So, wasn't Christmas just last week? Seriously, this year is already going by faster than last.
I'm getting more cashmere off the goats. I'm about a third of the way through. We had a cold spell for a week or so and now it's back up in the 40's. The snow is melting. The road is getting a little icy, but not bad yet. It's nice and wide this year for a change. Not much snow, and it's being plowed a little better than the last couple of years. We have a nice teamwork effort between the neighbors to keep the road in good shape, and it's working pretty good.
I'm needle felting, spinning and crocheting quite a bit now. The cashmere coming off the goats is looking really nice this year. Not sure if that is because of what they've been eating over the last year, the weather, or what, but it's lookin' good! But, since I don't have the machine anymore, I'll be sending it off to one of the mills to get dehaired. I won't have the individual fleeces this year. I'll be like everyone else and combining the fleeces. I'll match up the colors as close as I can, and also the style of the fleece. I'll keep family lines together, since most of the time, their fleeces are quite similar.
I am rather bummed. I had planned on going to the Log Cabin Spin in the week-end of March 19th, but now it's looking like that probably isn't going to happen. When I was combing Miss Kitty, I got to thinking about when she was due to kid. She wasn't supposed to be bred this time, but the bucks got out and got 4 does, two of which took. So she is due that week-end! So is Mandy, who I wasn't wanting to breed anymore at all. So unless they surprise me and have the kids a few days early, which looking at their records hasn't happened, I won't be going. I was really looking forward to that! Everyone send out positive thoughts for them to kid a bit early please! :-) I really really need a change of scenery for a week-end and to be with other spinners sitting around chatting and spinning would be a wonderful change of scenery indeed!
The other day I was outside with the goats and had my phone with me so I could take some pictures and a video or two. I lucked out and got a great video of Bart getting nailed by Miss Kitty as he was butting heads with Zindy Lou and he got it good! He did a complete somersault, got up, and him and Miss Kitty had a brief exchange. It's on my Instagram page. He didn't get hurt at all, and it didn't slow him down any. He has quite the attitude these days. Today I separated him and three other 2 year old wethers into their own pen. The other three get along fine, share food piles and everything, but mister Bart is aloof. I had him in with a couple of the bottle babies from the same year as him, and some others, but he was getting too aggressive with the pregnant ones. The other wethers were getting a bit too rambunctious, too. They were in the main pen where most of the pregnant does are this year. So now I'm rearranging most of the goats and getting the pregnant ones in a pen by themselves so I can up their feed intake a bit, without letting the rest of the herd get fat.
I'm done milking now till after the kids are born. A nice break for the first time in two years. I ran the dairy girls through, as it's called when they only get bred every two years and get milked for two years straight. Hope I froze enough milk to get me through the dry period! I mostly make kefir with it now, so I'm hoping I froze enough.
That's all the news for now. Spring is just around the corner!
