Lost Goose Found!
March is winding down and I am here to share some GREAT NEWS! February is paid for, just! I had enough money after making the mortgage payment to also cover my monthly car loan! I also found a local who still has square bales able to deliver later today (square bales being rare around here at a fair price), and these three things have allowed me to let out a sigh of relief so long-awaited that I don't even mind that I woke up to 15 degrees and a missing goose!
The goose, by the by, is no longer missing. She was sitting on a hidden nest in an old outbuilding above the stream. As far as goose lodging goes, it was pretty ideal. But I was worried when I opened the barn and only three, instead of the usual 4, came marching out of the barn honking. They are always together so when I saw a pile of gray feathers asleep in the barn last night I didn't even think to count or look for a missing female. Gibson found her this morning. My old boy still knows how to farm.
So it is cold, and I am tending the fires still as April is only days away, but there's been plenty of spring activity. I am cleaning up the property from winter, and a few days ago when it was above 40 degrees in the afternoon I was able to move all the portable fencing around. The plan is to allow the grass to grow without the constant nibbling from the sheep and goat, and to restrict the horses trodding around heavily trafficked areas. I have more areas I want to fence off in the large horse pasture - for the same reasons of giving areas time to recover in full spring/summer glory before they are grazed. I will get to them all, but moving fencing around for future grassy, sunny, evenings watching the birds on the mountain from the hillside - that was as much of an encouragement as making that house payment.
So the farm marches on into April! I will be posting a painting I did yesterday (loosely based on myself) for sale, and the money from it will go towards today's hay delivery and saving ip for the March mortgage to get out the door ASAP. Holy crow I could almost catch up if I play my cards right!