady-farmer! It is truly a privilege to live this life serving my family and community, and protecting wildlife through agricultural conservation. Check back soon for more updates from the farm, and be sure to follow @RunamukAcres on Instagram or Facebook!
We neutered our dog - it was one of the conditions of the rescue centre when we adopted him. I don’t think neutering is really a controversial topic over here in the UK, as it’s seen as the responsible thing to do. That’s not to say that there aren’t plenty of irresponsible people about though - the rescue centres are always busy.
Spaying animals agreed. One adopted had 3 babies. Two died. One lived but returned to be feral, untrained. The mother got spayed lived years and got hit by a passing car. All cats adopted were spayed and lived lives until feline leukemia took them away. Vet never told me they could be vaccinated.