Dear reader,
How have you been? I feel like it’s been years since I’ve authentically connected over matters as seemingly simple as my life and familial happenings. Most of the time, I’m creating business-oriented content for Black Hills Financial Planning and the clients I work with, so this is a nice break. A refreshing one, truly.
You are owed some updates…
The Abode
Aaron and I have officially been back in South Dakota for over one year. While haven’t broken ground on our cob home house, we (mostly Aaron – God bless his capable self) have been putting in a lot of effort to make our lil 5-acre farmstead more comfortable to live on. We still have a 62′-long “man camp” (20x more durable than a single wide but pretty similar in appearance and shape) which we have slowly adapted to. The space is larger than the camper-trailer we moved around and lived in for one-and-a-half years during our goat farming stint in Boulder, Colorado (yep, good memories)… so it’s a doable “tiny home” living situation. Best of all, I suppose, it’s well insulated, sturdy af, and can withstand the cold South Dakota winters. Humid summers? Notsomuch as the airflow could be way better. But, it’s temporary.
The Animals
My family has hilariously watched (and sometimes supported) my childhood dream of starting an animal sanctuary. Once again, Aaron has taken lead on constructing the abodes. Okay, he’s done 99% of the work. I pounded in some nails and then got winded (see the update below – I blame that). After building a dog-free garden (not grasshopper-proof, unfortunately) and a dog house for our three pups, he broke ground on another enclosure: the pig and goat hut (below!)
The pig and goat hut will soon house Matilda the 550+ lb sow I rescued (she’s too wonderful to go to processing – and I don’t eat pork, so it’s a reasonable rescue), and two dwarf goats: Merry and Pippin. Merry is a bit of an A-hole, but he’s gotten more lovable since we adopted the pair earlier this Spring. Pippin is just doing his best and is quite sweet when you take the time to sit down with him. Watch out for the nibbles, though.
Our two cats are as bossy and spoiled as ever. When Midnight the rescue farm cat (who has been everywhere with us – I adopted him the same week I met Aaron, oddly, nearly 7 years ago…) isn’t sleeping, he’s reclining like a 45-year-old man with a beer gut on the couch assessing the world under heavily lidded eyelashes.
The Family
Overall, everyone is doing well. We just survived another bout of ‘rona which had everyone on edge due to the trauma that ensued last year. Long story short, everyone lived so it proved to be a better year. But that’s not all…
Yes, that’s right! We are expecting our first child in April 2023! While I aim to keep them off of my social media presence as often as possible, the bump is currently fair game. Tomorrow will be the start of week 16 and we are here for the journey.
Being pregnant has come with its own list of pros/cons, which I will likely delve into in another post. I’m learning to let go of control (bah, what an illusion anyways) and strap myself in for the ride. Gratefully, I’ve made many friends in past and recent years so have a lovely support system in the Black Hills. Note: My intention is to blog more about the pregnancy journey to provide more insight into holistic birthing options in Western South Dakota. For example, did you know there is a midwifery center in Rapid City, SD?
The Business(es)
From BH Financial Planning to Pasque and Prayrie to Froelich Farms… I’m kept quite busy. I’ll just leave it at that. There is so much I want to do right now for all of them. In the meantime, I’ll enjoy being able to write more and plug away at the project which will likely consume my time for the remainder of my life.
That’s it for now…
I’m grateful for your readership and the opportunity to share my voice. I’ve tried videos and other mediums and just always come back to the written word. Something about harnessing language and documenting it for others to read is soothing and calming. So, expect more blogs in the days and years to come.
I hope you are well – God bless.
Mandy Froelich
