"Always something to do on a farm"

I can attest to the fact that this saying is absolutely true! Aside from the general maintenance side of things, which includes feeding, milking, collecting eggs, cleaning, trimming hooves, etc. there are the projects. Like anything else, time and money dictate which projects get done when, but I've also found that project priorities change with our circumstances.

When we brought our first goats home, our first project on the list after the basics were in place was to expand the size of the doe pen. We found that the goats did just fine outside the pen, and decided to focus our efforts on other things. After living with things this way a couple years, we've again prioritized this pen. Goats are curiously mischievous creatures that will not only eat your shrubs, but also take your grill, patio chairs, and phone lines apart if given the opportunity! They're not very discriminating when it comes to where they use the bathroom, and see absolutely no reason to refrain from standing on your patio table to nibble your umbrella and leaving a present at Grandma's seat at the table while they're at it. We are no longer amused!

The tax assessor was by not long ago to measure our barn. Our rate will go up. After chatting with him a while, I discovered that if we were using several small shed type buildings, these wouldn't be counted, but a larger barn means that the government should get more of our money. Interesting how that works. So I'm beginning to reconsider the larger barn we had planned on building and thankful that we haven't built it yet (though I was most upset at having to spend the money for it on boring things for the house previously. God works all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purposes!) Now I am looking at the lay of our land, dividing it up into separate pastures in my mind, and putting a shed style shelter on the fence line of each one! Benefits I see are that not only will we pay less to the government, but these shelters will probably be a bit cheaper to build and can be done in stages, rather than all at once. That's always a good thing!

For the past 3 years, we've been itching to start a garden of our own. Two years ago, we were getting started with goats and building a barn during planting season. Last year, I was having a baby and goat chores were enough. This year we got together a seed order, made a plan for fencing out the garden to keep goats, chickens, deer, rabbits, dogs, etc. out of it... and last night decided that perhaps we need to wait and plant fall crops, because the spring will be so busy with all our other projects (fences) and Shiloh doesn't yet let me do much that can't be accomplished with one hand while sitting down! (I'm not adept at getting things done my first year with a baby!) I may try to do a few things, but am thinking about landscaping around the house with fruit trees and berry plants...perennials rather than annuals...when I know the goats won't be eating them!

Once the doe pen is done, and the garden area (well, the one up here; the one down by the road will remain undone) fenced, there is the chicken coop to build. We've modified our hay feeders so that the chickens can't get in them. Our buck pen has been completely redone as well. Always something going on! So this year, rather than growing our veggies, I just might buy them from the Mennonite market while I'm in the neighborhood buying feed! :)