Birth and Rebirth. Babies Everywhere!

It has been exactly one month since my last post. And a busy month it has been! We have been moving back to the farm and rebuilding our life and farmstead night and day! In late July, we setup fresh paddocks and welcomed to the farm a five month old Livestock protector pup, Luna, along with some Barbados sheep. The next week we brought in a new batch of fat and sassy weaner pigs as well as a gorgeous flock of Muscovy ducks, Toulouse geese, Guinea Hens and layer chickens.

This week involved even more exciting activity. On Monday we built a fantastic new brooder coop for baby chicks and ducklings. On Tuesday afternoon, the first batch of Pekin ducklings and Red Ranger chickens arrived and christened the new setup. Around 8pm, after a hard days work, we sat down to a sweet and cherished family dinner that 7 year old Roman had prepared. Rose was in her final days of pregnancy and as we relaxed around the table, her infrequent contractions became more intense, and I began to realize that the delivery was imminent. We drew a warm bath, gathered some clean towels, calmed the children and cleared the table. By 8:30, Rose was in active labor and we ushered the kids to their rooms upstairs. At 9:45pm, Rose delivered another gorgeous girl into the world, Abigail Abondance Page, tipping the kitchen scale at 7 pounds 12 ounces! The children met their precious sister a few minutes later and it has been a giddy week of delight passing baby “Abby” from lap to lap! The lucky Coq au Vin customers whom had reservations this week received a bonus treat of greeting and cuddling the sweet new addition to the Page family!

As if that wasn’t enough excitement, this morning we awoke to the peeping chirps of several baby quail that hatched out in the little incubator in the kitchen closet that Rose and the kids set with fertile eggs just 15 days ago. As I sit here at the rustic cypress-slabbed kitchen table, the farmhouse is a beehive of activity, children shrieking with glee as each tiny bird emerges from its shell, all four kids jockeying for position to obtain the best view. And then, one by one they each peel off to take a turn holding “baby Abby” in the living room. What a glorious life we live. It is so good to be back.

I used the word “rebirth” in my subject line as we are truly experiencing a rebirth of our farm and livestock business. It has been a torturous 12 months as we have been dragged through a nightmare of a legal battle to wrest control and occupancy of our home and property from a family of horrific criminals whom we naïvely contracted to manage and caretake our farm and livestock while we developed our Coq au Vin restaurant and retail farm shop in Portland. Because I prefer to focus on the magnificent triumphs and victories and glorious birth and rebirth, I will spare you the details of the harm that has been visited upon our farm and family, and leave that to a follow-up post coming shortly from Rose, but suffice it to say that the circumstances and theft have been excruciatingly disheartening given the endless years of toil and struggle to build this ambitious family endeavor.

Nevertheless, and “NeverStill”, like a Phoenix from the flame, we arise victorious and triumphant and announce the return and rebirth of our beloved Farm Dinners! We can’t wait to host our delightful customers, both new and old, from Portland, Seattle, and around the world on our magnificent 132 acre spread along the Nehalem River in the majestic Misty Mountains of Northwest Oregon! Our first farm dinner celebration is scheduled for next month, September 21, in honor of the Autumn Equinox, one of our favorite astronomical events to celebrate. Follow the link below for further details and to reserve a seat at our Farm Table!

**Please note, this event will be limited to 20 diners. If it sells out too quickly, we may add another date, but don’t count on it! We will also be providing some lodging options, including camping, a couple of farmhouse bedrooms with shared bath and a cottage stay. For information regarding these options, please email orders@seabreeze.farm .