Fermer

Where does the term farm come from? According to Google, it's an Anglo-French word derived from fermer which means to rent. And really, that makes sense. 

On a farm, you can raise crops and/or animals, but the land essentially stays the same. You put in your labors and hope to gain some profits, but you rent the land. Never minding financial and tax aspects, thinking metaphorically, you move water from one place to the next, you rotate either the crops or the animals on the pasture, and then you have to give back. You find the ways to keep the rain more for your land, you fertilize and seed, you plow and you reap. The land is the landlord and you've got to be good to it. 

I say that only because it's dry as bones out there. Dust devils are a constant and water is all I can think about. Here's hoping for a wet fall!

A Whisker Away

Having beards on female Nigerian dwarf goats are normal, but some of my does were sporting new whiskers today. Upon closer inspection, these whiskers were not new fur growth, but rather cacti needles. Lovely. 

Do you know how difficult it is to get a goat to stay still while getting those things out? It took me awhile, but I think I got them all out. Well, out of Scotchie and Sundae. I don't think the others had any, but I'll look again tomorrow. Farm life is never dull!

The barndo is coming along inside. I finished the China cabinet today which pleased my heart. Some other boxes were unpacked and other boxes filled to donate, but we're getting there!

Scotchie after her whisker removal

An Unusual Problem

When we have moved to different houses, we've always had the issue of not enough space. Well, I designed this house to have oodles of storage space and now I'm finding that I have more space than stuff. We're still in the early stages yet, but the main issue was the kitchen and that's almost done, so I think the rest will be smooth sailing. 

We're essentially working room by room right now. Kitchen until we get sick of it, then a little in the other rooms, an episode of Hoarders, and then back to the kitchen. 

And no, I haven't cooked or baked anything special yet. There wasn't much time before my dental visit and now I have to be careful with what I eat. But soon. Soon I'll get to cooking! Have a great weekend everyone. 

Some Encouragement

As I'm recovering from dental surgery today, and we still have tons of unpacking I'm not able to get to right now, I decided to watch a show to keep me motivated to unpack once I'm able. I'm watching the latest season of Hoarders and I guarantee you, it's doing its job!

I truly feel for those who hold onto so much stuff because of emotional attachments. I get how easily that becomes an issue when you start having loved ones pass on. I will even admit that I have hoarding tendencies, but with Rob's help, I manage to push through them mostly. There are my soft spots, but I'm nowhere near true hoarder status. 

Hopefully tomorrow I'll feel somewhat better and this weekend be able to get back to unpacking. In the meantime, just know Rob and I are still so grateful for the barndo!

A Little Extra Time

Since we've gotten Ciarán, she's always been first to the feeding trough. Well, since our move into the barndo, she's now even earlier. 

We always take the mule to go feed them, so it can be heard starting up wherever we are. She takes this as her cue to start doing to her stall for her grain. The barndo is just slightly further than the RV was and that means now, she's actually waiting for us! Yep, she just stands in her stall and gives us approximately twenty seconds to pour her some cattle cubes, or this begin to get western. I never knew cows had such obvious personalities until I started caring for them. It's definitely an experience!

The Second Freshening

When the goats started their first freshening, our girl Sundae was the only one who delivered one kid only who in turn didn't survive. It was our first loss and her only kid. She apparently sought comfort in Nutty and we're about to enter the second freshening for Sundae. 

While we thought we kept Nutty completely away from all the goats, we learned if there's a common fence with a hole, he'll take advantage of it. I just hope she'll be ok with this birth. It's soon and hopefully the kid or kids will be healthy. 

Again, I'm not sure exactly when this is happening, but I'm assuming any day now. Ready or not (she's probably ready, we're really not), the freshening is coming!

New Homeowners

It's official, as of last Friday, we own the barndo! Of course, things being what they are these days, we didn't get moved in until yesterday, but last night, we finally got to enjoy country living at its finest!

The initial perks we can't get enough of:

Space!

Flushing toilets!

Unlimited showering!

A real bed all the animals can sleep on with us!

Continuous and supreme air conditioning/ceiling fans!

That's just the beginning. Teddy also received his last Parco vaccination Friday and Sundae is about to drop her kid! It's a wonderful life and we're living it to the fullest. 

Only A Day Away

We passed a final appraisal, we wired our down payment, we're clear for closing tomorrow! We finally made it to the finish line!!!

There's still a little bit here and there, but it doesn't matter right now. It's good enough for us to move in and that's what we're going to do. 

Tomorrow morning it's getting cleaned, Saturday our movers will be here, and then it's all systems go.  By Sunday's blog, I'll be able to share our farm life in an actual barndominium!

In this thing is all our stuff just ready to come out!

We're Ready

The gas is on, all the appliances are set, the water is on, it's showtime! Tomorrow morning is our final appraisal along with hopefully the final day of touch up paint and then we close on Friday. Yes, Friday!

Tommy Hollahan with Thrive Mortgage has gone way above and beyond for us to close on Friday. He sped up timetables, pushed who or what needed to be pushed, and more. I'll be honest, even though we've known him for four decades and we're close friends, he didn't do anything different for us than he does for all his clients. If you're in Central Texas and you need someone to get your mortgage with the best terms and rates, talk to him. 

I will say, he's probably gotten some gray hairs with me this week. Getting all my monkeys in this circus to be ready for the big event wasn't easy, but we got there! Now, I'll happily sleep in my RV for two more sleeps before FINALLY living in the barndo!

Dandy is full on letting me pet and brush him now! ❤️

Another Long Day

Today was even longer and more productive than yesterday! We had painters, plumbers and electricians here getting stuff done. It was wonderful!

All we have left for tomorrow is some final touch up paint, gas hookup and then final plumbing. We're almost done!!!

The hilarious thing is we won't have mirrors hung or any of those pesky towel bars hung yet. Oh well, someone will do them. But the bathtub's in!

13 Hours

I've gone non stop for thirteen hours, so I'm going to make this short and sweet. Things are moving along for the barndo and other than the final appraisal, there shouldn't be any hurdle we can't manage to get this done. I get a giggle that we just had an appraisal last week and they said there had to be a final one. I don't blame them. Last week, we didn't have floors, showers or toilets. But our goal is to have everything done Wednesday, appraisal Thursday and closing Friday. Let's hope it all works!

The master shower. Tomorrow, I hope to show my bathtub

Finals Week

We're calling this week Finals Week. Monday and Tuesday will be the final amount of work for the barndo. Wednesday will be the final draw for the barndo. Friday we'll close on the barndo!

Then there's Teddy. He gets his fourth and final inoculation set this week and then he's good for a year. It used to only be three shots, now they've made it four. Yet this is the fourth and final!

There's a couple of other finals in there, but more of a personal note so just know we're getting things done this week. Hallelujah!

Almost Time

Almost everything is done within the barndo! By tomorrow end of day, everything except touch up paint and adding the kitchen appliances should be done. It looks like we're going to close a week from tomorrow!!!

There have been so many great people who have worked on our house. I've learned a lot and may even think about constructing more things in the future. However, I will never live in an RV again! I might vacation in one many years from now, but I'm ready for the luxuries a home provides. 

Y'all have a great weekend and fellow Texans, don't breathe in too much of the Saharan dust that's made its way here. 

A Network

In 18 months, we've learned a lifetime of knowledge on the farm. There's still tons to learn, don't get me wrong, but we've learned a lot. The best thing you can do is build a network. Hands down, that's the way to go. 

If you've got farm animals, find your network for those specific types of animals. Ask for help when you have a question, offer advice if you actually know something that can help, and always be willing to learn. 

If you are more the farmland gardening type, find your network there as well. Work with those around you to be able to share your bounty and take some off their hands in trade. I'm not a gardener, but maybe one day. 

We've done great at finding our network. There have been times we've called on our network and they've never let us down. We've even helped on the rare occasion! Granted, a monkey could have done what we've done, but we still helped!  I'm looking forward to what the next eighteen months brings. 

Too Hot

Every year, I wonder why us Texans punish ourselves with these summers. The heat is brutal, you never stop sweating, and I swear you drink your weight in fluids daily. At least, I do. 

Tomorrow, I'm going to spend the day in the pool. There's been too much going on where I haven't gotten to swim yet this week, but it's time. Rob can join me if he wants, but he's the only one. I need some quiet time. The heat makes me cranky. 

Even as I capture the after effects of sunset, we're still at 92 degrees. Some rain and wind would be really great about now!

Lovebirds

It took long enough, but Dandy and Fancy are officially an item. While we don't know for sure if there is a bun in the oven, we have noticed a calmer demeanor with Fancy now. She actually willingly comes up for petting now!

Now, I'm not sure if Patches and Dandy have any chemistry, but at least they tolerate each other. That is truly the only thing we want of our animals, for them all to get along. For the most part, they do great!

I do feel bad that this week will be nothing but triple digits temps. We're going to do our best to make sure everyone stays cool and hydrated. I do really think rain barrels might be the way to go in the future, too. 

Who Wore It Best?

This weekend was a little different than most weekends. We helped out the Friends of the Night Sky passing out information on Friday night which was good. Saturday, I got to watch the flooring/tile guys do even more great work. Today, it was basically a lazy Sunday. 

This week will be the true test of when we get to move into the barndo. There are two outstanding main projects after the flooring/tile, and that is stone work and the outdoor kitchen. Rob and I fell though that once the inside is done, it's time to move in. We've had enough!

As promised, I finally got around to putting the patriotic headband on both Flora and Patches. Both pics below, who wore it best?

Long Cove

Heading north to Goldthwaite on highway 183 from Lampasas, you will see a sign that points down this old country road saying "Long Cove Cemetery". Now, Rob and I love exploring old country roads and as most don't have an official cemetery sign on it, we figured we needed to check it out. We weren't disappointed. 

I don't know the name of the road, but you take it a lot further than you think you will. You'll begin to think after going through so many twists and turns, that the point of that sign is to say you'll meet your end before you make it there. That it ends in a cove, people end you and leave you there. But no, it's actually a beautiful final resting place for a few early settlers, some Civil War soldiers, even a few WW1 and 2 soldiers. You have to call Greg for interment, but there's still room if you're looking!

Have a great weekend everyone. More next week!

He's Dandy!

It took long enough, but Dandy finally let me pet him today! I work animals differently than other people where I let the animals get comfortable with me instead of breaking them. It's just the way I do things because I've got the time and the patience. Plus, my animals are spoiled, but y'all already knew that. Anyway, Dandy finally decided I wasn't all bad, and even though he was still pensive, he did enjoy the petting session. 

No one worked on the barndo today, but I've been told they'll be here at 8:30 in the morning. As much as I hate mornings, I'll be there to greet them and get them going quickly. The tile will be done!

That's all I got for today. Tomorrow, I'll share about a little trip we took to Long Cove. 

Independence Day

Happy 4th of July everyone! We don't do fireworks here, but luckily the few around us haven't been too traumatic for the animals. I had meant to take a cute pic of Flora wearing a patriotic headband, but I forgot. I'll try to do it tomorrow because American pride doesn't end in a day. 

I'm hopeful that this is the last holiday we spend by force in our RV. If it's camping down the line, that's one thing, but I'm ready for the barndo. Beyond ready. Meaning I might just move in despite it not being finished. This last part is the worst, just because it's so close!

Enjoy the fireworks y'all and I'll get the pic tomorrow. 

The Young Bloods

Tonight, we had a regular at our farm today, a cute and rambunctious three year old boy. He's learning our animals are different than his farm animals, but our animals are starting to accept him. We're all about socializing our animals and this boy is great at keeping them on their hooves!

Patches and Nutty absolutely adore him, but the coos are still feeling him out. My coos are becoming old hands with adults, but they still need to learn about tiny humans. As with any species, little boys and girls are loud, confusingly always sticky, and extremely quick with their movements. Fiona allowed him to get close to the herd though, so we've got improvement! He even got to pet Brogan today and that's Fiona's favorite.

Special Visit

As I mentioned last week, we were having special visitors this weekend. My parents came to visit! They live two states over and drove down for a couple of hours with me before continuing on to visit my brother, his daughter, and his daughter's son. Yep, my parents are now great grandparents and they had to meet the little guy!

But first, I had to show them all we've accomplished. We gave them the grand tour of the farm which included seeing the barndo, meeting all the animals, and taking a ride through all of our thirty acres. They also finally saw what I've been living in for seventeen months and now they feel even more sorry for me and hopeful the barndo will be finished soon!

Aside from that, we took the dogs on a car ride to avoid Saturday night fireworks, visited the winery and played with our animals. I do appreciate the heat dome send to have lifted and we even got a little rain!