My Favorite Farm
The Goats
The farm is home to four Nigerian Dwarf goats that we enjoy immensely, Three of them are full siblings, the fourth shares the same father and was born days earlier. They have always been together. I love that they all ended up with me, not a common fate for livestock. These little girls' antics constantly have me laughing. Their favorite habits include napping in the sun, eating tasty forage on the property, and joining me on daily hikes to explore the woods and property. They are constantly kicking up their heels, skipping, head-butting, and playing. I love how they will get in a line behind the dogs and hike for hours if we want. I love having them all as hiking partners! I look forward to the day others can join us on these hikes as well!
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The Fowl
Our original chickens came into our lives unexpectedly. One spring evening we got a call from Scott's uncle who wanted to get rid of twelve birds that night or they would be slaughtered and disposed of, not used for meat or anything else, and it seemed like such a waste. So we loaded up into the truck with large plastic bins and became the proud owners of a dozen Black Australorp chickens. I did not even have a coop and for the first weeks, and my chickens had to roost with the goats and in surrounding trees. My flock has since grown to include Barred Rocks, Rhode Island Reds, Silkies, Guinea Hens as well as some mystery breeds I can't seem to identify. They enjoy a completely free-range lifestyle. Enjoying 40+ acres of land filled with fallen fruit, bugs, seeds, vegetables, and other plants to eat. They have natural spring water flowing to enjoy as well as ample dust bathing locations and trees to nap underneath. Every night they are closed up safe in their coops. Some birds, like my high maintenance Silkies get carried to their accommodations nightly. They thank me by laying beautiful eggs for me to eat, as well as serenading me constantly with their clucks, crows, and squawks.
The LGD
Odin is our Livestock Guardian Dog. He is a Great Pyrenees, an ancient and amazing breed. He is brave and strong and noble, while also being the biggest goof. He protects the goats and chickens from all sorts of predators: hawks, raccoons, possums, foxes, and even bear. His deep barks echo off the hills at night. During the day he enjoys napping in the shade and wrestling with his best friend Ray. His absolute favorite thing in the entire world are belly rubs. He will often ask for them by rearing up onto his hind legs, once his belly rubs begins he relaxes so much he will trust fall over to enjoy the rub from the ground. He loves his goats and sleeps in a pile with them, or leads them on adventures through the woods.
The Horse
I love all animals but have held a soft spot for horses since I was a little girl. I use to spend every free minuet at the barn. Riding, grooming, cleaning, sitting in hay stacks, cooling down and warming up horses for lessons, tacking up horses, and learning as much as possible. I got away from horses for a bit, then joined the Equestrian Team in college. Once I had been on our property for over a year I started looking for a horse to enjoy it with. I didn't want or need anything fancy. I wanted something I could trust, something that needed a home. I follow horse rescues, and all sorts of slaughter auctions and every week they break my heart. Although I knew I wasn't quite ready to save a horse sight unseen and deal with any issues that may come up, I know that I will one day save a horse. I wanted a horse that others may overlook. After searching for months I found Ace. He had been working as a trail horse and battle reenactment steed for a decade in Gettysburg. He was old, he was tired, he needed a place to retire and relax. So now he is here with me. Mostly I bother the grumpy old man with unwanted attention and love. He is happiest standing under a huge Maple tree in his pasture. Half way up the hill that has an amazing breeze. Sometimes he can be seen galloping full speed ahead. I use him for short relaxing rides around the fields and forest. Ace is also a great babysitter for pony rides. He isn't the most affectionate horse, but he is mine and I love him. His beauty makes me catch my breath on a regular basis. Just watching him be a horse makes my heart happy, even if its him rolling seconds after I groom him. I hope to get him a friend he can be with soon.
The Dogs
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Ruca- Although she is no longer with me, she still is part of my everyday. She was my first dog and my best friend. She is the whole reason why I moved to the country, got into running and hiking, and adopted other animals. She shaped so much of who I am today. After I lost her to a sudden illness at the end of October I was completely heartbroken. A single Sunflower bloomed by the animal pens and I knew it was her, shining through, giving me sunlight in my darkest hour. She is the sunflower in my logo, the reminder to smile and love and find the light because life is beautiful and much too short.
Ray- When I lost Ruca I was devastated. I am not lying when I say she was my soul mate. There was something so special about her, about our relationship together. It never crossed my mind that I would be without her so soon, I thought I would be helping her up into my truck when her face was white and she had hip troubles. Years and years before I could ever begin to contemplate life without her, I was suddenly left alone. Despite being surrounded by the business of the farm and all the other animals. I felt like I had lost a big piece of who I was and was drowning in sorrow. Everyday I would hike up into the woods with the other dogs and goats and just sob. The first big loss of life and love is not something that is easily explained to others. Obviously I was having a hard time, my boyfriend brought up adopting another dog that needed me. I cried and pushed the thought aside, it would be disrespectful to Ruca's memory if I got a dog so soon. I needed to give myself time to heal, time to mourn. The days, turned into weeks, into months. I wasn't getting much better. I was fully functional most of the time, but other times I would wake up crying when I reached for her in my sleep and didn't feel her laying by my side, or when I was hiking and I'd look for her running by with the other animals. Even writing this almost an entire year later, I'm crying.
And then came Ray. There was an ad. An ad with no picture and no cute description of adorable, sweet puppies looking for GOOD forever homes. It was a non-descriptive ad stating: Herding Mix: unexpected and unwanted litter, call if interested. So I did. I spoke with a woman briefly on the phone, and then I spoke with Scott. I just wanted to go see the puppy in question. I can honestly say that even in the car I wasn't 100% sure I was making the right decision, I didn't know if I was ready. And then I arrived at a house, a house with no one home, after I few phone calls I was advised to go into the house by the homeowner despite her not being there. I was greeted with a horrible stench, puppy messes covering the floor, empty water and food dishes, garbage, a tv playing on mute. There came a tiny, fuzzy, white puppy in the middle of it all wiggling up to me. No second thought, I picked her up, hugged her, and tucked her into my arms before heading outside and onto our new lives together. Whatever crap we were both coming out of, we were both headed towards something better together. The universe knew what I needed. I named her Ray for Ruca (who's name in Pig Latin was Uca-Ray). She is my little ray of sunshine who broke through the clouds of grief. Ray is full of energy and sass and happiness. It oozes out of her being, she is happy about everything and can barely contain her enthusiasm for life. Even though she is completely her self with her own quirks I sometimes look at her and feel that a piece of Ruca and her love came back to me in Ray. It's in her smile, love of big sticks, and crooked nose. She is a dream of a farm dog who enjoys running around doing chores with me, and is always up for a ride in the truck, preferring to sit on my lap despite barely fitting these days. She gets along with every animal on the farm, and any time I attempt to sleep in she reminds me that I am a farmer and there are hungry animals that need my attention.
Zoey- Zoey was Scott's Rhodesian Ridgeback. I say was because she is obviously mine now. She is a magnificent creature who somehow walks the line between stoic beauty, impressive athlete, forceful guardian, and gentle needy attention seeker. If she deems you a friend to the family and no threat to her loved ones she will most likely put her head in your crotch and then leave it there until you have given her an acceptable amount of pets. I have heard impressive stories from her younger years about pulling the boys for miles and miles on their bikes, protecting her property, and chasing down anything and everything she was told to. These days she is much more content sneaking up onto the bed to relax, lounging in the sun, or sprawled out on the couch. She has definitely mellowed out and begun to enjoy an early retirement where she likes to be pampered and doesn't really want to be bothered helping out with farm chores or anything that doesn't involve sleeping peacefully. She is extremely smart and has been known to set up traps to fool people into giving up their seat on the couch (clever girl). One of my most recent adventures has been into motherhood with this beautiful beast who unexpectedly gave birth to two wonderful and huge puppies.
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The Cats
Benson-The Zen master, the pet that I have had the longest. I adopted him from Animal Friends when I was living in Pittsburgh. I went to look at cats and there were a ton of people waiting to greet the kittens in the back socializing rooms. Rather than getting into line I walked around the rows of cages, there were a few cats I put on my list to meet with. In the room crowded with cages is where I first saw Benson. He was in a back cage on the bottom, that I had to kneel down to look into. He was sitting with his bum facing the door, giving no attention to me or anything else in the noisy room. I added him to my list to meet with, I figured I'd give him a break from being in the little cage and say hello. As soon as the volunteer set him down he slinked his was over to me, stretching his legs the whole way out as he came. (I now call that his slinky-walk that he sometimes does). I knew he was mine. He has been with me for several moves over the years, and while I renovated the farm house I am currently living in he was staying with my parents. I got a call one from my family one day telling me that Benson had been to the vets and he was in the end stages of Kidney failure and they asked me what I wanted to do. I was shocked, I didn't want to let him go without saying good-bye, he deserved more. I told my mom to bring Benny to the farm house, and I would spend a week loving on him before I would take him to the vets myself to say goodbye. That was three years ago. He healed, I don't know how. I don't know if it was the sun and fresh mountain air, being reunited with me, or if he found the fountain of youth somewhere on the property. He is the best farm cat. He mouses the fields, sleeps in the sun, and sits on the hood of my truck to greet me and make sure I say goodbye to him. He enjoys being carried around and asking for wet food with his raspy voice. He is so sweet to all our other animals. He has taken naps with tiny chicks that have just hatched, shared sunny window ledges with our other cat, and let the dogs run all around him. He was originally rescued from an animal hording situation, which is possibly why he is okay with the busy lifestyle on the farm. He is a glowing example on why it is so important to adopt pets and give them second chances. I can't imagine this farm without Benson.
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Tornado Lightning- The resident alien on the farm. Her full name is officially 'Tornado Lightning Mountain Kitty'. I found her on an overcast and chilly fall morning in October several years ago. I was driving home when I saw something tiny and dark in the middle of the street. I immediately pulled over, and hopping out of the car I yelled "Kittyyy!" and she ran over crying with a voice that was WAY bigger than her entire body. Originally I was only going to keep her long enough to find her another home, that obviously didn't work out. She is still very tiny, we refer to her as "forever kitten". She is a kleptomaniac who will steal pens, pieces of paper, hair ties, jewelry, and money. We joke that she is trying to build a spaceship to get back home. She is happiest climbing trees around the house and being weird.
