#gratitude We woke up to more than twice the amount of forecasted rainfall, a...

#gratitude We woke up to more than twice the amount of forecasted rainfall, and my gut response was terror. An ominous shadow cast over the first morning of 2026.

We knew that 64 bales of straw weren’t really “in the budget” when we ordered them last month, but we also knew they’d be non-negotiable once the rain started, and we were NOT WRONG!

We were suited up and soaked through when we moved a few pigs from their rapidly flooding yard at 11:30p last night. We scraped mud to free their gate, lifted their igloo to higher ground, and watched while they snuggled into dry bedding. This morning, their previous pen is more of a pond, and the relocated pigs are warm and dry.

Across the yard, a handful of special care pigs and goats worked their bale of straw into an island they nestled into, and they survived the overnight downpour, too.

K’roo has since been dried off and moved to an even more sheltered bed area for the rest of the storm. Her adventurous spirit and love of companions means every day is a delicate balance between allowing her freedom and providing her safety.

Straw made it possible, even when the rainfall far exceeded the forecast. Someday, we’ll have solid roofs over every bed space; today, we have straw, and it saved lives.

We still haven’t scraped together the extra $553.60 needed to pay the invoice, but I trust we made the right choice in getting the delivery when we did.

Today, I’m grateful for straw.

#newyear #grateful #practicegratitude #gratitudeattitude