Farm Updates: New Animals and Garden Movements

Farm Update: A Season of Changes (and a Little Chaos!)

Hello friends!

It’s time for a long-overdue update from the farm. As always, life out here is full of movement, learning curves, and a few surprises along the way.

The Sheep: Familiar Roots and New Additions

Our Shetland flock has seen some changes over the past year. Of all the sheep we currently have, only one has been here almost from the beginning—Brae, who was born right here on the farm. She’s now joined by three other ewes, including a new addition this year, Amelia, who happens to be Brae’s half sister. We’re hopeful that all four ewes will be lambing in the next couple of months, which makes this a very exciting season of waiting and watching.

We also still have two of last year’s ram lambs “hanging around.” They’re not quite a year old yet, so they’re in that awkward teenage phase—big enough to look impressive, but still figuring life out.

The Goats: A Change in Direction

Sam and Toby are now two years old and doing well. As we learned more about our herd, we realized that Prissy and Scarlett were not full Nigerian Dwarfs as we had originally believed. After some thoughtful consideration, we made the difficult decision to rehome them and refocus our breeding plans.

In their place, we welcomed four new girls: Maribel, Noel, Star, and Ginger. They’ve settled in nicely, and we’re especially excited that Maribel and Star are both expecting twins next month. If all goes well, we’re looking forward to having fresh goat milk back on the farm soon!

The “Farm Dog” (a.k.a. The Chaos Coordinator)

In true country fashion, a pair of abandoned puppies showed up needing homes. One went home with the grandkids, and the other… stayed. At the moment, he’s not particularly useful unless you count creating daily entertainment and general disorder. He does show some herding instincts, so we’re hopeful that with time, maturity, and a little training, he may eventually earn his keep.

For now, he’s still very much in the “internship phase.”

Garden Plans: Trying Something New

Our soil has always been a challenge, so this year we’re experimenting with a Hügelkultur-style approach to improve fertility and moisture retention. It’s a bit of a long game, but we’re hopeful this method will help us build healthier ground and better harvests over time.

I’m also getting seeds started and plan to offer a limited number of plants for sale again this season—something I truly enjoy sharing with others.

Looking Ahead

As we head into spring, we’re preparing for lambs, kids, milk, garden growth, and all the unpredictability that comes with farm life. It’s a season full of anticipation, and we’re grateful to be able to continue learning as we go.

Thank you for following along with us—we’ll keep you posted as the babies arrive and the growing season unfolds!