We got our first livestock this week: two French Angora rabbits. The chocolate doe is now named Clover; the REW buck is Bruno. The names don't match their coloring, but they work anyway. The rabbits are brother and sister, and they're almost five months old. French Angoras don't need to be sheared. Instead, they naturally "blow" (shed) their coats every three months or so. To harvest the fluff for spinning, I'll be "plucking" the rabbits, or pulling out loose tufts of fur

We've been in Indiana nearly a month, and we've had a chance to survey our new property. Here's what we've found: Gorgeous wildflowers! (I love purple coneflowers. These will get transplanted closer to the house.) Peach trees loaded with luscious fruit! Oh, this is going to be fun! But the orchard hasn't really been tended in a few years, and it has problems, too: Dead trees. I think this one was a cherry tree. Overgrown trees, Underneath this mass of grape vines, mornin