Morning light

Morning at the farm is delightful. I love going out, feeding everyone, and then sitting with my coffee in the goat pen, just taking in the sounds and sights around me. The early sun streams through the old tree that shades half of the goat run and most of the pig pen. It backs up to the side of the 100 plus year old barn. It's a storybook tree. Like the ones in fairy tales; old, rugged, outstretched, twisty arms and very, very majical. The starlings are busy feeding their babies that are hidden between the cracks in the barn siding. And the Wrens, and Jays and Bluebirds are all busy mating, nest building and feeding. The Barn Swallows gracefully swoop over the goats and pigs, who are oblivious to their acrobatics. It's so peaceful. I sit on the bench that we put in the goat run for them to climb on. Goats love to climb! I also dragged a large Maple branch that fell in a storm, and propped it up on the bench. Now Daisy and Banjo nibble the bark and leaves from the branch and jump on and off the bench. Eventually we will build a bigger, more elaborate play structure for them, but for now, they are happily entertained. I am getting two more goats in July. They are Miniature Silky Fainting goats. They are similar to my Nigerian Dwarfs in size, but have long silky hair and they faint when startled. Well, they don't actually faint, but they have a condition where their muscles tense up and they fall over. It's actually pretty funny to see. But I love them for their coloring and the fact that they are dog-like in personality. Sweet, affectionate and playful. Daisy, my female Nigerian is the sweetest goat ever! She loves to be petted, and brushed. And she loves to smell my breath. She has stolen my heart. Banjo is still so young, and developing his personality. I would say he is more playful and aloof. He is still being bottle fed, and going to get neutered next week. But he is a doll and the kids adore him. Lilly and Dexter are the Mini pigs. They love each other and sleep together in their pig hut. Dexter is neutered, but we may breed Lilly one day. For now though, they are just sweet, happy and very spoiled pigs. We also have two Pekin ducks, which we raised from day old ducklings. They free range around the yard and have a dog house that they sleep in at night. I think they are both females. And they are inseperable. The chickens are all almost full grown. We also raised all of them from day old chicks. We have eight total. One Coocoo Maran, one Silverlaced Wyandotte, one Goldenlaced Wyandotte, one Arucana, one Delaware, one Salmon Faverolle, and two Polish Cresteds. I would like to get a few Silkies soon and put them in a separate coop. Silkies are much more delicate, they are flightless and have fluff, not feathers. But they are so cute and sweet that they are hard to resist! We plan to build a 4 foot fence around the coops so that they can free-range without my dogs attacking them. It's a work in progress, but it's so much fun to be doing all of the outdoor projects first. We moved in right when Spring started so it has been all about the outside of the house. The painting on the inside can wait. Luckily the previous owners chose nice colors, so it still looks good. We also planted the front flower beds and did some tree trimming. And we opened the pool and got that ready for summer too. We need to stain the deck around the pool though, it looks like it hasn't been done in a few years. And we got the trampline up for the kids. The yard is beautiful! We have one huge old Willow tree that hangs over our gazebo and another smaller one in the yard that we hung our daughters horse tire swing on. We almost named the farm after the Willows, but we stuck with "Daisy Hill" since it has so much meaning for us. And of course I named my first goat Daisy, so she can be our unofficial mascot! With six acres, that are uneven, and hilly and rough in some areas, we needed to upgrade our riding mower. So Roger bit the bullet and bought an ExMark zero turn mower. It was worth every penny! For this kind of acreage, you need a durable, fast, powerful mower. Otherwise he would be mowing all day long once a week. Now it takes about 2 hours! So far I have learned a few things about farm living: 1. The floors are always dirty. I sweep at least once or twice a day. 2. We wake much earlier and are way more tired in the evening. 3. When a pig escapes it's pen, don't chase it, just let it come back to the door on it's own. You will NEVER catch a pig! 4. Bats, snakes, turtles, pheasants, wild turkeys, deer, and various wildlife also share our farm. Sometimes it's good, sometimes bad. 5. I am at my happiest when sitting with my animals, surrounded by nature. 6. My dog Lulu LOVES to eat duck, goat and chicken poop! So,the move was the best decision we ever made. We love Clarkston, and Ortonville. And we love the house and the property. I will post pics of the animals and the house.