Well what’s wonderful day! Sadie joined our farm today!
She is beautiful! Steve and I are very happy she is here and I am excite to have a new horse to ride! We will have some time to work with her on the weekend and then I hope to get some hours in riding her!!! It has been a very happy day!
I have spent time doing so many wonderful things with wonderful people that I have just not had enough time to update my blog along the way. So here it is the last few weeks jammed into one blog post… Happy reading!
The last few weeks have been phenomenal. In particular we said good by to my sister in law Nicole as she ventured out on her very own journey to South America. Not that saying good-bye was a happy moment… but knowing the adventure she is embarking on is so exciting! You can follow her on WordPress as well!
Check out her blog From Coast to Coast at:
Going away Parties:
For the first night of her going away parties on June 20th we had a FONDUE
PARTY!!! In the full heat of the summer we turned on the oil pots and began to cook an incredible meal together! We played some great games and enjoyed each other’s company that evening. For the second time in my life I learned and fully believe Fondue is a wintertime activity!
The next night we all got together once again including some more family members and friends to celebrate night 2 of Nicole’s going away party… we indulged in a delicious steak dinner!
By Saturday morning June 22nd I was ready for a sleep in with all the food fun and late nights over the past few days I was tired and ready to start my morning with a late wake up and a relaxing coffee on the deck! The animals however had other ideas! I received a call from the owners of the baby horse and the mom still was not letting the foal eat, I was up and out early to milk LB and deliver her milk to the baby horse, so cute! I had a wonderful visit and breakfast so it was well worth the early morning. After breakfast I went home to spray for weeds and do some cleaning in the house. It was a slow afternoon and extremely relaxing!
Museum Fundraising Gala
Later Saturday evening my wonderful hairdresser and close friend came by, as I was getting ready for the ball. I was so grateful for her stopping in, she did my hair for me and I was able, with her help, to get ready in under an hour, which was necessary after I had taken too long on chores that afternoon! As we left the house an hour after I had been out milking LB and sloping the pigs, and half an hour after Steve arrived from work I had
another chuckle… me in my ball gown and Steve so dashing in his tux we drove in to the Gala.We arrived and waited inside the lobby and out of the heat for the other couple we were meeting there. Once we were all together we walked in and were greeted at the door in French, as the evenings theme was Paris. We had our complimentary photo taken before walking in to the ballroom. Once inside we checked out the silent auction items while enjoying champagne and hor dourves.
We found our table and sat to enjoy a delicious 5-course meal and complimentary wine. The program started with the founder of the museum speaking of his work and thanking everyone for their generosity and donations at this fundraising event and through out the years leading up. There was a live auction with a fashion show and a very old and beautiful necklace. There were 2 fantastic bands who played during supper as well as after for the dance portion of the evening. 
When the evening came to an end we stepped out in the heat of the night and headed back to the farm to hang our lavish attire up and change into cozy loungewear. It was a beautiful night and we felt particularly fortunate to have been invited to such an incredible event!
Trail Rides:
Sunday Morning after the Ball Steve left for work and I awoke to prepare for the day. Steve’s uncle would be by soon to pick the horses and myself up to go out trail riding for the day and to check on his cows. We met his girlfriend and her family on the road and all traveled to his land 100kms away. We unloaded the horses and got ready to head out on the trail. Once 
we got going Willow was bound and determined to be out front and lead the way, she did so well! Even going through the deep swamp she was steady and we got through on the other side dry! It was a wonderful day and very warm and sunny! Once we got back to our house we were met by Steve and his mom and dad who helped to unload the horses and tack, Steve had lit a fire and we all gathered around to enjoy a Weiner roast together relaxing by the fire and talking about the days events!
After everyone left we quickly did chores and headed to bed, it had been a long weekend and I had to work the next day, I needed my beauty sleep! Another fun filled weekend was fast approaching and I wanted to be ready!
Lake Weekend Fun!
On the 28th, we decided to go out to the lake and spend the Canada Day long 
weekend with my family, we had initially intended to go out and spend Saturday there and come home on Sunday afternoon, but Steve got off work a little early on Friday and after we finished up chores and asked some friends if they could check in on the animals for us we left Friday, arriving at the lake just in time for a few beverages and a warm fire. We visited with wonderful Family for the remainder of the evening and went to bed rather early. The next morning
I was so glad we had arrived the night before and I could wake up already at the lake, bright and early. We set out on the lake in the canoe for some early morning fishing and relaxing as the sun rose over the horizon. It was a beautiful morning and Steve 
and I enjoyed one another’s company and a quiet coffee while casting for fish. No fish were caught in the end but the morning was magnificent and so I think can be labeled a 
success! After we ran out of coffee and the fish were no longer even biting we decided to paddle in and cook breakfast. After breakfast my mom and I went for a leisurely walk in the nearby trails, losing our shoes to a mud bog. Steve chose to stay back and get the Jet Ski running, once it was running he jumped on and went out for a cruise around the lake checking to see if any of our lake neighbors were home and then playing out on the water practicing his victory rolls! When he came back to 
shore it was my turn to get out on the water and as I was out playing on the Jet Ski jumping waves and doing rolls it suddenly quit running. This was not good. I was 
going wait for a minute and see if I could get it to fire up again; then a boat came along full of people also out enjoying the long weekend warm weather and beautiful day. They pulled up to see if I was okay, I let them know it wouldn’t turn over and asked if they had a tow rope to drag me to shore with, they did and after throwing it to me I tied it around the handle bars, silly to do as the jet ski has a clear label sating not to do that, but I’ve done it before so what could go wrong… Ha… as the boat began to pull me the Jet Ski began to pull sideways and proceeded to tip over dumping me in the water and landing upside down in the lake. There is a certain way to tip the Jet Ski back upright and if tipped the incorrect way it could flood and sink. 
One of the guys from the boat jumped in the water to help me flip it back up but neither of us remembered or could think logically about it in the cold water as to which way to flip it, so we took our chances and lucked out it didn’t flood we tied the tow rope up correctly this time and climbed in to the boat and they took me to shore. We untied on shore and I thanked the group for their assistance. They left and
I loaded the Jet Ski onto the lift. Steve was waiting on shore for me and immediately started trying to fix it. He and my dad worked on it for hours and it wasn’t until the next day (Sunday) that we managed to get it running again!
We spent the rest of the day relaxing and visiting with family, finally ending up by the campfire againafter a wonderful seafood dinner!
Canada Day!
After deciding to stay yet another night at the lake we knew it would be a quick good bye in the morning and a long trip home early to make it back for the Canada day celebrations scheduled for the 1st of July. We just couldn’t resist one more night at the lake it was such a wonderful and warm weekend we got to spend with everyone. We had a magnificent weekend and cant wait to go back again! I had volunteered to be a part of the Canada day Parade with a local group, we had a horse drawn wagon as a float and stilt walkers whom had been practicing for weeks and weeks leading up to this day.
Cell Service is not available at the lake and as such we did not know that Vera had her babies until Monday morning when we got to the small town I grew up in.
Both Steve and I got text messages from our friends who had been looking after our animals while we were away and who had sent us pictures of the new babies on the farm. It was pretty spectacular and of course would happen while we were away! I had just enough time when we arrived home to see the new babies before I had to get ready and travel to town for the parade!
While I was in town Steve’s cousin from out of town stopped in for a visit with her children and they got to see the babies the little girls named them for me which is great because I have such a time figuring out names! Sera and Nina are Vera’s babies. Oh How Cute are they!
After the Parade activities and +35 Degree Weather walking through the streets with a banner I was ready for a cool down! As exciting as it was and as much fun as we had watching the children’s smiling faces as the stilt walkers high fived them from an extra 4ft height it was time for home… I cranked the AC and rolled down the windows to drive home and relax in the shade watching the baby goats play!
Not long after arriving home we completed chores and headed to Steve’s mom and 
dads to roll grain and have a burger bbq. Steve made some incredible burgers thick, juicy and delicious. His brother and a couple other people stopped in for a visit and burger and afterwards we headed out to roll some grain for the pigs! It was late when we arrived home and I was more than ready for a shower and bed!
Whirlwind weeks…
The following two weeks were a whirlwind of fun and activity. We spent time with friends and family barbequing, horseback riding, and relaxing on the deck! By the 9th July 2013 it was Steve’s birthday and we had a relaxing evening at home with Pizza, Ice Cream Cake, and Duck Dynasty! As the week came to an end I completed all my work stuff and got amped up for my vacation! Time away from work and time to spend on the farm enjoying the summer!
Rodeo Action!
By the 11th the Rodeo was in full swing and at only 6 miles from our house we spent the whole weekend there!… We went over to take in the chuck wagon action for the Thursday evening. By Friday morning my first day of vacation I was on the road to a neighboring town to pick up my Mom and Dads puppy Emma for a weekend of dog sitting while they headed off to a wedding!!
When I arrived back home Steve was ready with the trailer we were borrowing for the weekend (from his mom and dad) and we did chores and headed over to the rodeo 
grounds. That night we took in the first concert of the weekend – Mark Chesnutt; he was rather late arriving but was an amazing concert once he arrived! A late night had by all and such a fun night! The next afternoon when we rose from our slumber Steve and I went home to do chores arriving home we saw the dogs were missing we called and called and searched for 
them but with no avail decided to go back to the grounds and check in with the neighbors the next day if they were not there the next day. That night we went to the barn for night 2 of concerts and saw David Lee Murphy; another great concert after a fun filled day of rodeo action. By Sunday morning I was anxious to get home and see if the dogs had arrived home. They hadn’t; when we pulled in the driveway they were not anywhere to be seen, but a note left in the door lifted my spirits! A neighbor found them and left a note for us. I called and they made their way to our place to return the lost puppies! Emma was tied up promptly as I was taking her back that day at 4 to my parents. We went out to the barnyard after that to do chores and had a sad moment Nena had jumped in the water trough and drown.
RIP Nena
I was really upset about losing her.
After I had a moment and we finished chores, we headed back over to the rodeo grounds to take in the show for the afternoon; 
I left after the Rodeo to drop off my parent’s dog with them in the neighbouring town when they returned from their travels. I didn’t stay long, we had a quick visit about their trip and the wedding and I was back on the road again making it back in time to see the wagons race. As the weekend wrapped up and we cleaned up camp we went home to get some rest before the new week started.
What a fantastic last few weeks, so full of fun family and friends, I cant wait to see what the next adventure is!
And now we are spending our days slow and steady, cleaning the house and building a green house. I hope that for the next few days I can spend time getting caught up on all the things I have fallen behind in while working full time, and taking care of the farm!
I have to admit I’ve always been a bit of a shoeaholic in fact if you ask my friends they still question if I wear my stilettos out to milk the goat!
So I laughed today, literally out loud in the barnyard carrying the slop bucket out to the pigs.
I grew up “ in – town” a small town but still town, I was not a farm girl nor did we growing up ever have animals that were not “pets.” A petting zoo when I was young was as close as I ever got to “farm life.” Don’t get me wrong I have always loved the outdoors, and we spent much of my child hood exploring the great outdoors getting dirty and adventuring many remote locations outside my small hometown. However, this did not change my desire to after graduation move to a bigger city where I could nightly don my party dresses and stilettos. Then I met Steve and to my amazement he brought out the get down and dirty adventurous side of me that I reserved for only some occasions. I still make the 60-mile commute daily for work and often fly to a neighboring city for meetings at which I am always business appropriately dressed but at the end of the day my favorite thing is arriving home zipping up my jeans and heading out to the barn yard with Steve to see the animals, or embarking on our next big adventure!
This is where the laughter came from and likely why the animals looked at me as though I had lost the plot. As I headed out to do chores this morning before getting ready for work I was making a mental to do list for the things I wanted to accomplish today. (Personally! – My work list sits nestled on my desk and I try hard not to let that infiltrate my brain when I’m not in the office!) As I was running down the upcoming event list and what I would need to prepare for the next few days, I remembered that I needed to take my ball gown to the seamstress to have the broken zipper fixed, and that I would need to drop off Steve’s Tux at the Dry cleaners and I would need to remember to get those garments out of the closet before leaving for work! This though made me laugh out loud! My ball gown why on earth do I, the now country girl in her rubber boots carrying pig slop, need a ball gown.
Well…
Steve and I were invited to a fundraising gala (black tie formal – the invitation read) so as the weekend nears I will set aside my cowboy boots and slide in to my high heals, pretty up my hair, and slip in to my gown. It really was an honor to be invited to such an event and I am sure we will have a wonderful time. I still always enjoy the moments when I get to dress up for a night out on the town.
And I still love my shoes… some things will never change!
Last night was incredible, Neighbors had a foal that was just born on Monday afternoon and she was so tiny and soft.
Mom was having some issues feeding her so baby just wasn’t getting enough nutrients from her alone. She is pretty skinny but was up and full of kick and bounce as we walked her over to mom to try again to drink!
Before heading over I milked LB and Steve picked up some colostrum paste. When we arrived they were concerned that she hadn’t had a bowel movement yet and as such were worried about supplementing with the goats milk until she did. She was given the colostrum paste and tried to feed
from mom for a while getting very little in. they had another bottle of colostrum from a cow that was proving a little more tasty than the paste and she drank that out of a bottle. Scouring the pen we still could not find anything to indicate a bowel movement and so they decided to refrigerate the goats milk until today when they would look again to see if she could have it!
She is absolutely beautiful, we sat in the pen with her and mom for a couple hours and when all the children arrived home they helped with
the bottle and cleaning herup as she had chosen a cow pie earlier in the day as a good napping spot! They were all so gentle with her; they have named her Rosie, although temporary as there seemed to be some discrepancies around what her name should be!!! I’m sure it will stick though!
I am so glad that I had the opportunity to go over and see her as that was the first time I have seen a foal at one day old! Just Beautiful!
Well it has been a bit since I have posted an update, apparently the days have been flying by and with all the ongoing I have fallen behind in posting!
The chicks started peeping piping and protruding from their shells. Late Monday the 3rd when I arrived home two chicks were out of their shells and many more were moving around in the incubator. By the next morning five were hopping around chirping away! 
By the end 8 of the 20 eggs hatched, the babies were out happy and healthy as can be! So we are enjoying having the little ones finally join us! Final egg incubating for the year! That meant an enormous clean of the room that for the past months became the incubator/ brooder/ greenhouse/ bird recovery room. I learned a lot from having the birds in the house such as the awful smell that is hard to keep up with, and the mess they all make! I am looking forward to having my
green house built and running in full swing by next spring! I have now added to my design an area for incubating and brooding; I am hoping this will eliminate the
need to ever having poultry hanging out in the house again! Of course Steve who encouraged me along the
way said, “ah I knew you would learn from this” a little smug isn’t he! Oh well true I suppose!
The babies have been moved outside now and the big chicks have entered the coop with the existing residents. All the chickens are doing well in the big brooder and coop; they are growing like little weeds. In fact all the animals are thriving on the farm.
Steve and I headed out to help processand move cattle to nearby river side farm land, a location the cows will spend their summer at. I always have fun moving cows with/for friends and family!
We saddled up the horses and headed out across the fields and after many miles of chasing we made it to
the river, beautiful country and wonderful company!!
One of the neighbouring bulls decided to jump the fence and make the the trek with us so once the cows were safely locked in their summer home we turned back and chased the bull home!along the way! … One of the neighbouring bulls decided to jump the fence and make
He was a little quicker going than the group of them and Willow got to do a little running!
I headed off to the city for my friends bachelorette party. 
Friday was spent out in the city and the following morning (after a tater tot breakfast) traveled to a friend’s house in a neighboring town where we went for pedicures in the afternoon and barbequed and danced all evening. And like Vegas what happened at the party stays at the party! 🙂 All fun though and so terrific to see old friends I don’t see very often, it was a wonderful weekend. By Sunday morning we had coffee and enjoyed a short visit after which I headed out on the road for the long drive home. Arriving home rather late in the evening I met Steve at his mom and dads where we enjoyed an amazing beef roast together a delightful meal that I did not have to prepare after the long journey!
The weekend was just as eventful as ever, celebrating early my mother – in – laws 50th birthday party. We all thought for sure she was going to find out, she is sneaky like that! 🙂 But she didn’t know anything was up. Planning and preparing for the day was so much fun, Saturday morning my sister – in – law had everything designed and picked up, she was ready, and we all were ready. Friends and family traveled from far away to spend the evening with her and it was all very exciting. I headed to town to a meeting that morning and then to coffee with some friends who were in town for the weekend. That afternoon I went home, we did chores, and then after getting ready headed over to the local hall to decorate and greet guests as they arrived. Finally it was time to make the call. All went well and she was on her way, the excitement in the hall grew as everyone anxiously awaited her arrival! When she walked through the door she paused for a moment seeing the bright and shining faces of her friends and family who were yelling “surprise” and singing happy birthday, as she scanned the room she noticed good friends from far away had made the long trip to be there for her. She was so happy and in shock for the remainder of the evening! It was a great night complete with stories, songs and games!
A few Photos From a Year Ago!
Photos by: http://www.katrinafavellphotography.com/Steve and I have been married for 1 year and oh what a year it has been, full of exploration excitement and happiness. We spent the day together, hanging out and relaxing together at home, watching movies, eating the top of our wedding cake (which I saved last year after the wedding) and drinking a bottle of our wedding wine. We enjoyed the solitude and quiet of the day and had a fantastic time just the two of us!
And on to the Next Adventure…
The days after our new animals arrived were busy ones with lots of guests and company stopping in to see the new additions and share in drinks and conversation out in the sun. We spent a late night visiting and enjoying company on Saturday and to end of a wonderful long weekend a wiener roast by the camp fire complete with delicious smores.
…
Well I have been off work and away from most technology for over a week now and thought I would write a brief update on how things went after the arrival of all the new animals. I planned the week off so I could spend some time relaxing and soaking in the sun… I had the opportunity to do some of that but most of the time was spent taking care of the animals! With all the new additions there was lots to do!
We were able to get the new pigpen set up and now the pigs are roaming freely in the yard spending much needed time outside the barn. They are loving it and enjoying the space to run and root around as they please. The move from the barn to the new pen was a little nerve racking however in the end with four of us went very smoothly.
Mommy Hen spent my entire time off in the back room of the house recuperating and finally once her wounds appeared to have healed headed back out to the coop to join the rest of her flock. She is doing well back in the coop with everyone else. All of the chicks have moved out in to the big brooder in the barn and are enjoying the large amount of space they have. After the new ones hatch (in a week) and are ready to move outside these ones will be ready to move into the coop with the other birds.
The Guinea fowl did not fair so well. After they were settled in to the coop and felt at home they flew the run (which I might add was their purpose… to roost in trees and set off an alarm when intruders were near) one of the guineas made it to the grove of trees in the pasture however the other was stopped suddenly by Dia. He was injured and joined Mommy Hen in the recuperating room of our house. He healed quickly and was set free a couple of days later down where the guinea hen had made her new home. They spent time down there and we could hear them now and then until one day Dia decided to head out on a hunting expedition and brought the hen up to the house injured and needing reprieve. She spent the night in the barn and once again a guinea fowl was released in the trees. Finally Dia’s determination and perseverance paid off; I awoke one morning to a dead guinea fowl on the deck. We are still feeding the other one in the grove of trees, however we have decided to forgo acquiring any more free-range birds in the future. We hope that the surviving guinea makes it until winter and can spend the season in the coop with the chickens however I hesitate to be optimistic at this time with our monster dog on the prowl.
The goats continue to free range and seem to enjoy staying close to home… even made it past Dia one night on the Deck… knocking on the window to let us know where they were. Olive was not to sure about these new animals and sat inside on the windowsill watching intently as they tried to eat my freshly planted flowers! Soon enough though they headed off the deck and back out in to the barnyard. We chose to name the other goat LB for Little Black she is learning her name now and is sure to run away when I call her at milking time! She still has a tether rope on for quick catching but Vera who runs over to a quick shake of a bucket has a pretty purple collar on! We still think she will kid soon but aren’t sure of dates as the previous owner was a little confused about when this should happen!
Penelope has been enjoying herself and looks much more healthy too… her very excited owner has been out a few times to see her and spend some time brushing her and even riding her! Soon she will be able to move in with the horses!
I was able to get my garden planted and all my flowers in pots. I have planted a variety of fruits and vegetables that will provide us with delicious meals through the late summer and into the fall and winter. I still have more work to do on the secondary garden but just did not have the time to get that all set up before returning to work.
Next weekend my sister and I have a trip to the lake planned as well as some time to take in the Rodeo here. It should be another eventful weekend full of friends, family laughter and fun!
…
The saga begins! Friday after work I loaded up on supplies to get my weekend ready for some fun! Then I headed out to the airport to pick up a friend who was flying in for her own may long adventures! After leaving the airport we headed out to the farm for some wine and relaxation on the deck! We spent the evening with my husband (who was home working on the outdoor pig pen) visiting playing cards drinking wine and listening to old records! It was a late night but great to catch up! Early Saturday morning we got up filled our travel mugs with coffee and headed out to catch up a couple horses! Once they were saddled we jumped on and went for a beautiful and relaxing morning ride through the nearby fields! Soaking in the sun enjoying the quiet and each others company!
Once we returned home my husband had the animal crate all fixed up and loaded for the next part of our day! Traveling to a nearby town my friend had arranged a ride to her next adventure of mountain biking water skiing and boating! We said our good byes and off she went… My husband and I continued 2 more miles out of the neighbouring town to the exotic animal sale. There was some confusion about start times as advertising had been very vauge but by noon we had seen what was for sale in the stocks and found our seats with some of his work friends and the sale began! Many hours later we had purchased a pair of Guinea fowl, 2 goats, 6 chicks (likely only a week younger than the babies already at home) and a mini Donkey (a gift for a friend! – this was not an unwanted gift mind you and we will keep her until she has a space at home for her.)
She was lovingly named Penelope! One our way home after a few hang ups on how we were going to manage getting all the new animals home I spoke with my friend the new Donkey owner and she was headed out to the house to make supper and meet her new stead! She called back once she arrived quite worried about the health of mommy hen (one of my very broody and excellent laying buff ophington hens) she had flown the coop at some point and Dia dog managed to get her teeth in to her… She was in rough shape and I was worried we would lose her all together. As we were still about 1/2 hour from arriving home my friend wrapped mommy hen up ( who had been drug out to the front yard) and took her back to the barn for safety until I got home! Dia dog knew she was in trouble when we arrived home and slunk away from me as I headed out to the barn to retrieve her. I created a makeshift crate out of a box and headed in the house with her where she will stay to recover!
She was given some of the chick feed as it has some medication in it and some water with electro lights to help with her healing! She has a definite sore spot on her back but she must have fought back pretty good because she appears now that she will make it and be just fine! Once Mommy Hen was all settled in I headed back outside where my husband was unloading our new farm additions and my friend and the children were checking out the donkey! I must add that she too is not a farm girl anymore than I was when I moved out from town but she is embracing and loving the country life as much as I am!!! Once Penelope was safe and sound in her new pen out came the goats Vera and a mini black, to be named! We penned them up with some food, water, and shelter. Dia dog was most interested in them so she stayed back while we headed to the barn to introduce the Guinea fowl to the chickens! Everybody was a little worked up and the chickens flew high on their roosts to watch safely the new birds who arrived! After everything had settled in the coop we checked in on the pigs who were happy as could be and headed inside with the baby chicks to set up a second brooder… All the chicks (and hopefully Mommy hen too) will move out to the barn by the end of the weekend as it is more than warm enough and the brooder out there is much much bigger for them. We ate a magnificent supper and shared wine, stories and laughs from our day. The children were still very excited about Penelope and wanted to head out after we had eaten to see her and ride her (again)! So we headed back out to the barn yard to find Vera and little black goat had Houdinied out of the pen! They seemed to be sticking close by so decided rather than fighting them they could free range. I will have to build a gate system so they stay out if my garden once it is planted and starts to grow but for the time being they seem to be doing well! Once everything had settled down and the evening came to an end we too went to bed getting a good night sleep so we could spend the day with the animals on Sunday! Well Sunday has just begun and the goats survived their first night free ranging in the barnyard, Mommy hen has much more energy as well, all good signs! Ill be heading out shortly to do chores and check on all the other animals as well… So I can safely say the weekend has been an adventurous one so far!
Well here we are, already the middle of May and I am thinking about how exciting it is going to be to get out in to my garden. This past weekend my Father – In – Law brought over the heavy duty rotatiller and got to work in the garden mixing up the soil after last years much too early snow fall.
In fact because the snow fell so early last fall we missed 2 entire rows of carrots at harvest time. Lucky for us this created a wonderful spring bounty and tasty treats early in the year! We were able to salvage most of the carrots from the two rows before the ground was worked up and ready for planting again this year! Of course this will not be the case every year; I fully believed we lucked out, as there was no care taken to ensure the carrots would not rot over the cold and frozen winter.
The carrots that didn’t quite make the cut were still a delicious treat for the pigs that enjoyed the early evening snack!
As my husband has just purchased a new backhoe, after some brush clearing he will be heading out to build me a secondary garden. The main garden consists of annual plants and crops; I have now learned how to save most of the different plant seeds and hope to do so this year for a more personal planting experience next year. The idea of the secondary garden is perennial vegetables, herbs, and berries to provide us with a plentiful crop that can be nurtured year after year.
Once the weekend comes to an end and the chance of a May Long weekend Snow Fall (haven’t experienced one with out some amount of snow yet!) is behind us I will be getting out in the dirt and planting! I am looking forward to the extra time this year I will have to devote to working on out farm and planting a wonderful crop for fall harvest. I have many projects I would like to complete through the summer and warm weather and hope as well to have many barbecues, fires and gatherings with Friends and Family.
This weekend we are heading out to an exotic animal sale… more on that after the weekend!
Welcome to my Blog and Web page!
This is my First ever blog space so please bare with me while I figure this all out! It is my intention to update, as often as possible but with a busy farm life and work life there may be some breaks along the way… As spring is here now (well almost!!) I hope to get outside and doing more so will try to keep the pics and stories of our journey through our second summer on the farm! It’s exciting and every day presents a new adventure so I will fill you in on some of the adventures so far!
Pigs:
We just recently acquired pigs as new additions to the farm. They have been so much fun! Quite the personalities! As it is relatively cool out still they have a home in the barn. Once the sun is shining and the weather warms up they will have a large outdoor area to live and play in! While living in the barn in the pen next to the chicken coop they sometimes think they would like to be chickens… rooting under the wall in an attempt to reach the chickens on the other side they have succeeded on three occasions! The Chickens who can get out to the run before the pigs block the exit by bumping in to and closing the make shift wind blocker generally end up spending the day outside and the others who were not quick enough are perched high on the roosts awaiting the pigs eventual exit! … Of Course Dia Dog is usually sitting patiently by the barn door hoping to help herding them back into their pen!
Incubating: 
About 3 weeks ago we acquired an incubator, immediately 9 eggs went in. To our amazement this past weekend 8 chicks hatched (on our first try)! They are now chirping away in their brooder in the spare room happy as can be! They will move outside to the bigger brooder in the barn in a couple of weeks when it is a little warmer out! Cute little fluff balls though! Olive cat is quite intrigued by these little moving noisy fluff balls although he sits on the chair above the brooder watching he has not yet tried to eat one of the little nuggets (knock on wood)!
Gardening: Through the winter I might add!
As the snow has started to melt this spring and the garden has now become visible and passable I headed out to see how the carrots faired through the cold months. Last fall it was not initially my intention to leave the carrots in over the winter however with the early and abundant snowfall I had no choice I couldn’t get to them for harvest and they had to stay put. I figured that it was no big deal… I would just work the rotted carrots into the garden in the spring before planting, count it as a loss and plan to harvest earlier next season… no need though I could see the tops of some of the carrots when the snow melted recently and I dug in to find full crisp tasty garden carrots ready for eating! Now I just need to get out and harvest the rest of the row before I have to get in and work up the garden for summer planting!
Well those are the most recent updates although so much has already happened since we moved out to the farm … more about that under my Livin’ the Country Life Tab.
Have a wonderful day all!
Livin' the Country Life 