Our Farm Life

 We have now officially moved onto the farm and our projects are in full swing!

Our bird collection has increased significantly. My birds consist mostly of Rouen ducks, Runner ducks, and quail. The Rouen ducks will be for meat and eggs, where as the Runners are going to be primarily for eggs and bug control in the garden. I’ve always really enjoyed having ducks and am so happy to be back working with them! They never cease to amuse me.

The quail are for meat and eggs. Their eggs are quite pretty and they don’t take long to hatch once incubated. The males make a very pretty sound too! 

Aiden has special quail, chicks, pheasants, and an assortment of mixed birds we bought as chicks at an auction. Aiden has always had a passion for the more esentric rare breeds and they are quite pretty to behold.  I’m excited to learn more about them.

Then we have our rabbit business with the meat rabbits and pet bunnies. The meat rabbits are New Zealand mixes. Easy to keep and grow to be quite large. We keep a book with information about when they were bred and how many kits they had, and the info lives on a little care card clipped to their cage. We both are quite new to meat rabbits and so we have experienced hiccups with some unsuccessful litters, but now we have put rugs under the bottom of the nest box to avoid the under draft from killing the kits. 

The pet bunny’s care is slightly different because ultimately the bunnies are our pets. They get more variety in their diet, handled frequently, and have more toys and outside time. Our current breeds for pets are Netherland dwarf, Lionhead, and an English angora bunny. They are still too young to breed so we just enjoy their company for now.

Then there are our odd pets. An emu, ferrets, and our three legged calf. They don’t have a whole lot of use but they are quite an attraction and often have a lot of people driving by the front field slowly to admire the emu. The calf is so very cute! We named her Trinity and she is such a trooper! The calf came from a dairy farm nearby. She was born with a deformed front leg. She has been making out just fine with three legs. The vet says as long as we exercise her regularly she should be fine even at full weight with just the three legs. Currently, she kicks, jumps, and runs with no problem! She is such a friendly calf and a joy to have.

The garden is a big project. To be honest, I haven’t done a whole lot of gardening in the past so I’ve had a lot to learn and it’s been intimidating starting a garden this size. However, despite some hiccups and learning curves, stuff is beginning to grow and I’m hoping to have a few harvestable crops by the end of June!

The farm is an ambitious project but we both love what we are doing and are in a position to give this a shot. It is a lot of fun and I’m really excited to see how things are going to turn out come summer!

Decisions

My plans have changed........

with the discovery of arthritis in my wrists. 

and because of new opportunities that have arisen in my life!

I've decided not to go tree planting this season. This was an incredibly hard decision to make as I love tree planting! The job, the money, the experience, the people; It's hard to believe I won't be out there this season. However, with my arthritis and the repetitive action of tree planting, I've decided it is probably best to take a year off to allow my wrists to heal if possible. 

However, I have the opportunity to do something that I really love and to try something I haven't had the opportunity to do in the past; Work for myself. 

Aiden's Grandpa is allowing us to use some of his farm to start up our own farming business! We have a 13,000 square foot garden in the works to supply ourselves food, our family, and friends produce, and to sell at our farm stand and at the local farmer's market.

We also started a meat rabbitry. Aiden and I made the cages by hand. 

I am doing pet bunnies on the side because I emotionally enjoy raising rabbits more for pets than for meat. 

We have a lot of chicks right now. We will be having meat birds, layers, and ducks for eggs pretty soon!

We also get to use Grandpa's Jersey cow for milk and have a newborn baby goat that has joined our little zoo!

It's hard but fun work that we are doing, and the freedom to do our own thing is so refreshing and exciting! Currently, we are still living in his grandparent's house, but the plan is to move into my camper up at the farm pretty soon until we finish the tiny home van we are working on.

I miss visiting people because of Covid but I am ever so grateful to have this family that God has put into my life! I'm praying that you all stay safe and healthy during these strange times!

Oyster

 Dear Oyster,

It's been one week since I stood in the corner of the farm garden holding your limp body in an old baby blanket. I gazed into your fluffy face, thinking if it wasn't for the blood trickling out of your mouth you looked almost as if you were sleeping. There was so much I wanted to say to you, but all I could mutter was, "I love you," as Aiden helped me lay your dead body into the little grave he had dug in the Earth. 

Now it's been one week and I feel like I can process the accident and say what I wanted to say to you that day.

I only had you for two weeks, but you were a blessing. The way you would turn your head to the side when I asked you to lie down, the way you would stare at me very intently when I asked you to sit; those little expressions made my day. You made me laugh when you chased after birds, pounced on Aiden in the morning so excited to begin the day. I loved watching your little brain at work as you climbed on the boulders with me by the ocean side. How at the end of a workday you would run full speed towards me in the parking lot when Aiden let you go, your eyes focused straight at your mom and nothing else. 

That's how I felt that tragic day when I carried your limp body from the driveway to the grave; I felt like I was carrying my baby to the grave. 

It had been a good start to the day. You tackling Aiden out of bed, a brisk morning walk to the beach where you ran around retrieving sticks and yanking at Athena's ears. When Aiden's son came in the morning you were all over him with licks and kisses, and super excited to get in the jeep on the way to the farm. 

I didn't think to say anything to you when we got to the farm, or to pet you, or tell you I loved you. We had been going to the farm frequently to work on the van and I had Aiden's son in my arms leaving you and Athena in Aiden's care. It was a wonderful time with the boy as we pet the baby goat, went on a stroll through the field, and talked with the cows. We were just on our way back to check on you and Aiden when I got the fatal call. 

It was rare for anyone to come into the driveway at the farm, so when Aiden went into the barn to grab a tool and you were too busy exploring to follow, he wasn't worried about you and I wouldn't have been either. You never went too far! You being so small and probably lying on the driveway chewing at a stick or feather, the person picking up eggs didn't see you and probably didn't feel anything as they ran you over.

At least it was quick, you felt no pain. You were being you; Exploring, adventuring, excited about the world and about life which was still very new to you.  

First I felt just pure grief and loss, hardly able to comprehend that you were gone. Thinking about all that we had lost by losing you. Then I felt slightly cold towards Athena wondering why it had to be my puppy that got run over, why it had to be you. Then I felt guilty for feeling this way but feeling it nonetheless. Every time I saw a puppy, something that used to bring me joy and a smile, I felt a deep pain in my chest and wondering why all these other puppies could exist but you were taken away. 

Then one night I had a dream and you were there on my bed licking my face and talking to me. You said, "Jacinta, it's okay. I haven't really left. I am still running alongside you at the beach, I am still having a nap in the hay stall, I'm still out there chasing the birds and chewing everything in sight. Look for me in Athena, and you will see that my spirit is in her as well."

And indeed, it is! Whenever she chews something, has an accident inside, or has a mischievous moment I don't get angry because I see you in her. And now that I see that, I no longer am cold towards her and can appreciate the puppy she is. I send the love I had for you to her and I see her feed and grow off of it. I open up to her and she opens up with me.

So what I want to say Oyster is thankyou. Thank you for those precious few days of your life you spent with us, for all the times you made me laugh and smile. For helping me to realize how precious life is and that I should never take anything or anyone for granted. Thank you for giving me a new sense of wonder and excitement in life and for helping me grow closer to Athena and Aiden. I will miss you dearly but even though your loss hurts, it was totally worth knowing you in the first place and I thank God for the time I got to spend with you.