Happy New Year

Well we are off and running in this new year. I feel a sense of urgancy that I haven't felt before and it does seem like "it's for real now." Last weekend we made what I am sure is the first of many drafts of the garden plan and I have spent more time that what some would think is healthy with seed catalogs. we are tripling the garden. So lots more to plant/pick/can. I'll post some pics when we get the beds in. I was thinking about some "patio" sized peach trees but they are so expensive that I think maybe the money would be better spent at a local pick your own farm. I know it isn't providing for ourselves but it does help out a local farmer and i know that if I go there I am sure of the fruit, not making a bet that my new tree would make enough. There are plans for a few chickens. We are thinking about 4 would be good for our litttle family. I am looking at plans for different coops. I would like to have something attractive and not just slapped together since I do have a neighbor I don't want the place looking shoddy. I think it's just being a good neighbor to think that while I don't really care and I am sure that the chickens would care even less, I wouldn't want to look at their place if it was a mess. i have a site picked out that wouldn't be in the direct line of view so that helps too. We are still kidless. We got our doe back in September and the guy was sure that she was "in a family way" but still no show. If she doesn't have a kid by the end of Feb. then we are going to have to decide what the heck to do with her. do we look for someone with a buck and breed her so that she has kids in say Aug/Sep or do we sell her and try again to get a doe that is ready to kid? I just hope that she does go ahead a have kids and be done with it. I thought sure that she was going to have them last weekend. She is always very quiet even when bleating it's like she doesn't open her mouth (unlike the weather who is a HUGE cry baby) but last weekend she just opened her mouth and yelled! It was quiet something. She was up and down and panting and I thought "good she has picked a warm dry day to give birth"..but after about 30 mins of this she was back to her same old self...looking at me like I was out of my mind.