This Is Real Life- And It Ain’t Always Pretty

Life is full of ups and downs. But there’s something about the homesteading life that tends to invite extra opportunities for mishaps and failures. Kids, plants, and animals are all so unpredictable.

This post is simply an honest look at some frustrations from the past week. Since starting this blog, I’ve made it a point to keep things real, and not make it seem like every day is paradise around here. I do love taking beautiful pictures and sharing positive experiences. But in the end we are a real family with a real life, and sometimes that reality is underwhelming, messy, and certainly not picture-worthy. (I still took pictures, anyway.)

Adios, Jalapenos

All the seeds that I started a few weeks ago were doing pretty well. A bunch of the tomatoes and Brussels sprouts were moved into bigger containers already. But one morning, I went out to check on them and we’d had a visitor overnight. Every single pepper was gone, and a bunch of the Brussels sprouts had been chewed or dug up.

In addition to that, the temperature has been dropping quite low during the past few nights. So I ended up bringing most of the seedlings inside to make sure the cold doesn’t finish off what the rodents left behind. The kitchen counter has now become a temporary home for plants.

Time to set out some mouse traps, and get another round of pepper seeds going.

Introduction Gone Wrong

Our four Maran chicks have almost outgrown their chick starter enclosure. They’ve been out and about free ranging a few times now, and our first batch of hens seemed to accept them.

I’m not really sure what went wrong, but after a few days, one of the chicks ended up getting beat up by the big ones.

So we got some ointment for this little one, and put the chicks back in their own place for now. We’ll try a slower introduction in a few more weeks.

Farewell, Will

Y’all. We tried our best with that darn old goat.

I noticed yesterday morning that something just wasn’t quite right with him. By the afternoon he was gone.

I’m glad he at least got to enjoy a couple weeks of comfort, and a break from living in survival mode in the woods. He had yummy hay, fresh water, and a warm place to sleep. I think he was just too far gone to get any healthier.

Rest in peace, Will Feral. Iveyshire won’t be quite the same without you.

Stomach Bug

To round out the week, a stomach bug that’s been making the rounds in our area finally hit our house. So far it seems to only be one kid, but I’m definitely not counting on everyone else escaping it. I’m actually writing this post in between vomit cleanups. Parenthood, right?

So that’s been our week here at Iveyshire.

Here’s to brushing off the dust and starting again- by planting new seeds, holding a goat funeral, and nursing a sick baby (and a sore chicken) back to health.

Have a great week, everyone. Keep it real.

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