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## <center>Anyone else just love life?</center>

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It's a new year and things are waking up. The wild is getting  into full swing, and we're excited to garden once again. Life on our homestead is busy, but rewarding, and thankfully we like to make sure that we always have time to pause, reflect and observe.

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## <center>IT'S THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN, AND I'M EXCITED!</center>
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A tell-tale sign of the changing seasons is the deer emerging from the forests. During hunting season, they are few and far between, and often only seen at night around here. As soon as hunting season is over though, herds of them can be seen all over the hills and valleys around here, feasting on the fresh, green grass. My son says the deer know when hunting season is, and he hopes the Game and Fish Commission changes the time of the season to through the deer off. 

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Soon, the lizards and snakes will be laying their eggs once again, often in our garden. Thankfully, the venomous snakes in our area all give live birth, so there's no real risk in keeping an eye on the eggs and seeing who comes out. This gives us some great homeschool science class adventures that are second to none!

https://youtu.be/vrtajGVxIV8

As shown in the video above, we've been blessed to watch three species of snakes and two species of lizards hatch from their eggs right in front of our eyes, and often in our own hands. It's amazing to see life on this level, and most people will never experience some of the things our Little-Peppers have. Even Mama-Pepper got into it and was amazed.

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One reason that we like seeing the little reptiles hatch out is that they are part of our organic pest control posse. The tiny lizards and snakes enjoy life here on our homestead and in our garden, and they are so cool to observe. I'd rather have a handful of reptiles inhabit our garden and keep the pest in check than have our produce overrun with bugs.

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As we get back to planting in our garden, we think of the harvest. It is with hopeful expectation that we sow our seeds, and eagerly yearn to reap what we've sown. The last time I grew tomatoes, for instance, was the best job I've ever done with them. Life skills are often developed with experience, and I am glad that we get to experience all that we do. 

https://youtu.be/HpUA-XqwF_0

Are you gardening? If you do, what's your favorite thing to grow? If not, what's holding you back from getting started? We think it is a beneficial hobby on so many levels, and if you need some encouragement, I'll offer up the video above. Have a blessed weekend y'all!


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#### <center>Until next time…</center>
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# <center>Make today special!</center>

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# <center>[Check out our Etsy shop](https://www.etsy.com/shop/PapaPepperHomestead)</center>
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