The New Class

Rhode Island Red

Barred Rock

Ameraucana

My life is resembling Cheaper by the Dozen a little too closely these days. Tuesday was a big day for our numbers here. In just three short hours the total of 2- legged animals grew by fifteen, and the total of 4- legged animals grew by one. In case you're not so good with the numbers, that's sixteen more mouths to feed and thirty four more little legs to mind when plodding around in rubber boots. The two legged animals are pullets, which i'm sure you reasoned from the pictures above: five Rhode Island Reds, five Barred Rocks, and five Ameraucana. The four legged critter happens to be of the canine variety. (Although when a big mass of brown fur showed up fast on my heels during my run, you could have yelled "bear", and i'm not sure my facial expression would have changed much.) This "bear" turned out to have good intentions, just lost or left behind, as often happens on the road by our house. Even though I know you can't save everybody, this pup was especially well trained in the art of heart-string tugging. I guess the visit to the vet this morning, to help with an eye infection and a sore paw, sealed the deal. She's ours, for now. With a few names being tossed around, I think we've settled on Sadie Mae Brown Dog, or just plain Sadie.

Also, I want to mention this before it gets a little less fresh in my mind. Brad and I went to visit Greendale Farms just outside of Madison, GA last Saturday. We had purchased some eggs and sausage from them at the Athens Farmers Market last year and were blown away by the quality of their food and their straightforward, but friendly, attitude. The time they put aside to show us around their place was beyond generous, and we can't thank them enough for being so inspiring. Brad and I are still trying to figure out what kind of lives we want to build for ourselves out here, beyond my letterpress printing and his schooling, and raising a little livestock just might fit the bill. Carrs Station Farm was at one point a highly functioning and successful farm, so couldn't it be again? Now, we feel like a small veil has been lifted on the ins and outs of successful farm living and we're starting to accrue a small "farm literature" library. Whatever comes out of all of this, we'll learn from it.