It has been an eventful few weeks on our three Ozark acres.
This spring, we bought three Kathadin sheep! They will mow the pasture for us and give us lambs to sell. Plus they are darling. We named them for old musical heroines: Maria von Trapp, Dorothy Gale and Milly Pontipee.
We moved our three pigs from the yard to the pasture. We had put them to work destroying a plot for a garden, but I prefer not to smell them from my porch! To avoid confusion, we named them for the purpose: Ham, Sausage and Bacon. This is our second set of hogs- the first are in the freezer and taste great. We will sell meat for the first time this season.
Our 11-year-old son has a little rabbit business. Annie and Beatrix bore more kits this month, which he will sell for $25 each (and hopes people buy for pets, not for meat). He showed his buck, Moses in the county fair last year.
This spring, we added more hens to our flock, bringing us to 23 chickens. They sleep in a rolling coop (no mucking necessary) and forage all day. Some flocks have a meanie-head culture, but these are civil. I cannot imagine our land without chickens- their bobbing and pecking and squawking and crowing entertains. We also bought 6 ducklings to join our loan drake. Ducks are hilarious.
Two years ago, we converted half the lawn to wildflower meadow, because we wanted to add beauty and help wildlife. And this year, we invited a local bee-keeper to maintain a hive on our property. He provides the bees; we provide the flowers; we share the honey.
In 2022, our spring-fed creek qualified for an Arkansas Game & Fish Stream Team project. They replaced our small, rusty, rock-filled pipe with a beautiful stone bridge. Then, we helped them plant over 100 trees along our and our neighbor’s creekbank to benefit the environment!
We wanted more trees. So, in 2021, we bought 150 tiny saplings for $50 from the Forestry Commission and planted a young woodland of redbuds, dogwoods, loblolly pines, oaks, pecans, mulberry, persimmon, bald cypress and more! All native trees that benefit wildlife. It’ll be lovely in a decade. 
We added four more fruit trees to our little orchard along with 30 elderberry bush cuttings. I keep a mint and lemon balm bed in the shade of the porch for teas. Also, we planted a few vegetables and a lot of herbs (and more flowers!) in the old pig plot.
Last summer, Natural State Treehouses built a treehouse full of windows in our oaks beside the creek. Deck above and swings below. Once it is furnished, we hope people will use it for half-day prayer retreats.
We also have a cat named Finale, who was born in our bathtub. And, at any given moment, my sons have an assortment of caught lizards, salamanders, toads and bugs in a terrarium their uncle gave them. They collect tadpoles in a bin by the creek to watch them turn into frogs. 
Our uphill neighbors run cattle; our downhill neighbors keep horses; and our driveway neighbor has goats. Here in the middle, there is constant motion and an assortment of happy noises. Standing in the barnyard with my toddler today, we watched a cheeping huddle of ducklings run from curious sheep. Beyond them, dust flew as a squawking chicken hopped away of a rolling pig. A horse shook and snorted. Two black calves skipped. A bee buzzed by. And a rooster crowed. I love it!
Caring for animals is a lot of work. We weave farm chores into our school day, but it often feels like play. Kids let out and close up chickens at twilight, collect kitchen scraps for pig slops, feed sheep by hand to maintain the bond, carry water, muck out rabbit hutches and pull weeds. Some kids choose to do their math on a haystack in the sheep pin. The work brings the whole family together toward a common goal. It builds responsibility and strength. And, when nature itself is not enough to get them outside, the chores will. Once they are out there they linger.
-The Hunts
So lovely- what a way to connect with nature and each other! Will the trees help with wind?