I'm writing this from my kitchen counter on a rainy (again) afternoon feeling the restless tension of a Spring that is coming, but has not yet come. Daffodils are pushing up, the grass is growing; I walk the pastures and see lush, vivid patches of clover just waiting to be munched by our sheep; our sheep, which, like Spring, are not quite here yet. We anticipated their arrival in March, but the ewes dropped a little late and so our lambs are still too young to come to their new home.

We've started rotating our seven borrowed sheep through one of the pastures. It's sort of nice to get to practice some of our systems on a small group before our large group of permanent sheep arrive, and while Franklin appriciastes that he has a job to do while we're waiting, I am experiencing a kind of anxious listlessness: I am chomping at the bit, rearin' to go!

Amidst this lull in farm activity, I feel the need to give myself a moment to reflect on everything that has happened since January and to take stock of where we've been. I've compiled a list:

arranged for acquiring 15 ewe lambs and 1 ram lamb of dairy genetics
researched and contacted farms selling lambs with meat genetics
purchased 160 baby chickens and raise them
designed logotype and print business cards
designed fencing system, hired crew, and got fences built and electrified
moved a telephone pole/ fought with the power company
demolished a house (after removing the more useful items and the rest of Chattahoochee Hills removing the less useful ones)
learned how to use a generator and that corn-subsidized ethanol in gasoline destroys small engines
purchased a truck
purchased a livestock trailer
purchased a flatbed trailer
purchased a tractor
clean out barn (12 ft dumpster's worth of crap!)
hauled over a ton of old metal to recycler
built a portable chicken house
wired the red barn for electricity
acquired two livestock guardian dogs, one via airport, one via 6-hour drive
lost and retrieved two livestock guardian dogs
begun working with an architect for the creamery
had one big face-to-face meeting w/ dairy consultant plus lots of phone calls and emails
solidified cheese types and initial make procedures
made our first sales commitment for eggs
attended the Georgia Organics Annual Conference
registered with USDA/FSA for grants
hosted two farm volunteer days
acquired a business license
repiped the spigot on the well
been to home depot about a bazillion times
re-roofed and replaced rotted wood on red barn and hey barn (as of today!)

I know there's a load of stuff I'm forgetting, not to mention the minutia involved in every one of these activites, plus daily chores and other "life activites" such as eating, sleeping, and doing laundry, but it's all been seriously, seriously awesome. I really, honestly can't wait for it to get busier! Bring on the Spring!