Butter, our mamma goat isn't well.

Silly as it may sound, right now I just would like some prayers that we make it through THIS and the children won't be too devastated if it doesn't turn out and I won't feel like such a miserable failure.
If it doesn't turn out.


UPDATE HERE.

Introducing...

...Singeli and Pepperjack

Yes, I know I told you of their birth but I didn't officially introduce them by name.
So here you have it...Singeli is the little doe that has less white on her mid-section. In the picture above she is on the right. Below, she is on the ground. Singeli comes from a story we read recently in an Elves and Fairy book called "Singeli and the Silver Slippers". In the story Singeli is a goatmaiden and makes cheese and butter aplenty.

Pepperjack (or Jack for short) is a favorite cheese of James' and just fit well. He is on the stump in both of these pictures. Most likely Jack will be sold.

Here is a funny picture of mommy goat smiling at the camera.

Updates....Finally!

Wow! I cannot believe it has been over a month since I have posted anything about the farm!
Much of the month of April was taken up with activities that were not farm related. I posted about all of that over at my other blog, if you are interested.
Over on the farm though, it has been a busy place, as usual. Spring has been in full swing along with all of it's glory. Oh , how I love spring! Changes, beautiful changes; some drying out, more sun, longer days, new things growing, old things blooming, garden digging and planting, and new life coming forth.

Joseph was ready to help me garden.

We have been slowly getting the garden beds ready to plant seed. I am ahead of the game compared to last year but there are things that could have been in the ground already, such as potatoes. But they'll get there. :)
I borrowed a tiller, a big, heavy duty tiller to till up my beds. After spending a whole Saturday doing this I am not convinced I actually like it. I don't think it does as good of a job as the old standard shovel. For one, with raised beds you aren't suppose to walk on them but with a tiller you walk behind what you are tilling up. I'm thinking you are defeating the purpose as you walk.

Here is my garden beds all tilled. I had lots of compost to add to the garden beds this year so I thought the tiller would be good. But...hmm...I'm not sure I'll use it next year.
The winter snows damaged my green house. I got it fixed so that it is half the size it was but much sturdier and hopefully ready to keep some hot peppers, bell peppers and watermelon nice and warm for the summer.

Kelsey is planting squash in the old tires. We have 3 varieties: zucchini, acorn squash and yellow crooked-neck called "super-pik" a prolific summer squash that should have us eating squash daily once it starts producing.

Kelsey is planting cabbage between these cages that I will be growing pole beans on. I made a ton of these cages out of fencing last year for tomatoes but since I'm pretty much giving up all hope of ever having tomatoes for canning I decided to try the cages for growing beans up.

Charissa has always taken an interest in mowing lawn, but since she isn't very big I've always hesitated letting her by herself. But this last week I was very sick all week so I gave in and let her. I helped her get it started and there she went. We don't just mow the lawn we harvest it for the chickens. She she mowed and emptied the catcher into the wheelbarrow and got it going again on her own. She filled several wheelbarrows full and Kelsey emptied it to the chickens.
This area she is mowing in the picture is an area I'm currently digging up for potatoes.

We welcomed May in on a perfect note, well, actually May 2nd, but close enough. Butter went into active labor Saturday morning and welcomed these two beautiful kids into the world between noon and 1230PM.

The first born was a buck. I just love this picture above of mama and her boy. I think we've already sold him to someone who wants a companion for her horse.

They we welcomed a little doeling. Yeah! I'm already hearing, "Can we keep her?"

Here the girls are teaching the cuties to bottle feed. I really was hopeful that Butter would let her babies nurse this year (last year, her first freshening, she wouldn't let them near her) but we had to take them from her and not let her even try because she has a nasty dermatitis infection on her udder right now. So bottle feeding was a must. It does make for much much friendlier goats.

Little doeling trying to walk.

Today it is...

...snowing. Oy Vey!

Spring has sprung on the farm!

Spring officially arrived sometime on Friday, March 20th. On the first full day of spring we had beautiful sunny skies and temps in the 50's. It was a lovely day to be outside working in the garden and soaking up the sun. I gave Kelsey Anna free reign with the camera for awhile to take pictures of "spring". This is her portfolio.

The photographer.

Here are 2 pictures of our Red Flowering Currant. The Hummingbirds LOVE these and I can't wait to start seeing those tiny little birds around. I've had one come to the feeder 2x but the feeder wasn't ready. So I brought it in and scrubbed it up and will put it back out today.

Mina is enjoying the sunshine.

Here is our first sprout in the garden...radish. We have several sprouting and also have spinach coming up.

Here is Butter waiting for a tree branch to munch on.

I had to put this somewhat blurry picture in because it shows very well how big Butter is getting. I'm afraid she won't fit through the very small opening in the barn very much longer. We will have to widen it for her.

Here we have the gentleman rooster with his brood.

Killick would like to get his paws on that rooster. :)

Kelsey found these tiny little mushrooms growing up through the cracks in the deck.

Dandelions are definitely a sign of spring. We've had them coming around for several weeks now.

Last but not least, Charissa and one of her many frogs she catches on a daily basis. She is REALLY into frogs right now. We make her release them back to the pond but she just loves catching frogs.

First Egg in New Flock

The smallest egg in the picture is from the new flock.

On Tuesday when locking up the chickens we found the first egg from the new flock!! I'm so excited because once they are all laying this should more than double my egg production!!! My customers will be so happy!!!

Goats, Roosters, Gardening and Winter

Winter is still upon us. I'm home with a very sick boy today and watching big fat flakes of snow fall from the sky. I think we've gotten about 2 inches so far this morning, completely unexpected. I planted peas, spinach, radishes and carrots last week. And now I have 2+ inches of snow on the ground. We've had the strangest winter. Snow is not typical for us and this winter I think we've gotten well over 2 feet of snow total. Very strange.

Butter with her bulging belly.

Butter has 7 weeks to go until her due date. She is looking mighty pregnant, my guess is at least twins but wouldn't be surprised to see triplets. This is what Firefly looked like a month before kidding last year and she had triplets. I've been comparing Butter to her. So we'll see what Butter looks like at a month before kidding.



I still don't know if Brie is pregnant, probably won't until late May or even due date. If she didn't take then we'll breed her early this fall.


The rooster is looking mighty handsome these days and keeps the ladies in line. We actually have 2 roosters and I'm ready to put them in the freezer. I've decided I don't really like roosters. I wish I had some chicken tractors to put some hens in with him so we could incubate eggs. In a chicken tractor I don't have to walk around him and worry about him becoming mean. The new flock of 23 hens should start laying eggs any day now. I keep looking for that first egg, I'm surprised it hasn't been arrived yet.

Kelsey and I are busy planning our seed purchases. She has taken an interest in herbs and has been reading lots about herbs and their medicinal uses. She is finding it fascinating. This is our list of sees to buy:
Purple Coneflower (echinacea)
Chamomile
Thyme
Dill
Chives
Cilantro
Catnip
Lavender
Rosemary
Kentucky Wonder Pole Beans (our favorite)
Beets
Broccoli
Golden Bantam sweet corn
Early Pink Popcorn (first time with this)
Yellow squash
Zucchini
Potatoes
Onions

These seeds we have already:
Gold Nugget Cherry Tomato (start inside this week)
carrots sunflower seeds
Acorn Squash
Lemon Cucumber
Pickling Cucumber
Slicing Cucumber
Small Sugar Pumpkin
Cabbage
Spinach
Peas
Radishes

We have big plans, I just hope the snow stops coming and we have a decent spring for planting and a warm summer. I also have plans to take the lawn on the east side of the house (in the snow picture it's the big open space down the middle) and till it all up this spring for more garden. I'm feeling very ambitious but with the economy the way it is one cannot be too prepared.