And now it starts

When I decided to start a small novelty farm the only thing I wanted was to experience one winter before bringing on the animals.  Now Elliott the horse was already here so just getting fencing up and a stall made in the barn seemed like plenty to keep me busy the first winter.  Well when it starts it just keeps coming.

 

We just finished this when the weather started to turn bad.  I have become a frequent shopper at Tractor Supply and this is where the next animal came from. It was a little chicken running around the parking lot of tractor supplies. Rescue is a big part of me that being said I just could not leave the little chicken there so I brought it home.

   

Elliott and the chicken became good friends from the get go. I soon just stated calling the chicken Tractor Supply baby and a week or so later. One of my new friends on the island sends me this add for Free chicken food and tells me it is close by check it out. Well that landed me 14 more chickens and no food. That's another story. 

 Now life with a horse and 15 chickens is a trip as I am clueless about being a country girl and need to ramp up my learning.  I was just getting use to how to feed them and what, then the eggs start. They are laying them every where. I am told I have 2 roosters. That's wrong there is 5 roosters and 10 hens. Those Damn Rooster are constantly jumping the hens. It is almost an X rated barn any more. Well to keep ahead of the chickens I had help getting a roost made for them and some boxes to lay them eggs in. Life is settling in the holidays came and went had lots of company and good times. 

 Now comes the next add, re-homing three dwarf Nigerian goats.

 Well I never made it through the first winter to get every thing ready for the animals.  I am scrambling to get everything set up for all. Now they are all in the same barn but I have decided another building is necessary for all the chickens. I have learned the hard way they do well in cold but no moisture in the coop it cause frost bite. So the horse and goats along with the chickens create a lot of moisture and the frost from this was my battle. I drilled holes all over the barn, left two window open and the doors never sealed tight. I could not keep the moisture out and two roosters got frost bit. They are now in my kitchen for a little more than a week while they heal up. The cock-a-doodle-do shit every 5 minutes will be the death of me.  I have survived the arctic vortex. As soon as we can reach at least the teens these boys are going back to the barn.  

My first rescue since I got to the island

I am on my weekly trip to town to do laundry, buy food and get a wheelbarrow. My last stop is Tractor supply to get a wheelbarrow. As I walked to the register to ask about the wheelbarrow I see the door open. The door opens again and I see a bird walking in front of the doors. I did't know what it was but thought it was strange hanging around a business. As we looked up prices the door opens again. A guy says you have a chicken out here. Clerk says ,"not ours". The next person comes in and again tells them there is a chicken outside. Now it has been raining all day and the chicken is trying to stay dry up by the door that opens when it tries to get shelter, scares it and then it runs away. I had to go out side to check the size wheelbarrow I wanted and watched as the chicken dodge rain, people and a steady moving door.
I went back in paid and came out and moved the van to get it loaded. The whole time watching all the foot traffic that went by this chicken, thinking who leaves a chicken in a shopping plaza. I got all loaded and went back in side and told the clerk I am going to rescue this chicken if someone come looking for it give them my phone number. She replied I don't know who you are Sue. So Rescue has no limits. Who knew, a chicken in a shopping plaza. It looks like all my farm critters are going to be rescues too.

 

 

She now has the name of Tractor Supply baby

Retirement and the move to the Island.

Moving Day was the relief, Stroke out, was what I thought was going to happen before retirement ever arrived. I was ill and could not sleep as I became increasing stress trying to keeping up with my job that I was very unhappy with and getting the city house ready for sale.  That alone was bad but then selling it added a new layer of stress that made me think I was not going to survive.  One door opened five shut, is the only way to describe the chaos. I stressed to the ends of my limits over how I would move the 400 miles to the Island. Most companies did not want to cross the bridge. Then the rentals was getting crazy expensive as I searched for one way rental company to no avail, then round trip to go unload and come back same day as it was looking.  9 hours on the road alone and then the load unload. My mind stressed as I became more tired everyday.  It is just me and my daughter that still had to work and help me with all this.  Coming home after a stressful day and then dealing with the house.  I had to get my Medicare straight and my final bills and my final day at work all worked out. I had no time to do any of this at work as it was its own problems that needed my 100% attention. Getting every thing taken care of in 1.5 hours at the end of a crappy day was not working well for me at all.

 It all came together when my friend and co-work said she would help me move and my boss OK the use of the company truck to move me there. Her son was a licensed truck driver and they had to go back same day and could take the company truck back.  
We packed the truck full and two minivans and off we went.  My friend and her son and his friend were the life saver I need.  We got through the move and they took my daughter back with them and they left. I stood in the middle of the dinning room filled with boxes and the dogs were running around checking out the new digs. The feeling of relief came over me like a ton of bricks and I started to cry. This is it I am now officially retire and gone. Leaving everything I knew behind me to start a new life.  Now the daunting task of unpacking and finding places for all the thing I brought.

I needed to get things in order as I needed to work on fencing and housings for Elliott the mini horse I rescued at Easter and boarded on the island till I got up here. Lots to do and no time to think about where my new life would take me. I just believed it was going to be all I ever thought it would be and the final chapter to my life was going to be great. And now it begins.