We got a new rabbit last weekend. She's a Champagne D'argent, a French breed of meat rabbit that can reach 12 pounds in weight. That's a big rabbit. Farmer Sam said "I'm gonna name her Esther because she's beautiful and the Bible says Esther was beautiful." Sounds solid to me, and Esther will be part of the rabbit farm feeding my family and our community in about four months when she's good and grown. Esther came from a small farm nearby that's run by a Catholic family of eight. They live near my friend who's starting a small farm of his own, and near the farm where I've been working... The perfect people to form a relationship with. I paid up front for another doe that I'll pick up when they're of age, and I'll probably end up getting one of her sisters as well, they're chinchillas of good blood. The American chinchilla rabbit breed was developed through the great depression to feed families and communities efficiently, so I'm excited to bring that breed into my program, just as I am the d'argent breed.
New runnybabbit
With a gift card I received for Christmas, I decided to get some prime ark freedom blackberries, and they came in earlier this past week. These are a thornless, primocane fruiting blackberry developed through the University of Arkansas. They're doing amazing work with blackberries over there. I might like to visit them someday, that'd be a fun weekend trip.
New backblerries
Lotsa backblerries
Then yesterday I finally broke ground (and broke my last good shovel) on the blackberry planting! So, that one picture shows eight potted blackberries. They're still potted, funny enough, and I planted thirteen more plants in the first of two rows where the privets used to be. Glad to be making progress on that again.
I'm in a significant slump today. Part of my normal cycle that I should really start charting. In the pattern, I'll be absolutely ecstatic in a week or two, which will be great fun. It's an ebb and flow sometimes, and I'm learning to live with it. A couple weeks ago I had an evening of realization. I realized while developing a plan for the rabbits that I should be amazingly busy on this small farm if I managed it right and that I need to have less leisure in my life. Managing a small peach orchard, a medium blackberry patch, and a rabbitry that feeds three large families should be a fair bit of daily work. Such realizations come in waves and affect significant adjustments in my mindset. I like such changes in my life, as I feel they are the tangible work of God in my life, shaping me to be the church member He needs me to be in order to use the gifts He gave me to worship Him better.
I'm off to bed now, praying for good weather tomorrow.
Hope y'all had a good Lord's day.