Summer has arrived

Summer days can't ever be long enough. Don't you feel the same ? I try to get up as early as possible and most days am not done outside until I lose daylight. Speaking of daylight, Happy Summer Solstice to everyone out there. Our solstice celebration was rather small today since it was also fathers day and the kids had so much planned already. However we baked a peach cobbler and we to pick some yellow flowers in the pasture today. The picture you see is our walk down to our pasture, the Thimbleweed has started blooming. My favourite time on the farm. Everything is in full bloom, growing, having babies ... all fun things. Hard to believe that from now the days will get shorter again. I wish we could bottle these days up and bring them out like a good bottle of wine on a cold winter night ... ah lets open a bottle of SUMMER  

It was my birthday this week. This beautiful lady in the front was my favourite birthday present. She came to us from a rescue in Manitoba who brought her home from an auction last fall. When I saw her on their facebook page, after they brought her home, I fell in love with her. Well and voila ... here she is. She came in a package with that lovely mare behind her. She is an Alberta wildie, was captured when she was three and never been handled since. Both were baby machines in their previous home. Now their time to be a horse begins. Both are settling in well and are very relaxed and start to trust a little more every day. We keep them in a pen by the house for now, just to do some trust work and basic handling first before we let them out to pasture with the rest of the herd. 

I was joking with a friend the other day who said...oh wow...you got a horse for your birthday, you are so lucky ... I said, ya whenever G. doesn't know what to get me for my birthday, he buys another horse...haha.  People often ask, what do u need so  many horses for. It's easy tho ... of course we don't need them, or maybe we do, but they need us. All of them are here for a reason and often it is not a happy story that brought them here. We have a heart for those ones that noone wants, the old ones, the broken ones, the once that need a little extra care or groceries. 

When someone asks me, mostly with a critical undertone , how many do you have now ??? I tell them, we don't count in numbers ... we count the many reasons that brought them here. 

Anyway ... I love them all ... My new girl is Luna :)

Can u tell the girls are getting close ??? Big bellies and big utters. I can't wait for the little guys to run around the farm.

Our Cows left us this week. They went away for a date with a handsome bull at a friends house. 

We have two ladies and a calf this year. Next year our little herd will hopefully grow again. WE are planning on keeping the heifers and selling the bulls or keep one for our own freezer. G. wants to build up the herd to around 10 to 15 Cows. 

I have to admit they intimidate me a little.  I know I say I can't wait to milk Clarabelle next year fut honestly, I will have to work hard on my confidence until then. They are such big, powerful animals and not at all like a horse. They run right through you if they think that's the way to go ... 

Our broilers are growing quickly. These little guys will be ready to be butchered by the end of July. I find that a little crazy and am not really happy with the choice. This is the only meat chicken available for us tho.I wanted to give it a try but I am scared of giant chickens with broken legs and heart attacks and all those horror stories people tell u about them. I wanted to give it a try , that's why I only got 10. We lost one chick, so now we will hopefully have 9 in the freezer by the end of the summer. I think if I go with cornish again I will let them graze in a chicken tractor for the summer. 

These are my black and blue Maran chicks. They are growing nicely. I hope I won't have too many roosters. These guys are the future breakfast egg suppliers.

These guys are so freakin cute but oh so messy. I love those little geese. I could just cuddle these guys all day. The geese and Turkeys moved out of the nursery yesterday. It was getting too small for them. Once they are used to their new big coop, they will be able to come out during the day to free range. 

I never had Turkeys before and I must say, I really enjoy them. They are such friendly and calm birds. They never fuss about anything, they are tidy and clean and always come running when I come into the coop. I can't wait to see them all grown up. 

The newest member of our family came to us last Friday. Sky lost his beloved best friend Orange cat two years ago. He never gave up hope that Orange cat would come down the driveway one day ... 

He has been asking for a new kitten for a while now and finally it happened.  Orange cat jr. Sky loves him and I really hope they will become best buddies as well. We are waiting for a little friend for Orange cat .... maybe in my next post. The two are suppose to have a purpose as well. We need a couple good mousers for the barn !!!

My glorious three !!! The two big kids on their fathers day outing with dad.

The peonies are starting to bloom. Summer is here. Enjoy every minute of it !!! 

 Until next time, take it easy ❤