Where it all started

     I'd wanted to live on a farm since I was seven years old.  That's when I fell off my first horse during a public trail ride in Indiana and strangely, simultaneously fell in love with the big, four-legged creatures.  Since that day, I'd yearned for a farm of my own - not just for horses, but for animals of all sorts and sizes.

     Throughout my childhood, I managed to talk my parents into a large array of pets including dogs, cats, guinea pigs, hamsters and yes, even a horse.  And I was lucky enough to live on a small farm with my horse briefly during college in Virginia.  But soon after graduation, I found myself not only farmless, but horseless as well after my horse's unexpected and untimely death.

     During the next 15 years of job searches, courtship and marriage, graduate school and the birth of my two daughters, I always felt a longing for country life that couldn't be quelled.  No matter how I rationalized it away as impractical, illogical, impossible, unattainable, the dream just wouldn't die.

     Finally, in 2005,  I acknowledged that this was something I needed to do or I'd always regret it.  By then my girls were 6 and 9 and the thought of them growing up in our comfortable but tightly packed suburban subdivision left me feeling restless and unfulfilled.  So, with the understanding support of my kind husband and the enthusiastic encouragement of my two by-then horse crazy daughters, our family set out on a new adventure as small-farm owners and rural life enthusiasts.

     Now after 5 years, 4 horses, 1 pony, 8 goats, 1 llama, 5 cats, 14 hens, 2 roosters, 2 ducks and 1 dog, I've decided to share my passion for this satisfying lifestyle and the numerous things it has taught me by creating this blog.  My goal is to share weekly stories with readers about how the critters (and a few crops) we've raised have provided not only enjoyment, recreation, new skills and more than a few aches and pains, but also valuable, meaningful life lessons along the way.

      So sit back, relax and join me for these stories of fun, foibles, feasting and family on the farm.

LIFE LESSON:  Listen to your Heart - Dare to Dream!