Spring on Fat Beagle Farm

Well, we've been here in Afton for over 10 months - enough time to feel 'moved in' but for the remaining boxes on the porch and who-knows-how-many unpacked kitchen boxes in the basement. We're headed into our first full year living "country life", after a fun summer getting settled, a gorgeous autumn, and a strange but fun winter here on the homestead-lite. Now it really feels like HOME. The amazing springtime weather has done wonders for all five of us. We had birds all winter at our feeders, but now we can HEAR them singing every day. Real, bona fide green grass is starting to poke through, and yesterday I spied some bulbs coming up in the garden! And don't forget the truest, time-honored sign of spring in Minnesota - MUD. And dirt. All over everything, all the time. Ahhh, yes. 'Tis the season of Minnesota Mud.

Our biggest project right now is readying the barnyard for baby goats. The fencing is more than halfway done, and I've spent time tidying the barn stalls to get ready. There's still PLENTY to do, but I feel like we're making a dent, especially compared to the barn's junk-holding status all winter. Things are really starting to shape up, so that it really does appear those little caprines will indeed join us in June. We've decided to start with two, one doeling (a young female) and one young wether (castrated male), with plans to breed the doe in the fall. We're getting Nigerian Dwarves, a miniature dairy breed that are ridiculously cute and easier to deal with than larger goats due to their small size. We'll keep you posted!

We've decided to wait until next season for chickens. We have two great, old coops, and by "great" I mean somewhat charming but throughly delapidated. The work involved is too much for now. We figure one new species (and the associated prep work in fencing and housing) is enough this spring.

There's a thunderstorm south of us, so Ted and I are off to try to get a bit more of that fence done in case we get slammed. It's even fun, which shocks me more than anyone. I'm no great shakes, but who knew this city girl could manage to wield a hammer properly and actually enjoy it?? Maybe there's a hidden farmwife in me yet....