So Many Changes, So Little Shade

Things are moving fast at Fountain Farm. Since our last entry, we broke ground on the barn, started building pastures, watched the chickens grow into awkward teenagers and survived temperatures apparently designed to bake all of South Mississippi like a casserole.

The barn is officially underway. After months of planning, measuring and changing our minds, seeing actual construction equipment on the property feels almost unreal. I still can’t decide on the stall style, but I am already imagining Aries standing in one of them, finally home on our farm.

We also started building the pasture fencing with a new Hammer post-driving attachment. It pounds each individual post into the ground, which sounds fast and easy until you factor in measuring, lining everything up and repeatedly checking the level to make sure each post is perfect.

We completed three posts on the first day.

Three.

At this pace, it is going to be a very long ride. I just wish I were younger for this particular part of it. I can’t imagine how long it would take to dig by hand.

Meanwhile, the chickens are growing up. The tiny balls of fluff have become fully feathered young ladies with definite opinions about food, sleeping arrangements and one another. Unfortunately, they have not been very inclusive of Zsa Zsa, our Silkie. I am keeping a close eye on that. Every flock may need a pecking order, but no one is going to bully Zsa Zsa on my watch.

The garden has not handled the summer quite as well.

Our lone watermelon, the one brave fruit that survived all odds, disappeared during the night. We found no rind, no scraps and no clues. Even the leaves on the vine were gone. This was not a casual snack. This was a professional operation.

The bell peppers and tomatoes also took one look at the scorching heat and simply said, “No.” Not wilted. Not struggling. Just no. Apparently, they have boundaries.

But the best change of all happened with Aries.

I rode him for the first time with Tim Anderson, and it was heaven. I also found a used Tucker trail saddle, and the new saddle and tack fit him perfectly. After all the waiting, training and dreaming, I was finally sitting on my horse and riding him. Aries was calm and responsive, and I felt safe, happy and completely at home.

As I rode, I could envision the day when Aries and I will be doing the same thing right here at Fountain Farm. We will have our barn, our pastures and miles of familiar ground to explore together. That picture made every plan, every expense and every perfectly leveled fence post feel worthwhile.

Fountain Farm is changing almost daily. The barn is going up, the chickens are growing up and the garden is being carried away under cover of darkness.

It is hot, the work is slow and we have a suspiciously efficient watermelon thief roaming the property.

But Aries is coming home.

And that makes it all worth it.