Thursday, March 28, 2024 / by Amy Brown
There's tired and then there's farm tired
I'm going to tell you a little story...
During the winter months, I told Mark that I wanted to have a true working farm this Spring. My sweet and charming husband was happy to oblige and last month he said, "Ok, it's time to go to Tractor Supply". Little did I know what door I was opening...
I came home with my first pair of Wranglers, leather work gloves, garden gloves, and hardy farm boots. We then filled up the back of the truck with a big steel feed trough, huge sack of chicken food, spools of wire, straw, and seeds for every vegetable under the sun.
Over the last few weeks, I have learned the meaning of hard, physical work:
1. Grow seedlings in the basement (because I am excited about the garden but it is still 25 degrees outside)
2. All good farms have a fence, build fence...paint fence
3. Fence not enough, must have gate...build gate
4. Mark tills the garden and it's big...why not have a vineyard too?
5. Thinking about chickens but shed looks like a nightmare, convert shed to chicken coop
6. Too excited to wait on chicks ordered from the hatchery soooooo I go off to Tractor Supply again and bring home 4 chicks
7. Two days later...7 more chicks arrive
We now have (at this time) 11 chicks
8. Buuuuut, I read that Silkies make great chicken pets so what do I do? I order 2 silkie chicks from Florida.
But did TWO silkie chicks arrive? Noooooo! We got FIVE!
9. Get chicks settled in but plants are out of control. Gotta get them in the ground.
10. If you have a little fence, why not fence in the whole place right? (compliments of Home Depot).
We have 4 more chicks arriving tomorrow, portable heaters running to keep them warm, tons more vegetables to get in the ground, and the biggest smile on my face that I could ever have.
I collapsed in the chair last night, utterly exhausted, staring off into outer space...and Mark said, "that's what you call 'farm tired'". I burst out laughing but that's exactly what it is. The true bone tiredness of a hard day's work. Nothing could be more satisfying.
I never knew that a simple life could be the best life that one could ever experience. I feel so much joy when I have my hands in the dirt or I have my arms full of new feathery friends. It is a charmed life that I live. It's what I was meant to do and where my heart has found a home.
I know that in order to find true happiness I never have to travel any farther than my own front porch. Thank you, Mark, for making me your "farm girl".
During the winter months, I told Mark that I wanted to have a true working farm this Spring. My sweet and charming husband was happy to oblige and last month he said, "Ok, it's time to go to Tractor Supply". Little did I know what door I was opening...
I came home with my first pair of Wranglers, leather work gloves, garden gloves, and hardy farm boots. We then filled up the back of the truck with a big steel feed trough, huge sack of chicken food, spools of wire, straw, and seeds for every vegetable under the sun.
Over the last few weeks, I have learned the meaning of hard, physical work:
1. Grow seedlings in the basement (because I am excited about the garden but it is still 25 degrees outside)
2. All good farms have a fence, build fence...paint fence
3. Fence not enough, must have gate...build gate
4. Mark tills the garden and it's big...why not have a vineyard too?
5. Thinking about chickens but shed looks like a nightmare, convert shed to chicken coop
6. Too excited to wait on chicks ordered from the hatchery soooooo I go off to Tractor Supply again and bring home 4 chicks
7. Two days later...7 more chicks arrive
We now have (at this time) 11 chicks
8. Buuuuut, I read that Silkies make great chicken pets so what do I do? I order 2 silkie chicks from Florida.
But did TWO silkie chicks arrive? Noooooo! We got FIVE!
9. Get chicks settled in but plants are out of control. Gotta get them in the ground.
10. If you have a little fence, why not fence in the whole place right? (compliments of Home Depot).
We have 4 more chicks arriving tomorrow, portable heaters running to keep them warm, tons more vegetables to get in the ground, and the biggest smile on my face that I could ever have.
I collapsed in the chair last night, utterly exhausted, staring off into outer space...and Mark said, "that's what you call 'farm tired'". I burst out laughing but that's exactly what it is. The true bone tiredness of a hard day's work. Nothing could be more satisfying.
I never knew that a simple life could be the best life that one could ever experience. I feel so much joy when I have my hands in the dirt or I have my arms full of new feathery friends. It is a charmed life that I live. It's what I was meant to do and where my heart has found a home.
I know that in order to find true happiness I never have to travel any farther than my own front porch. Thank you, Mark, for making me your "farm girl".
