Colleague: "What happened? Did you give up farming?"
Me: "Heaven's no, why?"
Colleague: "It has been more than a month since you posted anything on your blog. I miss it!"
Me: "A month - no, it was only a week or so..." She was right, more than a month has passed and I lost complete track of time. Days have, passed into weeks, and now over month without my realizing it.
I endeavor not to talk about my perceived misery on this blog. So, I didn't post when I was in a bad mood, nor did I post when I thought I had nothing positive to say. What I didn't realize is that there are people out there who are really eager to hear about not only my adventures but the misadventures as well. So I will be posting much more regularly, they may be short, or they may only have a picture with a short comment, but I will be posting.
I endeavor not to talk about my perceived misery on this blog. So, I didn't post when I was in a bad mood, nor did I post when I thought I had nothing positive to say. What I didn't realize is that there are people out there who are really eager to hear about not only my adventures but the misadventures as well. So I will be posting much more regularly, they may be short, or they may only have a picture with a short comment, but I will be posting.
The new year arrived and with it an over abundance of rabbits. Our processor had not been accepting rabbits since the beginning of deer season; they were busy with not only processing venison but also everyone who contracted with them for processing of their fall beef and pork as well. 48 extra rabbits consume copious amounts of feed, especially when they are weeks past their regular processing weight. Feed costs are high and I was very worried about putting propane in the tank and making sure the bank wasn't going to come after the car in addition to feeding extra rabbits. Finally, two trips to the processor, cleaned and repaired cages and racks; 72 rabbits had dwindled to a manageable 24.
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| This one is so much less rusty than the one I have |
A sugaring pan was acquired, very inexpensively, on Craigslist. It is a little bit rusty, but significantly less expensive than purchasing one new. It is the smaller part of a much larger boiling rig so it will require some valves and caps in order to hold the clear, sweet liquid which will become maple syrup. For now it rests in the garage waiting for a day near freezing when it can be cleaned and made ready for sugaring. Ten below zero on the farm last night and a decent snow storm predicted for the weekend give the false impression that spring is still a ways away; I am not so confident.
DH found a full-time job off the farm. I was worried about mounting expenses and lack of farm raised income. His off-farm income will help toward heat and feed bills. It will take a little getting used to as we attempt to divide chores for those rare days we both work off the farm; however, it is nice to have a tiny bit more financial wiggle room.
At least that was until the car went to the mechanic to make the repairs necessary to get it inspected. 'Jen, you can't put this car back on the road,' said the mechanic that my uncle uses for all of his cars and has for almost two decades. I figured he was being overly cautious. I took it to a second mechanic who told me that I was nuts to even drive the car home.
That was where all progress slowed. No, more like halted. Maybe more like stopped on a dime. Actually - slammed head-long, 75 mph into a rock ledge. After fighting for most of the fall just to keep our heads above water, getting hit with yet another - NO YOU CAN'T - was about all I could take. A couple of bottles of wine and a few bad days of self-pity later, I screwed my head back on straight, dug in my heels and decided, that what was happening in my life was not going to beat me.
My dream is to live life on the farm and if I didn't decide to make that happen, no one was going to make it happen for me. For now I am back on track. I still worry far too much. We have not received an inheritance nor have we won the Powerball so the money concerns are still there. Thankfully, little man is healthy. My body is getting stronger by the day as I carry totes full of frozen water bottles into and out of the house sometimes twice or three times per day; although I still have a long way to go. With DH out in the working world, a new potential market for farm products is being developed. The car payment is still late, the current rig still needs repair and both it and the newly acquired used rig need tires, the rabbit shed still doesn't have a roof and we are down to less than 20% in the propane tank - but I am not giving up!
At least that was until the car went to the mechanic to make the repairs necessary to get it inspected. 'Jen, you can't put this car back on the road,' said the mechanic that my uncle uses for all of his cars and has for almost two decades. I figured he was being overly cautious. I took it to a second mechanic who told me that I was nuts to even drive the car home.
That was where all progress slowed. No, more like halted. Maybe more like stopped on a dime. Actually - slammed head-long, 75 mph into a rock ledge. After fighting for most of the fall just to keep our heads above water, getting hit with yet another - NO YOU CAN'T - was about all I could take. A couple of bottles of wine and a few bad days of self-pity later, I screwed my head back on straight, dug in my heels and decided, that what was happening in my life was not going to beat me.
My dream is to live life on the farm and if I didn't decide to make that happen, no one was going to make it happen for me. For now I am back on track. I still worry far too much. We have not received an inheritance nor have we won the Powerball so the money concerns are still there. Thankfully, little man is healthy. My body is getting stronger by the day as I carry totes full of frozen water bottles into and out of the house sometimes twice or three times per day; although I still have a long way to go. With DH out in the working world, a new potential market for farm products is being developed. The car payment is still late, the current rig still needs repair and both it and the newly acquired used rig need tires, the rabbit shed still doesn't have a roof and we are down to less than 20% in the propane tank - but I am not giving up!
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