Jayden takes the controls
The clearest milestone at What If Acres came with an engine starting. After Jeff walked him through the sequence, Jayden repeated it himself and earned his dad’s encouragement. For Jayden, it was a first turn at starting the new race car, and a concrete step in a project that still had work ahead of it.
Earlier, Jeff had reported that a replacement fuel pump had arrived. By Saturday morning, he said the pump was installed, oil pressure was back and the engine had briefly run. More adjustments and the clutch remained on his list. Jayden’s turn at the startup sequence followed that breakthrough.
The new car asked more of Jayden than the cars Jeff had previously push-started. He now had an oil-pressure check, a warning light and a shutoff to understand. Jeff’s lesson was about remembering those steps for himself; the first aim for track time was simply to become familiar with starting, stopping, the pits and the restraints. That practice was cancelled when the track’s water truck broke. Hear the practice plan.
Jayden repeats the startup sequence and starts the race car himself.
Jayden starts his new race car
Saturday · 6:36–7:29 · 53 seconds
The hoped-for track visit had to wait. In Sunday’s account, Jeff described a different outing with Jayden: a demolition derby, where the battered cars had Jayden laughing. Their car project was still unfolding, but the change of plans had supplied a night they enjoyed together.
Jeff describes the demolition-derby outing he and Jayden enjoyed after the track plan changed.
A postponed track day becomes a demolition-derby night
Sunday · 1:07–2:34 · 87 seconds
Settling in has its own timetable
The smaller members of the household supplied a different measure of progress. During Monday’s conversation, Libby fell asleep while Mary gently rocked her. Later in the week, Mary explained that her usual puppy alarm clock had slept longer than expected after moving into the darker bedroom. A puppy who sleeps through her shift can change a morning’s timetable without doing very much at all.
Jeff also reported an encouraging puppy-training moment: he noticed stirring in the crate, took the puppy outside and had a successful potty trip. He thought the routine was beginning to make sense. That was a small win to enjoy on its own terms.
The kittens were less inclined to stay put. Jeff recounted both climbing out during morning cleanup, then being found and returned to breakfast. Sunday evening brought another moment of uncertainty during a check on them, before both were found napping. Mary and Kaitlin recalled their playful afternoon in the sun.
Those Sunday naps marked a change of address. The kittens had still been at home that morning; by evening they were in the enclosed shelter at the farm, beginning the move Jeff wanted to arrange while the weather was mild. Straw-filled totes gave them a warm retreat. They would stay together while getting used to the place, rather than roam among the herd or other cats. Time in the mesh patio would depend on an adult being present because it was not secure enough against every predator. See the Sunday kitten update.
Babs and Pepper take a careful step toward the herd
Babs and Pepper’s move toward the herd began with a wait. Jeff collected their individual fecal samples on Monday and took them to the vet, expecting results in a week or more. Friday brought an earlier answer: he reported that coccidia was gone, the barber-pole worm count was very low and the vet had cleared them to join the herd. Their planned fenced area still needed work, so they stayed where they were that night.
Saturday’s escape was unplanned; the girls were found with the herd and secured again afterward. Sunday’s turnout was deliberate. By evening the family said they had spent the day out and done well, but they would still sleep separately: lower-ranking goats might be kept out of a shared shelter, and the pair needed a secure place for the night. Hear Friday’s results. Follow Sunday’s turnout and shelter update.
Chores meet individual personalities
Getting everyone fed meant adjusting the company as well as putting out dinner. On Monday Jeff gave Joey a quieter place and stayed when he did not want to eat alone. By Thursday he was trying Joey and Oreo together and giving Mama and Loretta’s group extra time away from faster eaters. An empty dish did not tell him how much each goat had eaten. Saturday brought an encouraging observation: Joey was eating faster with a friend beside him. Follow the feeding adjustments.
Feeding time made room for small victories, too. Jeff celebrated Joey walking in on his own; later, Joey and Oreo settled inside to eat after some coaxing. Finley supplied the counterpoint, putting his feet into the feeding setup and drawing a reminder that it was not built for him.
Water brought a more practical payoff. With the pump hookup still to come, Jeff used a transfer hose to fill buckets for the animals and celebrated when the water began flowing. Watch the water transfer.
There was a reason for the satisfaction. Jeff said the well was low, and keeping hauled water available meant working through the tank’s valve and hose fittings. He checked for leaks repeatedly: a failed connection could drain the tank.
By Sunday morning a temporary powered hose let him rinse and fill the animals’ containers. He also left an extra five-gallon bucket of fresh water for anyone feeding up later. He was explicit that the setup still needed finishing. The evening brought a full tank, while permanent arrangements for freezing weather remained ahead. See Sunday’s temporary water setup.
Sunday also forced a choice about Jeff’s time. He wanted to volunteer at the track’s winter workday, but farm jobs were waiting, and the reminder that darkness would arrive around five helped settle it. He stayed. By evening he had mowed a track in the back field for starting-and-stopping practice, done some maintenance on the Argo and treated fuel in the gas engines for storage. The carport and larger winter list still lay ahead, but these were jobs he could count as done. Hear the evening’s progress report.
The company matters
Those ordinary jobs were also time spent with the community. Jeff closed both the evening feeding conversation and the water-transfer stream by thanking the viewers who kept him company. Stopping in to say hello mattered, even when the work on screen was simply another round of feeding and watering.
There was space for the viewers’ curiosity, too. A morning discussion of sparkling water led Jeff to try it that evening and deliver an honest review. It was a small conversational detour beside the farm work—and another reason to pull up a chair.
From the What If shop
In a Facebook Page update shared this week, What If Acres announced zip-up hoodies in the What If and Willow tree styles, in several colors. The ordering tip: choose your size first, then select the zip-up option in the menu. Read the creator’s shop update or browse What If Acres.