With the heat in the low 100’s… there hasn’t been a lot of outside projects going on at the farm.
It’s just too dang hot! All the critters are pretty much laying low, preferring to stay in their cool barns and much hay. They venture out in the early morning, or very late evenings to nibble a wee bit of grazing fodder, but for the most part, it’s quite and still here. We do our basic chores, make sure everyone is hydrated and safe and just plan to ride it out. I hear that the heat is to break on Saturday night at 8 p.m. So says the weather.com site. Of course, I will be playing music from 7 p.m. onward at a BBQ party, with fireworks and good eats, but still, couldn’t they push that heat break back to say, oh 4 p.m.? Haha… thanks a bunch, weather.com!
(I do get a kick out of them saying things like that… or something like thunderstorm at 5:15 p.m. expended, like it’s a train pulling into a station. Rarely are they on the money, but they act like they are. I do give them a A+ for positive thinking, though…)
But I digress, as usual!
So Jessy and I have been cooking up this project for awhile and we decided it was time to start working on it and getting it done. We’ve had so many lovely compliments about the photography of our site and of our farm, especially the animals. We considered offering some of the more stunning pictures as prints that folks could purchase and we might still do that some day. But as we sifted through the thousands of shots that she and I have taken, it’s super hard to just pick out a few! So, then it dawned on us…. why not write a photo book and use tons of the photos! So we did. We and picked out 250+ of our favorite shots. And we put them all together in a book. With captions and quotes and stories about some of the more memorable shots.
There are 10 chapters in the book, each with a little written kickoff and then lots of great photos. As we work together on it, we just smile and remember all the lovely memories that we have from the past 20 some months. And look forward to many many more! It’s just looking so lovely!!! I hope everyone enjoys it as much as we are.
Our thought is to offer it as a thank you for a little contribution drive. We need a little help. Just a little really, and I hate to even bring it up, but a friend said if you don’t let folks know your needs, then you never know if they can help out and make things good. It’s fencing. We are on our last legs of our huge fencing operation and it’s just proving a little hard to get that last 900 feet of fencing done. We have a big back pasture to finish and then some perimeter protective fencing to finish. We’ve got most of the fence posts we need, it’s just the actual fencing that is not happening. Rolls of field fence come 330 feet at a cost of $170 each. Three aught to do it. And the great thing is that we can get one roll at a time and get that part done, then work on the next roll.
So we’re hoping that our little publication project will help to generate a little help. Not sure if we should offer it at a set price, or let folks see what they might be able to do, just a wee bit, maybe a fancy coffee price or a sandwich… we have over 500+ readers a day! And of course, lots of friends and family. I hope that people enjoy all the time and effort that writing a nearly daily blog entails and have gotten some wisdom and resources as well as a good laugh now and then at the antics of us silly womenfolk trying to start a farm! (I know that part is worth at least a buck! Haha…)
And by all means, I know it’s tough out there, so if you can’t help, hey, that’s perfectly fine too… we’ll still love you all! I just got to thinking that maybe I do need to ask, or else, well, no one really knows. You never know if someone local is sitting on a roll of used fence that might work out, or knows someone that is removing a fence. Or someone far away might just like to say that they helped to get the place super safe for a bunch of neat livestock. I know I’ve done it, helped out a wee bit here and there for blogger projects that I love reading their adventures. The great thing is that even a buck can go a long way and it’s so totally appreciated.
In the meanwhile, what I so love is working on something fun and creative with my daughters! We’ve been oohing and awing and adding comments and suggestions to it the last few days. It’s so nearly done. I have to finish up my chapters, but I have only 7 to go!!! Jessy is working to make sure all the photos are stunning. Maggie has been coming up with clever captions for many of the shots… it’s a family project and we can’t wait to see it completed.
Well, just one more day of this heat for us…. YAHOO!!!!! It’s been so draining! My friend Bill came out yesterday morning to trim Cody’s feet and we hardly did anything but stand around and chat a few minutes and we were dripping sweat! Bill had to take one hoof at a time with a little break between because doing anything in 105 degrees is hard work. Cody was such a sweetie… I had a couple carrots for him as rewards and he did the very best he’s done in the last several times. Not a single flinch. Bill is such a wonderful horseman and farrier. When we got Cody last September, his feet were a mess. Just really hadn’t been done much. As much as we can tell, by his hooves, he’s never foundered, but he still has not had a lot done. The first time was a real adventure in patience!!! He tried hard to kick at Bill a couple times and was just not thrilled with the idea. But now? He did so well. Acted like this was normal procedure. Of course, the promise of a carrot for good behavior was mighty inviting for him and since this is the fourth time Bill’s been out, Cody is getting the hang of it and I think even likes Bill. He came right up to us from the pasture, and gave Bill a good snuffling and rub. Cody loves visitors and I think he knows when he meets a horseman. Bill just has a way with horses and they like and respect him.
I get such a kick out of my little Cody boy. I love how after he gets his feet trimmed, he will take a few steps and consider his new pedicure. And then he gets a little glint in his eye and takes off on a victory lap, free of being confined, but I think, he just likes the way his feet feel because he rips around the yard, kicking up and bucking, and just tearing around on the tight corners and scaring the sheep! Then he comes back with a little roaring stop and blows hard a wee bit with a shake of his little head as if to say, yep, these are perfect! Thanks!
Well, we have some plans for the normal weather!!! Gotta get Sheldon’s new rooster sanctuary yard finished up (almost done) and we want to build or well, rebuild the little banty shanty up here by the house for my little sweethearts! Jessy’s little adorable bunny is coming home sometime soon and she wants to build her a lovely little hutch as well as fix up a few things on our old hutch. The babies are doing fine! So darn cute!!! Me, I want to get into my garden and plant a few more things, shorter span crops like some more beans and some lettuces, and some flowers too! And the last couple storms have dropped a bunch of tree limbs and sticks everywhere!!! I think a little raking therapy will be due in the cool of our mid 80’s weather that is due next week!!! I even saw a low of 57 one night! My gosh, that’s like hoodie weather!!!
Hope everyone had a lovely 4th of July and even if you’re not from around here, hope you’ve had a wonderful week! Can’t wait to enjoy a little music making with my boys!
Pin It
