The Routine

With farm life (and by that I mean tending to a garden, an orchard, chickens, bunnies, quails, dogs, horses, and a cat) you'd be quickly overwhelmed without finding new ways to simplify -- well, if not overwhelmed, at least without much of a life outside of it.

I have only begun the rudiments of a farm. The dogs, horses, bunnies, and the cat need to be fed twice a day. The greenhouse and the garden need tending to everyday. The chickens' eggs need to be collected, and their food and water checked. When the bees arrive, they'll need attention to about once every two weeks or so. And this isn't considering the time required to plan and implement seasonal events like planting, harvesting, seed saving, honey extraction, and new chicks. I don't mean to sound like I'm complaining; all these living things provide much joy; like all things worth having, they just need caring to.

For me there is much satisfaction in beginning to understand the huge wealth of knowledge required to care for flora and fauna in an organic, natural, and simplified way, and turning that knowledge into action on the farm. I know I have only revealed the tip of the iceberg -- yet, the complexity of the biological processes taking place are astounding, compounded further by our desire to use those processes for our benefit.

At this stage, almost six months into this (ad)venture, I am happy. The curiosity in the routine provides me as much enjoyment as the playfulness of the animals and abundance of life around me. I don't know: it could just be because it's spring time!

Friends and family, it's a great time to get your butts up here! There is always room for more beds, the nights are warm, and things are alive and growing everywhere!

P.s., I just planted all the frost tolerant annuals in the garden these past couple days. Let's hope they survive. It would be a sad day if it all gets wiped out tomorrow by gophers or birds or some other critter... If not, in a couple months there should be mountains of fruit and veggies to enjoy until winter!