Nice Things

I realize that lately so many posts have been frantic or tragic in some way, and frankly that’s been an unfair representation of how we are doing. While things are stressful, all of that comes from striving to do something worthwhile. If we could cut corners and relax, we wouldn’t feel what we were doing was valuable, and we probably wouldn’t enjoy it. Then again, if we could cut corners we could sleep in…even for just one amazing day.

Teen Pullet Squad!

We’ve had some really notable successes and mini-triumphs in the last few days. Right off we are quite excited to welcome three new pullets (pullets are hens who haven't started laying yet, essentially  adolescents) to our flock. Last weekend I came across a Craigslist ad from a woman whose very young sons had convinced her to get 3 chickens to put in their tiny yard. I responded to the ad and told her that our 5 girls live out in the apple orchard and are moved regularly to fresh ground, and that we’d absolutely love to adopt her three. I drove out the next day, and was introduced to the chickens by her 6-year-old son who made sure to tell me all of their names and where the names came from (Scarlet- She’s a Rhode Island Red, Jewel- She looks like she’s wearing a necklace, and Pepper-She is white with black spots). The family was so sweet, and ended up giving us the chickens for free because they were going to such a good home. I suppose there really is something exceptional about a child’s pet ACTUALLY being sent to live on a farm (I’m sorry if this bursts anyone’s bubble but, contrary to what parents say, most pets don’t actually go to live on farms).

Only the finest.  The sign reads, "Early Bird Ranch."

In business news, we have been doing fairly well. As of right now we’ve sold 203 chickens and 23 turkeys. Not a bad start at all! Last night, we even got to attend a special event at our first restaurant client, Pasta Moon. The event focused on local food production and had each farmer that sells to the restaurant eating with the guests and discussing his/her operation. The food was amazing, but really the best part of the night was meeting the people at our table. With a good chunk of beginner’s luck, we landed a table with great conversationalists in every seat. It was inspiring to meet such enthusiastic folks. Our table ended up being the boisterous one that had to be shushed when announcements or such were being made. It was a great night and a downright delicious meal.

Lastly, we’ve also been able to calm down because of all the great support we’ve gotten from you guys, our friends and family (what a blurred line that is!). We obviously have a lot on our plate right now, and if we wanted we could be stressed out of our minds, but the optimism and encouragement that we’ve received in phone calls, letters, emails, and even pickle jars (…and yes the Jalapenos were amazing!) have kept us focused on the fact that we are truly supported and loved. We are doing what we want to be doing, and while you all are, for the most part, quite far away, we’ve grown a lot closer to you in just past few weeks. So even if we don’t sell another bird, we’ve come out pretty darn far ahead.