Busy as a bee....

Boy oh Boy...this weather has been brutal, snow storm after snow storm...Yet it hasn't dampened my spring spirit...I know its getting toward spring to by the animals.  The goats are getting fatter and fatter, and complaining about there comfort. I expect there to be baby goats in the next week.... Our two little cashmere's are ready to be combed. The birds are back in force, checking out every bare spot there is for sign of little bugs.  I am thrilled for it all to come...the warm weather, the mud, the back breaking garden establishing, and the joys and pitfalls of kidding goats....There is just so so so much to do on a farm...In between chores and the daily grind of farm work, I slip into dream land about what project needs to be accomplished first, what it will look like upon completion and the excitement of getting it done....All the while in reality trying not to hit my dad in the head with a swinging 2by4 while we work on bracing the floors in the basement in preparation for the new bathroom upstairs.  See I can multitask.....
We have come such a long way in just a few short months...In April it will be a year we have been here in Casco....and I so look forward to many many more years...

The Casco Amazon
Devistation by weedwacker.
 

The Goatie Girls hard at work.

Long mowing hours to get to this point!

Sweet Success!

Finishing projects gives me a very comforted feeling inside.  I really enjoy starting something and then finishing it all in the same day...I feel like I have accomplished something.  Tonight It was a simple thing, but very time consuming.  I had a massive photo file that needed to be cleaned up, photos deleted and files renamed.  I did it, and it only took 2 hours.  Jeesh.....so from now on, when I upload pictures, they will be put in the right place and bad pictures instantly deleted.  Seems a good way to move forward with this, so someday down the line I am not having to spend another 2 hours fixing the mess I have made.  So here's to accomplishing projects and feeling really good about it....sometimes its the very simple things that make you happy at the end of the day...

Where does one start? At the Beginning of Course!!!

I am not sure how you go about dreaming....and when I say dreaming, I'm talking full out money is no object day dreaming.....I can honestly say, I never really see my dream in a total state of completion.  Why not, you might be wondering? Its honest to goodness the fun of starting a project and seeing it through to the finish, the people who help you, the fun that you have while getting prepared.  For me a big part of it, is the preparation to feed the people who help, or just the hubby and I for that matter.  That is always a part of the dream, in some way shape or form.  I always feel like I want to in some way entertain people.  More often than not with simple hospitality.  I would love to have my cousins here every Saturday for a jam session while I feed people and complete groovy projects....Ok so seriously.  The reality is maybe every 6 months we might get to have them here, for lively project finishing music and when we have help its typically my mother and father, and a few very close friends that have helped us.  WE always feed them, its always homemade and its comes from the heart, my heart!!!! We have started on this incredibly journey, in pursuit of a simple life that we hope to leave as a legacy to our children and their children.....So its simple isn't it...my dream is a reality....without the money is no object part!

Keeping Up!!!

Ok so I am doing ok with keeping up, but not as well as I would like.  As some of you with farms know, its hard to keep up....especially when the weather is blowing wind up your skirt, and not in a nice way either.....Its about 12 degree's and the wind is blowing about 35 mph...Yup that makes it about 20 below out..so farm chores in this weather are not for the weak at heart, for those just starting out it, can make or break you...The weather is my worst enemy this time of year....Its hard on  the Psyche.  It can be very difficult to keep your cheery positive attitude in check, when mother nature just doesn't seem to care a sweet bit that you have to lug water to your goats, and the pipes are frozen...So with that said, keeping up with winter chores can be a challenge, so what is it that does keep the attitude in check....the goats of course.  They are all snugged up in the barn, laying with their preferred friend and chewing their cud....They all jump up when I come in, moaning groaning and generally just talking their goat heads off....They love me!  I am instantly attacked ( in a good way ) by Mae, the leader and definitely most pushy by far as getting lovin goes of my ladies.  Then who ever else is interested in a scratch or pet, stands around waiting there turns.  There bellies are all getting bigger and the moaning louder....and in a few months time, I will be over run with little goat babies..my very own group of kids...I should be thankful of the little bit I have to do now, because as soon as the babies start arriving, I will be bottle feeding every few hours on top of my regular set of chores.....OH the sweet abandon of a just lugging a few water buckets...so even though I have lots to do and sometimes it gets overwhelming...I have to look at the big picture.  I am thankful for all that I have, and even the small setbacks of a bitterly cold day, have a big reward at the end....I am loved.....

Just plain tuckered.....

Short and sweet and to the point....I am just plain tuckered.  There is just so much going on and when you are doing 90 percent of it, it can take a toll. I didn't even have school today, but from morning till night there is always something to do...always something to roll over onto tomorrows list.  Farming is damn tiring, but at least I sleep good...most nights anyway.  The wave of excitement about our future endeavors here at the farm seems to be growing, a tiny following is beginning to rise up.  We have supporters we never knew we had, and help from people we barely know.  Its contagious and thrilling to see people get excited about our plans here at "still no name farm".....( I have been told it will come in time, when it ready to be named...so in the mean time....no name it is) Yet all this excitement contributes to me being tired...ha ha ha!  I am forever thankful of this tiredness, it means I have put in a hard days work, accomplished little to nothing, and oh so much....It means I have a farm I can love, and loves me back...Its a good thing to be tired and honestly tonight I AM.....

Sweet Dreams my dear fellow friendly female farmer followers...Say that 3 times fast...I dare ya!

the friendly female farmer!

Birthday shmirthday!

So another birthday has passed and I am one year older than I was last year at this time..But that's how it works for everybody right.....right....It wasn't a monumental birthday or anything particularly special..OH except for the storm of the century, the year or just the plain old month here in Maine....Turns out there are some big snow banking in the after math of the storm...WOE is me...It's Maine people take a chill pill!!!! We fared well here at No Name Farm, no power outages and a crap load of snow to clean up, and with no real implements of snow removal except human shovel power, we cleaned up the old fashioned way.  Thankfully the bulk of the driveway was done by good friends with a plow truck, I just couldn't see Frank and I shoveling a 200ft driveway with 3 foot brick wall snow drifts by hand....So thank you over and over again Winslows for coming to the rescue.  The tiny Chihuahua is appalled at the amount of snow, and the Pyrenees is like "whoot whoot"......the goats were excited to be set free after two days cooped up.....but haven't ventured beyond the hoof prints in the side of the snow banking.  Life on a farm during a Maine winter can be lots of things, and sometimes it can be discouraging and inspiring all in the same day.  I must continually count my blessings!  I am where I have always meant to be, on a farm in Maine.  I am with a man I have loved for more years than I can count, even though we have only been together for a short time.  I have animals that love me, and I love them back.  Nothing like hugging your goats before you come into the house for the evening.  Before I know it, kidding time will be upon us and I will be blessed with baby goats to bottle feed, mothers to milk and fresh milk and cheeses for the fridge and friends and family.  Everyday this places gives to me, encouragement and the ability to handle just about anything because of it.......Take a moment to count your blessings people, I am sure you will be overwhelmed with just how blessed you are....
OH and don't forget to say THANK YOU for those blessings...

Thank you all for taking the time to read this blog, I am blessed with great friends and family.  Have a wonderful night...go play in the snow and enjoy!!!!

the friendly female farmer

I Dare you!!!!!!!

How often have you let an opportunity pass you by and then later on regret that you didn't take that opportunity. As I look back, I have tons of missed opportunities and regrets. Yet I am here in the present taking a step towards an opportunity that will prove to be a opportunity of a lifetime, and I am still questioning should I be chosen to go...will I? Takin the leap off a high cliff with no net below you is a pretty daunting thought. This is what this feels like to me...a totally foreign country, and no one I know there to comfort me when I am homesick...Its all about me and my ability to adapt and succeed...I haven't even been selected and I am scared to death. However, I am struck by a knowing feeling....that I will be selected, I will go on this amazing trip and I will come back an even better more inspired Beth.
Life is full of missed opportunities and regrets....why not go on from this very moment with the thought that you will not miss any of these and live with no regrets....Its simple really, let go of your negative thought patterns and jump off the cliff, though you don't see the net down there, it will appear at the moment you need it most.....
I DARE YOU!
the friendly female farmer

Give and give and give........

Isn't it nice to think of a world full of people who are generous and giving.....I think so!  I want more than anything to be able to give all the time.  I like to take care of people....and I also like a little taking care of now and again...
Lately I have been feeling incredibly generous and want to give as much as I can..Mind you I am a full time student and farmer...not a whole lot of financial abundance at the moment.  However, you need not worry because doing what most would consider small gestures is what has made the biggest impact on me this last week or so....
Last week I stopped at Dunkin Donuts and paid for a women going through the drive through.  I was waiting for my drink and happened to turn around and there was this woman standing there staring at me.  She asked if I was the one who had paid for her order, and I replied that I had.  She asked if I had simply done this from the kindness of my heart?  I again said yes...all the while getting very emotional....She hugged me, thanked me again and said she would do the same for someone that day as she had been inspired by my act of kindness.....Now it wasn't a big deal, like 2 dollars added onto my bill, but I got a hug from a complete stranger and I never stopped smiling the rest of the day....
I was moved the next day to pay for the next two people in line at the toll booth...I got a big beep and wave from the pickup behind me on the way through the exit....
These gestures were very small monetarily, but big on emotion and impact on me.....I am trying to do some small things everyday for people I encounter.....and now animals as well.  For the first time in my dog owning career, we have adopted a dog and she will be coming to the farm this weekend to live her forever life on our amazing yet to be renamed farm.....
Take the time today folks to make a small gesture...it may turn out to be huge for you and the person who receives it....
Thanks so much for taking the time to hang with me for a moments...Its greatly appreciated.

the friendly female farmer.....

Dream continued.....foreva and eva!!!

Dreams do come true....it can happen to you...if you are among the young at heart.....
 I am sure you have heard this somewhere before......but why do I have to be Young at heart to dream and have it come true...don't we deserve to have our dreams come true at any age? 
Its been one hell of a struggle to get where I am now and I am just beginning my dream.  I have tried and failed in the most recent past to make this dream work. but the funny thing is you need the right support and people in your life to make that work.
What most people see in there minds when the word farm is mentioned is not at all what I think of when I think of the word farm...I have never been really fond of the association with smelliness, animals and farm equipment littering the driveway.....That is the farthest thing from my thoughts and desires when I dream about this place in a state of completion.  Currently that is not far off from reality, but heck we are just starting out, and someone left this place totally neglected for 10 years before we moved in.  It can be hard to explain to some people what this place can be, and until I can get it all drawn down on paper, sometimes its hard for me to picture as well.  I just know that its going to be beautiful and people are going to flock here for relaxing afternoons...eating and drinking our food and drinks....enjoying the animals and their friends and families company......
The gardens would be fragrant and abundant with blossoms and fruit and veggies....the animals all cheerful and playful....the food to die for and the company exquisite.  Its a place I would travel to and visit if it weren't my own....the lucky part is...that it is my own and I get to be here everyday.  If you are a real friend of mine, and you follow my facebook and Pinterest posts, you can see a bit of what my style is and how this place is going to look....Its going to be a romantic gentlewomans farm, where everyone and anyone can have a memorable day.....Each day since we bought the farm has been memorable and I look forward to the memories we will continue to create here...My good friend commented on my post last night and said our dream farms are made with blood sweat and tears....so far all of those have been given to the good earth and this farm and I am sure to have much more to give.....but without this love....blood...sweat...and tears this farm would have never felt love again...it appreciates it and so do I...in more ways than one....

To all my friends....NEVER GIVE UP ON YOUR DREAM!!!!!!!

PS
.If I won the extreme powerball jackpot, I would open the farm to the public a few days a week and feed the people who came to visit for free....

I am going out to hang with my goatie girls....... Ya'll have a great night!

the friendly female farmer!

Dream..DreamDreamDream.........

While sitting at a friends house on Thursday....adoring her month old baby, she told me I should write more about me "dream".  It will give people an opportunity to really know you..she said.  At the time it did kind of strike me...I dream my dream inside my head everyday....why not share it with you guys....right.  It will give me a chance to write it all down, and document my thoughts on the process of how this dream is going to become my living reality. 
Lets begin at the beginning shall we....Farming is in my blood, my father is one of 13 children raised on a big farm.  His brothers and sisters all had duties growing up, responsibilities that molded and shaped them all into wonderful adults.  Though I didn't grow up on a farm, there was always some type of farming going on...we gardened and raised chickens and turkeys and rabbits.  My mother canned and we had shelves of garden veggies fresh for a winter dinner...Always there were potatoes, and apples and a giant crock of salt pork.  I can remember being in awe, when asked to go to the basement at my grandmothers for a jar of dilly beans.....Shelves as far as my little eyes could see full of canned goods.  We lived simply and happily feeding ourselves as much as we could with what land we had....It was awesome.  I loved digging in the dirt to plant veggies or flowers, and I absolutely dance for joy when the first seedlings pop up from the earth......Its a feeling most can not surpass..the feeling of rebirth and growth...
So when I think of farming I think of where this farm is going to be and how its going to look.....and most importantly...what is going to happen here at this farm....We have some amazing ideas for the farm.....and this will be the journey from start to someday finish of at this very moment what we refer to as "no name farm".....
Hope you will stick with me and come on this journey with me....I look forward to having you along...
Thanks Aimee!
the friendly female farmer...