Farmin’

I’m giving a lot (as in a LOT) of workshops this year (18….count ’em 18….retreats in total) but we’re also farmin’ away here! For example. Yesterday.

First, we went to pick out a pig. Yep. We got a pig! But we didn’t take it home. It’s staying right where it is and the price includes having it hauled to the butcher. I won’t see that little guy again until he’s a big guy and all packaged up.

Then we picked up a new buck for the goat girls. What I’ve been doing with the girls is moving in a new buck every summer, and moving out the previous one. I’m keeping girls now to increase the herd, so we’re getting a new buck every year.

The new Mr. Darcy:

We also picked up a load of fence wire to fence a new field for the goats going up the hill into the woods. It will be good brush-eating for them, and it’s a bit rocky in there, too, so that will be good for their hooves.

There’s about to be a big fencing project.

Then it was chicken-catching time. Again. Those three little hens were out. AGAIN. We think we finally got it fixed where they’re getting out, so hopefully this is the last time they’ll have to be caught. I was tired of throwing myself at chickens trying to catch them running around so this time I herded all the big chickens into the house, shut the door on the chicken house, opened the door of the chicken yard, and enticed the little chickens to just walk right in. And they did!

Whew. That was a lot easier.

Then we moved the other 12 younger hens from the stall in the barn where they’ve been since they were chicks. We managed to get 11 of them cornered in the stall and successfully transferred to the chicken house/yard—-but one got away. So now we’ve got one little hen running around wild.

I think she wants in with her buddies, though, and we’ll try the same trick on her.

This younger batch is the Golden-Laced Wyandottes.

They are some really pretty chickens! I can’t wait till they start laying.

Then we moved the cows around. I always give Glory Bee a day off after workshops. She works hard, you know. So she gets let out with the other girls on Saturday after milking and then re-separated on Sunday to start her work week again.

The girls are always sad when mommy goes back to work. They stare at me with their resentful faces.

And there were a lot of “we’s” in all that busy-ness yesterday, weren’t there? Morgan is such a good helper! Okay, actually, Morgan is home for the summer but she’s pretty busy working as a 4-H ambassador, so the “we” doesn’t refer to her (though she is a very good helper when she has time). But, there has been a lot going on here lately, and a lot has been getting done, and lots of new plans–and I don’t want to sound like I’m some amazing machine getting it all done by myself. Because of course I’m not. I do have someone here who is helping me, and he’s a little shy, but workshop attendees have gotten to meet the adorable man in my life. He’s someone local, from around here. And maybe eventually I’ll write more about that, but that’s it for now. I’m really happy. And we’re farmin’!