We were recently watching something on television when the word ‘precision’ hit me. It really resonated in the moment that we were watching, because for a long time now we’ve been starting to feel the growing pains of, well, growing. We’ve got things better figured out now, and we’re starting to realize that the way we set things up on our little homestead aren’t quite right. They’re not conducive to day-to-day tasks, to proper use of space, or to just about anything. And a large portion of that has to do with the fact that we weren’t very precise in setting things up. The goats aren’t picky, so why should we be? Now, we’re realizing that it’s important to take a few steps back and rework things a bit – ‘fewer things better,’ as our motto has been as of late.

When we moved in during the summer of 2016, we threw everything together in our hasty eagerness to get started. Three years later, we’re seeing how things aren’t working, and some things (such as fences and gates) are in need of repair. That’s okay, and honestly, I don’t really regret ‘cheaping out’ the first time around. Now that we’ve been working goats, chickens and rabbits for awhile we have a better idea of what works, what doesn’t, what we want and what we don’t want. I would have hated to put up a permanent set-up only to have to rearrange it after realizing it wasn’t practical. It wasn’t an intentional move on our part per se, but at the same time I’m now very glad that what we started with wasn’t carved in stone.

Fortunately, it won’t cost a lot. We already have much of the materials we’ll need. But we DO need to invest in some sweat and some time. Rebuilding the goat pens will take the largest outlay of that, but for sure it’s the project that I’m most looking forward too.

What will this accomplish? The pens will be smaller and allow for us to better make use of the space we have (we were way too generous when building the original pen, I think we were thinking about ‘space to grow’ at the time like having 10 or 12 goats might not be a bad idea!), and they will also be easier to clean and far sturdier than our current set up. Additionally, with some precision we’ll be able to make the barn a little more aesthetically pleasing from the exterior. Do aesthetics matter? Erm….. no. I suppose not in the grand scheme of things. But it certainly helps give one a sense of pride in what one does if the view is a bit more homey and enjoyable to the eye. And taking pride in what one does is important, for sure.

I anticipate that we’ll be quite busy this Spring and Summer – wish us luck, as I hope that we’ll have many updates in the coming weeks!