Here it is, Spring of 2016. and my first blog in quite a while. It's often very difficult to find those moments of totally free time to play catch-up, especially when you run a farm. It's a before-daylight to beyond-dark work schedule, and when I finally sit down at night, the show is over and the steam is exhausted. Today, however, I am a bit ahead, the wind is whipping around outside, and so I decided to park myself, have a cup of coffee, and churn out a few words.
This is a spectacular year for spring blooms---everything is in show-stopping array. It's an amazing color palette, from the intensely blue skies on down to the green blades of new grass. This is also the time of turning over the garden spots and farm fields in anticipation of planting new crops. The one snafu ironically is the weather. The crisp, mild temperatures can swing wildly, bringing in rain after rain or a late frost, delaying those planting plans. It's a game of timing, for sure. If it all works out, the newly-planted seeds or starts won't drown or freeze. It pays to be patient, and wait out the freezes and downpours before sinking those precious future harvests into the ground. Do-Overs are not fun, and can be quite expensive to repeat more than once....
The baby goat count this year is a baker's dozen (13), and if you are looking for some free entertainment, baby goat antics can't be beat! We do sell stock from time to time, so if you are in the market for some top-notch, sociable brush eaters, get in touch with us.
The windmill project is coming along nicely. It's a vintage Aermotor that will be mounted over one of our cisterns to provide an additional source of water for the livestock. The thought that went into the design and guts of these machines is a wonder to me. I feel the same way about the mechanisms of old watches and pre-phonograph music machines. Amazing stuff. Great minds definitely were at work in those days.
Don't forget to check out the "Keeping It Simple" page for information on our annual October event. This will be the 20th year (!!!) so be sure to come join us if you can. It's a wonderfully good time for all ages.
Coffee is gone, so time to get back to work. Fixing fence, that ever-present chore, is waiting for me in the horse paddock. Of course, the horses will quite willingly help in the endeavor.....help WATCH, that is. Good day to all!