Did I always intend to be a farmer? Not really. I had only ever envisioned it with the same degree of sincerity that one envisions a married future with someone during the first date. It wasn’t that I was opposed to farming. Quite the contrary. My husband and I moved from England (returning home for me and a new adventure for my him) in our twenties with noble/romantic notions of self-sufficiency. In hindsight, they were indeed vague dreams clouded by the ‘can-do’ attitude of youth of growing fruits and vegetables, maybe some chickens for eggs and a pig, well, for you know what!
Anyway, in 2008 we moved to Connecticut and bought the house and property that had that dangerous attribute: “potential”. It was the one that could be the forever home, even though it had not a scratch of insulation and a maze of homemade electrics.
In 2010 we got our first chickens. In 2012 we added turkeys to the flock. In 2013 we purchased 3 Boer meat goats for the purpose of clearing the vast swathes of invasive plants like multi-flora rose and burning bush (Euonymous alata). In 2014 we added 2 Romney sheep to manage the open grass areas. And finally, summer of 2014 we added Jake, the barn cat, to manage the mouse situation. Each animal we keep has multiple roles on the farm and they are all inter-connected to maintain our land in a sustainable way.
I am finally starting a blog to share our story. To share all that we have learned and experienced on our small homestead. Particularly because gardening and farming on 2 acres is a different proposition than on a much larger farm.
And along the way I will share the funny stories, like when Alpha, the chicken, threw herself in the pond when the fox tried to grab her (in front of us) and then she swam all the way across to safety! Or the time Trevor the goat spent the night huddled next to the chicken coop for companionship.
Every inch of our 2 acres is buzzing with life both above and below the soil and I hope to give you a view of its miracles, disasters and everyday life.
