Editor’s note: When you think of spring – what comes to mind? Hope? The return of blooms? The color green? Refresh and renewal? In this latest writers’ series by members of the WhipCity Wordsmiths, members share their thoughts about the spring season upon us. Today’s submission is by Ayden Rogalski.
WESTFIELD-Ayden Rogalski, 12, relishes his time writing and is the author of six books.
“Ayden has a love for American history,” said his mom Tanya Rogalski, noting one of his books details the history of homesteading.
The name of the family’s homestead is Country View Homestead.
“Our family has been homesteading for four years and Ayden is very involved,” said Rogalski, adding, “Ayden’s tasks include feeding the animals and helping in the garden.”
Ayden Rogalski takes care of a variety of animals on his family’s farm, including Olivia and Charlie, Nigerian Dwarf goats. (TANYA ROGALSKI PHOTO)
Ayden is a member of the WhipCity Wordsmiths and his books are available online at amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com under “Ayden’s History.”
His submission is titled “”Preparing for Spring on the Homestead.”
Preparing for Spring on the Homestead
Spring on the homestead is a very exciting time. The land starts to come alive again. The birds are chirping and the sun is warming the ground in preparation for planting. It’s time to wake up from our winter rest and set to work. When spring starts on the homestead we get straight to work with cleaning up and moving the animals around to new locations on our farm. We clean up their enclosures and add new bedding. We upgrade our infrastructure to make our job easier and more efficient, like improving our feeders and watering systems.
Spring is also when we get new animals to add to our farm. Pigs, meat chickens and turkeys are just a few of those animals. We start to get our gardens ready with the compost we have made in the past year so that we can make sure that the plants can grow in rich soil and get all of the nutrients they will need.
The plants are from the germinated seeds that the Rogalski family planted. (TANYA ROGALSKI PHOTO)
During the end of winter my mom and I start seeds inside our house. When those first seeds germinate, I get very excited because I know that little seedling will soon turn into a bountiful plant that will feed our family throughout the year.
Once the plants get too big for the tiny planter pots we transplant them into bigger pots. Then we wait for Mother Nature to tell us when it’s time for them to be planted into the ground.
Ayden Rogalski is seen with Lincoln, a hen on the family farm. Since Ayden is a history buff, he named Lincoln after Abraham Lincoln. (TANYA ROGALSKI PHOTO)
The same thing goes for the meat chickens, turkeys and pigs. We get them as babies when it’s near the end of winter and we feed them as much as possible to get them fattened up for butchering at the end of spring. Then we do it all over again in the summer so we have meat to last us throughout the winter. Of course growing animals isn’t exactly the same as growing plants but there are similarities. We have to take care of everything we grow in order to reap the benefits.
The little chicks are meat birds. (TANYA ROGALSKI PHOTO)
Homesteading, for me, is about knowing where my food comes from. I love it because I get to see all different types of food and animals. I get to taste things I’ve never tasted before and know that what I’m eating is healthy. I know that if anything happens to the food supply, we can sow seeds and raise animals to feed us.
Emiley and Ayden Rogalski play with their goats. (TANYA ROGALSKI PHOTO)
