Bridgemoof
Overrun with beasties
-HI my real name is Bridget. One of the questions on the list for your own journal was...where do you go to get away?
Well, I have been coming to the backyard herd forum, to get questions to answers and to take a rest in between caring for animals. It's like my escape, so I thought I might start just documenting my everyday farm life. It's a wild ride, as you will see from my notes. I like to write sometimes to get away, so here we go.
Chapter One: The Farm Introduction
I haven't always been a farmer. IN fact, I knew nothing about farming up until about 2 years ago. Four years ago I lost my beloved husband to cancer, and I found myself alone in a big, beautiful house in the mountains of Maryland with my 2 dogs. Wow, only 2 dogs. I remember when life was so easy! But I was lonely and restless, and the days went by so slowly after I lost my husband.
Two years ago I met Tim. A friend introduced us, and I went to go see him at the farm where he lived. I showed up one day in January 2011 and I never left. I was fascinated with the farm. Tim was a horse person, a horse breeder and farrier among other horse-related things. He didn't have many other animals, but he had horses. LOTS of them! About 25 or so.
I found out pretty quickly I was not much of a horse person, and I'm still not. I had ridden horses about twice in my life and they both were horrifying experiences. The horses were big and they scared me. I am not afraid of the horses anymore, but I respect them enough to stay clear of them, and I definitely get nothing from riding them. But I feed them! And give them water, and clean up a little after them. And pet them, and give them snacks once in a while.
Tim also had a donkey, and some chickens on the farm when I got here. Just a few chickens, and they laid fresh eggs! It was so exciting the first time I went to go pick up eggs from their nest. I was hooked!
By February 2011, I had my own flock of 6 laying hens. That was only the beginning. I now have probably over 50 chickens, I've lost count. Last summer Tim built a little produce cart for me and it turned into an even bigger produce cart by the end of the year. I sold my little fresh cut flower arrangements in mason jars, and the eggs of course, in little baskets with straw. The passer-bys seemed to love it, and word was getting around about my cute cart. I painted the sides with a scene of all the things I sold...the chickens and their eggs, the flowers, the pumpkins, the peaches.. It really was adorable. You can see it on my avatar, but sadly it doesn't exist anymore. This year early on, just when I was gearing up for an even greater season, some driver ran off the road and crashed right through the middle of my cart, rendering it completely beyond repair. We're now working on a new cart, which will be made out of an antique buggy Tim found on Craigslist. It will be great!
2011 was a great year filled with farm fascination and learning. We have about 17 acres and are right in the middle of foxhunting country. It's indescribably beautiful here, and we have a pond and a creek and lovely scenery. We live in a 1700s farm house, but share it with the elderly woman who owns the farm. We take care of her and the farm. Someday we'll have our own farm I hope. I'm renting my house in Maryland now so I'll be saving that money for our new place. Although I'm not completely sure what the future holds, Tim and I don't always get along so great at this point. We don't always see eye to eye when it comes to raising the animals. There are a lot of fights, which I don't like at all. But one thing I do know, I will always want to live on a farm no matter what happens with us!
I am a graphic designer by trade, I've been doing publishing work for 30 years, and have worked at home for 12 now. It's been very difficult, even with working for myself, to stay inside and get work done on my computer. There's always an animal interruption, or I just can't resist being outside with the critters. This one needs this, that one needs that. It's hard to sit still for a minute! But I do love every minute of it, and taking care of the animals makes me feel complete, or maybe it just makes me feel needed, I don't know. Maybe both.
Coming next....
Chapter 2: The Craigslist Sheep and Goat Explosion
Well, I have been coming to the backyard herd forum, to get questions to answers and to take a rest in between caring for animals. It's like my escape, so I thought I might start just documenting my everyday farm life. It's a wild ride, as you will see from my notes. I like to write sometimes to get away, so here we go.
Chapter One: The Farm Introduction
I haven't always been a farmer. IN fact, I knew nothing about farming up until about 2 years ago. Four years ago I lost my beloved husband to cancer, and I found myself alone in a big, beautiful house in the mountains of Maryland with my 2 dogs. Wow, only 2 dogs. I remember when life was so easy! But I was lonely and restless, and the days went by so slowly after I lost my husband.
Two years ago I met Tim. A friend introduced us, and I went to go see him at the farm where he lived. I showed up one day in January 2011 and I never left. I was fascinated with the farm. Tim was a horse person, a horse breeder and farrier among other horse-related things. He didn't have many other animals, but he had horses. LOTS of them! About 25 or so.
I found out pretty quickly I was not much of a horse person, and I'm still not. I had ridden horses about twice in my life and they both were horrifying experiences. The horses were big and they scared me. I am not afraid of the horses anymore, but I respect them enough to stay clear of them, and I definitely get nothing from riding them. But I feed them! And give them water, and clean up a little after them. And pet them, and give them snacks once in a while.
Tim also had a donkey, and some chickens on the farm when I got here. Just a few chickens, and they laid fresh eggs! It was so exciting the first time I went to go pick up eggs from their nest. I was hooked!
By February 2011, I had my own flock of 6 laying hens. That was only the beginning. I now have probably over 50 chickens, I've lost count. Last summer Tim built a little produce cart for me and it turned into an even bigger produce cart by the end of the year. I sold my little fresh cut flower arrangements in mason jars, and the eggs of course, in little baskets with straw. The passer-bys seemed to love it, and word was getting around about my cute cart. I painted the sides with a scene of all the things I sold...the chickens and their eggs, the flowers, the pumpkins, the peaches.. It really was adorable. You can see it on my avatar, but sadly it doesn't exist anymore. This year early on, just when I was gearing up for an even greater season, some driver ran off the road and crashed right through the middle of my cart, rendering it completely beyond repair. We're now working on a new cart, which will be made out of an antique buggy Tim found on Craigslist. It will be great!
2011 was a great year filled with farm fascination and learning. We have about 17 acres and are right in the middle of foxhunting country. It's indescribably beautiful here, and we have a pond and a creek and lovely scenery. We live in a 1700s farm house, but share it with the elderly woman who owns the farm. We take care of her and the farm. Someday we'll have our own farm I hope. I'm renting my house in Maryland now so I'll be saving that money for our new place. Although I'm not completely sure what the future holds, Tim and I don't always get along so great at this point. We don't always see eye to eye when it comes to raising the animals. There are a lot of fights, which I don't like at all. But one thing I do know, I will always want to live on a farm no matter what happens with us!
I am a graphic designer by trade, I've been doing publishing work for 30 years, and have worked at home for 12 now. It's been very difficult, even with working for myself, to stay inside and get work done on my computer. There's always an animal interruption, or I just can't resist being outside with the critters. This one needs this, that one needs that. It's hard to sit still for a minute! But I do love every minute of it, and taking care of the animals makes me feel complete, or maybe it just makes me feel needed, I don't know. Maybe both.
Coming next....
Chapter 2: The Craigslist Sheep and Goat Explosion