Raccoons destroyed the watermelon patch a couple of weeks ago.
Martha died this morning.
It’s a lot.
Soraya found Martha collapsed in the coop when she came down at 5:30 to walk Suzy Q.
Lois, Sawsan, and Mary Ann seem indifferent as Jarvi deals with Martha’s body.
For the hens, it’s just another day in the life of a chicken.
For Jarvi and Soraya, it’s a lot.
They acquired four chickens less than two weeks after moving in because the Great Pyrenees puppy they bought to protect the crops from raccoons—less than a week after moving in—needed yard-bird training before she grew up.
“Don’t eat the chickens, Suzy Q.”
Ripples and Chains
It’s a lot, these ripples and chains and pivots.
Raccoons so a farm dog. But she’s a puppy, so chickens. But Martha, Lois, Sawsan, and Mary Ann have bumblefoot and Suzy Q has bloody stools and a rash, so pet stores and vets and Epson salts and medications.
It’s a lot.
And just when we think we can’t take one more thing, the turkeys cross the west field and the Queen Anne’s lace dances on the fence row.
We came to help—a tribe of family and friends.
- hauling furniture and belongings
- patching and painting walls
- unpacking boxes from an apartment one hour east and from a farm 930 miles south
- repairing a rotten French door to avoid the expense and hassle of installing a new one
- building the coop and assembling the nesting boxes
- assembling the kennel and creating a roof for it
We help and witness.
And even our focused efforts pivot to situations that demand attention.
Tonight we’ll set a trap for the stray cats that need to be fixed. This evening, we’ll soak hen toes in Epson salts to treat their bumblefoot feet. Meanwhile, there are crops to be harvested, rows to be weeded, seedlings to be planted, soil samples to be mailed, and CSA boxes to be delivered.
But the turkeys crossed the field again this morning.
And that hawk flew by.
The Pit
A move always interrupts the flow and balance of living.
A move from a two-bedroom apartment to a 42-acre farm not only interrupts the flow and balance you knew, it requires learning a new rhythm because this new journey is radically different.
It’s been a lot. Rough in patches.
But the newly painted walls look fabulous, the French doors refreshed. Suzy Q has stopped chasing the yard birds and strays. The wildflowers demand our delight.
A couple of days ago, we excavated the stones of the firepit. That night we enjoyed a fire as the full moon rose orange over the dairy barn and silo.
This morning Soraya found Martha dead in the coop. The ground was too hard to dig a grave, so Jarvi built a fire in the pit. I collected twigs and limbs for the fire and stood witness.
It’s a lot and today started rough. But I’ll look for the balance.
After the fire this morning, I helped harvest kale for CSA boxes and walked through patches of chicory. The watermelon patch has been replanted, so far unbothered by raccoons.
We’ll set the trap to catch then fix the strays.
Put up the pool.
Build the dog house.
Finish setting up the office.
It’s a lot.
And the obstacles and pivots will come. Raccoons may return. The rash might flair. Something unexpected will demand attention.
But there will be balance and flow.
The Balance
In this struggle to settle in and regain balance, we’re reminded that staying balanced doesn’t mean everything is always balanced. Flow doesn’t mean nothing interrupts the flow.
It means we respond. We pivot. We grieve the chicken, we gather twigs for the fire. And then we harvest the kale.
It’s a lot.
And it is life.
Jarvi and Soraya are doing good, hard work. And witnessing and supporting are part of the flow and balance of a small farm.
You can read about the beginnings of Soraya and Jarvi’s farm journey here. You can follow and support them on Instagram and on their Otter Oaks website.
©Pennie Nichols. All Rights Reserved. 2026
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