I’ve spent some time reflecting on what we’ve done in 2023. What did we accomplish? What was our “theme”? I keep coming back to the animals that were added to the farm in 2023 and how they came to us. They each have a unique story, but they all have a common thread. They came to us in need.
Three llamas – Savannah, Merle, Ripple through two different rescues. All three needed a new home and needed some TLC in some way or another. 1 pig – Puddles, who needed a new home because she was getting bullied by her pig friends at her old home. 5 Adult female cats and 21 kittens – came to us from a friend in a dark time who needed help caring for them. A Mom and 3 kittens fostering currently- from a home that was willing to throw them out into an abandoned barn in the dead of winter. And Winston, our one planned llama born on our farm. Our hope for future llama shows. Not a rescue, and very much loved.
And then there are the people too. So many in need. Our friend who lost her husband of many years suddenly. The kids who come to us through The Production Farm to work with the animals in summer – some from broken homes and some with broken spirits- who got the chance to witness a llama birth. Guests who visited our farm and the wonder on their faces as they touch a llama for the first time. Or pet a sheep for the first time. Maybe hold a baby chick. There is something magical about animals that heals humans.
We aren’t a rescue. We don’t have a 501c3. But we somehow can fill a need when it’s there.
I didn’t really have a good plan in 2020 when Black Frog Farm started opening to the public. It was a crazy year. People were requesting to buy eggs from birds who were well cared for, and spend time with our animals just so they simply could get outside. They wanted to spend time at a place where nothing is killed, and life matters. From the arthritic old lady llamas to the ridiculous oversized friendly tom turkey. We found a need that I hadn’t thought of before.
And now I feel like we are being pushed in this new direction….to keep filling both human and animal needs. I can’t call us a real rescue, but we could be bordering on “Sanctuary.” After all what is a sanctuary but a safe place for healing? And the people who have believed in us and supported us this past year and the years before – maybe they already saw what we were when I didn’t. When I was too lost in the weeds of the daily to see the larger picture.
I want to see where this new direction brings us and be open to the change. I am excited to be led by something bigger than myself! Let’s see what 2024 has in store for us, and where we go from here.