Between the Storms
It’s been a wet and wild beginning to July around these parts. Rain falls by the inch, turning parts of this mountainside farm into slicks of mud. Luckily all the animals have found comfortable places to ride out the rain.
The horses enjoy being high on the hillside, far from the fuss of the forest when rain falls. The sheep and Cade the goat go into their pole barn. The pigs have a raised pen in the barn, on fresh hay, where a box fan moves air from one open door of the barn and out the other. The chickens find cover everywhere from under brush and trees to the hay in the barn, hiding eggs in corners of bales. The rabbits stay in their pen or tractor, but we try to keep them in four solid walls if the rain is really pounding hard like it’s forecasted to today. Myself, Shannon, and the dogs and cats have our little respites indoors. Gibson, Friday and I just returned from a short mile walk - and now Gibson is sprawled in front of the old 1940’s Westinghouse fan on the floor. I’m typing at the coffee table, per usual. The cats are either out hunting in the barn or napping on chairs. Now I'm back to writing, job hunting, soap making and packaging orders. I have some logo updates to send and then if the sun holds out a bit - horse poop to muck. It's a regular weekday, a rainy Tuesday, and not a lot is going on. Pretty standard for a little farm.
Outside of this farm I am on a job hunt for freelance remote writing gigs. I’ve applied to a dozen or so. Everything from magazine jobs with steady writing and editorial work to content farms that need people to punch out quick SEO articles. Hell I even applied to a werewolf prose writing job for a book app. It’s crazy how many jobs are available to work remotely now, but it’s even crazier how competitive and picky the employers can be. A year after a pandemic with mandatory lockdowns means a lot of staff writers needed to write from home. The market is saturated, but I remain hopeful. Who knows? Maybe I’ll end up paying my mortgage writing about werewolves.
In the meantime I am still working to sell the usual farm fare: pork shares, logos, illustrations and goats milk soaps. I remain optimistic about all of it. About the weather, the heat, the job search, the farm. Even if we are hitting the high heat of summer - when things like long hikes in the woods or sleeping in tents feels less like adventure and more like a war camp. But I need to remember the slog of the dog days is what we ache for in February. The farm is bursting with life in every corner. The garden is so gorgeous it's unbelievable! Despite some squash beetles and aphids the plants are thriving and our once little tended plot garden is now a wild place. It is wonderful!
We have sold a few rabbits, and have a few left. Some of the hens have hatched out a chick or two and are bip bopping around the lawn with their babes. It is still a lovely sight to behold. I haven't had to buy in laying hens in years at the rate our Antlerborns breed and bring new babes into the world. The last laying hen we lost was over a year ago, during the pandemic when and old red laying hen pssed in her sleep. I think the farm now has over 30 layers and roosters, pumping life into this farm like the happy little heartbeats they are.
We've been having great joys moving the horses and sheep around the hill. The electric netting does a great job managing the little herd about.
More news soon as I have it. Right now I am still working on getting this farm caught up on June late bills. The job hunt feels like action towards a better life and making some new luck. I hope you wish me well in finding a place to write for. In the meantime, stay cool and dry in this!