This year has been full of unexpected turns.
May brought the passing of Collin’s 93‑year‑old grandmother, and that loss quietly kicked off a season of big changes around the farm. Between family things and helping where we were needed, the entire growing season felt thrown off. Nothing quite ran on its normal rhythm, and the year as a whole just felt… different.
There were shifts in family dynamics too. Collin’s sister moved away to be with her fiancé, which was both exciting and bittersweet. Then this fall brought a huge, happy change for Collin and me, we found a wonderful singlewide to move onto the farm.
Collin’s family had an old singlewide that needed to be removed first, so that meant a lot of prep work: getting the old one out, preparing the spot, and getting our new place set before freezing winter weather hit. Let me tell you… that was a learning experience. We absolutely could not have done it without Collin’s dad, who helped us so much through the entire process. I’m incredibly grateful for him.
We settled in right after Thanksgiving, so we’ve been in the house for about a month now, and I’m still soaking in the gratitude of finally being here.
On the farm side of things, Bessie the Jersey had a bull calf at the end of September, which means I’ve been milking for a couple of months now. This new dairy experience has been a lot of learning, a little trial and error, and honestly a lot of fun, figuring out how to use all that extra milk has been an adventure in itself.
This year also marked my second full year with the goats, and thankfully everyone is doing well. I’m excited to see how this next year unfolds with them.
In the coming weeks, I’m planning to put several wethers into the freezer. This will be my first time processing my own goats. I’m nervous, very nervous, but also excited to finally experience a full farm‑to‑table cycle with goats. I’ve done rabbits before, and I grew up with my parents raising cows and pigs, but goats going full circle like this will be a first for me. That may very well turn into its own blog post down the road.
Looking ahead, I’m hoping to dive more into soap making in the new year and really grow that side of things.
Overall, this year wasn’t what I expected , but it was full, meaningful, and formative in ways I didn’t anticipate. Here are a few photos highlighting moments from the year. I’m excited to see what the new year brings and what all we’ll get to accomplish.
Happy New Year everyone!
