Did I mention, we got chickens?

A farm isn't much of a farm without some animals strutting around, am I right? Of course, I don't mean to discount the two handsome cats that hitched a ride across country with me from Cali. My feline fellas are not only a joy to have around --keeping my personal quota for affection fulfilled-- they are also low-maintenance enough for me to maintain a smidgen of my free-wheeling' lifestyle AND they keep the mice and other vermin in check around the household to boot. Farm cats are a thing. A very good thing in my book.

Upon starting up a farmstead, I decided that the most practical critters to start with would be honey bees. They are also fairly low-maintenance and will play a very important role in pollinating all of the young, new fruit trees, berry bushes and brambles that we have and will plant and maybe we'll even harvest some honey. So, we have a couple of hives. Check!

I've been a bit reluctant to jump in and get any other critters that would demand my regular attention and care as, heck, it's no secret that I have some issues with commitment (I'm a live free or die kinda girl, HA!). However, having Fern living here at Fruitdale Farm now is a blessing in so many ways. No longer am I the sole caretaker of this land! Fern likes to have her food supply dialed in and her brother, just so, happened to have too many chickens, plus a makeshift coop that we could have! wha?! And, just like that, we inherited four sweet chickies that are already laying eggs!

It was akin to Christmas morning the next day, walking out to the coop, hearing the ladies cooing, opening the little door to the nesting boxes and finding four miraculous, multicolored eggs in the center of a perfectly formed nest of straw. I mean, is this real life?

We have named them, collectively, the "Golden Girls" and, individually, "Rose", "Blanche", "Dorothy", and "Sophia". We've got a good little thing going.

Now for some donkeys! :P