looking back to look ahead
Two dogs, one cat, four young children and an infant, two adults, and one brave hen, Chickaletta. In March of 2020 this motley crew arrived at Heart and Soil Ridge, papers signed and ready to move in.
The COVID shutdown and restrictions had just been announced, and we found ourselves on our own to move our belongings, our sense of the known and comfortable, and our entire life onto this little farm we were to call home.
Apprehension was in the air, as none living had ever personally traversed a pandemic, and it had just made its presence known on American ground. All that has happened in these two years…
There are points in time when looking back helps us to look forward. This March of 2022 marks our two year anniversary at Heart and Soil Ridge, and it is one of those points in time for us.
We had an idea, but really no idea what starting a farm would be like. We’d never done it before! We knew we wanted to welcome animals, work at healing our soils, put our knowledge to work in our fields. We had a vision of where we wanted to end up, but we didn’t know the steps on our journey to get there, and all that it would entail.
We didn’t know the refreshing feeling of walking a field of sunflowers in the summertime. We didn’t know the delight of watching pigs run in their wild excitement as the rain softly fell down in their pasture. We didn’t know the joy of watching an egg crack open, and a chick take its first breath of life in this world.
We also didn’t know that a few months in, Lance would be hit with a debilitating season of depression. We didn’t know that two massive hail storms would take out windows, destroy rooftops and siding, kill plants and injure animals. We didn’t know how many lessons in communication and teamwork that Lance and I would gain in this endeavor.
We didn’t understand how farming is so much centered around new life: new-to-us animals finding their home on the farm, new green shoots peeking through the soil, changing seasons with all their characteristics taking over the farm, baby animals born and welcomed, flower buds opening to full bloom in all their radiance.
We didn’t know how much we’d love it all, the good, the bad, and the new.
Today we no longer are home to just a few animals.
Chickaletta, our one surviving hen from our former residence, settled her way onto the farm and welcomed over 200 more hens to her flock. She still serves as “Head Hen”, teaching the ropes to the others.
Rosebud and Rhubarb, our two fox-red labs, have taken in two others into their den, Raspberry and Radish, our new pups on the farm. They are beautiful, smart, and wonderful companions to us!
The pastures are now home to 23 goats, 5 sheep, 6 cows, and two horses. All are pregnant (except for one of the horses) and due this Spring. Whew! We’re looking forward to meeting all the babes!
We just visited the 17 piglets that plan to make their home at Heart and Soil Ridge this summer. Such sweet little things! We are happy to give them a happy life full of lush pasture and sunshine, and their favorite - freshly falling rain.
The fields are primed and ready for seeds this spring, and we look forward to fields of flowers and forage to come.
My greenhouse is filled to the brim with little shoots, patiently growing and waiting for their turn to be planted into the flower farm area for the season. Dahlias, poppies, cosmos, zinnia, roses - my heart is ready to take in all their beauty.
Its been a journey. Ups, downs, challenges, and everything in between. Lots of learning! But I am delighted in this journey, and embracing it as it comes. Looking back at where we started reminds me to keep looking ahead at what is to come.
To celebrate this point in our journey, we’d like to offer a giveaway - just to say thank you to all of you who have been rooting for us, and all that we will come to know in the future.
We will choose one local person from our “Tales from the Heart” subscriber list to giveaway two months of egg subscription and delivery.
And another lucky one from the list to giveaway two pounds of our delicious 100% grass-fed ground beef.
Be sure to sign up for our newsletter, Tales from the Heart to enter!