Because each household is supposed to be self-supporting Rodney and I found ourselves with a dilemma. Originally, Rodney's plan was for us to live upstairs and have the downstairs of the mercantile be a souvenir shop.

I convinced him otherwise. What can I say? I wanted a kitchen and a second bath and Rodney didn't want to live here by himself.

He came up with a second plan.

The Mercantile now has a petting zoo!

OK, it isn't much as money-makers go, but we are able to sell the eggs to a small restaurant that opened up in the old saloon. Plus, a local nursery has a large variety of roses, so the pony pays his way as well and eventually Rodney wants to buy a cow as well.


Of course, I have no idea where he thinks he's going to put a cow, but he says he has a plan.

I'm sure that you'll understand when I say that I still get nervous when he says things like that. It was one of his plans that got us here, right?