Spring on the farm!!!

It has been a banner morning this morning.

Sleeping in is a rarity around here, but we were trying to.

We took seven of the eight kids to movies last night - a big deal in our family, needless to say because of the cost! Kiley has a sleepover with a friend and really didn't care about going to the movies - in her words "I don't like to sit still that long", so everyone was happy. I took the four ten year olds to "How to Train Your Dragon" which was wonderful!!!! We all thoroughly enjoyed it! I highly recommend it! Steve took the three big boys (14 and 15) to a war movie - Green Zone, which they were thrilled by. Gasp - they got to see an R rated movie - they thought they were so cool! Bad language (one swear word over and over the boys said) and violence (it is a war movie after all) so they loved it and we weren't fighting more garbage. We all had a great time, but we went to the late shows because I had been working in Michigan and didn't get home until late. Oh, well, they thought it was so cool that we got home at midnight!!!! (Hence the wanting to sleep in!)

Not to mention that when we got home, the boys went out to check on the goats - we have several who are due really soon and showing signs of "any day". Well, one came running in - "Twins!!!". So, we all trekked out to the barn (except Tsion who doesn't do nighttime runs to the barn and who can blame her?) to see the new arrivals - a doeling and a buckling and both healthy, dry and nursing! So we left them out in the deep hay of the barn with their mama and the herd! So, by the time everyone was settled down it was just about 1 AM!!!!! What amazing excitement!



So, this morning, close to 9AM, Aman comes into our room with a funny look on his face - "Umm, Mom, Dad, the horses are out.". One second to let our brains absorb this - we were still sleepy, and then bolt upright pulling on boots and jackets of pajamas! Talk about a faster wakeup than coffee!!!!

Sure enough all five from one of the pastures were out. Luckily, herd animals don't like to go far from the herd, so they didn't go far, just outside the other pasture. Two were relatively easier to get in, they lead very happily, one was a bit more of a challenge, but just wanted to get in by his friends, but the last two decided to show their beauty by running at full gallop along the longest fenceline! We have learned that just gently, calm herding will get them back. They get all wound up, but really just want to get back with their "herd". It took some time, but we got them all in!

Wow, now we were all wide awake! So, we checked on baby goats, who were all snuggled up together in the barn, deep in a nest of hay, and then the other animals. Zeri went ahead and milked right away - we have three that we are milking right now, two that are in "full milk" - they just "freshened" (had babies) but lost their babies (one was a young mama and we missed the kidding and she didn't really know what to do, and the other the had quads and they didn't make it), so we are getting good milk again.

So, chores are getting going! Whew!

The chickens are busy! It has been a great start to the spring with the chickens, the other day we got 42 eggs and yesterday over 30!!!! Back to selling farm fresh eggs and having lots of yummy eggs here! Yay! Healthy food! Now if it would just keep warming up the young ones in the brooder downstairs can get outside! And then the basement cleanup can begin. It is a mess, but with a fieldstone basement and good planning, it works. And it turns out lots of other folks do what we do! We hear from other folks - "of course they are in the basement, where else could they be?". My grandpa told me that his were in a closet!

I am going to get laundry on the line, we are going to go see maple syruping down the road, and then at some point head to work. Ugh, it is warm and the sun is out, I really don't want to go to work! I so want to have a home based business so I can be home all the time, but that is a slow process! My writing is coming along, but it is new, so I am figuring it out.

Anyway, planning for school this week, enjoying the adventures of spring, figuring out the whole bathroom things, there is lots going on. Love the spring!

Well, I found a new saddle yesterday at a price I could afford - a great deal, and I am looking at it sitting over a chair in my dining room. Time to get it on a horse! Enjoying training my horses and children!