A little this and some of that - General People and Critter Updates

There isn't much to say about the weather that hasn't been said before is there?  The old worn-out saying "if you don't like the weather in Minnesota, just wait a minute" is as good as any.  Since my last post, we have had really warm weather which melted most of our snow and transformed the farmyard from glacier to mudbog.  Then it got cold, then it snowed ... on and on it goes. We had snow last night which continued for a good portion of this morning - then it turned sunny and was just really lovely out.

People who have goats quickly find out that the old adage that "goats will eat anything" couldn't be further than the truth.  We recently acquired some really nice alfalfa hay through a hay for straw barter.  You would think the does would have been delighted.  Hmmm, not so much.  The chickens however, are delighted.

 Vinca has four more weeks to carry her babies...

 The hens were all indoors after lunch but quickly came out to check out the slabs of hay.

 First just a few...

Then the rest of the flock.

Later in the afternoon this is what was left:

People are seeing a LOT of deer around the area lately.  These were south of the house this afternoon - nine of them and there were more across the road.

With the warmer weather you would think that Spot would be wanting to get out of the shop.  In reality, she is quite content to say indoors, thank you very much.  Spot's "thing" is that she loves riding on people's shoulders.  She surprised Kevin the other day at chore time by launching herself onto him unannounced!

Hoover generally wants to be where I am but he is NOT allowed in the "laundry basement" (not to be confused with "Kurt's basement" or the "way-down basement" - we have an unusual house!) which houses not only the laundry but also the cat food and litter boxes.     

One more thing to say... if you really want purple hair... go for it!  You rock Kori!

See you in a couple of weeks - be well!

It's always something, right?

Life gives us obstacles sometimes.  Today it is the pump - no water and of course it is Sunday.  Something so ordinary becomes so precious when you don't have it.  We are pretty fortunate (in many ways) to live so close to Ardis & Rollie's house.  Kevin hauled water from there for us and the animals; also washed a load of laundry and we had supper and our showers there this evening.

Hoover and I are really on low mileage this winter.  This morning it was about twenty degrees so we went out to the highway only to find it very icy due to the warm temperatures yesterday that had melted some of our snow.  We ran on the shoulder off the ice a little but there was a brisk breeze that was freezing my cheeks so we didn't stay out too long.  This photo shows you what our dirt road is like:

 Yesterday we were gone all day to the Minnesota Sustainable Farming Associate Annual meeting - I was surprised to see how little snow they had in to the south and west of us - although we have had a couple of days in the forties, we still have snow cover:

The lads enjoyed the sunshine today.  The does I had to coax outside with treats to get photos.  Vinca's picture is fuzzy anyway, but you get the idea... wide load!  Her kids are not due until April poor thing!  Echo is not nearly so bulbous and sometimes I wonder if she is even pregnant.  Kevin reminds me that I wondered the same thing last year.

Some of you know that I am an avid composter.  Some of my co-workers probably think of me as the nut-job who hauls the coffee grounds home every day and who scolds them (politely I hope) when I catch them tossing a banana peel in the trash.  I noticed today that the pile has sunk somewhat so took the thermometer out - it read about seventy degrees.  This thermometer does not have a very long probe on it, only about four inches so I would suspect it is much warmer lower down.   Pretty neat - at least I think so!

Garden gold in the making! 

So that is February.  I probably won't have a post again until March and then we will really be thinking about spring and the garden and goat kids coming - Yeah!!.  Until then, be well friends!