Happenings…

 Current situation:

Most mornings involve both dogs not being thrilled with my early morning schedule, so while they snooze and do the minimum ‘pee walk’ and go back to bed, I have this quiet morning time to have coffee, open all the windows and listen to the birdsong, and get ready for work, doing a job I absolutely LOVE. 

I get home in the early afternoon and that’s when all the fun happens out here. The dogs have their spots - Poptart loves the porch and all the carpenter bees that buzz around and Reece loves the yard where I have the hammock and a soft doggie bed out for sunning his old bones. He’s been moving a lot slower lately due to arthritis. It’s hard to believe that it’s been 6 years since I brought him out to the farm…

I’ve been doing lots of work on the property and I am almost out of time for some of the projects that I wanted to get done before the snakes are slitherin’, but what’s another year to wait? 

The grounds are looking absolutely stunning and the horses and goats have been enjoying the fresh green grass that has been emerging recently. 

Mr. Marbles has not made an appearance to me or the cameras around the property in almost 5 months, so sadly at this point I think it’s safe to say he’s likely graduated to beyond the rainbow bridge. He definitely broke the record for length of time that a cat has been able to avoid the coyotes. Usually I only see them around 2-3 months before they disappear and he managed to hang around for two years. If you are unfamiliar with Mr. Marbles, I tried very hard to tame him enough to get him into an adoptive home, but he was too feral and bolted like lightening with every one but me. It took him a year to trust me and that really only happened after I had to trap him and get him seen by a vet due to an injury. I kept him in the former chicken coop for 4 weeks for recovery and that’s when he decided I was trustworthy. 

Anyway, no other farm cats will ever be as cool as Marbles in looks and survival skills and I do miss seeing his fluffy butt around. 

I have found some really cool boots and dresses at thrift stores and estate sales so will hopefully be sharing more outfit posts soon. Last weekend I went out to a movie and couldn’t help but brag that my sweater, dress, and boots were all found second hand and combined only cost $13! As you know, this kind of thing is truly what started the Frugal Fashionable Farmer blog in the first place. 

Yeah, it’s been a strange few years of change and loss and I’m finally feeling like I’ve found myself again… 

Have a lovely day…

xo

-s

March (so far)

 Oh my goodness. What weird weather we’ve been having! It snowed twice this year, then February was great weatherwise and I got a lot done on the farm, prepping her for Spring. I must admit this year this place is going to be dreamy. I have been putting in tons of work the last few months of dormancy….

I also found a great fabric company from Maine and ordered some reupholstering fabric for my truck seat…. Just wait. I think I’ve mentioned on here what I wanted to do, but between working so much and not having the extra funds to justify spend on something that wasn’t actually a necessity, I had put off making that purchase until last week. I hope to get started on that project this month sometime, as we usually get a ton of rain in March and that will put a damper on any outdoor projects. 

I’ve been going out a bit more lately and socializing and appreciating the friendships I have as well as forging new ones with folks that I’m shocked I didn’t already know. I guess when you enjoy your solitude, have kept a lower profile the last 10+ years, and live on a majestic little slice away from all the noise, it’s easy to get sucked into hermit-mode, but I’m really enjoying the balance I’m finding in those outings lately….

I’m also trying to figure out posting here simply because my life was different when I started this blog and I’m realizing it was soothing a lot of things that weren’t so great but that I’d decided not to see. It’s true people evolve and change and grow into individuals that may be unrecognizable, and that is what happened in my previous relationship. The sad part is, we kept going - despite not really communicating about the changes and eventually grew completely apart. The truth is, we had nothing in common these last few years, but kept pretending we were solid. Time spent together plays a huge role in how easy it is to face the truth and move on or to stay and pretend all is swell. I have learned a lot about balance and how when things in life are a little off and go unchecked, it can set you up for failure. Lots of hard lessons learned the last few years, but valuable nonetheless. I’d never been a person who turned to therapy but found myself doing that last year with a goal of understanding the “why” of things. I have changed the way I think about things, handle myself in certain predicaments, and take the time to dig a little deeper to understand some of my triggers. 

So that is why the lack of consistency here and I think it’s actually been good for me to figure out why. It’s crazy the things you can forget simply because you never wanted to see them in the first place. 

That being said, my business is growing and I am really enjoying all the time to spend with my own dogs. My sweet Reece is growing older and arthritic and moves a lot slower than he used to so I’m super happy that I’m home more to give him all the experiences that make him happy. He’s never been a ‘normal’ dog - with his fear-reactivity towards people and other animals, but I do think I’ve managed to give him the most normal life. We hit a milestone yesterday…. The Chic-Fil-et drive thru. I’ve been trying to get him some nuggets since 2019 and yesterday was the day (thank you mobile drive thru line)!!!

He rode with me in the truck to pick up some free fencing out in the middle of nowhere, then we swapped vehicles and went to the feed store and to grab nugs, then swapped vehicles again and drove the bus to another part of the property to park for the night. He’s gotten a lot better about sitting in the car in parking lots when I run into the store, which is great because this boy loves to ride! He’s got a great soft bed for his old bones set up in the back of my XTerra and has to be picked up and loaded and unloaded these days. 

I’ve been spending more time with the prison dog program here and even taking those dogs on pack hikes! 

In the last week I went out to a show, an art opening, and a dinner date! Oh -all that while also fighting a double ear infection … It’s been a period but gears feel like they are catching and I’m finding my way. 

Ive always taken care of this farm by myself, but learning to financially take care of everything by myself this last year was a little challenging at times. I’d done it in the past, but by working a job for someone else - not being the owner of a new business and starting from the ground up. It was definitely scary at times, but as always I am making it happen - while also having so much more time to get to do the things that remind me of who I am and the things I love doing. I think this weekend I’ll even have the time and opportunity to do a little thrifting! 

Ah! It’s time for me to get ready for work and I got lost in babbling here. Gotta go pick up some dogs and hike in the woods - there is no better way to make a living right now, is there??

Enjoy these snapshots from the last week….

xo

-s

february.

 

It’s been a busy and productive week. The business is growing each week and we are hitting a record number of dogs next week! It’s also hustle mode for getting the property prepped for Spring and Summer, taking advantage of cutting things back now while things are still dormant. 

Yesterday my mom came out and helped me clean up around the 200+ year old oak on the farm. The privet and brambles took over last year when this place was getting neglected, and the many storms last year left fallen limbs. We had a couple of burn piles and now that ol’ tree can stand pretty this year! It was a perfect way to catch up and get in a good workout. My mom is active and fit and takes full advantage of her sprightly energy and physical abilities and I hope I can be as healthy as her when I’m her age. Switching from decades of a desk job to daily hikes with dogs has definitely got me heading in the right direction. 

Today I cut back all the overgrowth around the house and brought the limbs up on an old cedar tree and my hope is to finish the front yard this week and then start working on the back yard. I want to have this place ready for entertaining small gatherings of friends by summer. 

The goats enjoyed snacking on all the cedar cuttings and the ducks enjoyed this very Spring-like day in their pool. 

I am looking forward to having things set here and just maintaining for a few hours each week, having a drink by an outdoor fire, actually getting to relax and slow down a bit. I wanted to get back to regular postings here, but to be honest, it’s been so pretty outside I can’t help but take advantage. 

Lots of changes in life, lots of exciting ventures with friends on a few different burners, and taking every chance to explore new opportunities. 

I had planned on going thrifting but still haven’t managed to do that yet either… Spring has hit earlier than expected and I’m in major organization mode. 

I’m beat from slinging 50lb bags of feed, but super proud of Reece for being able to wait peacefully in the truck while I was in the feed store. His favorite thing is going for rides, but his guarding used to be so severe it was impossible for me to leave him unattended in the car/ truck. 

I’m off to take a hot shower and baby this tired body by going to bed early with a heating pad. Sorry for the not-so interesting update…

Goodnight, lovelies.

-s

Monday morning….

 

It’s Monday morning and the rain is coming down pretty good. I love a good slow rainy morning having my coffee and listening to the tapping on the tin roof…. Later I have two doggie hikes and a session at the state prison volunteering with the dog program there, sandwiched in between. 

My weekend was equal parts restful and productive. I kicked off the weekend with a little Chinese takeout after a very long but gratifying week of business. I’m just now getting the hang of how I need the scheduling aspect of the business to be so that by summer the bus has logged all its hikes for the day by 1:30 and I can be home with my own dogs and tending to this beautiful place. Yesterday I thought about getting out and doing a little thrifting but opted for a long bath instead. 

 For the first time in months, I started the process of prepping the land for the upcoming year. There is so much to do in this regard mainly because I ignored all this last year due to new business, the end of my relationship weighing heavy on me, and my main lawn tractor being out of commission since last August after I accidentally ran over some electric rope horse fencing and my backup having a dead battery. A week ago I got both of ‘em running like champs and I’m super excited to get to work on the ‘back acres’ … There are trees that need their limbs brought up, several fallen pines that need to be cut up, burn piles to be burned, and dormant wild overgrowth that needs to be cut back. This part of the property is my favorite. It’s unseen from the dirt road, completely private, and absolutely gorgeous. 

I got a new table from a client and set it up in my new creative space. The loft used to be where I crammed all my hobby stuff so it’s nice to have a creative space conveniently located downstairs so Poptart can come hang with me while I sew or work on prints. The loft hasn’t been tidied or touched since Christian moved all his boxes of records and stuff out. Last summer, our cat sadly passed away due to kidney failure so where the loft was the cat’s space to get away from Poptart, the loft currently has no real purpose …. yet. Before Spring I plan on cleaning it up and having that be a peaceful spot for guests (if I ever have any). My sister was here just after Christmas and she actually house-sat for me while I was away overnight sitting someone else’s pets! 

Anyway, I’m off to work - in the rain. Two more new dogs starting up weekly hikes this week and we added a new slot today to our weekly schedule! 

Happy Monday, yall! 

xo

-s