One thing about farming is that no matter how much you plan... something will alter your plans. It happens in all seasons but I do think winter is the least productive season for us. Maybe it's just because I really dislike being cold and I tend to become a hermit. But on the other hand, as we experience a few weeks ago... the winter weather can create unique obstacles. Your water pipes can freeze and/or burst. The heat in your house can go out. Your packages get delayed, causing a delay in your product releases. Or maybe you have surgery. I guess that last one is not a winter specific challenge. 😉

But despite all of that we still have work to do in the winter. Aside from daily chores and animals care, we tend to focus our energy on planning instead of projects. We do our best to set goals for our farm, review our needs, and prepare for the busier seasons ahead.

For instance we really really really want to start milking Trexy! But we need to build a milk stanchion for the cows. We have most of the supplies on farm already, but the most difficult resource to find is time. Finding a day where we both are off work and have the bandwidth to focus our energy on building a stanchion seems impossible right now but we are hoping to have it built by the end of February. Do you think we will get it done?

Farming while working full-time jobs is certainly tough and I'm not going to lie y'all I definitely feel overwhelmed at times. The to-do list never gets shorter. By the time we cross one project off, we already have 3 new ones added. There is always work to do, but we have learned to be ok with that. Our farm is far from perfect. But we love it. We love what God has done here. He reminds us everyday of His goodness, faithfulness, and love towards us. This farm is a picture of redemption and not a day goes by that we don't get a glimpse of that gift.