week 23: let's review
this week on the little dream farm
Chris and I talk about this all the time—is time somehow moving faster or does it just feel like it’s on warp speed because we’re adults and have a lot on our plate? I’ve often said if I had a superpower it would be to press pause on moments I want to last or to be able to slow time.
And since this week went by in a flash but was packed with a lot of the goodness of the ups and downs of life on the farm, lets use this week’s Farm Note to take a look back at this (somehow) 23rd week of the year 2023.
MONDAY:
On Sunday afternoon we got a heads up from the man who we get our firewood from that he could deliver two cords of wood to us Monday midday. It was less than ideal timing for our schedules as Chris and I were both trying to tie up a bunch of loose ends before he headed out the door for a trip, but with temps in the 70s and us both home we figured we may as well get it knocked out before the heat of the summer sets in!
So the load of wood was delivered Monday in the early afternoon and all told it took us about three hours to get it all neatly stacked into the wood shed. It’s not even summer yet, but we like to get prepped for the winter well in advance when supply is good and it’s a bit ahead of the bunch. In case you’re wondering, two cords of wood is currently running us $500 and it will last us (with plenty of extra just in case!) for the entire winter. From about October to April We use the wood stove as our primary source of heat and then we supplement with propane if needed. We found that we prefer the house to be cozy with the fire, and last year alone it saved us several hundred dollars on the cost of heating with propane.
Just after the wood was delivered a woman from the county Soil and Water office came out to the farm to finish off our farm soil testing for this year. The conservation program we’re taking part in for our farm (I talked about this in the Week 13 Farm Note) allows some budgeting for soils testing to be done at no cost to us, and will give us a great idea of the health of our pastures. Once the results come back to us in a few weeks we’ll be able to make some informed decisions about some next steps we’re looking to take in the next few years for the health of the farm. Stay tuned! More on that when the results come in.
Monday felt like a big win getting those two things knocked out first thing in a new week!
TUESDAY
Tuesday our alarm was blaring at us at three o’clock in the morning to begin our day. We knocked out the morning chores before getting in the car at 4:30 a.m. to drop Chris off at the Hartford, CT airport for a trip to spend a few days with his dad in Colorado and then onto California for a wedding for an old friend of ours from when we were all stationed together on Guam.
So Tuesday marked the start of six days of single farm mom’ing it as I like to call it, and I kicked it off by getting myself out for my first walk after six weeks of taking a break from walking and lifting at the gym.
Last year I was having some really bad hip pain at the start of the growing season from so much digging, shoveling, bending, mulching, and all the work we were doing outside. This year I didn’t want to overdo it, so as we were getting the growing spaces up and running I allowed that to be my sole exercise these last few weeks. It probably won’t surprise you to know that I was pulling 10-15K steps per day just in farm chores and gardening alone!
The time off from the gym and walking was nice but I’m glad to be back to daily walks outside again—especially this time of year when everything is gorgeous! And my first few strength workouts back at the gym have felt so good—we certainly need it to keep up with the farm and I’m always reminded of how critical it is to strength train whenever we’re doing something labor intensive on the farm.
WEDNESDAY
You know how I mentioned we found a sitter to farm sit for us for times when we want to go away? Well we’ve planned a trip and the sitter came over on Wednesday for a meet and greet and to get an overview of the farm, hang out with all the critters, and go over the chores list she’ll take care of while we’re away. The meet and greet was great, we’re so excited about her, she’s going to do a great job staying here and taking care of everything, and Chris and I are looking forward to our first vacation off the farm together since we moved here in October 2021!
THURSDAY:
I was out in the pasture with Molly-Max and Dominic Thursday evening brushing them both since they’re now in their summer shed. It’s amazing the difference between last year and this year, because last year we were treating them for worms and we worked really hard to improve their overall health but when they had their summer shed their hair came out in mats and clumps and it was patchy and looked pretty ragged for weeks!
This year, they’ve been regularly dewormed and we’ve worked really hard at dialing in the perfect nutrition for each of them, so now while they’re shedding the hair is basically just falling out as it should! I’ll be brushing them both for the next few weeks until they’ve fully shed out…just wait until you see their sleek summer bods this year! They’re both looking incredible!
While I was out with the donkeys, the cattle were roaming around in a nearby pasture so I stopped to take some photos of them.
I noticed one looked like his eye was a little swollen and had some discharge. Then I looked and noticed another looked the same. After taking a scan of all eleven of them, six seemed to have the dreaded goopy eye. I shot a message to the farmer who immediately replied…pink eye…and that he’d be up first thing in the morning to begin treating them.
Pink eye is extremely common for cows—especially when it gets dry outside like it has been for the last few weeks. The flies are buzzing around their eyes mostly helping to keep them clean, but those conditions can also set the stage for pink eye, too, and as you’re likely aware it spreads like crazy.
The farmer and his brother have been up to the farm several times now to treat the herd and hopefully they’re all feeling better as soon as possible! We’ll keep an eye (hehe) on Molly-Max and Dominic, but they’ve been far enough away from the herd that I’m not concerned they’ll get it. If they do, we’re at least prepared and know exactly what to do to treat it.
FRIDAY
Did I mention it was a normal work week for me, too? In case you didn’t know, Chris and I both work full-time remotely. He’s the head of communications for a marketing firm and I am currently on full-time Air Force orders doing public affairs work and then I have virtual fitness and nutrition coaching client calls throughout the week as well. So Friday I wrapped up the week and spent some time in the kitchen making a beautiful meal to end the week on a high note.
We cook at home just about every night of the week and then I typically make enough so that whatever we have for dinner one night becomes lunch for us both the next day. We’ve followed that routine for several years and we find that it saves us a lot of time and money and makes cooking a breeze!
This meal was filet mignon from our farmer (a different farmer than the one who grazes his cows on our land, but funny enough both their names are both John), roasted rainbow carrots, mushrooms and onions sautéed in butter, and some homemade mashed potatoes.
Self-care is often portrayed as bubble baths and manicures but to me, there’s nothing more pampering than making yourself a delicious, thoughtful, nourishing meal. The act of slowly and intentionally spending time in the kitchen preparing the dish and then sitting down to savor and enjoy every bit of it feels really special for me. It was just what I needed!
SATURDAY
One of our hens, Nellie, has had a really rough go of it lately. She had a bad bout of sour crop that took us about two weeks to resolve, but even still she’s struggling to recover.
Thankfully there is such a thing as chicken Facebook groups, and one of the moderators of a group that has been really informative for me responded to my plea for help after 12 days of trying to nurse her back to good health. We have a good way forward of some vitamins and food we’ll be giving to her over the coming days, and hopefully this little sweet warrior hen can pull through!
To give myself some headspace I headed out first thing Saturday morning for some local antiquing and while the only thing I purchased was a latte from one of my favorite coffee shops, a scone from a woman who bakes and sells her delicious scones out of a display case in the entryway of her 1800s home, and filled up the truck with gas, I still had a wonderful time exploring all the treasures and going back in time even if only in my imagination while perusing the shops.
SUNDAY
By the time you’re reading this I’ll be on the road headed a few hours north to a peony farm to spend some time with the farmer and his team. Several weeks ago I purchased 60 different peony varieties from this farm that I’ll pick up in October for fall planting. Just wait until you see the different types and forms—I curated quite the mix of red, pink, blush, coral, and yellow peonies to create our very own Peony Patch on the LDF! More on that later this year and I’ll tell you all about my time up at the farm today via our Instagram so come hang with us there!
It was a jam-packed week for sure and I wouldn’t trade it for a thing! Every single day I learn something new—for example, I found a deer antler in the pasture the other day and was telling the farmer about it and learned that deer shed their antlers once per year. Did you know that?! Truly, I learn something new every day and I can’t get enough.
If you’re still here with me at the end of this note, thanks for coming along for the ride in looking back at the week and I hope that you had a great one yourself. Want to catch me up on some of the highs and/or lows you’ve got going on? What’s up in your neck of the woods?! I’m listening. Do tell.
What a week!
LOL yes I knew that deer shed their antlers, my dad taught me that many years ago when I was young. I have antler sheds as decoration in our home. It is a sweet reminder of my dad and our walks together in the woods. I love telling people about how they do that, they are always shocked. Sometimes they don’t believe me 😂
This past week has been good with lots of great visits with friends. I’m not sure why all of a sudden everyone picked the past week, but it has been wonderful seeing everyone. I have gotten all of our flowers planted and a few seeds started, albeit a bit late. Better late than never 😄 I couldn’t find cosmos plants so I started them from seeds. The best part is we finally got some rain to clean the air of the wildfire smoke (and water the grass) so I was able to get out for walks again with our baby daughter. We love our walks.
Another great story about life on the farm. You definitely deserved that lovely dinner and the coffee/scone! RE: deer antler sheds - they are quite a find. My 65 lb. Labrador Retriever who just turned 13 last month LOVES them. They are great for teeth cleaning - like dental flossing! They are just the right hardness and do not splinter at all. So if you have a friend with a dog and are inclined to share those sheds with them - they will forever love you. Have a great week!