May on the Mountain
The Best and Busiest Spring Yet
Holy Schmoly. Holy Toledo, and Holy Hanna. May was BUSY.
I’m still in awe at what I accomplished in the past month. New buildings, new animals, lots of learning and a little time for some fun. The dark cloud from April that was lingering overhead has disappeared. I’m exhausted and happy.
Quick Trip Away
Already feeling burnt out from April, the month started strong with a night away. Not far from home - we spent the night in a Hobbit House! The underground dwelling was so peaceful and serene, I couldn’t stop myself from napping in a chair by the fireplace.
We ate a charcuterie, drank some pints, and relaxed. It was just the reset I needed and we returned to the mountain refreshed.
Getting Guineas
The very next day we welcomed a new critter to the farm. Guinea chicks. ‘Keets’ is what they’re called. To keep them warm before they grew feathers, they stayed in the house for the entire month.
Getting Guineas has been high on the priority list for a good reason.
Ticks.
Guineas are crazy about eating bugs, and love to eat ticks! I’m hoping they’ll nearly eradicate the creepy little arachnids. Unlike chickens, guineas are a wild bird and don’t become friendly. Hopefully, their stay in the tiny house got them a bit more accustomed to our faces.
Homes for Goats
After all four doe goats kidded, I suddenly had 12 goats. Too many. I would have loved to have kept the bouncy baa-monsters for clearing the mountain, but I couldn’t fathom feeding them through the winter. I decided to re-home the cutest of the bunch and I’m glad that I did. They’re now living on a beautiful hobby farm among wineries in central B.C.
I decided to keep the biggest girls of the bunch and their kids, still leaving me with 6.
Maud, Spawn, Mable, Roo, Eeyore, and George.
Building a Barn
I’m still in shock and awe at what we accomplished in May. An entire barn, start to finish aside from a few small details. It’s 12ft by 16ft and will house the chickens, guineas, goats, and kitties. By the end of the month, I built coops and stalls inside. Everyone but the kitties are moved into their new beautiful barn.
Bonus Greenhouse
My friends gave me three beautiful French-style doors when the barn was half-built. I decided to drop what I was doing and seize the opportunity to make a greenhouse -before any little glass panes could meet their demise. Using more windows from the junk pile I laid it out on the south-facing side of the barn.
In less than a week it was up, covered, and stained. The hard part is done and though it isn’t totally complete I’m looking forward to getting back at it when time permits. Painting the doors, the inside walls, and building planter boxes is all on the agenda.
A House for George
Billy goats can be challenging. George is a sweet fella toward people, but very pushy with the girls. When I took him to town to lend to a friend I was relieved to have a break. I soon forgot his pushiness as I worked on the greenhouse.
On his return a few weeks later, he quickly reminded me that I needed to build him a new enclosure. A lot of small considerations would need to go into it.
Billy goats stink, and I didn’t want him to be inside the new barn.
Also because of the stink, minimizing how much I need to handle him would be ideal (so that I don’t smell like a billy goat all of the time)
He can headbutt through anything smaller than an inch thick.
He’s noisy. His sound is something of a blood-curdling, out-of-nowhere horror movie-type sound. Since he doesn’t love being locked up safely at night, he tends to make a lot of noise in the morning.
With those considerations in mind, I built him a secure outdoor pen behind the barn. Big enough that he can stay in it during the day and secure enough that he can’t escape and wild animals also can’t get him. I can give him food, water and bedding without touching him, and he can still talk to the other goats without any bullying.
I’m happy with how it turned out! In a funny turn of events, I separated the rooster from the hens and he now lives in the pen with George.
To my surprise, they’ve made best friends!
Excited for June
As I build my world I can see myself growing and as I grow my world gets bigger. New possibilities that I wouldn’t have considered before seem within reach.
Before I came here, I could use drills and hand saws with minimal competence. Now, I’ve built numerous things well and entirely on my own. It feels like the struggle is finally turning into success. The things I’ve learned are materializing and taking shape. I feel as though a page has been turned and I’m excited for the next chapter.
Love you both!!
Congratulations! What a tremendous amount of work for you guys this spring.