March Madness

Hello all. It's March can you believe it???? Things are starting to get a little on the crazy side around here. Well not really crazy but more like my sense of normal. We have been having a very mild winter....to the extent that I put my plastic greenhouse up already to melt what little snow we have. We spent the last day of Feb. walking the beach of Seward looking at the "wild" life....hermit crabs, muscles, starfish, my kids. It was a very enjoyable and much needed trip. I was a bit stressed over the weekend. I was offered my job back, at a higher pay. I was also offered to stay at a local store instead of the hour commute. I was flattered that they would actually come and ask me. I spent the weekend going back and forth between taking it or not. I finally decided on the not. If I was at a different point in my life I probably would have jumped at the chance. Right now I've realized that I am needed at home more than I am needing to help bring in a paycheck. We as hubby and wife want a farm/homestead....we want a family environment that we were building before I went to work. It is a different lifestyle and one that I truly crave. We have been very blessed to be where we are at right now and I am thankful for that. My progress towards my Farm to Be has been very slow. Most of the progress is in plans not actual work yet...still winter. We have started our garden. The two little ones love to help me plant. What kid doesn't like playing in the dirt though. We expanded our raised beds last year before the end of the season so that they would be ready for this spring. We have planned out our garden fence....along with room for an additional 4 beds and adding 2 cherry and 2 apple trees to the area. I'm excited about that. I have been researching square foot gardening and companion planting so that I can make most of the space. The beds aren't huge 4x8, but they will hold a lot of food. We want to start our bees this year. That one we still haven't made the leap into and it's time to order them. I don't want to miss it, but if so then plan b is a turkey coop. We are also adding a second chicken coop to split the hens and roosters so that we can hatch some pure buckeye chickens and pure blue orpington chickens. It will take some time to get back to actual livestock. I'm excited about a summer of gardening though. I even bought flower seeds so that I can have some color around the house. So as we move forward with the farm to be...the kids are moving forward with school. Hubby is moving forward towards his Master's degree...and me I'm starting my jog towards my homestead reality. I look forward to the day that I change my name from Farm to Be....to...whatever we name our farm. Have a great day.