One year ago today...

We packed up the last load of our stuff into 2 sedans and, with 3 cats in tow, we set off for our new life on the farm. We had no idea what we were doing, but we were looking forward to the adventure of a lifetime!

We had set some short term goals:

1. Have a kitchen garden. (success with the winter garden, failure in spring/summer garden)
2. Have livestock. (42 beautiful birds bouncing out of their bins)
3. Have a truck. (found a 1984 Ford F150 in usable condition for $1000! Woot!)

These things were set to be achieved within a year of moving here. As of yesterday (I know, down to the wire- right?!), all 3 have been achieved!

Through the year we have had our successes and failures thanks to family, friends, neighbors, fellow farmers, ACES Educational Resources, abnormal temperatures, animals (feral hogs rooting up & eating crops, deer eating my spring/summer veggies!), ignorance (Who knew some trees won't grow here despite what the people at Lowes or the Co-Op says?), drought (almost 2 months straight without rain), money problems (shoestring budget), insects (damned fire ants)... etc.

1. I'm halfway through my Master Gardener classes which should help me yield a better garden to harvest fresh produce from year-round! 
2. Our birds are just about ready to go outside. We just need to finish the coop/pen/shelter for them this weekend before our little jumpers get into trouble in the house. 
3. The truck needs some work, true... but it's nothing we can't handle. It's mostly personalization and getting it fit to do what we need around here. 

Once I start working off-farm next week, the budget will be happier and we'll be able to do more around the place. 

Our goals for year 2:

1. Get cows
2. Get Goats
3. Get Sheep
4. Solar panels or windmill for power (not a requirement, but would be nice!)

Now that we're more familiar with the farm and will have an increased budget, I'm sure that these goals can be attained with a bit more speed than last year's goals.

The Chickens Cometh...

After a week with our keets, watching them nearly double in size, the cats had finally forgiven us for adding a little noise to the house. As long as they stay in the bin, the cats are ok.

Friday morning, though, this time at 5:45 am, about 20 minutes after I woke up with an emergency bathroom visit (fast food is a no no!!), the phone screamed at us. Again, another early morning, pre-sun rise phone call from the US Government. This time, I was already awake and anxious to receive my chicks, so I answered the phone. The kind lady told me that my chicks were in and I could come and get them any time... but this time, "please come to the back door and ring the bell."

OH! Is THAT what we should have done last time?!?!?? Now I get it... Kinda makes sense now why the front office was locked last week. Eh, you live, you be a bit obnoxious, people will garner knowledge to educate you. It was our very first experience getting live animals through the USPS... we were mail order livestock virgins and no one told us what to do last week... can they blame us for not having a clue? I hope not... so, FYI, should you order chicks from a hatchery and get them delivered vis USPS, go to the back door and ring the bell! (My public service announcement for the month.) Much nicer people back there... that and they expect you & know what they are doing with the animals. But I digress...

We didn't hit warp speed going or coming home from the post office this time. Now we were seasoned veterans receiving our small animals in the mail...

When we got them home, we again left the box on the floor in the kitchen for the cats to get familiar with the birds while we readied the brooding bin for them.

Left: Light Yellow- Delawares, Tan-New Hampshires, Black- Black Australorps.
Right: Solid Brown- Rhode Island Reds, Multicolored with stripe- Americaunas, Mulitcolored patches- Egyptian Fayoumis (free exotic chick)

The Chick Brooder Bin

Welcome home little chicks!

Are you looking at me?

Two goals down, more to go!

When we moved here (9/22/10), we set a couple of goals.

1. Get a truck
2. Get Livestock (Chickens, goats, cows, sheep, etc.)
3. Have an active/productive vegetable garden

The garden was the easiest to start with. Over the winter we dined on Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage and Kale from the vegetable garden. It was nowhere near a viable production model to sell the produce, but it was one helluva start!

The other goals... well... they took a great deal of resources, time and preparation. The truck had to be functional and <$2K... which has had us shopping around for almost a year now.

The livestock required capital to procure materials and make shelters, clear land for their use, put up fences, get feeders & waterers... In short, it would be no easy task... and one of the most time consuming.

I'm thrilled to say that, as of 9/10/11, we have accomplished goal #2: We got our first livestock!

It was a Saturday morning, about 5:30.. A.M... when we got the call. The caller ID said US Government. At 5:30 am, in that half-asleep haze of semi-consciousness, I thought that the US Government could go that special hell reserved for child molesters, rapists and people who talk in the theater. My husband, however, remembered that we were, indeed, expecting a call from the post office once our precious cargo arrived. So, I handed (read "drowsily tossed") the phone to him and he answered. The US Post Office told him that our live cargo had arrived & we could pick it up any time. Slowly, as the light screamed down my while hubby poked around in the clean laundry pile for suitable clothes, it dawned on me: THE GUINEA KEETS HAVE ARRIVED!!!

Hastily, I threw on some jeans, a shirt and some slip-on shoes, Hubby grabbed his keys, then I shut & locked the front door. Together, we jumped in the car and Hubby drove us to the Post Office post haste, both of us as anxious as new parents hi-tailing it to the hospital. Our Babies are here! Our Babies are here!!

We got to the Post Office faster than I thought humanly possible, parked the car and practically danced to the front door. Unfortunately, the front office at the post office doesn't open until 8:30 am. Looking at my phone, I was dismayed to see the current time: 6:00 am. How could they call us, wake us from our much needed sleep and then deny us access to our little fuzzy bundles of joy?? It just wasn't fair! It wasn't right! In the world of schedules and hours of operation, how could they call us & tell us to "come & get 'em" when they wouldn't allow it?? Just then, we noticed some movement behind the blinds in the window to the front office. A Person! A human being! Surely they would open the door if they knew we were standing there, shivering in the 55 degree morning. So we did what any self-respecting, well-mannered person would do... we pounded on the window until they came to the door to see what the hell was going on!

We explained that we had "gotten the call" and were there to pick up our animals. The brusque woman curtly, nodded, shut the door & sent someone else up to deal with us... that next person opened the door just enough to shove her hands and a box through it. Once we had the box, the door shut as the hands that had held the box retracted as though they were spring-loaded! We didn't much care because we were holding the beginnings of our flock! 16 cold, frightened French Guinea Keets chirping loudly through the cardboard box with slits in the side.

The ride home was a blur of street lights and staring at the cardboard, trying to imagine what these little noisy creatures could possibly look like. Once we arrived home, we were met by 4 curious furry faces whose ears peaked upon hearing the birds' cries. Since we were introducing these new elements to their home, too, we thought they should be introduced.

We left the box on the floor in the kitchen.

The cats were curious.

They all got the chance to sniff the noisy box.

Meanwhile, we set up the bin with pine flakes, water & feeder.

Our dining room brooder set up.

We opened the box...

They were all huddled together in a corner for warmth.

We put them in the bin under the heat lamp.

Slowly, they started to warm up and explore.

They eventually found their food...

and water.

They eventually all tuckered out...

...and passed out wherever they were.

Sully was introduced & sniffed a Keet... not interested.

Spike tried to get away from this voice with feet and feathers.

KC would hear their chirps, look their way, and head the opposite direction.

All in all, we love our French Guinea Keets! They are entertaining and happy... and so are we!

Tabs! I found tabs!!!

Is it weird that I got excited because I found another way to add information to the blog?? Yeah, well... ok. So, now that I know how to add tabs, I'll be adding them as the farm grows. Just an FYI.