Introducing...Joe

The latest tally:

11 chickens

2 cats

2 goats

1 dog

1 horse 
Yes, as of today, we now have a handsome 17 year old quarter horse named Joe who came to us from a friend who was incredibly gracious to bless us with their very first horse. (They now have several more). Joe is a very gentle gelding and, as you can imagine, Ashley is head-over-heels about him already. Joe is hanging out with the goats and they seem to be getting along so far.

On another note, my 99 ½ year old Grandma Gustie was down to visit this week. She enjoyed meeting all the animals. So good to see her, my aunt, my cousin, and my sister on Friday night.

As of last weekend, we have entered yet another new season. We traded in our mini-van for...a pick up! Now we can "haul stuff".  Can you even imagine?

Life has changed a lot in the three months since we moved from suburbia to a more rural setting.  We feel incredibly blessed to live in this beautiful place and to care for these unique animals.  God always seems to be providing opportunities for us to grow. What new adventure is He inviting you to experience?  Leave a comment...we'd love to hear about it!

Goodness, gracious...now its...goats!

As of today, the Bendickson barnyard is now home to 16 animals.  One dog, two cats, eleven chickens...and two Alpine goats!  These two sweet babies were born this spring at the Stone farm and they've been saving them for us until today.  We finally got our fence "goat-proofed" - if there is such a thing.  Believe it or not, it actually takes more voltage to keep goats than a bull!  They've been here for five hours now and so far, so good :-) 

Macie's not sure what to think...

Oh, and we went to the State Fair this week too.  I know most people love to eat cheese curds and deep-fried anything, but we just haven't developed a taste for such delicacies.  So, we're overjoyed that French Meadow (one of our favorite organic restaurants) has a beautiful place right there are the great MN get-together.  Egg Croissant Sandwiches and mini-scones!  It doesn't get any better than this :-)

The chickens are doing well, but they are not laying much at the moment.  Molting, perhaps?  Hopefully the seven younger ones will kick it into gear pretty soon.  There's a chill in the air and school starts next week...but we're hanging on to summer for as long as we can.