Fresh from the Farm: Lets talk about the mud

This morning my clothing was covered in mud. I had it in my hair, on my hands, on my face and on my lips.

Yuck!

We are wading up to our ankles to get into the barn. The horses are up to their knees in order to get into the back gate. The goats look like giant mud balls, and the dogs track it through the house each time they come inside. Bleach and Pine-Sol are my best friends right now along with my ever faithful mop.

As much as I cringe at these words, I wish it would freeze!

And as I was complaining about the mud all around, I walked outside to do chores. It was an absolutely gorgeous day with the sun shining and the birds singing. I guess we can't have everything. I mean after all, it is January.

The one thing that I simply cannot figure out is how my white dogs stay white. Other than their paws, they are never muddy. They need to give up their secrets!

All the goats got new shoes this morning, including the boys. I trimmed all the ladies feet, and Ayana did the boys. We had to tie the boys to a tree because we don't have stands big enough to hold them. Tradition, being the largest at 250 pounds, looks me in the eye with his height. I scratch their withers while Ayana trims, and they are in goat heaven. I received several "kisses" while the trimming took place. Our bucks are maybe just a little too friendly. Thank God for showers!

Kidding season was officially scheduled to start on Feb 12. I had missed several days in the barn due to holiday preparations. When I finally made it out there, I was putting Gidget on the milk stand and realized she had made a nice little udder. She won't make it till Feb 12th. Gidget wasn't suppose to be bred. Somebody didn't get the memo. I'm calling this one a fence job.

So the planned kiddings will start Feb 12th, and we will continue to have babies through May 22nd. As I have mentioned here before, I promised to only breed 10 does this year. With Gidget we have 29 on the list. I am pretty sure my husband is going to send me back to math class. If all breedings stuck and all goes well we will be looking at roughly 60 babies this year. You know, maybe I should take that math class!

I do have to admit that I am looking forward to kidding season. I think that I am ready to have some babies. We will have some mini babies this year, something new to Double Y Farms. I am kind of excited to see how those turn out. I am pretty sure by March I will be over the baby thing. But for now, I'm ready for the crazy to begin.

I have a few programs scheduled to do this year. One in particular that I am looking forward to will be Spring on the Farm at the Henry Breeding Farm. It is an educational program for youth done through the Bartholomew County Historical Society. I am always excited to teach youth about goats as well as other farm animals.

I am still sewing. I usually try to take a break this time of the year, but I had a request for an item that I had to modify. I think I have got it right, so I will finish them up this weekend. Then, I hope to finish a quilt for my bed that I have been working on for four years. Seems I always have to set it aside to work on something for someone else. Of all the quilts I have made, I think I have kept three for myself. I also have several goat coats that need to be finished. With all these babies coming, I will need quite a few this year.

Even though I complain about the mud, I am so very grateful for my little farm. It is peace and tranquility for the soul. I am beyond blessed that God has entrusted me with His creations.

Look around and see what God's blessings you are grateful for.