Last night the sky was clear, and the stars were so bright, it was as if the snow was full of diamonds wherever the headlamps light went. It felt extra special to begin this new year. A new year that we can attempt to live out our dreams. Maybe your dream is to have land, so you can farm and garden, and work hard to be self sufficient...you can begin wherever you are to learn and study the skills you'll need. Start looking at land, drive around the countryside where you live, and begin to dream.
Speak it out loud, write it down, and work towards it everyday. Yes, it may take time and hard work, being frugal, going without, enduring a season that's seems bleak and less than promising. But keep dreaming, learning and growing, staying excited about life makes it exciting. Write out what you want to happen this year, reach for the stars, and dream big.
This morning we woke to bright blue skies, and cold in the low 20's, we need the brightness of sunshine this time of year, even if it's cold. The animals water was frozen solid again for the second day. I carry the water bottles, and large chicken waterer in to the fire, so they can defrost. In the meantime I give the chickens fresh water in a new container, their eggs are dependent on getting plenty of fresh water, and eggs are precious this time of year.
We currently have 2 roosters, and we only need one, so the young one I've allowed to stay because he's so beautiful and nice, now is becoming a nuisance to my happy chicken family. We had 2 young ones hatched out in the fall, and I think one of them might be a rooster too. The reason I've allowed the hen's to hatch in the first place is to continually add to my hens new young ones, but also to raise young roosters for their meat. I have to remember this was all part of the plan, I planned to have meat and eggs. The eggs are easy, the meat part is much more difficult to learn, but learning we are.
With the weather so nice today, we decided to take a drive into town, and do a few errands, we took both the dogs Summer and Sierra, they are tied in the back of the truck with short leads, kind of like seat belts for them, they love to go surfing in the wind. This afternoon we also stopped by the Goodwill to see if there was anything good. I found Michael Pollen's book "The Omnivore's Dilemma", and was delighted, as I'd been wanting to read it for a long time. Now for $2.99 I own a hardback copy. You never know what you may find, many times a small treasure for a few dollars. We also took a drive around our valley and looked at some of the farms and dairies, I'll share some photo's throughout the week.
Right now, I'm sitting by the fire in the cabin drinking hot chocolate as I write this. My new Hoegger goat supply catalog just came in the mail, and my new Burnt Ridge Nursery Catalog came at the same time. Hoegger Supply has everything for goats, and Burnt Ridge is a wonderful fruits, nuts and berries catalog. I am making out a list of what I'll need for getting 2 goats in the Spring, it's fun to make out the big list, and then the reality of the necessities and what's most important rule out things like a $450 cream separator for beginning. I will be ordering leads, milking starter kit, cleaning kit, hoof trimming kit etc. I will need all the birthing stuff next year, when we'll have babies born on the farm. So this year I'll start small, and slowly build my goat herd, with the best Nigerian Dwarf Does I can.
Cheers to a Happy New Year!
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