Change, glorious change

So many changes, so much time. I finally got the website for the goats up and running (Nigerian Dwarf Goats at Weathertop Farm) – phew!! I thought it would never happen, but perseverance pays off. Part of the motivation was my decision to quit my job this June. This will be the final year I work as an online teacher, while trying to run a farm and homeschool the kids. I was getting completely worn down and it just isn’t worth it, so I now I get to focus more and more on what I am going to do on the farm and with the girls. Ahh, and there will be so many changes. The short list:

• Create paddocks with hedgerows around the wetlands - which means we need more animals to keep up with the rotational grazing…
• Get pigs, turkeys, and ducks
• Increase the number of broilers to 50
• Create path in the forest
• Put new gardens in the front into full rotation
• Figure out mushroom harvest, which should begin this year
• Start digging the pond in the backyard
• And hopefully dam the wetland

Not nearly as many things as we have done in the past, but with the marketing needed to sell the products we are making I am sure I will stay busy.

Even more changes...

Well, since the lawn won’t be suicidal any time in the future… grazing power

The time has come to dump that stupid, gas guzzling beast of burden that causes me no end of frustration! Most people think that lawn tractors are one of the marvels of technology, but I truly think it is just another dumb contraption that makes us work harder to get nothing done. I mean two days later the grass is grown again and, though I agree it looks nice mown, there must be something else to our shallow lives than a putting green. Therefore, I have finally made the decision to get rid of our lawn tractor. We have two acres of grass directly around the house, but it has slowly been converted to orchards, gardens, paddocks, etc. I am going to take the remaining lawn that we have and use it as part of our rotational grazing with our pigs and poultry. I would let the goats on the lawn, but there are way too many shrubs and trees that they would devour – love them, but don’t trust them.

When we get the pigs, we will also be getting rid of our dishwasher. Why let all that wonderful leftover scrapings go down the drain when the pigs would LOVE to eat it. This has got me thinking about what other appliances I can do without. I know I can’t get rid of my refrigerator - I need to dig a root cellar before that will be possible. I am not willing to give up my washing machine yet, especially with kids! However, that silly energy consuming contraption next to the washing machine has found its last days in my home. Why on Earth do I need a dryer? All summer I use the outside lines, but if I got rid of the drier I could set up inside clothes lines in the same place. DUH! Why didn’t I think of that in the first place. And think of all the noise I won’t have to listen to anymore.

So no job, no lawn tractor, no dishwasher, no dryer, more animals and more gardens… It sounds like an awesome summer.

- Carol