My 2.5 acre homestead site was a "new construction" on an existing 40-acre farm. It was so new when I moved
there, it didn't even have a mailbox! I am at 1042 HC Road--the people
across the street had somehow gotten the wrong number for their address,
being an even number when it should have been odd. No big deal, right?
Wrong! I kept getting packages for "1040 HC Road." The problem was, the
deliveries were being put over my locked farm gate and my goats were
eating the tasty, tasty packaging. No major issue for the Levelor blinds, but it could have been disastrous for the book from Amazon! For months, I was getting those
packages and either delivering them to my neighbors or writing "Not
1040" on them and leaving them for pickup, until I finally got a chance to meet with all the delivery drivers and set them straight. My equestrian center shares the name
of my real life homestead.
It's been a little slow going getting the homestead running, but I'm having a good time. Currently, I have four adult LaMancha dairy goats, five adult meat rabbits, and a small flock of chickens. I also have a TINY garden, with one 20-foot-long raised bed (onions, lettuce, tomatoes, bell peppers, and green onions) and a second raised bed in progress with a cover crop of turnips, mustard, and sunflowers, with a "cross my fingers" section for a few strawberry plants. I also have another small fenced-off area for garlic, potatoes, and horseradish--and where I will, with any luck, be starting a space for asparagus. I can't feed myself with the homestead yet, but after two years I'm getting a toehold on self-sufficiency. I've added one three-section cage for a mixture of jumbo "wild" pattern quail and yellow phase quail. I'm hoping to have my own strain of jumbo yellow Coturnix quail in a couple of years. :)
In addition to all the livestock, I have a guardian dog in training--an English shepherd named "Panda"--and a bunch of small terriers. Life is good here on the homestead and it will even be better as I fence off sections, create paddocks, and GET THE GOATS OUT OF MY BACKYARD. As of now, I still have three there: a Nigerian dwarf buck (Screechy), a Nigerian dwarf doe (Raven), and a LaMancha doe (Mimi). I'm hoping to have KIDS sometime during February.
We have just had the fence line cleared--a very nice Cajun man did it with a massive bulldozer. The goats are afraid of the dirt piles (I know . . . I know . . .) so they are not grazing the brush that was pushed out of the ground. Naturally, hating to see anything die in vain, I have been out with my trusty loppers, trimming off branches so at least not all of it goes to waste.
As of July 2021, I've been back in the obedience ring--after a loooooong break for 2020. Congratulations to Badger, who got the first leg for his Rally Intermediate title! I've also got a new puppy who I will be training for both obedience and conformation. I'm doing a series of blogs on how his training will be going for the next year. Needless to say, I'll be busy! NOVEMBER 2021 Badger update! I brought Badger to the UKC Texas Classic, where he competed in conformation classes and in Rally obedience. Not only did he finish his UR01 title, but he also got two of the three competition wins he needs to finish his UKC champion title. That means (drumroll, please), that he qualified as a Total Dog and has further qualified to take part in the next UKC Total Dog Invitation competition! I am over the moon with this one. :D
I'm not much for idle chit-chat (see above, if you want to know why!), but I love talking about dogs, goats, horses, and just about anything farm-related if I have the time. Please feel free to message me if you like--I can't promise swift responses, but I promise I will do my best to respond!