It's been around a year since the last updated on what has been going on around my farm. You'll see that not only does some of my past pictures have a different name on them, but the entire feel of this platform has a new hum to it. I am trying, striving even, to be as honest and up front with myself and the expectations I have for what I am doing here. I can make as many promises to myself to be more present here, but honestly I just want to be more present in my real life.
So with that I will try and catch up a few things around the farm. It's been a whirlwind since May of last year and the "pandemic" is still somewhat raging on. Or at least quite a few of the effects are. I don't mind much. I prefer to be home and away from people. The kids did attend school in the fall of 2020/2021 and will be starting school again next week. Mine do wear a mask on the bus, but are not required to. They are not even required in the classroom. I do appreciate that their school is very good at keeping a nice, open dialogue with the family's in the district.
As for gardens- we had some volunteer plants this year but we didn't plant anything for spring or summer. We are going to work on getting a fall garden bed in and maybe getting some broccoli, cauliflower, lettuces, carrots, peas and others in the garden before we cannot grow anything this year. I am also looking forward to harvesting as much black walnuts and other plants we can forage for winter. I'm even working on getting the farm to resemble somewhat of a 18th century farm (and recording it all on my other blog Attempting History). It will likely bleed over to here so be prepared to see changes when I post pictures or adventures. I do still want to make this page primarily about my journey as a mom, heathen, farmer, and livestock guardian.
Speaking of livestock, I guess I should get to the details about what has been happening. The dogs are still the same. No new ones have come and none have passed away. Though I do plan on doing better by them this winter with cedar chips instead of stray. I am also looking at converting some old stalls into a nice big dog pen with run to keep them in. They will get let out daily when we are out doing our chores and spending time outside.
The cows have changed quite a bit. To start with, I sold Mr. Moo. I miss his moo-ing greatly but he is doing very well at his own little farm. He went to a farm with six of his own ladies and it was very much a perfect fit. I do think it made me an official farmer when I sold him. :) Since then we have had two more calves born on the farm. One to Two Licks with Benny as the sire, a little bull calf named Gala. Greek for milk due to his milk white coloring. The other one to Butter's with Mr. Moo as the sire, a heifer named Fawn. I was overjoyed to see her come out looking so much like Mr. Moo. Being that she is from a different sire, she will be staying on the farm! We are also waiting for Lucky to finally begin bagging up with what looks like her first calf finally. I think she is getting major mom envy. Benny is still trucking along as the bull and his first born Mr. Whey (Butter's calf) will be going to the sale barn in September. I plan on using him to make the payment for the taxes for the upcoming tax bill.
The horses have changed also. In December of last year we were gifted two horses from a dear friend who passed away. While we miss her dearly, the horses turned out to be more trouble than they were/are worth. One passed away early this year from what appears to have been a broken back from Princess. He was also suffering from cancer. It was a terrible situation but was a very good learning experience for the kids. Maybe one day I will tell the story. His name was Doc Holiday. He came with another horse named Rodeo. Rodeo has been an okay horse demeanor wise but he is lame on his back foot. It's a shame really. He is a palomino quarter horse that looks like Roy Rogers' horse Trigger. Matter of fact, they friend who passed was friends with Roy Rogers and completely obsessed with Happy Trails! He is doing okay and R has even rode him once. He seems to really enjoy being rode and loves that little girl. We are cautious though, given that he is lame. We don't want to do any further damage.
All the other horses and even the mule are still here. We've gotten much better at treating Bertha and am actually about two inches away from her abscess being completely worked out of her hoof. It has been a long road yet so worth it. Soaking in salt and epsom salts has been the biggest lifesaver for her hoof.
We have been working on the farm raising the trees up and overall making it more of our dream. Coming up we have a huge hay purchase for winter, clearing the back fence line along corp land, and re-seeding the pasture using a no-till seeder in September. I will definitely update how those processes go. I've been reading up on biodynamic pasture management in a book by Peter Bacchus and it has been completely eye-opening as to how I can improve the land, animal health and my family's health with simple things we already have on the farm. Look for a book review coming soon on it. It's based on Rudolf Steiner's work and has been indispensable.
So for now, I guess that's it. If you're still here, or maybe just joining, please let me know how your neck of the world is. And if you can- get out in nature, grown wild and connect to your roots!
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