The Quarantine Diaries; Part I

I decided that, for the current pandemic situation that we now found ourselves in, that I was going to take my journaling to the next level. I had reverted back to simply using only my bible journal by hand and only recording my conversations with God.

When I relocated back to the family farm to weather the storm for the, what I thought, was the next two weeks while we figured out how to stop this dang thing, I began to journal more extensively in my online journal. Someday I may look back at these historic moments and want to know what it was like.

Then I realized that, as per usual, I was moving so strong in my online blog when it was winter time but, as activities and events for clients picked up in the spring, I had neglected it once again. I guess you can say that I am going to utilize this quieter spring by ending that blogging cycle.

Heading to the farm was probably the best thing that I could have done and I am thankful that my parents let that be an option. I packed up my dog, my sourdough starter, the food and household items I had stocked up on, all my work items, and a suitcase of clothes and headed to home. This has been a truly strange time. I have not committed to being here at the farm and it’s definitely starting to give me some anxiety that I could be here longer term. I love my little apartment because of the peace it gives me.

That peace is a reason that quarantine-mode has definitely impacted me and I will definitely admit that I am having a hard time with it – not in the way of most people. Having spent my whole life considered a “social” person, I thought that I was going to fair worse, second only to my social butterfly father, in my immediate family.

In fact, I think that now that we are 22 days in, I have realized that I may be doing the best! Working for myself the past two years, I have become accustomed to segregating the time with people and the time without. That time without was typically over 50% of my time and I had no idea that that self-induced social isolation was good for my soul.

Being at the farm means that I am around people 24/7 – there is never a moment in time that I am alone. Hiding somewhere like the hayloft to read is becoming a reality!

But I am so thankful because we have big family dinners again, I get to see my horses everyday and play with my dog outside without the fear of running into a stranger. That is not a peace of mind that Jessie Rue and I could have had in the middle of town. It makes me thankful that she was not bigger but also that we have the farm that we travel to everyday. Even the multitude of bike and hiking trails next door to my apartment seem a little scary with how many people decided to hit those trails when lockdown happened and gyms closed.

And then I became full of bad ideas. There are two things that I use a lot of throughout the week; Flour and eggs.

I make all of my own homemade pasta, bread, rolls, tortillas, biscuits, etc. all due to my trusty sourdough starter Phoebe. I brought her with me to the house because I feel like she’s a part o me – leaving behind the boyfriend’s “Love Fern.” (Please note it’s not a love fern, it’s an orchid he gave me when I moved into my apartment.)

I then did a thing.

Thing that I have wanted to do for a really long time! I have wanted chickens for so long – mainly because I go through an 18-pack of eggs a week pretty easily.

I posted on Facebook with a “joking, not joking,” mood and that’s when Jana stepped forward. She had a 12 yearling hens that were ready to go! I was pretty excited and the next weekend I spent the entire day of Saturday with my boyfriend and dad building our new coop!

It’s PERFECT and I’ll post pictures once it’s finalized!

On Sunday, the boys finished up the assembly of the coop because the protectant paint had to dry over night while my mom and I drove 2 hours south to pick up our birds. The original plan had been four but when we found that all the feed stores were sold out, we changed to six.

We picked up two Rhode Island Reds (my dad’s preference), two Americana’s and two Astrolops. I wasn’t familiar with the last breed but I am so glad we did! They are probably my favorite birds of them all! The Americana’s are kind of flighty and I think Big Red could and would eat me a live if I crossed that invisible line!

I have decided that I am going to try and improve my photography and videography skills while stuck here at home. When I am at the farm, I have an endless amount of shots that I can take! Maybe I should really start those video blogs? Or maybe I should start blogging with photos more? I’m really not sure!

Our chicks came in from the local feed store, and the five little Novogen’s are growing way in their little incubator pen. I am excited to see what they do as adults and am excited for them to join the crew and start laying.

It’s amazing how good animals are for the soul and I can’t help but wonder about the poor kids in towns. I wish that everyone could have the joyful experiences of life on the farm that I get to experience and that I get to experience 24/7 while here waiting out COVID-19.