Long time no Post

Since it has been three years since I've updated this, figure it was time to play catch up!  

I won't bore you with alllll the details - just a few highlights of the last year.  

June-ish 2022, we sold our farm of nine years in Weirsdale.  What a wonderful place it was while we were there, but it was time for a new chapter.  The market was favorable (aka insane!!)  and we were ready to step back from the busyness of the location.  

We discovered moving all the horses, goats, chickens, ducks and rabbits was not for the faint of heart.  Even with extra time on the closing to be out, we begged and borrowed the time of family, friends and hard working strangers (literally!) to make it out, mostly, on time.  Sanity optional.  

We moved into my childhood home my parents still owned, downsizing by a good 1,000 sq ft., a bedroom, and bathroom.  I found a wonderful barn, empty for the summer, to rent for the three horses in Weirsdale.  The pigs went to a friend's while the five goats (two pregnant), chickens, rabbits and ducks went with us to the "Lake House".  

Whew.  Reliving the chaos, even in minimal detail, is exhausting.  

Fast forward to July-ish.  A property in Summerfield, within the budget and reasonable driving distance of my parents, pops up.  Call our amazing realtor who promptly makes an appointment to see it with me.  Husband is working nights and I haven't seen him in a month of Sundays.  We go look.  It's questionable, but not bad.  Scads of work - fencing to be replaced, unlivable mobile home to be removed, lots of bush hogging and clearing to do, a "shop" brimming with junk, but also a working tractor and implements.  A flock of semi feral peacocks is included.  But - it is off the beaten path, square (the old place had wonky property lines), high and dry, and within budget.  Call the husband.  Without seeing it, he says, "If you think it will work, make an offer".   I do.  They counter, we counter, they accept.  Wow.  Just bought a massive project!  It's laughable.  

May the projects commence.  

Priorities - 
1.  Fencing
2. Barn
3. House

Sounds logical, yes?  

Here we are, a slightly more than a year into this.  

Fencing is a perpetual work in progress, the barn has had power for less than a month and the janky, rains-inside-when-it-rains-outside mobile home is still there.  Presently it houses turkey poults, but I digress.  

If I listed all the lateral projects ongoing while we still work towards a house, it would blow your mind.  So read on with caution.  

Again, without too much detail, we have added - 
1.  hogs (Purchased and "acquired")
2.  Emden Geese flock
3.  Coturnix quail
4.  Beef heifers
5.  Turkeys

In the process, we have doubled the size of the duck flock and rabbitry.  Chickens are their own bailiwick.   And I bought a foal.  You know, thinking to the future.  

Oh, and eldest child is going into another homeschool year.  She has her own interests with her pony, 4H chapter steer and archery.  She is also writing and illustrating a book.  

I could wallow in the details of this insanity.  And that will take place in later posts.  Until then, it is only fair to glow with gratitude for all the people that have helped in this next chapter of life.  Our parents, their friends (special thanks to the Buzzard Brigade), family, friends, friends of friends, co-workers, the list goes on - to everyone who has made all of this possible, Salud!