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Home » Farm & Family » A New Farm Friend

A New Farm Friend

01/18/18 | Farm & Family

Home truly is where your heart is, and mines always been with the land. So, here’s to tiny boots, and the real meaning stamped across those little soles. ❤️❤️

One of my New Year’s resolutions is to write more of these personal/story/confession posts! I miss them. Actually, I miss making fun of myself because it makes me feel better about the stupid stuff I do. HA.

 

Nothing immediately self-deprecating comes to mind, but I’m sure something will as I write.

The most exciting news of the week is we purchased an Icelandic ram!! I AM SO EXCITED. We have been interested in this breed ever since I stumbled across them when I adopted a bottle lamb a couple years ago. {You can read more about what happened to him here.}

He doesn’t have a name yet. Well, Andy calls him Mr. Pickles but that is SO NOT his name.

I mean, COME ON.

He is wayyyyyyy to regal for that.

Icelandic ram looking forward standing in a pen.

So, if you have any great name suggestions, lay ’em on me. I know. It’s been a week. But you just can rush this stuff, guys. You can’t.

Now, when it comes to unfixed male animals, I am wary. As in, I would never ever ever ever ever ever never own a bull. It’s just not for my farm.

Unfixed male animals can be aggressive, mean but more importantly, they are freaking disgusting. Let’s take goats, for example. An unfixed male goat, called a billy, will pee and ejaculate on his head and in his mouth.

Did you just barf a little? Cuz I did.

And they stink to high heaven.

BUT GUYS.

Icelandic ram looking sideways through a cattle panel fence.

This ram. He is the sweetest. He isn’t disgusting. He is friendly, but not to the point of being dangerous. He is kind. He is easy to work with. I love him. One of the most important factors for me when purchasing animals for our farm is temperament.

That may surprise you but remember, we are a hobby farm. We don’t have any special handling equipment like a chute. It’s usually just me, sometimes Andy to help. We have kids and people who visit frequently. Ain’t nobody got time for a dangerous or aggressive or mean animal!

Kids feeding an Icelandic ram through a cattle panel fence.

Isn’t he handsome! The kids love him, too. Aspen seems to have a strong affinity for animals and I am just dying with happiness. I vowed to always support my kids in whatever they chose to be passionate about, but she seems to be on the same page as me which is just exciting for this mommy.

Speaking of Aspen, she wore Abram’s first pair of boots yesterday.

Close-up of tiny boots being worn by a little girl.

I bought these tiny boots when Abram could barely walk. But it was springtime and we needed to be outside. He broke them in well that summer. Aspen wore them for the first time yesterday and my heart almost couldn’t handle it.

I know that to you, they are just tiny boots. But to me, they mean that I’m raising my kids and living where I’ve always wanted too – on a little piece of land with a barn.

I never fit in with other kids. I was always the “weird horse girl” who “smelled like poop.” We would go on road trips camping in Idaho when I was growing up and as we would drive through the farmland I would wish with all my heart that’s where I lived.

Home truly is where your heart is, and mines always been with the land. So, here’s to tiny boots, and the real meaning stamped across those little soles. ❤️❤️

Old wooden barn on a stormy morning with icy snow on the ground.

Which reminds me, I got some new work boots and they have been in my dreams for almost a year…and the soles are so slick you guys. Like, not appropriate for work boots. But dang it all if I don’t use em’!

Life question: Why can’t the pretty boots have more grippy soles???

Comments | 4 comments

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Comments

  1. MERILYN WRIGHT says

    January 22, 2018 at 7:57 PM

    Great. Are you planning on working with his wool. It looks like he has very long strands. WIll we get to see mamas and little lambs in your field?

    Reply
    • Alli says

      January 22, 2018 at 8:00 PM

      Yes, you will get to see mamas and babies! I’m not sure what we will end up doing this year, I’m not planning on purchasing bred ewes so probably no babies until next spring. I am also still figuring out the wool. I will probably just sell it after shearing, unless I figure out what to do with it.

      Reply
  2. MERILYN WRIGHT says

    January 22, 2018 at 6:58 AM

    How about Frederick, or Sedrick? Yes, something dignified. Are you doing to have him cur or are you thinking of raising sheep? He’s definitely a looker. Like your photography.

    Reply
    • Alli says

      January 22, 2018 at 12:43 PM

      Great suggestions, Merilyn! Thank you! He is for breeding. 🙂

      Reply

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Hi, Friend!


Alli Kelley is an Agriculture focused entrepreneur. She runs a successful food blog, a consulting and coaching business, and all the social media connected with an online presence.

She also owns and operates a small, diversified farmstead where she enjoys home improvement projects, experimenting in the garden, creating profitable mini businesses on the farm, and of course, riding her big grey horse, Zane.
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