January Thaw

Today brought a blessed January thaw. Temperatures rose into the thirties. In typical Minnesota fashion it was overcast this morning, then beautiful sunshine, and then the wind picked up and blew in some rain. Wonderful. Of course the sunshine period occurredl while Koe and I were napping so we were not able to enjoy it. Tomorrow is supposed to be in the twenties, so we'll shoot for then.
I spent some quality time with the sheep and donkeys today. They were quite frisky with the nice weather. I brought some treats and earned lots of love. Poor Daisy somehow froze part of her ear and it's looking pretty rough. I guess I'll have a donkey with a not so long ear.
With the recent frigid cold weather (it was -30 four nights last week) we've had a few casualties. Two bantams (the seabright hen, and a black fantail rooster) and a drake duck. I've decided that we are doing all that we can for them: water, plenty of food, straw, hay, heat lamps, and the strong will survive. Somewhat of a cruel view, but an honest one.
Ok, the wind is now up to 40 mile an hour gusts, and I'm waiting for the power to go out. My parents and grandparents have already lost power. However, we are lucky enough to have underground in most of the surrounding area, but I still don't think it will last all night.

Been a bit...

Yes, it has been a bit since I've blogged, but believe me, I've got plenty of excuses. The most recent being I joined facebook. I've been avoiding it for some time because I knew it would cause me to spend more time on the computer. I justify it with the weather being below zero for what feels like ages.

We run outside to do the essentials, and that's about it. There hasn't been much snowshoeing, sledding, or skiing. Kohen is driving me crazy he has so much energy. Currently he is using his stuffed animal Lemur's tail to swing like a vine from the top of the castle.

If you haven't experienced the castle let me explain. About two years ago Kohen was asking for a playhouse. Nate being Nate could not buy a plastic Little Tykes playhouse. Instead he built Koe a 4 foot by 4 foot by six foot tall castle. With two levels, and a climbing wall. Did I mention that it is a fixture in the great room? Did I also mention that it is only half painted since the lazy woman of the house would rather blog than break out the paints? It is currently used as an animal rescue center for my Diego loving boy. Hence the lemur tail-vine.

This isn't the best picture of the castle, but it's what I've got on this computer. Alexa is hanging out the lower level window, the climb wall is to the right.

As a taste of summer we had a summer meal this evening, walleye, lemon vinaigrette couscous, and sugar peas. Ok, time for boys to bed and my weekly date with Gregory House, MD. I love that man!

800 miles, 1 Wedding, 1 Funeral

Wow, the past week has been busy. Filled with emotional ups and downs. Traveling and tears.

Last Sunday, the 11th, we received word that Nate's uncle Lester had lost his 2 1/2 year fight with leukemia. He was a quiet, godly man who was a wonderful role model to Nate. He always showed our boys lots of love, and introduced Kohen, and myself to the world of farming, combines, and tractors.

Lester with Annalise and Isaiah, Easter 2008.

We headed to Rochester on Wednesday afternoon for the visitation. So began a whirlwind weekend. Nate was a casketbearer in the funeral on Thursday, and was also scheduled to be an usher in his cousin's wedding on Saturday. My school was canceled on Thursday because of the awful, cold weather. I only had to take one personal day for Friday. Friday we were busy shopping, and visiting. That evening Nate and I attended the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. Then on Saturday it was more visiting to family and friends and a beautiful wedding that evening. Congratulations Anthony and Marisa! Unfortunately, I forgot my camera so I'll have to wait for family to share some photos. Throw in some late night conversations with cousins, and you have a very full weekend. We rolled in to our driveway at 7pm last night, and still haven't fully recovered.

A big thank you to our friends the Flowers. They were generous enough to share their parents and neighbors with us for babysitters so we could attend the family events. They are also responsible for fostering Kohen's love of donkeys and mules. Clayton, the donkey is no longer of this world, but seven mules remain at the Flowers' residence. We headed out for a visit on Saturday, along with a large bag of carrots for Kohen's big eared friends.

Three of the standard size mules.

Terry and Joyce own four standard size mules, and then there are these three mammoths. I love these girls with their gentle temperament. They love our carrots. Kohen loves to feed them, and was lucky enough to have Terry take Charlotte out for him to pet, brush, and sit on. Isaiah even spent a minute perched atop her. However, he was more interested in checking out her long eyelashes and fuzzy ears.

My big boy looks mighty small up there!

One last note...Welcome to the Blog world Chelsi! My cousin, Chelsi has now begun her own blog so she can share her experiences as she, her husband Greg, and baby daughter Lilian make a move to Saudi Arabia. It will be a great way to stay in touch with her experiences.

Sunny Days

Feeding Time.

Kohen, Dad and I were out doing chores today and I had a chance to pull out the camera. It is a beautiful sunny day, and the temperature is currently 15 degrees ABOVE zero! We had to take some time to enjoy it since it is supposed to be very cold this next week. My dad hauled alfalfa for the sheep, Kohen and I refilled shelters with straw, and I did a visual check on everyone's condition. The only issue I found was a small sore on the side of the Jacobs ewe's head. It looks like a sore from sticking her head through the feeder. With her horns it is easier for her to get rubbed the wrong way. I also checked the conditions of eyelids, and they all were quite pink, so I think we are doing ok with our worming protocol. The donkeys have gotten very fat and we need to figure out a way to avoid them getting the alfalfa. I've thought about moving Lucy and Daisy in with Hee-Haw, but we don't want any accidental breedings. Sugar is growing! She's still small, but about twice the size of when we got her this fall! Being so small, she gets right into the hay, as her fleece can attest to.
Hee-haw enjoys some oats, complements of his boy.

Along with the four leggeds I spent some time with the feathereds. The coop door was not wanting to shut because of ice so Dad and a pocket knife took care of that. I've also decided that the seven bantams living in the old goat shed can stay in the old goat shed. We tried catching them and only succeeded in scattering them in the pine and spruce trees and one hen even flew across the field! They are the bantams that were hatched out by our Japanese Fan-tails this summer, and we never tried to tame them. I love that they free range all over and eat bugs and ticks in the summer. Hopefully they will make it through this next cold snap alright. They are shacked up with the seven ducks that remain, so they have plenty of food and get watered at least once a day. They are low maintenance in the summer, and don't come near the coop, simply eating bugs and seeds they forage for. Currently, there are three roosters and four hens together, along with at least four more bantams who prefer the civilized atmosphere of the coop.

Scar has plenty of fleece to make it through this weather. I really should come up with a better name for her. She was in poor condition and not bred when we got her last spring. I'm more hopeful for this spring!

The chicken coop is much more peaceful now that the guineas are gone, and only chickens remain. We've been averaging five eggs per day. Usually four standard size and one bantam. Pretty good considering we have six laying hens and three bantam hens.

Kohen can't resist hugging his Anna, even as she searches for the best bite of hay.
Three moms: Good Mama, Pamela, and Kizzy. Last year Good Mama and Kizzy both twinned, and Pamela gave us a single. Can we hope for six babies from this trio?
Daisy and Lucy make sure Shep knows to stay away from their sheep.

Triple Is

Independence...Intelligence...Isaiah... AKA- We are in trouble! When Nate and I decided to have children, we wanted to try and do everything right during my pregnancy. When I was pregnant with Kohen it was no caffeine, no artificial sweeteners, etc. I eased up a bit while pregnant with Isaiah and would let myself have some coffee, but that was about it. To date, he hasn't shown any ill effects.

Take for example his actions a few evenings ago. He was hungry, I was making dinner, and he didn't want to wait. I witnessed him move the stepstool over four feet from the sink to the bread drawer, climb up, open the bread drawer, slide the drawer cover, and help himself to a piece of italian bread. If he's doing this at 14 months, what will the future bring? I'm nervous; Kohen already keeps me on my toes, and now Isaiah appears to be following right behind.

Cold Toes...Chore Woes

Four days of school for me and daycare for the boys, and we are ready for the weekend. Thank goodness tomorrow is Friday.
I'm back to doing chores by headlamp, or begging my husband to do them in the daylight. We had to haul water tonight, which is not an easy chore. It involves hauling water from the spigot on the back of the house, through the yard, across the driveway and down the hill to the pasture. Not a real easy task in the daylight or in temperatures above zero. The difficulty ratio increases when it is dark, and -10 degrees farenheit. Thankfully, Nate took pity on me and came and pulled the rubbermaid garbage can down the hill for me. He knew from past experience that the odds were high that things would end badly if I flew solo. The nicely iced patches on the path attest to three previous failed attempts. Makes the garbage can move smoother, right?
All the four leggeds and featherds seem to be fairing as well as can be expected with this cold weather. The temperatures are supposed to fall greatly again next week. We've taken to giving the sheepies alfalfa on the cold days in addition to the round bales of grass hay they have all the time. My project for this weekend is to figure out a creep type feeder that only the smaller sheep can access. The donkeys and fatties really do not need the extra alfalfa.
All of this cold, and extra work makes me crave spring weather. To be able to run outside without multiple layers of clothing will be a joy. Of course I know that the headlamp will be in use this spring when I'm doing midnight lamb checks!