The Farm

10/24/2021

So…we discovered that our Apache was heartworm positive back in March. We quickly got her on the “slow kill” method because we knew confinement would stress our fun-loving, outdoor, farm dog. Fast forward 6 months later and she is still heartworm positive. We decided to move forward with aggressively treating her. She is our baby, and the baby sitter of our other dogs. The only problem with aggressive treatment is…confinement.
We tried for two days. The result? A dog refusing to eat, a hole in a wall, and then a metal kennel torn to pieces. Clearly, we needed another solution. Our sweet Apache could not handle being kept inside, unable to run free as she’s use to. She was too anxious for strict confinement and thought she was in trouble. It hurt our hearts.
So we started brainstorming.
And here is the result. We have added a dog to our little RV for the next few months. She has been on a leash attached to Jeremy 24/7 and has even been going to work with him for the past few days. And loving it might I add. It’s clear that when the other dogs are barking she longs to go outside and chase rabbits, deer, and other critters off the property like normal. But this is what a happy dog feeling loved looks like.
Pray for us as we continue treatment with her. We love her dearly.

08/02/2021

PUPPIES!
We woke up early this morning to a dog in labor! We have been expecting our Pyrenees to give birth any day now and she has done it! Mom and puppies seem to be doing excellent so far and they are SO cute! She chose to give birth in the crawl space under the house 🥴 so I crawled up under there this afternoon to check on her and the pups. That momma is so proud. She rolled over with the most content look on her face as I crawled toward her and even let me take one out to show to Jeremy and River. Never a dull day around here.

- The Farm

EDIT: Just to brag a little on one of our other dogs, Apache did not leave her post right outside the crawl space entrance for the entire time Moon Bear was in labor. She’s such a good babysitter.

08/02/2021

Well our garden has had a bit of a rough season. What the deer and hornworms haven’t gotten, the horses made a meal of when they got out of the pasture last week (that gate has since been fortified). But it is still producing and we are hopefully about to plant more. Which brings me to this afternoon. This afternoon we got to spend time on the property walking with a wonderful family who is dear to our hearts. We learned about their lives and shared with them how the Lord has blessed us. And at the end of the evening we still got to send them home with fresh produce and eggs, despite the garden challenges. This is what we are about. This is why we have this place. No matter what challenges we face, God always provides us with everything we need to do what He has called us to. I don’t know if anyone else needed that reminder today, but I know I did. He is so faithful.

-The Farm

08/01/2021

Update about Ritchie’s sister! She is out of ICU! Praise the Lord! Thank you to everyone who has been so faithfully praying for her. Please continue to pray for her and her family. As you can imagine, a lengthy hospital stay is expensive. Here is a link that Ritchie shared to raise money for her family if you feel led to contribute as she continues to heal.

As many of you may know; My cousin, Paige Triviso (Paige Land), has been in the hospital for… Krista Maher needs your support for Help For The Triviso Family

07/28/2021

For those of you who have followed us thus far and have seen the few updates about Ritchie and his walk, please pray for his sister. She has been very sick and is in the hospital. I know he and his family covet all of your prayers. Please pray for wisdom for the doctors trying to determine the exact cause of her illness and the best way to treat it. And pray for him and his family to be strong in unwavering faith. We know God is sovereign and is able to heal. Nothing is too difficult for our God.

07/11/2021

So what do you do when you run out of materials 30 feet before the end of a project and everywhere is sold out because of a nationwide material shortage? Why you improvise of course!
The fence around pasture 1 is finished! It’s just that one section of it is made of tin and plywood. But hey, the horses don’t know the difference. They are just thrilled to have fresh grazing. It was so rewarding to see the horses get excited as they crossed into the newly completed pasture.
In other news, Ritchie has moved out and seems to be doing well, which is also wonderful! Thank you to everyone who has prayed for him and continue to do so. Regardless of whether or not we are a part of it, one of the most beautiful things to see is a life transformed by God’s grace.
Please also continue to pray for us as we examine ourselves and continue to strive to be in the center of God’s will. I hope you have a wonderful Sunday!

-The Farm

Grace: the desire and power to do God’s will
(I’ll add the proper credit for this definition as soon as I find it)

06/26/2021

It has been a discouraging couple of weeks here at the farm. Pray for us.
And I’ll be honest, I moped a little today. We had a very productive day. Landscaping job in the morning and another side of the fence completed this afternoon. But while I was working, I allowed myself to be downcast. So as I was talking to Jeremy, I complained that I wanted to go back to having one dog and 1/4 acre, to feeling secure. He, of course reminded me that we aren’t here for ourselves but to bring glory to God. I knew he was right but I am stubborn.
Still discouraged, I decided to listen to Keith Green, I bet Keith had something to say about this. And what was the first song on the CD?

“So you wanna go back to Egypt where it’s warm and secure.
Are you sorry you bought the one way ticket when you thought you were sure?
You wanted to live in the land of promise but it’s getting so hard.
Are you sorry your out here in the dessert instead of your own backyard?”

Well then.....how’s that for perspective? We made the move here because we believe God is calling us to use this place for His glory. Who am I to say it’s too hard or it’s too discouraging? Just today (yes while I was moping) a neighbor texted and offered us free vegetables! What a blessing! God always provides for our every need, we just have to trust that He will continue to do so. He’s never failed us or led us astray yet. He’s not about to start now.

I’ll leave you with this baby bird learning to fly.

- The Farm

06/17/2021

Who wouldn’t want to contribute to giving these dogs a chance at a wonderful life? Follow my friends at The Champion Farm and support the amazing work they’re doing.

We currently have 18 dogs at the farm! That’s a lot of dog food, monthly HW, flea/tick, dewormer, and dog p**p! 🤣 We spend $450 a month on dog food, and $330 a month on Simparica trio. We are also finishing up a large additional room to the house just for the dogs, which includes a bathing/grooming area. If you would like to support the farm by helping with these costs you have a couple different options. I created a Patreon account, which I love! The link is below. Or you can call Halls Feed and Seed to put money on The Champion Farm account. OR you can donate in any of the following ways.

We thank you ❤️🤩🙏🐕

https://www.patreon.com/thechampionfarm

Venmo
CashApp $thechampionfarm
PayPal [email protected]

The Champion Farm
4796 Highway 72
Holly Springs, MS 38635

06/17/2021

Sometimes life is just hard.
One day you’re just enjoying life in the country and the next you’re spending 2 hours picking maggots off of a chicken. Yes. You read that right.
I’m so tempted to type only how wonderful life is, and it is wonderful. But there are some days when it is also a little ugly. And I would be lying if I didn’t share the good and the bad.
This week has been challenging. We are having car troubles. But I can’t complain too much because apparently so is everybody else. Every shop I tried today is backed up at least a week. Many of you know I was laid off from my job about a month ago. We are still praying through what to do next but believe the path is being made clear. Ferris didn’t adjust as well as we had hoped here and so we had to say goodbye. I anguished and cried many tears over the decision, but ultimately we think it is what’s best for us, our ministry here, and for Ferris. And The Champion Farm was so gracious with us and welcomed him back until he can find his perfect family. And our puppy, Ripley, tried to play with the chickens while our backs were turned...it did not end well for anyone. She spent the night tied up next to the chicken coop, going from assailant to defender. And the chickens, they are all alive. Two escaped with minor wounds, but I missed one of the wounds....resulting in today’s disgusting lesson in chicken care....the dreaded fly strike. It’s something I hope to never EVER repeat. But as I sat there picking off the last of the maggots and drying my poor chicken off under a fan, I couldn’t help but lean back and think about who we’ve become. I love my animals. I love my people. I love them so much that I can deal with flystrike without hesitation and without so much as gagging. I’m not saying I’ll eat a full meal tonight, but I didn’t gag. We just do what has to be done for those in our keeping, animal and human. I look forward to a lifetime of sustaining others whether in our poverty or our abundance, ugly or not.

“Commit your works to the LORD And your plans will be established.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭16:3‬

-The Farm

06/03/2021

Well. All of our new additions have meshed right into life on the Farm. We also welcomed Champ and Sam, our largest residents by far, a couple of weeks ago and (despite one jail break early on) they are settling right in as well.
We did have to take a little break from renovating the other RV in order to focus on putting up the fence for the horses, but Ritchie is here regardless and I honestly don’t know how we could’ve gotten everything done without him. We are almost to a place where we can finish up the other RV and give him his own space, which I’m sure he will be grateful for, but he’s been a great sport about the tight quarters.
Something else new that has happened has been my work situation. What could have been discouraging has turned into an exciting opportunity. With lots of encouragement from Jeremy and several friends, I am embarking on a new adventure and selling my paintings! So please feel free to check out K Bowen Originals to see some of my recent work and watch that journey unfold. And remember, I’m just starting out, so constructive feedback is always welcome!
All in all, we are just learning so much. Between caring for the horses, putting the new fence up, installing new gates to the pasture, and tending the garden, we stay busy with lots of new experiences. But we always manage to find a little bit of time to relax and bask in everything God has provided. He is so good to us.

- The Farm

05/07/2021

Heads up. Long post.

I’m sorry we haven’t gotten on with updates in a while. There has been so much happening that I don’t even know where to begin! So I’ll just jump right in.

First, thank you to everyone who reached out to help with the RV renovation! It is still in progress but we can see the finish line! I especially want to give a HUGE thank you to Harvey Sandusky and Tracy Tartera for making it happen!

Along those lines, Ritchie moved on to the farm last week despite the RV not quite being ready yet! He is staying in our RV with us for now and has meshed right in with our little family. And River just loves him too, which is always a bonus.

We also got to welcome a new canine resident to the farm yesterday, Ferris! He is so energetic and goofy and we are thrilled to have him here. Thank you so much Champion Farm for rescuing him and then allowing us to give him a home! They do great work at their farm rescuing dogs and giving them chance when no one else would.

We got a late start on the garden due to a broken tiller but it is going now. In all honesty the delay may have been a blessing considering the late cold snaps we’ve had here. I guess we will see. Here’s praying for a successful growing season and a plentiful harvest.

Last, because of all the other projects, we have been delayed on the fence and now we need HELP! The fence has to be complete before we can welcome more animals to the farm who will help to maintain some of the land. We have two horses in need of a home who are scheduled to come as soon as it is up. It is still a lot for just us to complete, but we think with 5-8 people we can have it done in a day. If anyone is willing to sacrifice a day to help please let me know! We can’t pay you but we can feed you!

I guess that’s about it for now. Thanks for all your support and for enduring the long post. God bless.

- The Farm