On the work side, there were no changes workload-wise, BUT (and this is a very big BUTT!) I had only one week of an audit and one week of training, so overlapping two full jobs appeared only for two non-consecutive weeks.
And because I was done with all debt for work projects in the previous month, I had an opportunity to feel how a person would feel with only one - even very busy - but still only ONE full-time job. I realized - THIS how I want to feel and work! And because there was no need to save farm animals by heating up water or to do any emergency building projects, I had time to breathe and even put on makeup and do my hair for two video recordings (Jumping ahead — there were ONLY those two long videos this year I managed to publish!!!! Unbelievable...)
Anyway… I was continuing to run my everyday journaling: the 5-year journal, the self-reflection journal (mostly thinking about what I want and what I need to change), and the farm project and animal health journal. And it’s so rewarding and interesting to read it right now!
I always knew that I am fascinated by physics, astronomy, the universe, and concepts of time and space, but seeing how many pages of journaling I did on that, or how many screenshots I saved — that’s a whole other picture. It seems that I am obsessed with it. I don’t know it on the level my son knows astronomy or physics, but still, I love to learn.
Farm-wise, this month I realized once again that roosters are not needed by anyone, and on a farm male animals are pretty useless unless they have some extra skills, exceptional genetics, or something to prove their existence. I sold Ayam Cemani and Silkie exceptionally good-looking roosters, but had to give hens with them, which I still feel sorry about. And I learned my lesson - never do hatching in an incubator again, only buy sexed hens. If you know what happens with rooster chicks - it’s a very sad decision. Why no one is investing in resolving this issue, I don’t know; it could be pretty easily solvable.
April is also a month when you prepare taxes, expenses, and all that stuff. I was working only on a W-2 for 90% of this year, but my husband had (his very first LLC), and apparently it was a big surprise for him how much paperwork and documentation you need to prepare even for a tax person to submit your taxes. First, he was trying to convince me that he didn’t have any expenses. After that, he said he had them, but “it’s not worth it,” so I had to remind him how happy he was to get back some of my LLC write-off taxes two years ago — and that it was 3–4 weeks of meticulous work, and they did not just fall from the sky. And I literally explained him every single detail of how to do that. No one done it for me! So annoying!
I had my own bureaucracy challenge trying to unblock my Business Meta account, which was blocked from the time we moved from Australia (no one ever know how to transfer your account from country to country!) So, in 10th time (I do that every year!) They told be that they transferred and unblocked it, but they didn't 🌝😂
Because I finally had time to do something for blogging, I did one of my most popular 2025 Instagram posts (pinned), the most popular reel, and one of the most popular posts on LinkedIn. I only needed one work-free weekend, inspiration, and… that’s all.
The biggest event of the month is that I received two African goslings that were booked four months ago and waited for for so long, and I was supposed to receive 15 Egyptian Fayoumi chicks. Unfortunately, it was unusually cold weather for the beginning of April, and only two chicks survived. But I got to know our post office manager, who touched me by the fact that he was more upset than me, saying over the phone that unfortunately they didn’t make it. And even though there was a replacement from the hatchery — I REALLY needed those chicks at that time!!!
My plan was to have two geese as guardian animals — they have perfect vision and can even scare a bear. But if they are not growing with chicks, they can kill them too, without even knowing it, or sometimes intentionally. So if I had only two goslings and no chicks, my entire plan would be ruined — goslings will not accept anyone after they grow up even a little bit.
So I did everything I knew to basically do CPR and revived three chicks. Three weeks later, only two survived, but those two were really strong. They bonded with Rayan and the goslings and often slept on their backs when it wasn’t too cold. And I was really lucky with those two survivors, because the replacement came only 30 days later, at the end of April. By the middle of April, the goslings were soooo huge, and the chicks had not even changed size.
If you remember previous parts — my choice of Egyptian Fayoumi was also a very strategic one, because they are very resistant to all diseases, and if vaccinated, they are basically invincible. They have great vision compared to other chickens, and as we see now — they are unbelievably smart and… can fly!
In April, I couldn’t believe that all those ducklings, goslings, and chicks would even grow up, so I played with AI, looking at how they would look and their adult sizes.
The cat ' cheeks after the fox bite was almost healed, and vaccination and wound treatment worked really fast even though at the beginning the wound was inflamed and sooo bad.
We started getting the first Ayam Cemani eggs, which surprisingly looked like Silkie eggs (Silkies also have black skin and almost black meat) and were the same size, even though the chickens themselves are much bigger. The interesting part is that Ayam Cemani and Egyptian Fayoumi are more efficient because they are foraging breeds. Even though they lay small eggs, they convert whatever they find into protein very efficiently, while quails and Silkies require high-protein feed. Silkies are very bad at foraging — they are more like pets. If you have a small space and are not planning to free-range chickens, Silkies are your choice; they will be happy without even a warm coop.
As soon as it became warmer, I realized that I easily do 7–8K steps per day without even being on a treadmill, and if I do something extra in the backyard, I have 15K or even 25K without even noticing it. We started having azure (blue) eggs, and my dream of having Easter eggs was getting closer and closer!
For those who don’t know: we have two house cats — two spoiled princesses on wet food whose only job is to be cute and untouchable. We also have two backyard cats and two front-yard cats, which are all barn cats, meaning they protect chickens and carry out their jobs very responsibly. They are smart, they are cute, and we love them so much.
In April, we realized that we also have two gray cats who are semi-feral, and there are no neighbors who would say they are responsible for them, so… they became ours too. The problem with them is that they don’t trust me much and look quite old, so they are the only cats that don’t have vaccination or microchips, and I cannot come close to them. But I facilitate safe territory, food, and water for all of them.
In April, I also saw an orange cat with a frostbitten ear, and I soooo wanted to save her, but she didn’t let me get any closer. She disappeared, and I never saw her again. Every time I look at those photos, I feel heartbroken. Poor kitty — we are so far from everything, she probably didn’t survive.
Also in April, I went to Kim’s workshop for the first time to make a fruit bowl and realized how much I love it! It’s like a massage, but for the soul. Even if you have never done anything artistic, you will spend a really healing time and end up with something special made with your own hands because of her guidance. After that, I went to almost every workshop she offered that I could attend!
HR and corporations — here is your perfect gift for your employees!
While I made the fruit bowl from clay with thorough guidance, Mike made a bowl from clay from our land, sifting it many times and curing the pottery in the fireplace — following primitive technology YouTube channel videos.
We did such an amazing interview/talk with Katya about AI (she has a PhD on the topic — can you imagine!). I’ve known Katya from Australia for so many years, and she even helped us with official immigration document translations in 2008.
Also in April, I managed to have a few relaxing workdays in cafés and took so many pictures of cornflowers and other spring flowers in our forest — I cannot even count them.
Here is our conversation: https://youtu.be/QjU52WQb0V8?si=BJ5f3P0gxnjEyN8c
And at the end of April — here they are, my 15 Egyptian Fayoumis! The replacement for those who didn’t make it. But those two survivors (whom I wasn’t even sure would make it through the two-week uncertainty period) played the most important role — they bonded with and tamed our goslings. And now the geese are not that bully toward them and other chickens.
