At the time of writing, Mandy has left me (temporarily!) for a business trip to Toronto — so it’s all on me now! Am I going to get into trouble before she gets back? Nope… probably not. 😅
This week also marked the start of my full-time seasonal hours at the organic farm, so things have been extra busy. If this update is a little scattered, forgive me — my brain’s juggling about a million things at once. But hey, enjoy the read and the photos anyway!
With Mandy away, it’s up at 5:30 AM to get the day rolling — prepping for milking, feeding the animals, and making sure everyone’s cared for before I head out to work by 8. The girls have mostly been cooperative during milking… except for Ally, of course. She nearly got me in the face with a rogue hoof. She really doesn’t enjoy being milked, and she’s made that crystal clear! Normally, that’s a two-person job, but we’re planning to tweak the stanchion setup soon to make solo milking a little less risky
The past two weeks have been all about the garden — and romantic walks through plant nurseries. No joke, it’s our new date spot! 🌱
Pro tip: if you see a plant you want, grab it when you see it. I made the mistake of waiting on strawberries until I had a better idea of where they’d go… and by the time I went back, most were sold out! Lesson learned.
Thankfully, we managed to snag a hanging basket with several runners, so not all is lost. I’m planning to build a strawberry tower soon, and the runners will be planted in containers on a pallet wall. It should make for a nice little vertical setup — once I get more soil, of course. Always more soil. 🧑🌾
Speaking of soil, a big shoutout to Al & Constance — they loaded up our truck with a couple bucket-loads of black gold! Thanks to them, we were able to top up some of our existing beds and make real progress.
Of course, we also picked up about three bags of soil during one of our romantic nursery strolls (yes, again), but that only filled about two-thirds of the new bed in the high tunnel. So, progress — but not quite there yet.
I’ve started framing out the new bed and adding in soil as we get it. Slowly but surely, the garden is taking shape!
The new Skyhopper Ranch is inching closer to completion! We’ll need to order more wire when Mandy gets back so we can spruce up the old cages — and I suppose the walls could use some covering… and a door. So yeah, maybe we’re about sixty percent done!
But hey — the roof is finished, and it already passed its first test! We’ve had hot weekdays followed by classic weekend downpours, and despite reusing tin with a few “character holes,” we only had one leak — right where I forgot to screw down a section on the overhang. Easy fix!
Once the bunnies move in, we’ll finally be able to start breeding them, and then it’s time to convert the old hutch into a full-on Quail Mansion. One step closer to a thriving little micro-farm!
One of our Silkie roosters found a new home with Skye after she sadly lost one of hers — and we’re happy to report he’s fitting right in! It’s hard to say if he took to the ladies or they took to him, but either way, everyone seems happy and settled. We love a feathered happily-ever-after! 🐓💛
Our broody bantam hens (Silkies and Cochins) have been hatching eggs lately — a sweet surprise, even if it wasn’t part of the plan. We started with five fluffy chicks, but nature’s been tough. Some didn’t make it past a few days, and we suspect abandonment or even a few too-curious roosters may be to blame. As of this morning, just one tiny chick remains. It’s always hard to lose any, even when you try to let nature take its course. I suppose this is why they lay so many eggs — still, it doesn’t make it any easier. 💛🐣
We planted so many things that I have forgotten, but we are happy to see many plants return that we thought were dead.
Mandy even spruced up the back deck! I planted a few hanging baskets and a jasmine.
Until Mandy returns thanks for reading my chaotic writings!