I've decided that I'm ready for spring now. The occasional 70 degree days have been taunting me for weeks and I have succumbed to their prodding. Clearing brush, grooming shedding horses, sneaking in riding time, adding compost to the gardens and putting the finishing touches on the new chicken coop with Josh. Yep, its in the air.

We're not the only ones either. Yesterday I went to pick up a load of feed for the horses and found the bins of seed potatoes, onions and garlic greeting me at the door of the feed store. Once inside, the buzz of friendly conversation among the locals was naturally about the arrival of their new spring calves, gardening season and the sharing of family lore regarding the two. I love going to the feed store. We are "regulars" now and wear that title proudly.  We are fortunate to live amongst these people. They are really the salt of the earth type. Hard working, practical, honest and not overly clannish. Family is important but so are friends and neighbors.

People were willing to reserve judgement about us when we bought this place and I think it's because our actions spoke louder than words. I think the same holds true two years later. Our first day on the farm, a cold December day afforded us no time to settle in. We hit the door running so to speak. With horses boarded at a horse motel 2 hours away, a winter storm barreling towards us and this place in a state of disrepair, the only option was to dive in and tackle the tasks at hand. I think that sent a message loud and clear. We worked literally day and night to make a safe place to keep the horses. Seeing and hearing the buzz of activity going on folks were curious. Many stopped in to introduce themselves and before they left were offering tools, equipment and advice. It was very welcoming to say the least.

Which brings me to our current project. The barn. We've decided that a barn raising on May 16th and 17th would be a great way to bring everybody together. My best friend and her husband had a barn raising party several years ago. Friends and family arrived from all over ready to take on the challenge. Bribed heavily with farm raised food, refreshing drinks, great music and lots of laughs. That was all it took to entice them. Even those who werent handy with power tools and tape measure (my category) were highly valued and appreciated for keeping up with the behind the scenes duties. It was awesome and most importantly fun! Good times indeed. We want to share that same experience with our friends and family too.

It's worth mentioning that this wont be your standard Amish style barn raising. In fact, the closest we can get to Amish is "Dozer" our Amish Draft/Quarter Horse cross gelding and he's not religious. Our barn raising will consist of lots of food, laughter, loud music, a keg of beer, huge bonfire and possibly drunken mayhem after a long day. A sense of humor will be the only required item for this shin dig. Maybe a box of bandages too. This is a chance to not only smash your thumb and have someone capture the painfully embarrasing moment with a camera but to allow you the chance to return the favor when they (and they will) suffer an equally unfortunate mishap. Lucky for us we'll have a couple of RN's on the scene. They dont have to be good with a hammer! And then, after a hard day's work we will all gather around the fire with our aching muscles to toast a job well done or at least that's the plan...