Year #1

And so the farm began its magical transformation. Each month brought new additions. We added a horse (Briggs) and a pony (Donny Brasco) to the herd. Donny, being an intact male, spent a few months "mocking" Mike - escaping every chance he got and generally constantly trying to establish dominance over three horses that were easily twice his size. No one escaped without a few kicks and bites. Something had to be done....and that something was castration. Imagine the sight of poor pony succumbing to the anesthetics Becky had given him; eventually dropping to his knees in the middle of the field. Well, in the end, pony was castrated and the farm was a much happier place for all. Over the coming months, the pony became sweet and oh so docile. Eventually all aggression was replaced by playful antics.



By the beginning of summer we had planted a dozen or so blackberry and raspberry bushes, 75 strawberry plants and a large vegetable garden. Our harvest for the year was enough to feed us thru the summer, but we quickly realized that if we were to freeze and can our summer's bounty, we would have homegrown organic food for the entire year to come. And so the garden was enlarged by three times it size in preparation for the next year. Our blueberry bushed had a wonderful yield and gave us the idea to enlarge our blueberry patch also. (How about 100 more bushes?) As you can see, things have a way of snowballing around here.

Well, the first year was generally a successful one. We had some trials and tribulations dealing with lameness in our horses. Perhaps adjusting from Reno to Pennsylvania was difficult for Duffy and Fagner. With time, they adjusted, however. Briggs' woes were cured with horseshoes. In spite of the other horses' troubles, pony came thru winter unscathed.