For many, the end of winter signifies the start of all the things they can do that they couldn’t do before. It’s natural, annual, rebirth and a chance to start fresh physically and mentally. I never really connected with this idea, truthfully. I always thought it was kind of cheesy and ”not for me” but this year is the first time that I’ve felt motivated by it.
Watching the melting of snow feels exciting and seeing the trees and the foliage below has me looking forward to the buds that will surely appear in a few short weeks. I can hardly believe that TECHNICALLY (As of March 21) Spring has sprung.
In Canada, spring is usually also accompanied by the maple syrup farms and the sticky maple treats that come along with it. I remember when I was young the excitement I had to go every year from February to April. I guess maybe it’s a small town thing? But it also has me thinking ahead to how I can diversify the farm. I wonder how many maples we have on our 4 acres? Maybe by this time next year I’ll be learning how to harvest and refine my own maple syrup!
Spring Plans
With the inevitable thaw, I wanted to take a few moments to talk about what our plans are for this spring. I’m not naive though, I know that in Canada spring isn’t really “real” until the beginning of May. That said, I’d still like to share!
Spring will be starting off with us visiting an alpaca farm here in Ontario. I’m sure we will share more about that soon, but I have to say so far that is something that has me the most excited when I look forward to the rest of the year and what is to come.
Renovation wise the beginning of spring means that we can go ahead with the projects that require digging or pouring cement. For example, a well filter, a new air conditioner and a fence to keep our curious little puppies contained.
While those things will start in spring, they will certainly take a little bit to really come to fruition. In the meantime, we’re going to be installing a quick little chicken wire fence and looking into our other projects.
We’d love to start a compost and waste recovery system, get a garden or greenhouse going, do some forest maintenance planning and build an outdoor paradise for us to spend this summer in.
Summer Lookahead
We’ve talked a little bit about our spring plans, but spring will eventually move into summer. We would love to be at the point where our barn for the alpacas is started by the end of the summer. Here’s our summer goal list:
- Tree removal and forest conservation
- Start getting the area for the barn ready
- Build out pastures
- Plan for alpaca purchase
- Plan for Yurt builds
Thank you!
We are so thankful for all of you who have supported our journey so far. We can hardly believe that it’s been a week since we moved, but here we are in Pembroke and making the best of the situation we’re in. If you’re looking for a more detailed update of how the move went, please check out our social media. I’ve added an instagram feed below for you, too!
Rainbow River Alpacas 