Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Ch-Ch-Changes

Things sure do change quick around here. This weekend we welcomed some new humans to the 100 Acre Wood. They aren't permanent residents, but weekender's. My Great Aunt Hazel and her friend, Terry, purchased a camper to keep here. They've said we could also use it as guest quarters when they aren't here. I have a feeling it won't be available many weekends! They plan to be here a lot.


For now the camper is on the driveway. A more permanent spot has been chosen, but needs cleared. It is a nice spot in the woods, but close enough that Aunt Hazel can get to the houses.

She and Kellen really hit it off this weekend. She is into puzzle books; word and number puzzles. She showed Kellen how to do them, and he was instantly hooked! It was touching to see them working them together. Kellen also asked her about rationing during World War II. She is 91. It is amazing to think of the things she has seen in her lifetime.

One year ago we had exactly two animals on the farm; a dog and a rabbit. Now, we have a petting zoo with a grand total of 19 animals. I've told you about the horses & cows. We have three each now. There are six rabbits, three ducks, and a chicken.

Over the weekend we acquired two more animals. The first a rooster for our crazy chicken. Kellen named him Alpha Rooster.



As Nolan found out, he is not an animal to pet. Don't worry no harm done, but Nolan would not leave that rooster alone. He wanted to pet it. (Did I mention he is a stubborn kid?) The rooster finally had enough. He puffed himself up, flapped his wings and strutted toward Nolan. Nolan now has a healthy respect for Alpha.

We also acquired a sheep. We are keeping her indefinitely for a friend. Her name is Maggie. She is very gentle and tame. The first thing we did was give her a hair cut. We don't have the proper tools, so it was a long process. Here Terry is helping Papaw. See, even weekender's get put to work around here.


Maggie is very tame and gentle. She will follow you about anywhere. The kids and I took her for a walk yesterday. We led her on a dog leash with no problems. Lydia likes to brush her. We may have her bred later, but for now she is serving as a weed eater, and clearing out some over grown spots.


You would think that would be enough for awhile wouldn't you? But no! The rabbits will hopefully have their litters this week. The other cow is expecting calf within the next month. We are hoping that the chicken and ducks hatch out some eggs this summer yet. And we are planning to purchase a pig and goats in early June, and perhaps some more hens too. The pig is a birthday present for Miles from Mamaw and Papaw. (That is what he wanted!) The goats will be used to help eat the weeds and improve the pasture. We will probably also use them for meat, and maybe, milk down the road.

One year ago we also had no garden. This year we have two. A small one by the house,

(as you can see the siding is still a work in progress) and a much larger one the neighbors are letting us use.

Things are changing fast in the 100 Acre Wood. It is fun and exciting. It is going to be a very busy summer! I just hope we haven't bitten off more than we can chew!

8 comments:

  1. What a wonderful post. Surrounded by family and friends and farm animals. It sounds just so delightful!

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  2. Okay, Braydon and Audrey are really excited about the sheep. Everyday we take Madison to pre-school they look for the baby sheep.An amish guy has a bunch of baby sheep down the road. Now you need some pigs! Aunt Sis

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  3. Wow! I have to go clean up my house because the kids are ready and waiting, but I'm COMING BACK TO READ THIS POST!

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  4. Sounds like total chaos! Just my kind of place! Now you really need to chane your title to "100 Acre Farm".

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  5. Okay I'm humming David Bowie now.

    Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes . . .

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  6. HOLY MOSES! That's a SMALL garden?! Enjoy it. We container garden around here...

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  7. Neat! Hey, this reminds me of what we learned in 3rd grade science this past week. Ds learned about plowing and crops, specifically strip cropping to prevent erosion. I think we are going to try this to help with erosion around our patio. Even a city girl can learn something new about farming and use it! ;)

    Can't wait to see your harvest!

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