Well, this update is really many months overdue. The reason is that as soon as the temperatures rose, so did our daily to-do list.
SO. MUCH. GOING. ON!
Cabin
In two days and with the help of a local Menonite teenager, we put in the foundation for the cabin. It will be a bit over 1000 sq feet with two bedrooms and a whole wall of windows looking over the mountain and valley behind us. The week after that, we set our sills and began adding the joists. Sadly, it all ground to a halt with the rains and wood shortage. It takes a lot of pine tree to create 2’x12’x16′ joists. This has been a big disappointment since our goal was to get into the cabin by winter and that is not super likely now. However, don’t mistake my disappointment for lack of thankfulness. We are very thankful for the spaces we have while we await having all of our living spaces under one roof someday.
Outdoor Kitchen
Since the cabin is on hold, we have moved our energy to all the other homestead needs. The outdoor kitchen is now roofed, and has all the walls in place. We took a load of hickory boards to be planed and cut so they will lay together to make the floor. We have discovered firsthand just how hard hickory wood is when Paul tried to do plane them himself. That is one for the pros. All the floor joists are in place and once the floor is down and sealed, we will move at least part of our cooking operation out of the RV which is something like a metal people-sized oven when we cook in there on sunny 80+ degree days.
Spring is Baby Time!
We have ALL the babies peeping and meowing over here. To our flock of 14 Muscovy ducks and one lonely Khaki Campell boy Mr. Han, we have added 5 Indian Runner ducklings who should be big enough to join Mr. Han in a few weeks.
In addition, we’ve added 10 guineas – they are a riot to watch with all their busy running, jumping and flapping. I cannot WAIT until they eat all the ticks and chiggers from my yard.
And four African goslings! They are the most interactive birds I’ve ever been around. They watch and check things out constantly. We are praying we have two pairs out of these four but time will tell. The little one in the back is something of a miracle. Right away he was failing to thrive, not really eating and definitely not growing like the others. After about a week of electrolytes and trying to get him to eat, I found him bottom up in the water bowl. He was stuck and too weak to get out but still breathing. Isobel began feeding him hourly and twice a night and now he is growing and alert and eating so things are looking good! These guys will be our lawn mowers soon. (Ezra the donkey produces a little too much fertilizer for our main yards, if you know what I mean.)
Lastly is our 8 little Naraganset turkeys. They are the second most friendly baby birds I’ve been around. They let us touch and hold without fuss and although most came to us before they knew how to drink and eat, they are all growing and thriving! The goal is to start a flock to provide meat and to sell.
The Sheepfold Has Grown
One of our goals with our sheep is to raise and sell the babies…plus food…but we aren’t quite ready to think about that whole butchering a sheep thing. I mean, a bird is one thing… However, the only way we can do this is if we have a boy.
Introducing Solomon
And his girls.
These guys are getting used to Isobel as their master and provider and soon will be let out to the main pasture with our current girls. At least one of them is pregnant and if Solomon does his job this fall, we will have a mess of lambs next spring.
Keeping the Rats at Bay – Well, Someday
Our last new addition is T’Challa (Challa for short – Black Panther fans take note). Sadly, our beloved Cocoa passed away in May. She LOVED her new home down here and gave the rats a run for their money but old age did its thing. We miss her terribly but the reality down here is we MUST have cats and dogs to keep the rats and mice to a dull roar. They are crazy! They get into cars and chew, they chew through the wires of Paul’s power tools, they are no little city-dwelling mice, either. At the moment, he is learning where his home is and will soon be introduced to his barn as well. Likely we’ll add a helper for him at some point.
Gardens and Fencing and Such
Isobel built two huge raised beds in the garden and we are working to weed and plant the rest with a goal of finishing the raised beds this fall/winter to be ready for a full spring planting next year. Also, you can see below the good work done by Pickles and Piper on Caleb’s herb and tea garden. This is located just outside our outdoor kitchen and will be the perennial herb garden. Isobel has fenced and fenced and fenced. Some temporary fences so the donkey and sheep can clear the land which has helped in our clean-up process and some permanent ones to keep those wanderers where they belong. Nothing like walking out the door to see the donkey standing in the road nibbling my fountain grasses or half the flock of ducks waddling down the street (aka dirt/gravel road) toward where they know Isobel keeps the feed.
Yay, blueberries! 
‘bridge’ to the turkey coop 
one of our raised beds
Fruit Trees – we also have the fruit trees and plan to get them in the ground once we can be sure to keep the donkey and sheep away from them. We have three apples, two peach and two pears. Once our cabin yard is out of constructions mode we’ll add a couple cherries there.
Other Building Projects
We have a turkey coop more than half finished. A new duck coop is next along with a hay storage shed, and a cover for our firewood since we will soon be using our new woodburning cookstove.
Turkey Coop in process 
Guinea Coop, almost ready
In the midst of it all, we work our jobs and do school and find time to be a family and throw the ball or work a puzzle with Caleb. Our boy has discovered that he loves to forage so we got him a guidebook and he makes some mean teas so far. Ever munched on redbud flowers? Sweet and yummy when you catch them just right. Every tried dandelion ‘coffee’?
It is easy for us to look at all that NEEDS to be done and lose sight of how much we have accomplished in such a short time. We have to step back and realize it can’t ALL happen this year and trust God in the process.