OK- I am bound and determined to keep up on blogging! We’ll have to see how long it lasts…. 
Since my last entry, we have finished kidding until Fall (when Crystal will be due to kid). 23 babies, with 10 does and 13 bucks. That was enough for me! 
All of the kids look great. Some have already been sent to their new homes and I’ve heard they’re doing wonderfully. I’ve been getting back into the non-forgotten rhythm of milking/feeding/milking/feeding. Milking does hinder some outside activities, but can also be used as a great excuse to not go to an event or to leave early! Have to look at the bright side of milking from Feb-Nov.
It’s still raining here. We had a couple days of sunshine but I’m thinking we really shouldn’t hear anything about drought this year after all of this rain. The upside of the rain is I cook constantly and have gotten caught up on all of my paperwork and correspondence. I’m anxious to get the garden going and order some seeds. Still have to plan out what I’m going to plant where. I know we’ll be planting much less squash and zucchini this year and I’d like to add some wheat, eggplant and potatoes for sure. We have a good abundance of fruit trees and bushes as I stated in my last post, but I’m really wanting to plant more. Possibly some citrus since it doesn’t really freeze here (NOTHING like it did at our old house), maybe plum and/or nectarine. There are three bare spots along the driveway that could use a tree.
Yesterday, Shane and I went to town to get some animal supplies, hay, etc. and ended up also coming home with some chicks. Ugh. I don’t know what we were thinking. The hens we purchased in Redding a while back coughed all the way home, and we had to dispatch a couple for fear of the other chickens catching something. Not good. They’re also the only hens who haven’t been laying eggs. With the better chicken set up, I’m hoping we don’t lose any chicks this year, then we can either butcher or rehome the homely looking hens.
Speaking of butchering….. Lola the lamb (as Shane has deemed her) is still due for her “D” day. We were going to send her out to be butchered, but after watching a few videos on cutting up lambs and purchasing a FANTASTIC book on how to slaughter and butcher each animal specie, Shane has decided he’s going to do it. He already knew the slaughtering and skinning/gutting part, just wasn’t too sure how to successfully cut and wrap. We’ll have to see how it goes.
I would make this longer but have to go milk (see how great that works??) LOL. No, I truly do. Will be taking my sister skiing tomorrow for her second time. Should be interesting. Before we know it, show season will be around the corner then it’ll be time to breed again! Amazing how time flies….
All for now-
