What did you do today?

[Kat]

Yikes, hope you get warmer weather soon. They're predicting a cool spring for PNW. Also hope that broken eye socket has healed well, and some better luck is moving your way!

[Nanno]

My face is fine now, and as much as I might be a little nervous about our heating situation, I'm happy to keep getting this cool, snowy weather. Our pasture needs it desperately after the horrible drought last year. I can wear blankets around the house for a couple of weeks if I have to, but our grass needs this moisture!

[Nanno]

Good news! AmeriGas came through with the propane a week earlier than their 14-day estimate (phew!). I reamed out the melted bits of my chainsaw housing and it still wouldn't go back together so I was feeling rather discouraged. I ordered a new part and then something dawned on me. I went back out and checked the chain brake. Somehow in all my fiddling the chain brake had gotten engaged and of course it wouldn't slip over the clutch. As soon as I disengaged the chain brake the housing slipped on (a little awkward still, but perfectly functional) and the chainsaw started right up. I was able to cut some more scrub oak yesterday so we should be good to go on the firewood front. I was also able to turn our water heater back up. I'd turned it down to save propane, but it's nice to have it going full blast again since the weather continues to be chilly. Now I just need to find a propane tank for sale so we can get out from under AmeriGas. They came earlier than they said they would, but they still charged me way too much.

[Taffy]

Yesterday I took the goats for a walk.  When we came back I laid down in the grass at the edge of an area where we pile brush, tree branches, etc. before burning.  The goats love to browse on the piles.

Joules came over and laid down at my back.  Or should I say - she collapsed against me - then rolled onto her side and put her head on top of mine before lying in an upright position again.  It made me glad she doesn't have horns when she bonked me on the head!  Joules was my 1st goat and I spoiled her rotten.  She can be a total pill but I love her dearly.  She is really shedding right now and has a tremendous undercoat.

   

Shortly after Joules laid down I realized Lex had laid down near her and then Leif came over and laid down.  It was a wonderful feeling have 3 of my herd just chillin' by me.

   

   

[Nanno]

That's so sweet!

It snowed here over the weekend, then it was beautiful this morning for a few brief hours before turning cold this afternoon. It's snowing again now. I have to admit I'm a little sick of the relentless cold weather and I'm definitely tired of scrounging for firewood, but I'm also thrilled that we're getting the moisture. The grass is coming in beautifully and Phil just came in from spreading seed on the bare patches before the snow covers it. We need to restore a lot of areas that dried up and turned into sad, baren dirt during the last 2-3 years of drought.

[Kat]

Snow - that's just crazy!

[Nanno]

We had about six inches last night. We're almost out of firewood again. We have enough for tomorrow and maybe one more day. Problem is, I've cut down everything convenient! If I have to cut any more I'll be down to scrounging dead scrub brush trunks from the middle of live thickets, and harvesting a few dead lower branches from scattered pine trees, neither of which is very much fun. Too labor intensive! There are quite a few beetle killed pines that will be ready to cut this fall, but right now they're still much too green.

Sadies babies continue to delight us to no end, and Skeeter is due Friday. Luckily the weather is supposed to warm up tremendously this weekend and stay really nice for a few days right when Skeeter is due. So hopefully she'll time it right and we'll have another lovely, sunshiney brith! I'm also ready to see these kids outside enjoying the fresh air instead of having to stay cooped up in that shed all the time.

Well, I'd better get out there and tuck the goats into bed so we can bring those kids in for another movie night! They sure don't stay little for long!

[Nanno]

Woke up to around 8 inches of snow this morning! We were expecting a couple inches overnight, but not this much! I'll have to get some pictures of the babies playing in it before it all melts this afternoon. I'm loving all the GREEN we have this year!

[Nanno]

I stayed inside and listened to RAIN falling all afternoon! I also listened nervously to the crash of thunder overhead. I used to love to see lightning flash and hear thunder BOOM all around. It made me feel excited! But ever since Jet died it makes me feel pretty nervous and sometimes afterwards a little sad. Nevertheless, hearing rain on the roof is still a happy sound. There was a river running across our driveway earlier but the rain has slowed now. I keep cinder blocks in the water troughs so baby goats can climb out if they jump in. This morning the top of the cinder block in the goat trough was just barely above the water and Sapphire was tap dancing on it. It looked like she was walking on water. Now the water in the trough has risen and the cinder block is submerged. No more Jesus goats!

[Charlie Horse]

Send a little water my way. My pasture isn't going to look that good this year.