Spring?

I gotta tell you, although I know just because it is the first day of spring, it is also still March, and March often means wacky temperatures, unexpected snow, rain, and a mix of the two... I'm so tired of this weather.  I don't think there has been another year in recent history that I've felt this tired of this weather. It's not so much the snow as it is the constant over cast grey skies. Usually February means more sunshine and usually in March, even with snow, the sun is warm and promising and rejuvenating. 

To be honest, I can't remember when I saw the sun last for more than 10 minutes. It really does get depressing. 

But we keep plugging along. I know it's coming, patience is a virtue and all that stuff... It's been way too cold for the sap to run, well below freezing for days. So we haven't been boiling. We've been breaking ice, covering things up to protect them from the snow and just taking it one day at a time. I started trying to catch up on chores in the house and we have been trying to take a little time for rest when we can. 

Aside from being overcast again, it's warmer, sitting at about 0 C or 32 F. Maybe a bit above. It's snowing and blowing on and off. Izzie the three toed cow is full of hormonal rage and craziness, one minute trying to kill everyone and one minute wanting everyone to be her best friend. Thankfully that only lasts a short period of time each cycle. I feel like as a woman I should be understanding towards her mood swings, I know what it's like. But she's also 700 or so pound cow and it can get alarming. At least it used to - even when throwing a fit she still listens to me so I know how to deal with her now. We all do... we all stay the heck away from her.

The temperature is right for the sap to run today but the cold wind is keeping it frozen. 

Morty and Bubs have been coming outside with me when I'm doing chores. It's too cold for me to let any of the kids outside regularly right now. Bubs is much more adventurous than Morty, which is surprising. 

I keep forgetting Morty is three weeks older than Bubs, seeing that Bubs is bigger than him. Morty is a lot older in his ways than Bubs. He's also a bit of a bully with Bubs, bossing him about, making sure everyone remembers just because he's small, doesn't mean he's not the leader. 

It's very difficult to get a picture of the two boys because when they are out with me 99% of the time they are like this above... trying to get milk from me, poking me, standing right up next to me. It's pretty difficult to get a decent non blurry picture of them right now. That will change once they can spend more time outside. I have plans for these two boys, big plans. We'll see what happens... and I'll share more about it later. 

They sleep in my big puppy pen I have set up in the barn, it's where most of my bottle babies spend their first months, unless I happen to have an empty pen which almost never happens. Morty is eating hay and grain, Bubs is just learning to mouth hay. 

Bubs up front, Morty in the back. see the size difference? I bet Morty is going to stay quite small, he's got mostly Pygmy genes in him so it's very likely. 

Beatrice's little girl is the adventurer, always exploring and leading the other goat kids. They follow her, she's definitely their leader. She's so pretty with her white markings - her eyes nose and ears are grey from the Pygmy - but almost look like a blue color. She's a real doll. 

Here's the two milk chins after lunch... 

Dahlia, sweet Dahlia.... 

Is pregnant. I noticed before she was quite fat, but so is everyone else. But then about a week ago I did a double take - she's bagging up. When she arrived on November 17th she had just had a kid weaned off of her so she was still bagged up. She dried up and I never saw her come into heat again. I assumed if these girls were going to be bred it would be this spring. But apparently at some point (and it's hard telling because the bucks spend all their time in a separate yard from the girls) she got knocked up. Since January the boys have not been around the girls at all so I'm assuming it was before then. 

I thought we wouldn't have Pygmy kids until fall, but it looks like we'll (hopefully) have one or two sooner than that if all goes well!

Rose is not pregnant, not in heat, and just wishing she was a baby herself again. 

Oh spring... I can't see you!

Then there are Lou and Dew who I caught taking a bath at 11 PM the other night while I was up at the barn. These two ducks are nuts - I swear they must have come from the arctic or something. Nothing is going to keep them from splashing around. And no - they have never ever got frost bite. They swim, clean up, and then head for their barn full of straw. They are the toughest and craziest ducks I've ever had. The other night during my late night barn check I flashed my flash light into the upper part of the barn yard and what did I see? Flavious the Great Pyrenees, Izzie the Jersey, and Lou and Dew all in a pile curled up together. And I don't mean just lying near each other - the dog was tucked into the cows stomach and the ducks were lying against the dogs stomach. Of course I was in my pajamas, it was 11:30 at night, completely dark outside, no stars, and no camera, just a flashlight. That's always when you see the most surprising things, late at night, in your pajamas, in the dark. 

Basswood and Bulrush were confused because I told them it was spring. See the looks? That's what confusion looks like. On a goat. 

Flavious, AKA the polar bear loves winter and the snow. Summer is hot and buggy and he's not complaining one bit. Sammy on the other hand doesn't appreciate cold feet one bit. 

Sammy: What is this ma? You better make it go away! 

Jackson agrees too, he's over the yucky grey wintery days.

Jackson: I'm ready to resume my sunbathing and dust baths! (he loves rolling on the dirt roads when it's hot to keep the bugs off him, he does it every night)

Even though it's not the nicest weather I decided to take the dogs for a walk to the sugar shack so I could take some pictures of the recent work on the roof. Douglas was all for it. 

So was Rollie, he loves an adventure. 

The expedition leaders heading off...

Rollie: Ah well this looks different... are we in the right place?

Douglas and Rollie: Well it smells the same and I think I peed here... 

Aside from getting most of the roof on the sugar shack, the guys managed to get a box built so we can open it up when we are boiling to let the steam escape through the sides. 

It's not finished yet, but it's getting close! It's so exciting to be making such huge progress on it. 

On the way home Rollie stopped to ask the goats if they wanted to play with him...

And now we are looking at recipes, trying to figure out what to make for dinner and crossing our paws the sky will clear soon. I have a chicken coop to clean up and prepare for new arrivals, new raised garden beds to build, and we are all more than ready to just sit outside and soak up some sun.

I want to change the banner on the blog to my spring banner, but it just doesn't seem right. It still looks like winter here!