Farmer’s Co-op Run and a New Addition to the Homestead

Whew. I am dog tired.

I don’t usually do errands on Thursdays, but since we didn’t have church Wednesday, my routine is a little off.

I had to trek into the city to pick up compost. We pick up organic veggie scraps from a chef who runs a “not-technically-vegan” cafe. We spoke today about increasing the number of weekly pick-ups from 2 to 3. She’s scaling up and is needing more consistent compost disposal. This is both convenient and inconvenient for me. It’s convenient in that it’s winter, and my chickens aren’t getting the pasture they’re used to, so more organic veggies would be wonderful to feed them. It’s inconvenient in the days she needs it picked up, but I think we can make it work with some rearranging on my end.

We went by the co-op while we were out to pick up chicken feed. As the grass has mostly died off for winter, we’re going through more dry feed. Winter is the most expensive time of year on the homestead, and June-July tends to be when we spend the least on food for us and the animals.

I also ran into another issue today that I assume is exacerbated by it being winter; mice in the garage. There were two (dare I say cute) dark gray little mice sitting in the bin we store dog food in. It’s a massive Rubbermaid tub, and the lid has been cracked for some time. So, on our co-op run today, I picked up a 20 gallon galvanized can with a lid to keep the critters out.

Right now, we have 2 10 gallon cans we’ve been using for chicken feed, and they really aren’t big enough for that, so I think I’ll use the larger can for chicken feed and the smaller cans for dog food and BOSS.

I also found some Carhartt jeans on sale at the co-op for $15! Huzzah! Wouldn’t you know, there was a pair my husband’s size…ish. They’re a little longer than he prefers, and only A singular pair, but hey, can’t beat $15 jeans.

I also picked up a new dog collar for our new addition, coming in January.

Meet Flynn

He’s a full blooded border collie who will be coming home sometime after the first of the year. He will be ABCA registered, and we’re really excited for him to join our family.

Our plans for Flynn include training him to work with our animals (chickens, and hopefully goats come spring).

I don’t know why I do these things to myself- I’m not happy apparently unless I’m laden with responsibility, but the timing just kinda lined up and we wanted our Cyd to have a companion. So, added to the to-do list is crate training a pup, and teaching him how to interact with the other animals. Our hope is that getting him as a pup will mean he won’t have as many bad behaviors or habits that have to be broken. We’re familiar with the breed having raised 2 from pups before, and we love their intelligence and friendliness toward children. I’m a little gun-shy about bringing new animals on to the homestead, and I’ve never liked the idea of animals being given as Christmas gifts, so he’s decidedly not a Christmas gift. He’s an addition. And I’m apprehensive about taking on added responsibility. I’ve been over all the reasons why it’s a terrible idea, but the positives seem to outweigh the negatives and I’m choosing to be optimistic.

To make everything go as smoothly as possible, I’m preparing the crate and my mental state ahead of time. Patience will be key. Patience and a whole lot of grace.