Daytime Job and Farm work

Yesterday I started my new job.  My commute to work is 50 minutes one way.  Fortunatelly I do not have to be at work til 10am and am headed home no later than 6pm.  Obviously, being on the farm, I have to do chores.  So we are working on a system to get the chores done in a timely manner, so I do not feel as though all I do is work and come home to work.

Ryan did great yesterday making sure things with the kids went well.  I did make it home by 5pm yesterday as it was the first day of work.  Once it gets busy though I know I will be later in the evening.  I am fine with doing the morning set of chores.  I get up with the kids at 6am anyway and don't leave for work til 8:30 or 9:00.  So I have time to feed and check water.  Overall the morning chores minus milking take about 30 minutes to complete and that is so I can spend some time with the animals. 

We are currently down to 4 goats, 1 horse, 22 chickens and 15 chicks, plus 3 dogs.  The snow is gone right now and the horse and goats have a big round bale they are working on.  So they get feed in the evening and water is checked morning and evening.  The chickens get fresh water morning and evening, plus grain.  The dogs all get fed morning and evening, plus fresh water.  Right now it isn't much.

I am also spritzing my plant seedlings twice a day.  Some have already popped up through the soil.  I hope they will fair well.  So far its marigolds, broccoli, califlower, and corn coming through. I plan on Sunday to plant the peas and corn in the garden, if it dries out enough for my cousin to come work the ground.  I would like them in the ground before I go on vacation next weekend.

After the spring really sets in the work load on the farm will increase to garden working, possibly milking, egg collecting and general clean up.  Summer time will require extra watering during the day, the goats are picky about dirty water so we have a small trough that if need be we will drain out and refill with fresh water.  The warmer weather also brings into account new projects.  We need to lay floor in my boys' room and paint.  Then we will move the boys into one room together.  My daughters room needs painted and we will move her to the front part of the house.  After that we have a college exchange student coming to live with us in the fall, so her room will also need to be painted.  She has lived with us before and is like family.  We will also be putting in the window a/c's this summer again as I think we faired pretty well with them last year.  We did buy a new thermostat for the house and that may help the regular a/c run better, but we will have to test it on a hot spring day.   Otherwise we will stick with the window a/c's one more summer and then with work will be able to get the new central air unit next fall.

So lots of things going on but hopefully we will get in the groove with all of it soon.  Off to day two of the new job.