New Kids

  Here are the newest kids.  BB (for Baby Belle) and Samantha.  BB is the one on top laying down.  They were born on March 14th around 6pm.  BB was trying to come out backwards with her legs folded under her.  That wasn't working, so I had to reach in and push her way back in, grab a hold of her back legs, get them straightened out, and then pulled her out backwards as Belle was pushing.  She came out easily then.  Samantha came out in the normal way.  They are so cute and have such symmetrical markings on them.  Especially BB.
 
  Spring is thinking about coming.  We get a couple of nice warm days, then it gets cold and snows again.  We are getting dumped on as I write this.  It's supposed to get down to 16 degrees tonight!  Kind of glad it is snowing so it covers up the tulips, daffodils and rhubarb that are starting to come up.  The snow will insulate them and keep them from freezing.  I think it is supposed to warm up again next week.  I hope so.  At least none of the kids are due during this cold snap.

  I've started crocheting door mats out of the baling twine I get off the hay bales.  It's the thinner twine that the big round bales are wrapped with.  You would think that the door mats would be ugly, being made out of orange twine, but they are actually not bad!  I've made one, and am in the middle of another one.  The first one I made as a rectangle, going lengthwise.  This one I'm making a rectangle again, only going from the short side.  The first one is a bit loose, but it works great, except if you have the ice walkers on and the little spikes get caught in the twine.  Then there is the possibility of tripping.  I've had a couple of close calls.  But on regular shoes and boots, it's working great.

  I'm almost done combing the goats.  I think there are only 4 left for the first round, then there are still a few that need a second combing.  I've started washing the fleeces.  It is amazing how much dirt is in one fleece!  The water turns a very dark brown on most of them.
   The first of April I'll finally get the dehairing machine fired up and start getting all my fleeces dehaired and ready to ship out.  I've got quite a bit of yarn to spin, and a lot of cloud to get weighed out into the correct amount, bagged and sent out.  Things are starting to really get busy around here!

  I hope we don't get more than a couple of inches of new snow.  I am ready for green and growing things now.  We have had a relatively mild winter this year.  I am not going to complain about it at all.  I didn't even have to put the chains on the truck this year!  Yay!! ☺  Although I suppose I shouldn't say anything yet, winter isn't completely over.  There have been years when we get more snow in March and April than in the whole rest of the winter.   I do hope that isn't the case this year.

  Well, Happy Spring everyone!