Our posse.

This past week was the most beautiful week imaginable.  Warm, sunny, the perfect way to welcome spring!  We were outside as much as possible, soaking in the sun’s rays.

On our farm, we have a perimeter fence (48″ field fence with a strand of electric fence running around) around the entire “back-yard” which is about 11 acres and includes the ponds, barn, all of the livestock, pasture, and garden.  The cows are contained in the back half of this area, in a roughly L-shaped pasture of about five acres which includes a small pond and stream.

All of the chickens, ducks, geese, sheep, and the goat free-range in our “back-yard”, meaning that we get frequent visitors right up to our back door, namely the chickens and Clem our goat.  It also means that when we are outside, we tend to have a bit of a “posse” wherever we go.  It consists of the following animals: Zsaka, our eight-year old vizsla, Marty, our three-year old cat (who really thinks he is a dog and goes EVERYWHERE with us, even more than Zsaka sometimes), Macs, our thirteen-year old cat and very first pet, Clem, our angora goat wether, and Clementine, one of our Leicester Longwool sheep.  We also often have two speckled Sussex hens with us, especially if we have food.  We give them occasional treats, but not so many as to make them spoiled and pushy.

Today the kids and I were sitting on one of our favorite large rocks in the small stand of trees next to the coop and the previously listed animals were all with us.  Clem, Marty, Zsaka, and Clementine were laying down on the rock, the kids were climbing and collecting sticks, and the chickens were looking for bugs.  It felt so surreal, like something out of a Disney movie.  I hope to have many more days like this, with my children and animals all peacefully co-existing and quietly sharing space together and in harmony with nature.