There is no easy way to lose something you love, especially when that "something" is a beloved pet who has stolen your heart.

Since this year began, Bright Star Farm has lost three important members of our animal family. Back in January, we said goodbye to sweet Twink, one our our miniature horses and first additions to the farm way back when we began. She was 27 years old and lived a long, happy life here at the farm with her "husband" Kiwi and all of their kids, who have become irreplaceable parts of our grand farm family.

Last month, we said goodbye to Lorenzo the llama, who had a full personality and lent plenty of humor to everyone who stopped by.

And last night, we said goodbye to Spice, our sweet (but stubborn) pygmy goat who's been part of our family just as long as Twink. In fact, we made a trip to New Jersey over ten years ago to pick the two of them up and bring them to the hot, sunny South together. 

While there's no easy way to lose a pet, the best thing anyone can hope for is a peaceful death. And despite a few prior weeks of sickness for Twink, that's exactly what they all had -- a seamless ease into the great sleep, where their bodies can rest while their spirits find home in wide open fields of sweet grass and warm sun. 

We'll miss you, Twink, and we're thankful for your careful mothering and presence over the years. And we'll miss you, Lorenzo and Spice, and we're thankful for your large personalities and loving spirits always.

Whether you’re in Carolina or Colorado, temperatures are dipping down below the norm. Here in Eastern NC we’ve had a few ups and downs — 70-degree days, below-freezing nights, and plenty of opportunities to bundle up.

Luckily some of our animals have built-in winter coats. The alpacas, who thrive in colder temps anyway, have nothing to worry about. That’s precisely what their wool is for. The cats are good at cuddling in corners and finding warm crevices to sleep in. The horses have blankets and the birds have down, but sometimes it gets cold enough that we start to worry. If you’re anything like us, you tend to worry a bit, too. Here are a few tips for keeping your critters warm this winter.

Shelter
Okay, so this one is easy. If you want to keep your animals warm, you put them inside, right? Shelter helps, especially when the skies open up and snow or ice begin to fall, but you don’t necessarily have to keep your animals cooped up all the time. Let them get some fresh (okay, frigid) air during the day when the sun is at its peak. As long as they’re equipped with some natural or man-made winter gear (think down for chickens and blankets for horses), they’ll be okay to roam for a little while.

Bedding
Supplement whatever shelter your animals have with some extra bedding materials to keep them warm. This doesn’t mean you’re bundling up your finest Egyptian cotton just to keep your rabbits warm (unless you want to, of course…). It simply means buying some extra straw or litter to help them nestle in and retain more heat.

Food
Keeping your animals well-fed is a great way to boost their energy and warm their bodies. In fact, bumping up their daily feed may even benefit your animals during winter months. Don’t worry too much about the extra weight gain; you can always cut back again in the spring. Just don’t skimp on their feed simply because it’s too cold to bundle up and go outside.

Company
What better way to stay warm (besides a vacation in Puerto Rico) than to huddle close to someone you love? Animals benefit from this too. In fact, it’s the feline way of life around here. When sheltering your animals at night, group them as efficiently as possible to allow for shared body heat. This is a great way to keep hens warm, for instance. And while rabbits could also benefit from this, be careful to group them by gender (unless you want to add a lot of extra little bodies…).

It may be cold outside, but that doesn’t mean your critters have to suffer. For starters, keeping them sheltered, well-fed, and grouped together will help to keep the frostbite at bay.

The end of an old year (and beginning of a new one) can be sort of melancholy, if you think about it the wrong way. You’re leaving behind a whole year, a fun, celebratory season, and getting back into the daily grind. But it’s also like entering a new domain — it’s the time of year when everyone decides what they’d like to change and how they’d like to live differently, and it’s refreshing.

For Bright Star Farm, a new year means new creative endeavors we haven’t ventured into yet. In 2014, we’re hoping to expand by leaps and bounds, within our own community and beyond. We’re hoping to become a haven for people who are worn down and weary from life’s demands. We’d love to offer a place of escape on cold, rainy days and warm summer evenings. We really just want to be the place you never want to leave.

One of our goals for the new year is to branch out into retail. We’re looking into creating and selling some unique, handmade products to sell online and in the quaint country shop we’d eventually love to open. We’re undergoing some renovations at the moment, but we’re also looking forward to the growth we’ll experience as a local resource within the next year.

Jessica Shively is also now offering horseback riding lessons here at the farm. If you’re looking into taking lessons, please feel free to contact us. More information will be available soon.

Even though it’s winter and the cold-weather shivers have set in for a while, our greenhouse is up and running. As warmer weather approaches, we’ll have potted plants, hanging baskets, and herbs available for sale.

Everyone at Bright Star Farm is looking forward to what the new year will bring. But we also want to know what you’re looking forward to. Do you have any creative ideas or requests for Bright Star Farm? Let us know — we’d love to hear from you!

Last Thursday, the pre-kindergarten class at Comfort Elementary School in Trenton bundled up to brave the chilly air and swirling leaves for a field trip to the farm. 

They came excited to meet the animals and learn about farm life. Their first friend of the day was Eeyore, who was happy to welcome them. He always loves attention!

Next they got to meet Hank and Patsy, who are always happy to entertain a crowd — especially if they get their backs scratched in the meantime.

Finally, they met the alpacas and learned that their fiber is used for making lots of things, from warm sweaters to beautiful brooches. 

All in all, it was a fun-filled day for Comfort Elementary School’s pre-k kids who got to enjoy a sunny, crisp day at Bright Star Farm.