A Frosty Farm Welcome: Returning to Familiar Faces and Snowy Landscapes
A delicate dusting of snow hinted at the lingering embrace of winter as the farm stirred to life. Amidst the tranquil morning scene, a familiar feline figure emerged to offer a warm greeting. "Maybe there's a little bit of snow going on. We got a Jenny barncat coming to say hello." The ginger cat, a steadfast resident of the barn, weaved through the legs of her returning caretaker, a silent acknowledgment of absence noticed and presence welcomed.
However, the peaceful tableau was momentarily disrupted by the playful exuberance of a younger resident. "Hey Lauren, that's not okay behavior." The reprimand was gentle but firm, directed at one of the farm's spirited goats whose antics threatened the established order. "Come on, ABS, help me round him up." The call for assistance was answered swiftly by Abby, the ever-reliable farm dog. "Oh, see, Abby just drove the two in. Woo!" With a few well-placed barks and strategic herding, Abby efficiently guided the errant goats back to their designated area. "Wow, it is a nice day out. Welcome back to the farm, everybody. It's like 30° outside, 30° Fahrenheit, so just a little bit below freezing. Hi, Jen! Good to see you, girl." Despite the chilly temperature, the crisp air and bright sunshine offered a refreshing welcome home. A heartfelt greeting was reserved for Jenny, the friendly barn cat, a symbol of the comforting familiarity of the farm.
The brief respite away had been enjoyable, but the pull of the farm was undeniable. "As nice as it was to get off-farm for a little bit, it is actually really nice to be back on the farm." The connection to this land and its inhabitants was deep and abiding. "Got my baby Jins here with me. Did you listen to that motorboat purr?" Jenny, nestled close, offered a rumbling purr of contentment, a soothing sound that spoke volumes. "Oh, I see why she's being so friendly. So, I have a bowl of scraps for the chicken, and Jenny is very, very interested in it. The same can be said for Pablo barncat, who just snuck into the barn." The allure of a tasty treat transcended species, with both feline residents showing keen interest in the impending chicken feast. "But yeah, I got back from South Carolina late last night, so let's go check on the animals and see how things are this morning, what needs to be done around the farm." The journey back had been long, but the anticipation of reuniting with the animals fueled the early start. "Still have plenty of snow, that's for sure." The remnants of winter's icy grip still blanketed parts of the landscape. "Where's my large white farm dogs? Up there they are. Hey Abby dog! Hey Toby dog! How are you guys doing this morning? Yeah, I missed you. I missed you both. Hi buddy! Hi sweetie! Hi, hi dogs! I love you. It's so good to be back. It is so good to be back. Come on inside. Toby had to pee." The joyous reunion with Abby and Toby, the loyal farm dogs, was filled with enthusiastic tail wags and affectionate nudges, a testament to the strong bond shared. Even a quick indoor bathroom break for Toby couldn't dampen the warmth of the homecoming.
The feathered residents of the farm also offered their unique welcome. "Good morning, Birds! How's everybody doing this morning? Huh? How's it going, chicken? Whoa! Hey, she think she was just about to lay an egg." The bustling activity within the chicken coop was a vibrant contrast to the quiet of the snowy outdoors. "I don't know how to convey this in a video, but it is really warm in here. I mean, like I said, it's probably about 30° outside. If I had to guess right now, it's probably like 45°, 50° in here. Way too hot for a coat and a sweatshirt, but I definitely have lots of energetic, hungry birds ready to go outside." The warmth radiating from the coop was a testament to the collective body heat of the numerous birds, creating a surprisingly balmy microclimate. "Of course, when we last left the farm, the release the quack Andor had uh suffered a little bit of an injury, and so that is something I'm going to have to tackle today. But let's release the quacken. Hey, you Birds! What are you doing? You're already getting into the food. I haven't even set it up yet. Golly, they were aggressive." The anticipation for their morning meal was evident in the birds' eager behavior. "Yeah, it's so funny, the warmer the weather is, the more energy the birds have. That is just a demonstrable fact at this point. Look, and as I move, they will just follow me." Their close proximity and constant movement created a feathered entourage. "That's some very good behavior there, Abby dog. You didn't freak out when she just like basically tried to fly at you. So good work. I mean, Abby still has a way to go when it comes to work with the birds, but overall, she's not too bad. Abby, no sniffing Birds. No, you can sniff me, but you can't sniff the birds, girl." Abby's improving interactions with the birds were a positive sign of her ongoing training.
The logistics of feeding the large flock required careful consideration, especially with the lingering snow. "All right, I'm trying to figure out how best to feed the birds because we've been getting so much snow lately. I still have all their bird feeders out here, or in here, I should say. Take it easy, birds. Take it easy. I'm going to feed you all in just a minute. There's nothing quite like being trapped in a bird mosh pit." The sheer number of eager birds created a lively, albeit slightly chaotic, feeding frenzy. "All right, Abby dog, should we feed these guys some water? I will say it is a little bit of nerve-wracking coming back to the farm, and you just kind of like worry that like all the animals are okay and that everything is okay. But I do have a very wonderful farm sitter, and clearly she's taken very good care of all of the animals in my absence. And so I suppose for that, I am very appreciative, and I guess I should stress out less, but I don't know, it's hard because I love this place so much. It's my home and my responsibility, and these creatures mean the world to me." The underlying anxiety of returning after time away was acknowledged, a testament to the deep connection and responsibility felt for the well-being of the farm and its inhabitants. The gratitude for the capable farm sitter provided reassurance and eased those worries.
The daily ritual of checking for eggs held a particular anticipation. "Yeah, now I was really hoping that when I'd come out here today, I would miraculously find some goose eggs. I'm not seeing any yet. Let's keep looking here. Uh, I don't see any goose eggs, unfortunately. What do you say, guys? Do you see any goose eggs in here?" The search yielded no immediate treasures. "Watch, Toby's going to pee right there. See, that's kind of why he's not really a house dog. I mean, technically, it's fine that he pees in here. In fact, it's probably good. It keeps the Predators away, but I'm pretty sure he would exhibit the same behavior in the living room. And then we got Abby doing the same thing." The contrasting bathroom habits of the farm dogs offered a humorous glimpse into their individual quirks. "No eggs yet this morning, but I just saw a couple of girls go in there, so I should have my breakfast shortly." The promise of fresh chicken eggs for breakfast provided a satisfying conclusion to the morning coop visit.
Looking ahead, the changing season brought new agricultural endeavors. "So probably in the next week or two, I'm going to start going out into the woods and putting in my maple syrup taps for the season. It's on days like this where you have below freezing overnight, and then it heats up during the day and gets above freezing, that's when the maple sap really runs, and that's when you can get the sap that you collect to then ultimately evaporate it down to make maple syrup." The cyclical rhythm of farm life was evident as preparations began for the sweet harvest of maple sap. "I sometimes put that in videos, but I don't know if you guys want to see that this year, so let me know down in the comments if that's something you guys want to see me do, or you'd rather just like quietly do it in the background. Usually the maple syrup videos flop." The decision to share this aspect of farm life with the audience was put to a vote.
The farm's natural bounty provided treats for its feathered residents. "Would you look at these chickens? They clearly know that I have some chicken treats here. Like in our store of apples, it looks like this apple is no longer storable, so it becomes chicken food. There's actually something so soothing and relaxing about watching these Raptors rip apart the Flesh of an apple. It's quite visceral. Here, you can have more snacks. Vegetable cutting, a couple bad apples, some cheese that went bad, pretty much all the things that don't quite store well. Once they stop storing well, they become treats for the chickens. Sometimes I'll let the geese and Ducks get stuff too, like they can eat an apple. There's no problem with that." The efficient repurposing of less-than-perfect produce highlighted the resourcefulness of farm life. "So because the geese have those nice teeth on their bill that are known as dentical, so they actually have teeth on both their bill and on their tongue, and those teeth, if you can get a good look at them, that's what they usually use to rip apart and Shred grass, but it's an instrument that also works pretty well on things like apples." A fascinating detail about the anatomy of geese explained their ability to enjoy the same treats as the chickens.
The farm dogs continued their explorations, sometimes with unintended consequences. "So Toby dog just went out of the birdhouse, but actually, I think Abby dog is still in there. Yeah, pal, you were like, 'I'm done with those chores. I'm ready to keep moving.' But Abby's on the wrong side of the fence. That doesn't really matter for an Abby. I don't love that she's learning to do that right now, but I also don't have much choice. And so this is actually kind of part of the process of starting to trust her more, which, you know, generally speaking, I feel okay with, but got to just be a little bit careful." Abby's developing ability to navigate fences presented a mix of convenience and concern, a step in her ongoing integration into farm life. "And how's the farm's cranky old man doing this morning? Huh, Pablo? You're doing good, kid. I missed you too. You know, we're actually pretty much, I guess, seven years removed from Pablo's gotta day when he first came to our farm. So yeah, it's kind of nice to celebrate Pablo just a little bit." A moment of appreciation was shared for Pablo, the elder statesman of the barn cats, whose presence had become an integral part of the farm's fabric over the past seven years.
The winter months had also been a time for creative pursuits. "So this winter, I've actually been writing two books. So I actually finished off the eight lives of Lil barnat, which is like the second book in the Toby dog series, but then I also have the second book I'm working on that's like more a collection of stories about the farm and starting the farm. And so I've been like going back and looking at old pictures and files, and it was just interesting to see, you know, we first got Pablo back when I was still living in Washington DC, and Allison had moved up here and she was all alone. And so some friends were giving away a cat, and Allison was very reluctant at first to to have a barn cat. Like the idea of having a creature up here that she was was going to be responsible for was not something she wanted. Pretty much from the minute we picked Pablo up, she was in love, and uh it's been a bond that's been going strong ever since. I can't imagine this place without you, Pablo. I also can't imagine this place without you, Abby dog. Okay, we're going to rub your belly. I know this is what you want. You just want some love and attention. You missed me too, and I missed you. And so that's perfectly okay, and you're such a sweetheart." The farm provided inspiration for storytelling, and the history of beloved animals like Pablo was woven into those narratives. The affection for both the old and new animal companions was evident.
The recent trip had also provided valuable insights into the world of goats. "You know, aside from getting to spend time with my incredible friend and her incredible family, I think the other best part about my trip to South Carolina was the fact that I feel like I learned so much more interesting stuff about goats, and I think the true beneficiaries of that knowledge are these boys right here because I absolutely love taking care of them, and they're becoming one of my favorite animals on the farm. How is it going, Lauren? How's it going, Telemachus? How's it going, Baracus? You know, I missed you guys a lot. Got fresh hate for the goats. I'll dump your water and get you fresh water too. Like, yeah, I fully acknowledge I was a goat hater, and I am now converted into a goat lover. And particularly watching those little baby goats get born and see the process and just get some experience with it all, I don't know, it it does have me admittedly thinking about the future of my farm and what role goats might play into it. Please don't hear me say that and think that I'm like rushing to get more goats, but I am thinking about potentially expanding the number of goats I have on my farm. So I will just put that out there, but no decisions have been made. I'm still very much on the fence about the whole thing. I know Allison is still very much on the fence about the whole thing, and like we're only going to do something that feels right to us as like a couple and a family in like terms of thinking about adding more Farm responsibilities. But at the same time, I I will admit that the idea of, you know, trying to experiment a little bit with goat dairy wouldn't be crazy to me, and uh, you know, I don't know, there's just something so nice about having all the fresh milk like that I was like guzzling when I was down at Jess's house. And so I don't think I'd ever want a dairy cow, and Allison's actually allergic to cow's milk anyway. And so like one guy drinking even just, you know, five gallons of milk a day from a dairy cow does not make any sense whatsoever. And even if I tried to make cheese with it, I don't think I could make enough cheese or at least have the time to make enough cheese. But the idea of doing some goats, I don't know. And yes, I will acknowledge I saw a lot of the comments and and I you guys are not wrong that I did become a little bit smitten with Bluey and bingo, those two Little Goat kids. The the actual first two that were born on the farm when I was flying back just texted me and let me know that she actually had three more kids born on the farm too. So I think it was Winnie who's the white goat that she has. Winnie just dropped some Goat kids. And so yeah, I just put a video about that out there, and so I'll link to that if you want to see what happened after I left. But uh yeah, there's there's a lot of kids down there in South Carolina, that's for dang sure." The experience with baby goats had sparked a newfound appreciation and even consideration for expanding the goat herd on the home farm, though any decisions remained firmly in the future.
However, the goats' playful nature sometimes bordered on mischief. "Oh no, God, what are you Mischief Makers doing? Just because I was talking to the camera doesn't mean you have an excuse to sneak out of your pen. Come on, I don't want naughty goats. Don't make me reconsider all those nice things I just said about you boys. Abby dog, hey Lauren, that's not okay Behavior. Come on, ABS, help me round him up. All right, you get around him, then we're going to walk him back. Come on, boys, let's go. Come on, come on. Oh, see, Abby just drove the two in. Abby, come come on, LY Stone in you go. Toby dog, were you marking your territory while they were gone? Come on, everybody out. All right, I changed my mind. I take back all the nice things I said about the goats. All right, Toby dog, lead the way. Let's go visit the cattle." The goats' latest escape attempt led to a temporary retraction of the earlier praise, highlighting the ongoing challenges of managing their boundless energy.
The final stop on the morning rounds was the cattle pasture. "Good morning, Crudu! Hi, Belle! How's it going? So it looks like they still have some hay, but they're running low. And so yeah, I probably owe these girls a few Bales." The needs of the bovine residents were assessed. "It looks like like some of the snow fell off the roof of the barn, but luckily I got chains on the tractor. That is a really important thing to have. The other really important thing to have is a nice big knife for when I have to cut open the hay bales. And then I actually have one of these like little quick tool sharpeners. I'll leave an affiliate link for these things. They're great for just keeping your knife really sharp and doing it really quickly. You know, it's probably not as perfect as like a wet stone say, but what I like about this is I can just give it a couple quick Strokes right before I use the knife every single time so that this thing stays as sharp as possible, making it easier to cut the veils." The tools of the trade were highlighted, emphasizing the importance of preparedness for the demands of farm work in winter. "I don't know how I would get through these Winters without this tractor. Hey, macho man, how you doing, buddy? Good to see you. How's it going, pal? Looks like you got a little bit of