This farm is no joke. It is a lot of damn work. Every single day.
Spring, albeit our first, is certainly the busiest season. The to-do list lengthens daily. Possibly because we have uncovered ten months of "things" that we need to work on and it's finally nice enough to work on said things.
Winter still wins out as the hardest and most challenging season so busy, warm spring is more than welcome.
The first big spring project was fencing off my first pasture. The horses + mini donk have had their large paddock plus the "arena" area to roam all winter. It's really more than enough room in terms of movable space but they need grass to eat all spring, summer, and fall. My dad, mom, brother, and husband all pitched in to install the fence line...while I went off to a riding lesson!!! Clearly, I have the best family. I expected to come home and help but it was done when I got home! Score! I used HorseGuard fencing and so far I can't say enough good things about it. Highly recommend.
As winter slowly recedes and grass begins to grow, the gang is tired of hay and ready for fresh grass.
However, they are FAT! Some more than others. Not a great way to start the spring as grass will put weight on quickly and can make them very ill if brought on too quickly or if they eat too much. So...grazing muzzles are necessary. Vet's orders. Meaning I will have three Hannibal Lectors roaming my farm.
Donkey will stay off the grass to keep her healthy.
Along with spring comes mud. Mud season. Thankfully, even without fully stoning the paddock to keep mud at bay, it's really not too terrible and boot sucking. However, Indie is excellent at finding any available mud and bathing in it.
This particular incident ending in her transformation into a mud zebra.
Lots of grooming which seems quite futile seeing that they somehow revert back to muddy & dirty the next day anyway. Especially Indie.
Lawn care, pasture care, and gardening seem that they'll be never ending this spring and summer. I am in no way prepared to manage my eight raised beds. But hell, I'll sure look the part.
Here it is, my first pasture is ready to go. Beautiful grass and hills to help keep the girls in shape. The far field will be planted with corn this year and maybe replanted and turned into pasture or hay fields next year.
The simple life is suiting me just fine. I'm thankful for the warm days after a long, cold winter and I don't even hate the rain anymore as now it has more purpose in my life.
Now, only a few short weeks until my real job stops interfering with my farm life for a while!