New Beginnings

Alternatively titled: I have no idea what the first post should be about.

So, I’ve agonized a little over what tone I should take, what topic should be first, basically how I set up this first post to launch the blog, and I’ve made it a much bigger deal than it probably is. But it has to be perfect, or so I told myself, and thus walked away from the computer three times under the guise of needing a break.

Then I went to my uncle’s to pick up a new bale of hay and I met this guy and his mama:

Just like that, I decided he had to be the topic of the first post, because how could he not be? He was born 12 days ago and is just figuring out all the ins and outs of this big, old world. So far he’s proven to be quite the ornery little guy, choosing to lay down and nap in his mom’s food and headbutt the fence (to be fair, I’m told the fence started it).
But he’s mostly just so excited to see EVERYTHING. Everything is exciting and new and must be tried, tested, and investigated. This included me:

So, I decided to take a run from his playbook. If everything is exciting and new, then this blog must be exciting and new. Definitely not something to stress over, because it’s too EXCITING, right? It does not matter if it is not perfect, because it won’t ever be, and it won’t matter in six months when we’ve settled some post templates, tried new things, kept some and abandoned others, post scheduling has inevitably changed, and I find at least 12 typos despite my best efforts. This post just needs to launch the process, clutter the empty page, function like a brain dump page,  and, quite frankly, put a little check on the “launch a site” checklist so I stop obsessing about it.

So, along with how unbelievably adorable this little calf is, and how wonderful the weather has been (you can tell, my photos are all sorts of blown out, because the sun was so lovely and I refused to stand in the shade), I’ve decided to gush about all the exciting and new things I want to do with this space. Luckily, this should also give you a rough idea of all the cool things to come.

To start, eventually, as I get more adept at this, I think I want to have a few different post types. I want to have a this-is-whats-happening-on-the-farm-update post, a cool-thing-we-did-that-we-want-to-share post, and weird-anecdotal-stories-that-will-work-as-exposition-and-context-so-things-seem-slightly-less-crazy post. They won’t happen sequentially, or even with a balanced array, but these are the things that I am super keen to write about and I can’t wait to get started.

For a little context:

• this-is-whats-happening-on-the-farm-update: These are going to hopefully look like those Slack messages that cemented this whole idea, that is, they will be a summary of all the little fun things happening on the farm. For example, in the past I’ve touched on engagement photo shoots for a family member, being buried in snow, and losing a battle with some giant tumbleweeds. These I think will be the easiest posts to write, as there’s always some sort of shenanigans happening out here. Plus, I have like 4 million family members living within shouting distance, so if I do not have anything going on, you can bet someone else does, and could use a hand. I also have quite a few critters living with me, one of whom is actively trying to remove my hand from the keyboard as we speak, and they will make most of their appearances here.
• cool-thing-we-did-that-we-want-to-share: This is going to be projects that I am really excited to share. Think like what some people creatively post to Instagram stories, but with me happily chattering away at length about it. For example, I have a damaged water trough that I want to turn into a bench, I’ve been asked to make more of my homemade gnocchi, and, at some point, I need to build a cover to the alleyway on the barn (I throw hay from this alleyway, but currently there is enough snow to cover my knees in there, and at one point it was at eye level). These are projects where I think it could be interesting enough to warrant their own post, but definitely not a how-to, because you should absolutely be learning from someone more qualified. Some might even end up how-not-tos, but that’s the fun of a vague idea, a nail gun, too much confidence and too much Pinterest.
• weird-anecdotal-stories-that-will-work-as-exposition-and-context-so-things-seem-slightly-less-crazy: Well, or crazier, potentially. The fun of this category is that almost no one believes me when I tell these stories, and then they come visit, and suddenly it all makes much more sense. I live just outside a small town (technically a city by population, but I’m mildly convinced they lied on those numbers), and I spend a lot of my time in this crazy, confounding little place, because most of my family lives there. This small town has a little bit of everything, from a “Wolf Lady” to some secret tunnels, a town whistle that’s always a couple minutes late, and (in the pre-plague times) lots of festivals and parades that we all take just a little too seriously. You are talking to a seasoned parade float builder, hopefully we can all get back to that soon. Everyone asks if I live in Mayberry, but my brother more regularly calls it “Disney’s adaptation of Twin Peaks”. That is, it is just a little sideways, but in that quirky way small towns are.  

I’m hoping with each of these types there will be lots of photos, videos, weird scraps of memorabilia, and some tips and tricks. Especially the project posts, I hope they turn out kinda like a big, pseudo-helpful scrapbook. I do have a companion YouTube account, Instagram, and Twitter in the works, but as I am about the worst ever at social media, I wouldn’t get too excited about those quite yet.

I’m also weirdly excited about tweaking the colors and header panorama for each passing season, so expect to see the cold, snowy winter theme move on soon in favor of some (hopefully) spring greens. Little design tweaks to make the site better and more functional (I’m looking at you Social Media Widget) and all the fun little learning experiences will continue to improve this space. Most of all I’m excited that all my silly little farm experiences can live some where that someone might find them, have a laugh, curl up with a warm drink, and enjoy a little break from the humdrum.

So, that’s the plan.

I do hope you’ll stick with me for the ride.