It will be a while before our farmhouse is in shape for us to move in and settle down, but that won’t stop us from hanging out there and dreaming about its future. I have spent some time considering what kind of a farm we will be. This isn’t the first time that I’ve pondered this, and I was armed with books and magazines and plenty of brain waves surrounding this choice.
The main consideration is us.
Four of the five of us are huge animal lovers, and the “one” who claims not to be ends up being a big softie. But we’re not the kind of farmers who can farm animals on any kind of scale. We’re pet people and I know us. Any animal we bring to the farm will be a pet. I’m looking to see if any of those pets can earn their keep, keeping in line with our interests and abilities, and have come to a conclusion. Any animal farm we have will most likely be a pet farm, and misfits at that, and that means extra care-taking and freeloaders. When it comes to animals, I’m an enabler. MAYBE some will provide eggs, protection from predators or some wool that will encourage at least one of us to learn some new skills, but the bottom line remains the same.
Freeloaders.
And a lot of poop.
I missed the boat on being a dairy farmer and am not enamored with large scale crop growing. Yet, anyway. I’m not into making beer and sowing those oats. I don’t want to join in on the goat farm and goat milk bandwagon. Plus, we’re back to the “pet” thing again. And poop. And now you have to add in mating.
Shudder.
Realistically, we’ll be an eclectic farm, taking on a mish-mosh of interests as we grow and adventure, but there is one type of farm that has continually floated around in my brain for a few years now that keeps resurfacing. It seems like it just may be a good direction for me, and for my family since they like the idea too. It has a variety of traits that we just might be able to mesh with, especially considering my “all-over-the-place” field of dreams…I’m leaning toward having a flower and plant farm. (See what I did there with “field of dreams”? That was a good lead in, huh?)
I love flowers. Much of my drawing and painting for creating my own fabric centers around flowers and vegetables. I love finding a different plant to hang with. I love the colors and the scents. And I can enable the flowers all I want without serious social repercussions.
Along with those benefits, there are more. It’s somewhat seasonal, which fits in with my inability to only do one thing. There will be time for my other schemes. I get to be outside, which I love. And I can continue to wear comfy and eclectic clothes. Looking out at plants provides instant happiness, unless I see something eating them, of course. The area that surrounds our farmhouse is flat with an amazing view and adding fields of flowers will kick the whole scene up a few notches.
Bee-utiful!
I may not be able to escape poop, although it will be a benefit instead of a chore. I have been researching organic growing methods and poop pops up as an option. It would help to defray the cost of purchasing fertilizer if I can make our own. Different animals’ poop has different value as a fertilizer, and matching that with the animal’s pet quality makes for an interesting graph. There are rules though and that means structure, which is when I start to glaze over. I’m still pondering the poop thing.
But I just may be able to get those freeloading enabled pets to earn their keep after all.
