updates

Sorry about the delay in blog postings; here's a roundup

farm life: 

New births: 
4 litters of piglets born, 1 off-season lamb (ram got out and got to the ewes, apparently at the right time for this particular ewe),  and the cows and sheep are all doing fine. 

Weather: 
Buckets of rain.  More rain that I've seen in my 6 years on this property.  Mud everywhere.  finally had to buy some gravel so that I wouldn't get stuck so often in my driveway.  Very challenging to keep anyplace dry for the animals to sleep.

Season: 
 Ordered seeds, chicks and poults, started some early-spring plants in the hoophouse.  Lettuce and peas right now, more stuff as the season progresses.  The hoophouse is turning out to be a pretty useful structure.  More on that later. 

Government: 
Got a ticket from snohomish county animal control because my pigs got out of my fence and onto the road.  It's not much, $50, but it reminds me that I need to do more fencing this year, and think about more durable fencing, too. 

Foreclosure:  Offered the former owners $500 to move out by feb 1st, and they did so.  Place is in pretty good condition; a carpet cleaning and some patch/paint (primarily screw holes left by pictures) and it's good to go.  I've got it occupied already.  So far so good.  More on that later, too.