In the Meantime

Lena and I have a shared dream of someday living on a farm. We really hope that it will turn out to be a "someday soon" reality, but since we're not yet in a place to buy a house, it's not clear when our farming dream will come true. In the meantime, we get our farm animal fix at the local vocational-agricultural high school. Their barn is open to the public seven days a week.

I learned about this gem of a place to go with children from a family I was baby-sitting for 10 years ago. And it has proven itself to be one of the easiest and most lovely outings over the years. I especially like to visit the farm in the wintertime because it's not as smelly, mucky or buggy, and because it's one of the few places to go in the winter that's not especially germy (I'm talking about human germs, not animal germs; I'm much more concerned about the former than the latter, especially during this pukey-bug season).

On Saturday we met up at the farm with Katie, Aaron, Elijah and Aryeh, and visited our animal friends.

Goats are my most favorite farm animals.

I love the way the cows look right at us.

The donkey in the foreground is the baby of the donkey in the background.
The baby still tries to nurse occasionally, and the mama usually bites it away.
I have never tried that particular weaning technique myself.

We were lucky to get to visit a pair of newborn lambs
who had been born only two days before.

"Good job, mama!"

Zeben running ahead to see the huge work horses.This horse is patiently waiting for the carrot
that we forgot to bring him.

Luke and Jaz spent as much time climbing on the huge piles
of snow as they did visiting the animals.

Zeben is actually trying to feed the sheep a piece
of their own poop that he found on the ground.
The sheep were not interested.

Beautiful Jersey heifers.

Eli sharing a special moment with one particularly friendly calf.

I'm sure that I am romanticizing it more that just a little, but I can't help but feel like our life would feel so much more whole if we were growing our own food and if the kids were involved in taking care of animals on a daily basis. There's a small chance that we may be able to get some chickens and goats as early as this summer (it depends on whether or not my mom is able to keep her house; my parents are in the midst of a divorce), and I am just bursting with excitement about the possibility. I can't imagine anything better than sending the kids outside in the morning to do barn chores. And then their triumphant return with fresh eggs in their hands. Someday.