Kits and Goslings?
It's a damp and foggy morning here at Cold Antler. April is ending her roar with a bleat, famously. Yesterday thunder and a gentle rain fell and it looks like more of the same today. The farm needs it. The pond is low, the grass is slow to reach, and the lawn is still patchy. And if I'm honest I need it too. Rainy days are for catching up. By 9AM I had finished chores, made coffee (blueberry!), packaged a soap order of a dozen bars, paid a bill, and fed the cats and dogs. The chores of the home: laundry, dishes, sweeping, bed linens, etc are taken care of. And I like to get lost in the bright tunnels of backpacking YouTube while I sketch and ink pet portrait commissions. There's something about someone taking a camera on a mundane adventure that just thrills me. I am easily thrilled.
This weekend has a lot in store. If the breeding of the Flemish Giant does took, they should kindle in the next few days. We've set up the rabbity for success but anyone who has raised rabbits knows that first kindling with a fresh doe can be tricky. Some does abandon litters, some cannibalize their babies (I know, gross), and some are perfect moms the first go around. Never a boring day around these parts.
The geese have been sitting on a nest for a few weeks. Hoping for some Toulouse goslings to hatch, but we're not incubating the babies - the geese are. Both females are sharing a giant nest of eggs and Shannon is beyond excited to see her geese be successful. We're not planning on expanding the flock so if you're local and looking for some geese to add to your farm or Holiday table - send us a message on the contact page.
Also! Thank you for the kind words and messages! As requested by many of you there is now an RSS feed button on this blog (top right). the fresh look and independent blog has me all excited to blog more! I am sticking to a promised two posts a week but expect more right now. There's just so much to share!
In other news: Shannon has taken over the design and planning of the new and improved kitchen garden and I'm thrilled to not have to do anything that involves measuring. It's a pretty lucky match - her and I. I'm all about fast decisions, physical work, and trial and error. She is far more into planning, working smarter (not harder), and getting things right the first time. What that leaves us with is a lot of things actually getting done right. I don't allow over planning and she doesn't allow under-preparedness. Over the past year it shows in everything from the repairs in the chicken coop to the stones around the base of the pig pen. It's becoming a far more handsome farm. That is for sure. I'll make sure to get some progress pictures of the gardens soon!
Stay dry out there and wish us bunny/egg luck!