Fall

It’s been a while. I feel guilty about not writing but on the other hand, if it’s a chore, there is no joy. So, today I write. It’s not a chore 🙂

Since I last updated you, lots has happened, and not just on the farm. Work has kept Katie and I busy. Being self-employed has its challenges and sometimes those challenges take over your head space. But Unruffled Farms is always a huge part of the day.

We have been enjoying Cap (Captain Chunk). He is a great dog. Lovable and trainable. The 4 training sessions Brian got us are done. Cap has learned to come, place and walk. We try to spend time with him twice a day doing training. When we don’t, he wreaks havoc in the barn. A few chickens have been victims of his exuberance.

As for the pigs, we have tried a few times to move them into the barn for the winter. They are not cooperating. Katie is worried that one of them has a weak heart and the stress of moving her will kill her. And we cannot lift them or push them along. They are too stubborn and heavy. We are not so worried about them being out in the cold. It’s about their water. It freezes quickly. So we need to bring out fresh water a few times a day. Not the greatest chore, but also, not the worse. So for this year, it will have to do.

We’ve raised and processed our meat chickens. The freezer is full! For our first chicken meal, Brian and I made Gumbo chicken. OH MY GOD!! It was amazing. I’m having leftovers for lunch. I’ll put our adapted recipe in the recipe section. Totally worth making.

The cats are getting fat! We are feeding them like house cats instead of barn cats! So they don’t feel the need to hunt much. Katie says we don’t see mice in the barn so they must be doing their job. Not sure about that. I saw one in the feed room. Grabbed both cats and threw them in there to take care of it. 20 minutes later, I open the door and find the cats sitting on the feed bins with the mouse running around the floor. The cats had this look of disgust on their faces. Like, ‘Mom, why would you put us in here with a mouse! Gross!’

They did get to eat one when Katie hand fed it to them. I guess that’s a start.

We are getting more eggs. The colours are quite pretty and the diversity in yolks is also interesting. So I’m eating eggs pretty much everyday. We’ve started selling a few dozen eggs here and there. Production is not high enough to do more. Chickens don’t lay as much in the winter. So come spring, if Cap hasn’t taken care of all the chickens, we should be in full production.

We were wondering where the Egyptians were laying their eggs. We found them while excavating! 20 eggs ready to eat.

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As for the infra-structure of the farm, progress is happening. Brian got a friend to come over and dig around the barn. We added a drain and crushed stone. Hopefully that will avoid water getting into the barn. It was a big job but fun. We also insulated the workshop! That will be a great space for projects.

The greenhouse is producing easy food. Like lettuce and herbs. The cucumbers grew like crazy at first but then died down. So they are a no go. I’m still holding out hope for the tomatoes. They flowered and are still tall and strong. I got a heat lamp on them and a grow light. I’d be thrilled to get fruit from them!!

I’m sure I’ve skipped over tons of things but I think I’ve covered enough for today. I’ll try to get back into regular blogging. It’s a good way for me to journal our lives. It seems like everyday brings on new challenges that we have to overcome. Some are joyful, others more difficult. But I wouldn’t trade this new life for anything in the world. I can’t picture myself anywhere else, surrounded by any other people.