Stormy Morning

We are trying to ease into our new earlier schedule so that next week won't be quite so traumatic for us. I start on a temporary job Monday.  I will be working in a greenhouse/nursery operation for the spring busy season. Quite honestly, I need to make a little money to cover my expensive brush with the law last week and to pay on some of the medical bills we have run up recently. I don't need a full time permanent position and this should fit the bill nicely. Luckily, Adam can bounce between the older kids schedule. I can drop him off with Neil  at his work in the mornings. He can sit in his office and do his school work until Salena or I can pick him up mid afternoon. Seth is an independent learner and can hold down the fort at the farm.

Anyway, we started earlier this morning because Salena and I plan to milk before we leave for work and school. Seth will feed lambs, kids, calves and supervise Adam's chores. This morning we woke up to a terrific thunderstorm with hail. The forecast is for rain all day with even a chance of snow flurries!!! Bummer!!

Neil has gotten the laundry under control. There are a few finishing touches on the milking station at the barn that need to be done, I plan to cook ahead today and tomorrow so we don't starve next week. This is a good weekend for that kind of thing since I certainly don't want to be out any more than I have to.

We have decided to take the pony back to his home tomorrow.  His owner was hoping that I would fall in love and trade one of my geldings for him. His major fault is that he is still a stallion....... squealing, fighting, and attitude. I don't want to shell out the money to have him castrated and he is just in the way since we have to keep him seperate from the other horses....... he doesn't have sense enough to know when to quit and the older, bigger boys just try to kill him.

More kids in the barn! Another set of buck twins and a huge single doe kid. There are only 2 more left to kid in early April. I have lost count of exactly how many goat babies are out there but there seems to a big mob when they are all jumping and playing in the lot.  I plan to tattoo the 5 youngest that are still in the barn this afternoon. I don't dare put them out before I tattoo them because it is very hard to figure out who they belong to since they are all Saanens --- all those white babies look just alike!

The best part about this rainy day is :

 
Cheese in the making!! Since Wilma is milking now, I have a little extra milk so that I can make cheese and maybe even butter. This is a feta type cheese from goat milk that is waiting to be drained and hung in cheese cloth.  I am not sure how much of this batch we re going to get to eat. The guys that Charlie work with have
put in a request for some ASAP...... So have the neighbors.