The last couple of weeks have really been about using and taking care of what we have, with a ton of learning— a bit of maintenance, if you will, the kind that keeps everything moving forward.
It feels like any time we invest in machinery, something decides to test us, and it breaks. Earlier this winter, before the worst of the cold set in, Addy and I bought a Ryobi 40V 24-inch electric snowblower. Heated handles, four batteries, enough for our driveway — we felt prepared. Especially since our tractor still isn’t running (logistics and funds, if we’re being honest.. don’t want to talk about it).
It worked beautifully… until it met a tiny stick. Then, not so much!
We assumed the shear pins had snapped. That’s what they’re designed to do. So we ordered replacements — from Europe — because apparently winter means no parts available in Canada. Weeks later, the pins arrived. Joshua went out to fix it.
None of the shear pins were broken.
The motor runs, but the main drive shaft doesn’t engage. So now the snowblower — purchased at the end of November — is sitting in our tarp shed waiting for warranty service. The nearest service center is an hour and a half away in Heartland, New Brunswick. So that’s our next step: first, confirm they’ll look at it; we don’t know if they will yet. Then, load it up, and make the trip.
Sometimes it feels like we take one full step forward and then half a step back with machines. Gas, diesle or electric — it doesn’t seem to matter! But we keep going.
Thankfully, the animals don’t care about any of that. As winter continues, they’re mostly doing great, which is what matters most.
Over in the boys’ goat area, Bron is clearly the boss. No violence, no major aggression — just hierarchy. He always gets first pick of the grain. There are three bowls in the pen, and the other boys politely wait until I fill the second and third. It’s goat politics at its finest. I keep mentioning it because it’s hilarious! Also, it’s part of my morning every day. I am grateful they are, for the most part, getting along.
We’ve been giving all the goats, both the girls and boys, fir and pine trees as treats, and they absolutely strip them bare. An eight-foot tree lasts about a day and a half — bark gone, needles gone. It’s enrichment and cleanup all in one. The ladies are fiesty! They have mostly sorted out their hierarchy. Missy is the boss again, then her sister Tessy and then their kids from last year when they are with their moms, and Ally is at the bottom. Unless one of the Juniors is separated from their moms, then Ally is above Meg and Gwen. Fascinating to watch. In less than two months, we’ll have (hopefully) new additions to the herd!
Hay management has been a bigger focus lately. Even though we’re only mid-winter, our hay supply is looking lower than I’d like. We’re still owed thirty bales from last year’s purchase, and we’ll likely try to grab a few extra to carry us through a little longer… Aiming to make it until the first cutting, early to mid June, depending on the spring. Hay is always the trickiest part of keeping ruminants in the winter without our own hay fields. Goats may have a reputation for eating anything, but if hay hits the ground or looks questionable (like someone pooped on it), they’ll waste it. We’ve been trying to find that balance — enough to keep them satisfied, but not so much that half of it gets wasted. I think a better hay feeder design is in our future… eventually!
So far, we’re managing.
On the poultry side of the FunnyFarm, we do have one Bresse rooster who isn’t doing super well. It seems like the dominant rooster took offence to something — chicken politics are mysterious — and he ended up with a black eye and a bleeding comb, not going to lie, he is looking rough. For a moment, I considered putting him out of his misery. I hate seeing animals suffer, and taking a chicken to the vet isn’t realistic farm life.
Instead, we moved him to the bantam coop, where the smaller birds are less aggressive. He’s eating, drinking, and getting around. Addy is more optimistic than I am. For now, we wait and see.
On the other side of our daily lives, inside the house, we’ve been diving deep into learning our embroidery machine after investing in a Poolin EOC06. It’s been sitting in the box since October waiting for us to have the time (and courage) to unbox it and fire it up. Well, we did! Addy updated the software so it now communicates with our computer over Wi-Fi, which feels more efficient. Though the thumb drive it came with is handy too, for the larger files.
The learning curve, though, has been intense.
Digitizing — turning images into stitch files — requires understanding underlay stitches (a sort of foundation), stitch density (stitch spacing), running stitches, satin stitches, and various fill types. Then there’s fabric and stabilizers. What stabilizer works for what material? What thread are you using for what kind of designs? Does that change the stabilizer choice? Can that design go on a stretchy t-shirt without distorting? Or is it only a patch design? Will it disappear into a fluffy towel? We mostly want to make patches for hats, or whatever you want to sew them on! I bought a crewneck sweatshirt to make myself a crazy goat lady design. But I have to build up to that project.
It’s more technical than I expected — and I love it.
If you’ve followed this blog for any length of time, you probably know learning is my favourite thing. That’s likely why I have about a hundred hobbies.
We’re hopeful about an upcoming craft show (still on the to-do list to sign up), and that’s been motivating us to take this seriously. Of course, making branded table runners and other marketing things for other small businesses would be another great application for this new tool as well. We’ll see!
Another quiet project this winter has been simply eating the food we already have.
It sounds simple. Just eat what’s in your house. But breaking the habit of grocery shopping and automatically adding extras has taken intention. We’ve got potatoes in storage, pickles on shelves, and tomatoes in freezer bags. If we don’t actively use them, they just sit there.
So we’ve been asking: what can we make with what we already have?
We’ve been roasting and smashing the tiny potatoes instead of peeling them all. I’ve been thawing frozen tomatoes and dicing them while still partially frozen to add to soups and sauces. We need to clear freezer space before the next growing season because I already know I’ll want to plant more tomatoes than we technically need.
One thing we’ve learned? We didn’t grow quite enough potatoes last year. At this rate, we’ll likely run out by mid-March. So this year’s planting plans will adjust.
We still buy some of our meat — Costco is usually our go-to — but we’re hopeful that this year we’ll improve our own protein production here on the homestead. In the form of rabbits, quail, maybe duck, and possibly goat, we’ll see.
Winter has a way of revealing gaps in your systems. It shows you where you overestimated and where you underestimated. It’s not growth exactly — it’s steady correction.
And that’s okay.
This month we celebrated River’s 15th Birthday, and unfortunately, due to work and life schedules, we weren’t able to get together for Bella’s 21st Birthday :'( We still managed to wish her a Happy Birthday!
For River — who’s recently gotten into patches — we thought it would be the perfect opportunity to try out some of our sublimation patch blanks and make him a few custom ones. It felt good to actually put the equipment to use and create something tangible.
Truth be told, Addy had also ordered some iron-on embroidered patches, but for whatever reason they got stuck in shipping. Late deliveries seem to be becoming an unwelcome norm around here — parts delayed, orders stalled, things just not arriving when they’re supposed to.
Still, we made it work.
We also celebrated Addy’s 45th birthday. Poor Addy ended up getting sick on his actual birthday, so we had to postpone celebrating with friends until he was feeling better. Still, he was spoiled by family and friends, which helped make up for it.
He even bought himself a gift — a rare collected graphic novel from one of our favourite comic book artists who passed away far too young. When the book was first released, Addy hesitated and didn’t buy it. It was a limited run, and within a few short weeks the price skyrocketed. The cover price was $100 USD, and the hardcovers quickly climbed into the thousands because they were even more limited. Let’s just say… he was a sad boy.
But this is one of the rare times when our devices’ “listening” to us actually worked in our favour. The softcover edition popped up on eBay for $50, and Addy jumped on it immediately. Even with $25 shipping, it was still cheaper than the original cover price. A small birthday victory.
Another thing we checked off our bucket list this year was skating the lit trails. Stefan and Amalie were happy to join us, and it turned into one of those simple, perfect winter evenings.
It was clear and just warm enough that skating through the woods actually felt enjoyable instead of biting cold. Mandy suggested we go around sunset, and she was absolutely right. The sky faded into soft pastels, and the moon was big and bright above the trees. Skating through the lit trails with that kind of backdrop felt almost magical.
Afterward, we grabbed dinner and stopped into the Big Axe across the street, which made the whole evening feel like a proper little winter outing.
These past couple of weeks haven’t been dramatic or glamorous — even though we did manage to sneak in a little fun along the way. For the most part, they’ve been about fixing what breaks, learning new skills, managing feed, tending animals, adjusting habits, and using what we already have more intentionally.
Maintenance season isn’t just about tools and equipment. It’s about habits. Systems. Skills. Inventory. Patience.
We may not have a working snowblower at the moment, but the goats are content, the embroidery stitches are improving, the freezer is slowly clearing out, and we’re learning as we go. That feels like progress.
There’s still plenty of winter ahead, but there’s also momentum building beneath it.
As always, thank you for reading and following along with life on the Funny Farm. Whether you’re here for the goat politics, the machine mishaps, or the slow and steady growth — we’re grateful you’re part of it.
Until next time! <3