Well, we’re wrapping up another year. Where did the time go?! This year has been a whirlwind of activity as we expand and grow in ways I’d never imagined. I have to admit I’ve been lax on posting updates and keeping “a visible presence” online. Please forgive me as I continue to stumble and fumble my way through operating our little endeavor. Can I be candid? I never intended to start a business. I’m simply meeting needs (where possible) and hanging on for dear life.

Say it with me: “supply chain.” I can’t tell you how many panic attacks I’ve had trying to keep things in stock! It’s been especially challenging dealing with my vendors who can’t provide supplies or whose prices have skyrocketed. I even had one of them adding a surcharge. Ugh. In some circumstances we’ve had to temporarily remove some of our store items until the market settles. Regardless, I have done my absolute best to keep my prices stable and have taken the financial losses personally.

All of this has served to motivate me to work harder to turn our new property into the bountiful Eden I had intended. We’ve had to implement a no-weekends policy for our availability for adoptions and surrenders as weekends are devoted strictly to farm operations. By doing so, we’ve managed to clear some areas of the property and finally got our mulberry orchard in. Currently we have about 50 or so individual trees with room for another dozen. Some of the larger trees that we “temporarily” planted in our old location took root with a vengeance. We finally wrangled the last of the transfers yesterday. Having our own mulberry orchard will give us pristine new growth for our chew toys and leaves that we can harvest and dry at their peak. It will be nice when we can produce all of our necessities directly from the property. Apple, pear and pecan orchards are still a work in progress.

My pride and joy this year, however, has been our trellis system! We used 4’x6’x8’ posts set 3 feet in the ground with concrete. We attached livestock wire for the support walls and arches. The system is set up near two water hydrants that will allow us to irrigate if the weather is too dry. Our trial run started a bit late this year, but we managed to produce some beautiful loofah. It was a glorious sight. Additional trellises and/or fencing will support kiwi vine, grapevine and raspberry.

As you can imagine, farm work is hard work. But it’s immensely satisfying. Even still, those weekends that are supposed to be chinchilla-free are actually devoted to stuff… for... the… chinchillas. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

2021: The Year in Review