Spring is in full swing and Summer will be here in a couple days. Hard to believe we are so close to the summer solstice. Im not ready for days to start getting shorter, but I am tired.

Our strawberries are producing, not enough for my massive strawberry addiction, they are my favorite, but a local family farm is helping make up for our farms shortcomings. We are freezing and canning away. This year my daughter is helping with the preserving, her knife skills are impressive. She is making her first batch of jam all by herself. Im not sure if her desire to learn homesteading skills has increased or if she is making every excuse possible to avoid going outside with the cicadas.

Oh the cicadas, I don’t mind the sound. I don’t even really mind them. They just make everything look dirty and they dog wont stop eating them! The chickens and ducks love them. Hindsight is 20/20, I should have covered the farm with 100s of birds. The backyard has very few cicadas. Everywhere else they fly in your face, your hair, your clothes. It is no fun. So my daughter has decided to stay inside and make jam. When life gives you cicadas!

We have 9 baby goats with hopefully 5 more on the way. Baby goats are the cutest animal. Add baby piglets and tiny kittens the farm is calendar cute. We might do a photo shoot next year! It is hard to be grumpy when your surrounded by so many things that are just happy to be alive and love you.

The garden is busy. Always lots of work. Im still working on never having weeds. When I figure it out I will let you know, but it is getting easier. We are expanding it to an additional 50×100 foot section. My head spins just thinking of it. Moving compost and mulch one bucket at a time. Who needs a gym membership!

Well, back to work. I pray you all are healthy. God is good and life is precious. I appreciate my animals reminding me of that everyday.