It’s morning here on the farm. The goats are starting to make noise outside, and the dogs are fighting over chew toys and making a racket, too. I have been out to walk them twice already this morning and now my brain is whirring around with thoughts after the fashion of the dogs. There is no specific pattern to the thinking, but let’s see where it goes. I have already made breakfast for Missus, and coffee for us both, and I have till the girls come down to get this thinking done.
Yesterday was a busy day. Missus and I sorted out the last of the Christmas gift wrap. Then I went out and replaced the gate on the field front over the road. That has been a long time in coming. The chain that holds the gate shut is not long enough to reach the post, so I wired a second free standing post to the planted one, and can now close the gap with that, and chain the gate shut on it.
While I was doing all that, I spent 45 minutes aware of, or watching a couple in a car messing about at the far east end of the pasture. they would get out and mess with the fence, wave towards the llamas, and I think he showed his city boy self by grabbing the fence at one point and shaking it. I sure wish the electric was on when he did. That would have served him right. He was already on our property when he reached the fence! They would mess about a bit, then get into their car and sit for a bit, then move up the road or down it and park in another position. It was all pretty weird to watch as the owner of the land and animals they were harassing. They ring the neighbor’s doorbell, they walked into the neighbor’s backyard. They went down to the old guy who lives down the street from us, and by old, I am talking mid 90’s. They never came up to ours though, so I left them to it. They probably were just trying to get the attention of our little male llama. I should have a sign up asking to please not harass the animals in the field. That would be a nice touch for them if they ever return. I should probably get the electric fence going. That would be another nice touch.
I moved the trailers to a new parking area I made on top of the little pen I used to keep Big Pig in. They are now out of the way along the future driveway to the barn. They are also in a position where it is easy to hook up and drive them out of the property, which I should do today to empty one out ready for the coming snow, and to use to go get firewood.
The next steps for me are to finish the west drive around to the barn, clean out the garage, and set up storage in the barn. If I can do that, then pay down my current debts by spring, then it is time for a wood mill, a band saw, and electric to the outbuildings, including and especially to the garage. Looks like I am setting up permanent in there for a woodshop, which is great. It has an old concrete floor and a chance at being heat-able. We are thinking of a new building for Missus to run her business out of. Just a moveable one, so relatively cheap, but also able to be heated!
We ahve decided that since we are unable to get the value out of the property across the street right now that would make it possible for us to move right now, we are going to plan on being here for a while. No idea of that will change in the futire, but where there is no water available to make it a build lot, we best keep it for the animals to graze on. I need to find a grass that will grow on virtually nothing. The cost of irrigation shares is around $9,000 a share right now. The front field alone needs about 4 shares to maintain itself at the moment, and we have none. It is looking pretty bad. The back field benefits from leaching from the canal as it is lower than the canal, however, they are looking to put that in a pipe in the next two years or so, and we will likely lose that. I guess we may be headed to vacant lot. I’ll have to find another way to keep it useful and productive. In the long run I would rather see the place turned into a park than a storage shed location. But it is not going to make money as a park, or as it is, in the long run. Maybe we could lease it for someone else to figure it all out. But till the grass is completely gone, I will be grazing our llamas on it. I can talk to the farmer down the road who is my friend and see about getting it replanted with a better grass than is on it now that will flourish with less water. You know? I’d also like to get a beef steer soon, too.
Christmas is in a couple of weeks. I am excited to see the kids and be together as a family. That is always the very best part! Missus and I neither one live close to our siblings or parents to see any of them on the holidays, or really ever. We have to treasure what we have got here close at hand. We have family on my side spread through the United States, and on her side in England. We are kind of an independent entity here. It is what it is. There is no satisfaction in whining about it. The door’s open to those who wish to visit, and I have made it clear that I am in no position to go anywhere as we have responsibilities that tie us to the land here. But if they can’t come, again, it is what it is.
I hear the kids stirring and footfalls on the stairs. Probably oldest daughter on her way out to do her morning chores. The back door just went. It is meant to snow later today. I will probably head up to the thrift store to make a donation out of that trailer before then, and then off to the dump to drop off the rest. It’d sure be nice to empty it out before snow and ice freezes everything into it. Maybe then I can put the stuff we are keeping back into the barn for storage over the winter, and get my shop back!
Time to get rolling!