Work to be done, there is always work to be done,

and many times it is not possible.  Like we need to brush hog, but the pasture was to wet the past 2 days.  We need to till badly, but we have 2  problems, 1 the tiller that arrived was the wrong size and had to be sent back, and won’t be replaced till next week, and 2, we can’t get the tractor into the field, because the plow mounds are too big!  That will also be fixed next week, when we get a loaner tractor from our Tractor guy. 

Our sheep arrive in less than 2 weeks and we still are not ready, bedsides the brush hogging, the third row of electric fence needs to be strung, and the whole thing needs to be connected together so it will actually electrify, and Aba and I are not seeing quite eye to eye on a few issues.  While we are both worried about predator pressure (we have coyotes, panthers, and something called land dogs?  land sharks?   something that is a domestic dog crossed with a coyote or a wolf or something) anyways we have decided  all animals go in the barn at night. Period.  Well, the new barn supports have not been put in yet, their is still a ton of old hay in the loft, so we are not to sure where we will put the sheep to sleep, I think we should make a temporary pen in the main floor of the barn on some sawdust, or new straw, Aba is thinking wood chips (which would also work, that is if our chipper wasn’t currently broken – a gear is worn and we are waiting on the part) and the hay situation.  we have no problem buying hay, we found a great (Amish) source for organic hay, only thing is it is in one of those huge round bails, and we don’t have a trailer yet, and we only need a small bale, while the grass grows a bit longer, the rest wouldn’t be any good next year except as yet more chicken bedding and compost.  Oh well, we will figure it out.

We did make our first official farm sale this week yeah!  Double yahRah rah rah!  sis boom bah!  we sold 12 chicks, not something we were planning on selling, especially since we are buying them for the customer and handing them over 48 hours later, so basically the middle man between our breeder and the customer.  Not what we intended this farm to do, but we were upfront with the customer and you take what you can get right?  We will also be at the Norwich Craft show this Saturday promoting our CSA, so if you happen to be in the area, have any questions or want to sign up for a share we will be there.

Our pumpkin patch arrived in a box yesterday, and we will be getting more tomato and pepper seeds this week to replace those that befell the tractor accident, and those that  didn’t sprout well enough to my likening.  We order seeds from 2 main companies, and we ordered this second batch from the company we didn’t order them from last time, in case it is the seeds that just weren’t the best, so we are adding in a few more varieties as well, which is just the way things happen when you are dealing with heirloom. 

 

brush hogging,

tilling,

fencing,

barn repair,

making a lamb pen,

installing water stations,

rock pulling,

so much work, but also so much fun, and so much excitement at the same time

~ by Robin on May 2, 2008.