INTO THE FIELDS I GO, TO QUIET MY MIND & FEED MY SOUL

I suppose this chapter of my life could be called “Gentleman Farmer”. I’d never heard the term before deciding to try my hand at farming/animal raising, and it still sounds strange to me. I just wanted to learn something new, and after living in the bustling metropolis’ of Malaysia for a year, I just wanted a quiet life.

Most people probably wouldn’t consider farm life quiet by any stretch of the imagination, with chickens clucking, turkeys warbling, ducks quacking, and goats bleating – all begging to come in the house and be coddled like a pet. But farming life speaks to me. It quiets my mind and feeds my soul.

The plan was to start small. A couple of chickens here, a goat or two there, with a few turkeys, and rabbits, and ducks thrown in for good measure. After all, we only had an acre to work with. Someone should have told me that buying livestock was like eating Pringles – once you pop, you just can’t stop – and that once you open your heart up and care for one animal, your heart grows exponentially and you find yourself taking in any animal that needs rescuing.

What was supposed to be a few animals turned into…

24 chickens

too many ducks to count (and yes, they are taking over the house)

twelve 45 lb turkeys (one of my favorite animals)

and 11 goats (my absolute favorite so far)

Heck, I like them even when they head butt me in the…fist

But now Bree and Ellie have it in their heads that we need to move to Texas or Virginia to find more land and add more animals to our farm…

like majestic draft horses

and highland cattle, that I imagine would be reminiscent of a yak ranching in a remote Tibetan village

and portly pigs

and playful sheep

and an Akita rescue…

And who am I to say no. I started this chapter of my life as an opportunity to learn something new, and I’ve learned that I love farming and rescuing animals. So bring it on!

The Professional >>