All the trees we planted died... something about we dug the holes too deep... and then a drought... We no longer have feathered farm creatures. We saved a shetland pony (we later named Ninja) in 2011. Rescued a miniature horse, Lily, who was about the same height as Ninja, just a little more delicate in structure. They have had 7 foals. We took on a neighbor's shetland mare, Dora. She and Ninja had 5 foals, though only 4 survived (Vultures don't just go after dead things. Apparently young things are on their menu, too.)
We've removed Lily and her most recent foal last spring (2020), Ninja and 2 of his progeny this past winter & spring, and got the rest of the ponies calm enough to take care of their hooves.
We've lost all the cats to predation or old age. Lost a dog to cancer caused seizures. Adopted a foundling puppy during the shut downs. The puppy keeps our old dog busy!
We have a 5 year old son who is the center of our universe.
I taught Massage Therapy for a handful of years, then opened up my own practice in the back of a local chiropractor's office. After a couple years and a Yoga Teacher certification, I opened up my own Massage & Yoga studio and have been focused on that, being a mom, and kick-a$$ wife, and a human being... so, not saying I didn't drop the ball here... but there were reasons! I'm saying REASONS!!!
I'm on vacation now, visiting my folks up north and enjoyed a lot of the farming tasks we used to find tedious.
From strawberry picking to strawberry preserves.
The recipe I used was:
https://www.thespruceeats.com/old-fashioned-strawberry-preserves-3057818
https://www.thespruceeats.com/old-fashioned-strawberry-preserves-3057818
