Two Years and a Few Days

This last Tuesday was our two year anniversary on the land. This last year has had a lot of death, a lot of disappointments, and not a whole lot of completion. Part of a greenhouse, part of the base of a metal building, part of the fencing up. A market garden that got halfway to harvest, the idea of a dwelling that isn't even halfway realized on paper. A struggling orchard, a weedy patch for future production, milk cows that aren't producing much milk (and one that died), sheep with a second year of 50% losses, chickens now finishing their second month of molting.

But beneath that rather depressing list of halfway accomplishments, the reality is

• we have another year of experience


• we have the layout of a garden, beautifully in line with the contours of the earth


• we are halfway DONE with several projects that will be a boon once completed, maybe by the end of 2011


• most lambs didn't die at birth, but in odd accidents later; our birth rates were much better


• Phil has learned much about rotational grazing, and practiced it


• we've had four calves born this year, and our herd has grown from five to twelve in the last year


• the bees did not leave in the first three days


• we know that market gardening is really not the best enterprise for our family


• we have at least the start of an idea for a dwelling, which is more than we had a year ago


• we have all grown spiritually.

With such a list of progress, it has clearly been a profitable year, in every way except financially. And though I might wish to have a profitable enterprise right now, the Lord provides. We get to enjoy the ride.