This past month has been hectic, full of business planning through countless hours. Up til late (like one a.m.) and back out of bed by six! Lack of sleep and high stress are starting to wear me down.
The newest battles have been over flood plain issues and building permits. Everything with this business has been an uphill battle. I just can't wait for the day when all of the preliminary stuff is finished and we are finally ready to open the doors. I have had enough of this to last me more than a life time or maybe two. Between the long hours and lack of cooperation....I am in desperate need for a long overdue vacation. One with no phones, computers and preferrably electricity.
On the person level, things are busy than ever on the farm. We have added another eight barred rock hens and a rooster to our flock. I love hearing the big man crowing in the morning! We will be ready to start hatching some chicks out soon. Time to start thinking long term and be prepared for spring with a new brood. Then in the spring we will hatch out a bunch more that we can either sell or keep, depending on egg demands. Right now we are selling around 15 dozen eggs a week. Not bad for a hobby farm, right? Thank heavens it helps pay for the ever increasing feed bills now that the calves are eating more and more grain.
The turkey poults are happy as clams in their new run. They hardly ever stay in it all day, but they sure do love being outside. They got caught out in the rain tonight as it moved through, but sure didn't seem to mind at all that they were soaked.
The calves are doing great and gain weight steadily. Norman is still having problems on and off with his back leg, especially when the weather is cool and damp but he is growing good and is right on track. Davy and Danny are finally starting to come around to the handling. The both stand about 35-36 inches at the front shoulder already....hard to believe they are growing up so fast.
Belle is steadily gaining weight and is progressively improving. I am still astounished at how well she does with all three of the calves. We are going to wean them this month and have her artificially inseminated, so hopefully we get a heifer calf next spring. We are switching her feed as well to allow her time to dry out, more corn meal for fat. Time to start bulking her up for the winter. It doesn't seem possible that it is that time already.
Buck is doing great...other than with his steadily growing temper. He got mad at me for brushing out Belle a few weeks back and smashed my hand...in the process, dislocated three bones in my hand. The one in my thumb is the only one that continues to nag me, but even that is considerably better now. He is going to butcher nice this fall. He is already approaching 1200 pounds. It is going to provide a whole mess of meat for the freezer this winter!
We have also celebrated Rich's parents being married for fifty years recently. Can you imagine? 50 years? I will feel lucky to live to be fifty. It was wonderful having all of the family together to celebrate though...even though Rich's one nephew just managed to get restationed in Washington State and missed the party. We all would have loved to have him, his wife and little one there with us to help celebrate.
The next order of business is our daughter's wedding! I finally managed to find a dress suitable enough for a "mother of the bride" I ordered it today and hopefully it will be in by the end of the week. I am so happy for her. I want to make sure that her day is extra special. I love the man she is going to marry and they are very good together. And if I may say so...they produce beautiful children. I do love my granddaughter with all my heart...even though she sometimes makes me miss my family so very much.
My sister in law and her two girls are here for the next month visiting from Texas. I am glad to have them here....we really need to get the "city" out of her youngest.
You know, some people have bad luck and they gripe and complain about how miserable there lives are. I have bad luck and I look around me. I look at all of the little things in life that mean more to me than anything else in the world. The smile of a baby, the happy chewing of cudd of the cows, the crowing of the rooster in the morning, the dinners all provided from the farm......I love my life.
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