On Monday, we picked up our package of bees from our local farm and good friends at Turtlebee Farms. It is so good to have the hive full of bees again! There is quite a bit of activity coming from the hive, and I plan on opening it next week to check on them, but they seem to have taken to their new home and, thankfully, decided to stay.
We made our farm "official" and I put up our sign at the road. It's good to see this sign when I pull in my driveway. It reminds me to keep pushing on. It takes years to build these natural, sustainable systems of food production from the ground up. But, we know that this is the life God chose for us, and we are thankful. And He blesses abundantly, so while we sow & harvest and slowly learn to create an income from our land, we can also serve the new church we helped to plant, and minister to the church body and this community when the needs arise. It is amazing, but gets hard at times, and sometimes I don't know how we're going to make it. But seeing this sign is a good reminder for me to keep going.
I filled our raised bed this week. Oh, that's AFTER I fixed my Ford tractor. Because I can never have the luxury of just going out and doing anything around here without having to fix something first. And that's because I buy used, and when I say used, I mean it's got to be 30+ years old, bought from someone named Clayton off Craigslist. Thankfully, I was able to fix my tractor for $50 and fill the raised bed for $30.
Martha is now in her birthing stall and has access to the barnyard pasture, and is free of George and his antics of biting and mounting her. Her milk is in, and according to my calculations, she could give birth any day now. To say we are excited for these piglets is an understatement.
With another week behind us, we are looking forward to the next already. I almost forgot to mention the new garden I tilled. It is approximately 100 feet long & 15 feet wide and stretches from the greenhouse to the kitchen garden. Next week we are going to plant our direct-sow seeds and the seedlings from the greenhouse. I also need to till up the new pumpkin patch, we'll see if I get around to it.
'Til next time, have a good one!
"He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; He provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy." Acts 14:17
