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Donna Rieder: Full Circle Reminiscing By Donna Rieder Running a farm by myself with almost 70 years of life under my belt is oftentimes very challenging, both physically and emotionally. I've witnessed hundreds of births, but I've also held animals in my arms as they died. Every birth is a new miracle, and every death still as agonizing and painful as the first. It's a hard life, but I couldn't imagine living any other way. These 18 years have taught me a lot, and I'm still learning. I learned by experience what works for me (goats, bees and poultry) and what doesn't (pigs, sheep and meat rabbits). I get sweaty and dirty, but it all washes off, and at the end of the day, I can look around and enjoy the fruits of my labors; freshly mown fields of green grass, a herd of silly, colorful goats happily grazing away, happy hens chasing after bugs, a basket full of pastel eggs, a garden full of food, and blueberries and strawberries warmed by the sun... Days end always finds me down at the creek, year-round, unless it's pouring rain. There's a little waterfall that trickles off the rock wall. Frogs, crickets and owls calling out for mates. Fireflies putting on a light show. A dark violet-blue sky full of stars. I let all my cares wash down the creek while I breathe in clean, fresh air and just be still and quiet. I need this. I spend a lot of time thinking about things. Sometimes I think about how life can show you something early on and then bring you full circle later. Take my new baby geese. It's very important to take the time to imprint on them, as they can be quite mean and nasty as adults if they're not familiar with you. I consider them to be part of my security system, at least an "early warning system." Nothing happens on a farm without the geese knowing. Which brings to mind a memory from my early childhood. When I was around 7 or 8 years old, my family went to visit my Great-Aunt Ellen on her farm in Georgia. "Miss Ellen," as we all called her, had white Embden geese, like the ones I just got. Hers were ginormous, and as me and my family piled out of the car, those geese came a'runnin' with wings outstretched, hissing and trying to pinch us with their bills. I took off running with those geese hot on my heels, while the adults just stood on the porch laughing hysterically. Those geese were as tall as I was, and looking back, their wingspan was probably close to six feet, and I was terrified! Now here I am with three little goslings, happily chattering away as they gobble up the chopped clover I brought them. They're soft and fuzzy and oh! so cute, but I know that they will grow up to be ginormous birds with an attitude to match. At least now, maybe I'll be the one getting to laugh when the UPS driver steps out of his van... Donna Rieder's Clifty Creek Farm is located at 3190 White Oak Church Rd, Russell Springs, KY (visitors by appointment). You can reach Donna by email at cliftycreekkikos@aol.com, or on the Clifty Creek Farm Facebook page. This story was posted on 2026-05-08 10:04:29
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