Tis the Season

There is just so much to learn about the significance of the seasons, according to our Creator's calendar.  Granted, even those of us who are claiming to follow it, can't seem to agree on some specifics, but the general laws of nature are consistent.  As is the tradition, the debates rage across social media.  I keep the concealed moon calendar which I believe aligns with 119 Ministries.  That's not the point of this particular post today, however.  This week I've noticed how much I organize the place around the High Holy Days and have given some serious contemplation to the days when the people of YHWH actually gathered in Jerusalem around the Temple.

This year I observed Shemitah, so there was not garden, but in the other six years the harvest is complete in time for Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles.)  The winter supply is preserved and stored and the last of the fresh fruits and veggies make for minimal labor meals through the week of Sukkot.  Also to consider the gathering, there is a great opportunity to work together and share both in the labor and the accomplished results.  We are getting just a taste of what life will be like in the Kingdom.  Since my house is divided, I'm not planning to host a formal Sukkot gathering, but spiritual family is always welcome.  I have been blessed to host a few Sukkot gatherings and of course, I have developed some "traditional" dishes for the occasion.  I know I've mentioned before, this is not doctrine; but my definition of the difference between a regular meal and a feast is extra side dishes and dessert.  Moussaka has been a personal favorite entree for Sukkot for many years now, as it includes most of the last of the veggie harvest and pumpkin spice cake is the dessert.

Another factor I've considered in this timing, is the breeding season of the flocks and herds.  In the spring the milk and eggs are in abundance and the milk is delicious, so there are many milk and egg based dishes through the spring Holy Days.  By fall, the hens have slacked off and the buck scent is heavy, very heavy.  For those of us living off the land, the dishes for the autumn Holy Days are best designed to avoid milk and use minimal eggs.  I think of the ancient Israelites and the many Scriptural references to them as shepherds.  I can only imagine the throngs of people, as well as the seemingly countless animals that would surround Jerusalem in the autumn.  Knowing the way this place smells right now and will for about a month, I'm sure the musky scent of bucks and rams surrounded the city for miles.

I'm looking forward to Sukkot and awakening eye to eye with the herd.  This is only a theory, but having several herds come together through breeding season may have also kept the bloodlines from becoming too inbred while the flocks and herds increased.  Of course, obedience is the primary reason for observing these feasts, and convenience is not the issue; but it is awesome to note the natural timing of these set apart days.  I don't have a full understanding of the details of Messiah's millennial reign, but I do know the Holy Days are part of the plan.

And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, YHWH of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.  Zechariah 14:16

Breeding Season

This year's breeding season appears to have been successful.  Buddy Buck is no longer making his strange animated noises and his uniquely quickened stomping has pretty much ceased.  He does still stink, however; and once in awhile I catch him "applying" his special cologne ritual.

It's easy to see Abba's calendar in the breeding season.  He really did create everything to be efficient and accomplished.  Goats and sheep have about the same length of gestation, five months.

Although some goats will breed year round, many breeds have a season rather than a cycle.  I have both in my herd, but since I keep the buck separate from the milkers, there is a single time frame for breeding and arrivals.  Buddy Buck left the north pasture to join the does in the east, right before Yom Teruah.  As I have learned more on the homestead, it becomes clear how the animals really were created to also align with our Creator's timing.  By the time of Sukkot, all the goats are in one pasture with plenty of grass still remaining.  This is the easiest time of year to move a herd or travel with one.  Early autumn affords the does the best nutrients available, as the beginning of the gestational period is the most crucial.  The summer dry season has passed and the pasture is still lush and green.  Dew falls in the morning by this season, so even as they browse and graze, they are taking in extra moisture.

According to my calculations, all the kids should begin arriving by mid-February and all should be here by Passover.  Just one more great blessing regarding Abba's creation and calendar.  With this breeding schedule, no babies arrive in the coldest months of winter.  Here are a few photos of the girls, confirming that breeding season has now, officially become; the season of gestation!