I had no intentions of taking a blogging hiatus...but it seems to have happened anyway! lol. This past month has been so full...between birthdays, planning for an upcoming trip, selling and buying animals, injuries and illnesses....whew!~ :)
Here are some quick updates on some of the changes and challenges:
-We sold all of our full-sized chickens and have hatched some bantams to take their places. The only chicken we kept from our original flock was a little silkie named Sally. We have hatched some more silkies, some sizzles and frizzles.
-We sold our Nigerian Dwarf goats...and bought some larger breed dairy goats. (Which is why we switched to bantams...to make room for the larger goats.) We now have 2 LaMancha doelings and a Saanen doeling...all 3 months old. When we brought them home a month ago, they were still being bottle fed..that was a whole new experience! Early morning feedings were a surprising joy :)
We will be bringing a buckling into our little herd once we are home from our trip.
-Ducks! We now have a pair of Pekins...if you have ever wanted to raise ducks, I'd have to recommend Pekins. What a wonderful, multi-purpose bird! For people looking for meat birds, they are at full, butcher weight at 7 weeks old....for people looking for a laid-back bird that lays eggs regularly..they fill that "bill" as well :P We are also dabbling in call ducks...that's a whole 'nother adventure that I'll elaborate on at another time ;)
-Strawberry plants...Our eventual plan, is to produce most of our fruits and veggies on our own little patch of land. The first phase in that plan for us was to plot and plant a strawberry patch. We now have 50 strawberry plants that will (Lord willing) begin supplying us with fruit next summer ;)
Raspberries/Blackberries, Apples, Peaches and Plums to come!
-Herb beds/Perennial beds..We decided to combine our love for herbs and Perennials in one area. We won't know for a while if this was a successful coupling..will keep you all posted :)
-In the garden..We have been planning and plotting our gardens for months and are finally in the implementing stages! We have some beautifully tilled soil (thanks to my wonderful hubby :) and are excited to begin sowing seeds and seedlings this afternoon. We are going to focus on companion planting and combine traditional rows with square foot gardening...again, updates to come:) It's a bit premature for New England, but we are going to watch closely for those pesky, late-season frosts.
-Fishing/Camping... Two of our favorite spring/summer activities! We discovered a state forest with a lake and campground very close to our home. We had thought camping wouldn't be an option with all of our critters, but now are excited to be able to plan a few get-aways for this summer. The fishing there has been wonderful as well!
-The current school year is almost over....and we will be starting the next when we return from our trip. The end of a school year is always bittersweet, but we are very excited to begin using the Konos curriculum.
-Birthdays...my wonderful hubby turned 33 last week...the day after our little man turned 4. My mother and grandmother also celebrated their birthdays this past week....and then with Mothers day...celebrations on both sides of the family have been abundant and soo much fun (Not to mention our Anniversary yesterday! :)
-Injuries and illnesses...Our kiddos managed to catch one of the spring colds floating around...and it made it's rounds in our family :P Praise the Lord, it was short lived and they are all recovering quickly. And injuries...well, I injured my back this past winter and it has been slow to heal. It turns out I've done some major damage and will be seeing an Orthopedic Surgeon as well as beginning Physical Therapy. Prayers are always appreciated:)
-Our upcoming trip...My oldest daughters and I (along with my mother) will be taking a week long trip to Boston! We are blessed to live in New England..an area so rich in historical places. A week is surely not long enough to visit all of them, but should be very educational and fun :)
And that, my friends is a quick update on our little, urban homestead :)
Pictures to come...
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