It's absolutely crazy to me that it's already the end of the year. Where did the time go??
I feel like I didn't accomplish much around the homestead other than maintenance this year, but here are some highlights since I last posted:
-I worked on a haying crew a few times over the summer! If you've never seen this, the tractor pulls a baler, and then behind that, a hay wagon. I stood on the wagon and helped stack the bales as the baler shot them out. As you might expect, it's very hot, physically demanding work, and I definitely want to get in better shape if I do more next summer. 😝
-I got refrigeration!! After over four years of using bags of ice in coolers, I finally got a propane fridge hooked up. I ended up selling the one that had come with the dome because it was going to be more complicated to hook up. I bought a different used one, and it's now installed and running great.
-I purchased siding for the cottage, and Dad and I started installing it. I feel like my poor cottage has been sorely neglected because I'm always working on the Franken-barn, so I'm excited to be making some progress on actually finishing the exterior. I had originally put board and batten siding up on a couple exterior walls, but later decided I wasn't crazy about how that looked. I finally bit the bullet and got nice, simple wooden siding. I also have cedar shingles for the gable ends. I think it's going to look really nice! I'll be painting the siding and staining the shingles, just haven't fully decided on colors yet. Note that the snow pictured below all melted later!! 😂
-I got my goats bred! I borrowed my friend's Nigerian Dwarf buck, Lightning, and he visited for about 3 weeks, hopefully getting the job done with all 5 girls. I'm still watching them to make sure no one goes back into heat, which would be a sign that they didn't "settle," and they'd need to visit the buck again. So far it's looking very promising for Lilah and Marigold. I'm keeping an eye on Starflower and Oakley now, and Daisy has a little longer before I need to start watching her. So definitely watch for updates in late April and early May... I should hopefully have a bunch of bouncing little goat kids then! If anyone is looking to buy, there could be some very good little dairy mutts among the kids.
I feel like that's not much news, but I think those are the primary homestead highlights. Between work and regular chores, I often feel like I have very little time to get anything done on the homestead, but I could also definitely have a little better time management. 😝
I've got some big goals for 2024 and beyond. My prayer requests regarding the homestead are as follows: wisdom about the location and timing of future building projects (possibly a "real" house and barn), wise use of funds (I'm looking at a tractor), improving my stewardship of existing structures and animals, safety as I work (and safety for my Dad when he helps me!!), good health for my animals, clarity about whether I should be researching ways to make the homestead profitable so I can eventually leave my retail job... the list could certainly go on.
I know there are friends and family who regularly pray for me, and I appreciate you so much! ❤️ I definitely need God's blessing and continued help every single day, and I'm so grateful to Him for the help He's given me these past 4+ years.
In closing, here are a few pictures from this afternoon. I took Thane and Hazel for a walk, and all three cats tagged along too. 😂 Can you spot Bartholomew, Purrcy and Clawdia in the picture below? I gave you an easy one... there are a couple other pictures where Bartholomew really blends in. 😝
Purrcy paused by this pool, and I thought the effect was neat.
Here's the dogs reluctantly posing. Hazel was pretty sure we were trying to hunt coyotes for most of the first half of the walk. 😒
Purrcy was definitely the most photogenic cat of the day. 😝
And here are the cats following us home! I think they were glad to be back. 😂
So that's it... I'm looking forward to another year of life on the homestead, and hopefully growing in Christ throughout the year. Happy New Year, everyone! ❤️
