Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Naptime


After trying repeatedly to compose and take a picture of the triplets for Country Dew, I had to settle for this one.


I kept getting error messages about memory on my PDA and fog on the lens in the cold yesterday morning.


One of the best pictures was of all three nursing their mother simultaneously. NOTE: goats have only two teats.


I don't know exactly what is going on when all three think they are nursing, but I think that Ma goat was as amused as I was.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Overcooked Dinner

Okay, boys and girls. Who thought that, indeed, a goat would give birth yesterday? If you raised your hand, you were right!

Even though I went and checked on ducklings and goats around 4:30 p.m. before going up and starting dinner, when I walked in the barn at about 6 p.m., there was a new mother bawling in fear and pain. She needed a little help. There was also a goat with her head and horns stuck in the panel between stalls. That required bolt cutters to cut and bend back the metal after trying for half an hour to free her. (Logically, you know if she could get her head through the space, there should be a way for her to get back out.) Nevertheless neither she nor two people could get her out.

Add cows figuring out how to get through a goat baffle into the next pasture, and you have a pretty good idea of how the day went.

The roast was overdone but eatable by the time we got up to the house. That's the way it goes some days.

Monday, April 14, 2008

Spring Rush


There were a few warm days when trees and flowers burst into bloom. Violets cover the ground, along with Little Blue Eyes. The peonies have risen above ground and formed buds. Surprises abound in nearly every flower bed. The lilacs have produced beautifully.

Today, we're cooler and "widespread frost" is forecast for tomorrow.

Ducklings are hatching two days before I had even planned on checking the incubator. This morning, I had to drive to the feed store for poultry starter and search the barns for my brooder accessories.

Seedlings came up in the small portion of the garden where I planted them a couple weeks ago. Will I manage to cover them up for tonight?

We're working feverishly on the local farmers' market that will be set up in our county and hope it will be a success.

The federal taxes are done and mailed, but state tax must also be filed before long.

It seems there is much, much more to do than there are hours in the day. Who thinks the goats will produce a kid or two today?

Sunday, April 06, 2008

Spring Landscape

The view outside my window consists of a filigree of pastel oranges, greens, pinks, and white. These are leaves and blossoms just starting to form. Some trees seem still bare. A light rain has been falling for days, greening up the pastures and allowing my seeds to germinate.

It's perfect weather for digging out plants and transplanting and I've done a fair amount of that.

We had a surprise set of triplets the other day. I didn't even realize that this older goat was pregnant until the day before she kidded. I put her in the maternity barn and the next morning, there they were. She is perfectly capable and taking great care of them.