Spring has sprung at The Fat Ewe Farm! It was a balmy 18 degrees, sunny with a light breeze today. The animals migrated to the shade instead of basking in the sun. What a gorgeous day. Still, there is ice melting, especially in areas protected by straw and hay strewn around the barnyard. 

There were a bunch of lambs born yesterday and I was expecting a bunch today too, but I guess the rams worked when they wanted too, or the ewes were not ready. I am grateful for healthy robust babies. One baby, the ewe lamb from Tunis that was sired by the Shetland in the fall, is my sweety. I have named her Angel.When she sees me she runs to me and stroke her so soft face. I love her! 

The problem is though, that my housework suffers because I want to spend my time outside. There are some things that need doing too, like the lawnmower and smart car batteries are dead and I cannot find the charger. The lawnmower tires need to be pumped up because they are low from the winter. I sure hope they are not flat. Those little tires cost almost as much as a standard tire.

I did wash my winter coats and insulated coveralls today and will put them in the dungeon for storage for the summer until next winter. I also washed the many hats that I have made and some purchased ones too. My winter boots have a hole in them, which is fine for winter, but useless for spring. They will be washed and put away as well. I even washed the dishes, and the porch floor, but didn't get to the house floor yet, sigh. Just so many hours in the day and housework is the least fun of everything I do. I actually have no idea what it is like to have anyone help with or do housework for me or with me. No one I have ever lived with has. Now my daughter is a fabulous and fastidious housekeeper, however; while at home...not!  

More spring fever will continue with the fabulous weather. It was a great day! How was yours?

I go through a whole lot of effort to provide safe, dry and clean places to birth the lambs. The sheep seem to have different ideas. Red had twins at the manure pile base. I brought some clean straw and put it down for her. The lambs do not really care, but Red should. The wet lambs get covered with the manure and she has to lick them clean, thereby ingest the feces of the sheep. This is not good for the worm situation either. Red has two beautiful ewe lambs, a dark dark brown almost black and dark red. The girls will stay here on the farm, but Red and Thor, the Icelandic ram will be off to a new home in 3 months when the girls are weaned. 

Enya had her little guy outside, as they all did except the man bred sheep, the Blue Faced Leicester, who had her lamb in the shelter. At least the shelter is quite clean with good straw down and it is out of the wind and dry. It was 5 degrees today, but the wind was very cold. I hate to see the little lambs shiver, so I towel them as dry as I can to give the moms some help, especially if there is more than one. Enya is a primitive sheep, a Jacob, and she has a crossbred lamb, Shetland sired through the fence of all things. The ram she was with missed the mark I guess. Gwen, the BFL is not a good mother and leaves her little girl alone. The baby cries and finally lays down, but Gwen does not come back for a long time and if I bring the lamb to her she ignores her and continues eating. If she does not smarten up, tomorrow I will lock her up in  a stall in the barn with the lamb. I love the wool of the BFL sheep, but they simply do not compare with the primitives and need lots of interventions to be healthy and thrive. They would do well in a warmer winter climate too. 

Lyssa Cotswold had her single lamb, a large boy, outside the shelter.She had a bit of a time with him, making all kinds of noise and demonstrating her discomfort. The lamb was presenting correctly with the head between two little hooves, so I left her and went to finish the chores. When I returned she was still moaning and groaning and the lamb's front hooves and nose were out, but the head was not wanting to cooperate. I gently grasped the feet and pulled very lightly down and the head passed and the lamb slipped out. I am pretty sure Lyssa could have done that on her own, though just a little assistance was welcome. She was licking the air like crazy, but not the lamb, so I toweled him off as much as I could. I watched to see if he could latch on to a teat and drink, but he was a little confused as to where it was, so I laid Lyssa down and clipped the fleece from around her butt and udder so he had a clear path and bingo! He was nursing on his own. 

Obe had her boys cleaned and they were dry by the time I was out of the house this morning, twin rams. She is an excellent mother, only her second time, but her instincts are spot on and she is attentive and is always mothering her babies. I made a final round outside at 9:30 and there were no sheep isolating themselves or showing any signs of labour, so all should be well until tomorrow. They tend not to have babies in the dark. Those farmers who have barns and leave the lights on, in my humble opinion, are encouraging night births out of synchronization with nature. I will be up early to check again in the morning. 

I am grateful for these little babies born today. Lambs are sweet natured, innocent and full of life. They bring joy to my life just being around them and that is why I am a farmer!  The video is Lyssa complaining about being in labour. 

Sunday morning, up with the lark...NOT! Up with the blue jays and Stellar jays and magpies and ravens. Those darn birds are the noisiest things out there. No matter where I put the dog food, the jays and magpies seem to find it, even if it is hidden behind something on the front porch. I wish the dogs wouldn't share their food with the birds, but with the domestic fowl running around the yard, I am sure they are not thinking about that at all. 

But then it was a busy day. I was up and out of bed earlier than I would have liked to have been for a Sunday. There is so much to do for spring cleaning. The coops all need cleaning out, the debris and twine needs to be picked up and the trash hauled away that collected under the snow. 

When I went to greet the sheep, my little angel, the red Tunis/Shetland cross ewe lamb came running to greet me as she usually does. How beautiful to have a baby sheep so happy to see a human. All I have ever done is love her, not bribed her with food. She knows it. But then, Enya was in the corner off by herself and sure enough, Enya had a baby. Though it was not black and white spotted as it was supposed to be, it was healthy and strong, a ram lamb with two horns.

Hmmm, how did that happen? Enja and her mother were in with the Jacob ram lamb, 7 months old, old enough certainly to breed two ewes. One pair of Shetlands was next door, the Shetland ram lamb that bred the ewes when he was just a bit over 4 months old. I had no idea that when I put the Jacobs together, Jean was already bred. In February when she had her lamb, I watched the rest of the ewes and all together 5 had lambs and then almost 2 months has passed so for sure the sire could not have been the Shetland. Or could it have? 

The ram lamb looks exactly like the ram lamb Jean had sired by the Shetland, with the Shetland face and fine curly wool. He was next door and breeding through the fence is not unheard of with livestock. Well, guess what? Yes, that little Shetland got Enya before the Jacob did. I am crying because I was very much hoping for Jacob lambs. I am not sure what will become of the ram lambs, but I am thinking they will be sold for meat in the fall.The four horned ram may find a home as an anomaly for an acreage if he is lucky. 

And in the afternoon, Richie Rich went to a new home. A lovely young couple came,saw, bought and went away with Richie to add to their very large flock of Boer commercial meat goats. The young lady actually picked up my Nigerian buckling last fall and although I had never met her because she wasn't home when I picked the buckling up, she remembered me -well sort of. 

And lastly, it was very cold last night and the hose was frozen solid and for the day before. I carried some water in buckets and really hoped that today the hose would thaw so I didn't have to do that again. Finally when the sun came around to the west, the hose thawed. Yay! I finished the watering and called it a night just after 7 pm. That claw foot tub had been calling my name and the warm waters felt so soothing. Now...off to bed and to do it all again tomorrow.What fun!

Maddy, Dori and a buckling were purchased from a goat dairy 2 years ago. They were not in good shape and the buckling actually passed away in the winter. It has been a struggle keeping Maddy and Dori healthy. The vet said they were likely routinely dewormed incorrectly causing the worms to become superworms that they carried and they became resistant to chemical wormers. We are trying yet another product given in regular doses over a period of 2 months, 4 applications every 14 days. The theory is that the newly hatched worms will be decimated with each application finally leaving the goats worm free. Then they need to be moved out of their pen and not return for a year. 

Richie, the buck, was advertised as a Kalahari Red goat, and I was a little interested in him then but did not pursue his purchase. He was bought by another person and although she tried to sell him, she did not and was moving so gave him to her neighbour. The neighbour gave him to me. As it turns out he is a red factor Boer goat and a very nicely put together buck. 

Matti and Dori were not bred last year because they were not very strong. Over the summer, they thrived in the bush pasture and were fat and sleek in the fall, so I decided to put Richie to use. 

The result, so far, is that Matti has twins, a buckling and doeling, and they are ever so cute. The little boy is very masculine, like his dad, but a light fawn red colour and his sister is very feminine and a redder colour more like her father. I was sort of hoping that one or both would have the moonspots, but they are so cute, it doesn't really matter. Matti has an excellent temperament and is easily handled. Richie was a bottle baby and as such, is friendly but can be pushy, not realizing that what he did to play as a baby is not the same as a 250 pound adult. I am hoping to train the doeling to milk, like her mother. 

You should come over and play with the kids! 

In 100 years man has almost caused irreversible damage due to the misuse of oil. 

Plastic bits may be engineered to biodegrade into smaller plastic elements, but they do not ever go away. 

Sea birds and fish, including whales, dolphins and porpoises are dying from ingesting plastic. The seas have oceans within of floating plastic with everything from auto parts to pop lids and portions of such. While feeding whales take in the plastic, sometimes large chunks and it stays in the stomach taking the space that food should, eventually either poisoning the animal or causing it to die of starvation. 

We do not see this, so we do not pay much attention and continue to drink bottled water and soft drinks and throw the caps away. Everything comes in a plastic wrapper or bag or box. Even organics come in plastic unless they are farm fresh and even then consumers demand a plastic bag which they throw out. 

But there is hidden plastic. There is a store in town where every item is plastic. Now the normal consumer would not even equate their purchases to plastic from that store, but everything from shoes, to sweaters to jewellry is plastic. Plastic can be engineered to appear like almost anything. Flooring, earrings, boots, socks, t shirts - you name it - can be made of a form of plastic. But what happens to the plastic clothing and footwear? Because it is cheap, it is also expendable and when a style changes , the clothing is changed too, contributing to the never ending cycle of consumerism, buying more and more and more and filling the world with plastic. 

Even on the farm I cannot escape plastic. The obstetric gloves I have in case I need to assist a ewe with delivery are plastic. The intubation tube is plastic in case I have to tube feed a weak kid goat. My purchased salad in winter comes in plastic boxes and everything from the grocery store is plastic. Most of the trash from the farm is plastic. The twine around the bales is one of the worst offenders. If animals ingest the twine inadvertently while feeding, they can and often do die. Every morsel of that twine must be painstakingly removed to ensure that no animal ends up with it in their systems, but in the dead of winter when it is frozen to the hay, that is not the most simple task. 

I am trying not to buy clothing made from plastic. That includes fleece sweaters, polyester blouses and tops, fake leather purses and shoes, and so on. I am doing well, but not well enough. If you look around my little house, there is likely much less plastic than in most houses. The flooring is wood, not plastic laminate. I do not have a plastic (acrylic) bath tub and my furniture does not include particle board (glued with oil based glue) or vinyl coverings. 

How can you make a difference? Well, stop buying plastic. I try to buy canned goods in glass and many organic companies offer those products at a premium price. I avoid plastic containers and lids and clothing. Instead of fleece, I wear felted wool, but I do admit to owning several fleece jackets and sweaters. My goal is to cease owning plastic though. Fleece never breaks down and animals love to eat it for some reason. 

Please, will you join in my quest to avoid plastic? If each of us made a concerted effort to change just a little at a time, the world would be a better place already and the animals and fish would be grateful. Won't you?

I am a meat eater. It was not always so in my life. One time I was vegetarian, not because I had a conviction about eating meat, but to learn to feed myself on plants alone, though I did eat dairy and eggs too. I raise animals in an ethical manner and also feed them the best that I can afford. The organic grain they are getting is 45 cents a pound. That is way up from 4 years ago when it was under 10 cents a pound. Yikes. I cannot afford to feed animals if they do not give back in some way to the farm. 
The dogs guard the farm and keep the animals safe. So they are earning their keep, but their keep is the costliest on the farm too, running upwards of $300 a month, which is not bad for 7 dogs. But I have rabbits that need to be fed for 6 months to be of a good size for butchering. That is a lot of care. And the chickens do lay eggs, but I do not need that many. I end up giving the eggs away and feeding them to the animals and with grain at these crazy prices, that makes for some expensive eggs. And the potbelly piglets are great, but how much pork can I eat. Even with the bed and breakfast going it would be cheaper and easier to buy a pig already for butchering IF I could find anyone who raises them organically around here and I have not yet. 
I could have some lamb and goat too since there are always extra males born that do not sell. If they are butchered when they are young and not during the mating season, they are quite delicious. Raising sheep to feed the dogs is likely cheaper for me than buying dog food at 1 dollar a pound too. And the sheep are grass fed only, so they are about as organic as they come. I do not routinely use chemical wormers or give medications routinely either, though I will do both if necessary for the comfort of the animal. 
I traded two female pot belly piglets for 2 Meishan piglets that are older. Meishan pigs are known for huge litters. Their fecundity is well documented and some trials have been done attempting to cross Meishan pigs with large pigs that do not have as many piglets. So far the success rate has not been great. Meishan pigs have large litters, but they have more teats and seem to be able to raise the litters without problems or losses.My idea was to cross the Meishans with the potbelly boar to have smaller piglets. But if I cannot sell them, who actually needs 15 pigs? 

I am not permitted to sell the meat I raise in Alberta. That is I am not unless I jump through hoops. First the vehicle must be refrigerated  in transport even though the meat is frozen solid. The vehicle must not carry livestock. What farmer has such a vehicle? The freezer that the meat is kept in must be solely used for sale meats, not anything the farmer keeps for him/herself. And that freezer must be in a separate building housing only the meat for sale freezer. And there must be a permit from the health AUTHORITY, (who came up with the term authority for health, they mean Gestapo) which means the premises must be inspected. Then the premises must be identified and registered too. That is tremendous effort to sell a bit of meat from the farm.

The Fat Ewe Farm is a fibre farm, or was supposed to be. This is not the area for a fibre farm I have painfully discovered over the past 5 years. We feed hay for too long and it contaminates the fleeces then the spinners do not want them because picking out the vegetative matter is too time consuming. It is also a rare breeds farm, and as of late that has been the only place any money is being made, but that took 5 years. Meat is the byproduct. What to do, what to do? What do you think? 

Ofcharka is a special dog, not an Ofcharka that is the breed, but a livestock guardian dog just the same. His mix is Anatolian Shepherd, Akbash, Pyrenees and Maremma and no one knows where the black colour comes from exactly. He was one of 11 pups, 10 white and then him, and both parents were white. I did find a sometimes black guardian dog breed with the same kind of markings as Ofcahrka, a Karakachan, but Ofcharka does not have that breeding in him that I am aware of. 
But Charka, or Sharky, as I fondly call him, is not well. He has a skin infection that causes him to scratch his skin all the time. He has lost lots of his fur and the fine down that was matted underneath is very thin. It is good we are going into summer. 
I have asked the veterinarians around here if I could bring a blood sample and skin scraping in, but they said no, I have to bring the dog. That is impossible. When Charka got porcupine quills in his face last year, we gave him enough tranquilizer to put a cow to sleep and he still fought every time I came near. Finally in the wee hours of the morning I gave up and went to bed. I was unable to coax him anywhere because he is too smart and knew something was amiss, plus he was in pain. 

Finally a bunch of young men and I took two large area carpets and forced him into a kennel and I shut the door, then they lifted the kennel onto the back of the truck and I took him to the vet's. I believe Charka would bite even me if I tried to force him to do something he does not want to do. 

But he is the gentlest, most submissive of all the dogs in every other way. When I call him, he usually comes and lies down on his back. He loves to be petted and sings when I come home after being away. Charka is first at the gate to greet strangers and me, and he usually wags his tail and is more of a nuisance wanting attention than a guard dog, but I have seen him not wag his tail and not be happy when a certain truck came to the farm. The driver quickly turned around and drove away. Dogs know things. 

I sent a message to a dog rescue hoping they could help me with Charka. I think he has a yeast infection on his skin and he and Jade, who has yeast in her ears which Charka continually licks, are sharing the problem back and forth. Jade has been to the vet's many times and gotten prescribed medicines for her ears, but they never work because Charka is still licking them all the time. I want to help Charka, but am at a loss as to know what to do. The vets will not come to the farm to treat a dog either. Poor fellow. 

Last summer I mixed Borax and hydrogen peroxide in water and poured it on him and it did fix his problem temporarily. As we move into warm weather I will do that again, and hope it will cure him and then I can treat Jade's ears and they will stay clean . I love my dogs very much and am sad to know they are not happy and uncomfortable. But darn, those who can help just won't .Darn! 

Charka is a great dog. He is going to be 5 at the end of this year and I have a feeling his breed will not be long lived. He already has white whiskers around his face, like an older dog. He is alert and active and guards the house and yard with extreme dedication. I love that big boy!

There is something plaguing the back of my mind. When I started farming, a local man said, "If you are going to have livestock, you are going to have deadstock!". I did not think about that much before he said that. 

In days gone by, not even so long ago, animals were stronger and healthier. They were not fed genetically modified corn or canola and there were no pesticides in the feed due to residuals from many sprays during growth. In some farming operations the grains are sprayed 9 times! 9 times? What is going on? Then we feed the grains to the animals. Why?

Ruminants have several stomachs and there is a reason for that. They can eat coarse grass or dry grass, which is hay, and derive nutrition from it. They have done that for many long years, centuries even, and were not given grain. Only in the last 100 years has man wanted bigger, fatter animals and decided that ruminants, which are cows, goats, sheep and bison, should be fed grain. The results are disastrous. 

Little Sofi, the border collie that lived here on the farm had a massive cancerous growth in her throat and the cancer had spread through her body into her organs. Many dogs are dying of cancer, just like many people. Yet, in uncivilized worlds, there is the danger of dying of starvation much more than dying of cancer. We do not keep animals raised for meat for very long, with most being slaughtered at a year or two. They are fed huge amounts of grain to force them to achieve a market weight, which at one times, was many pounds less than the market weight of today. Even not so long ago, a lamb was marketed at 50-60 pounds and today, it is expected to market lambs at 110 pounds. To ensure this happens, from the day they are born they are given a lamb feed of crushed grains. 

But other than unhealthy animals, are there any other consequences? Yes!

The animals of years gone by thrived on pasture grass in the summer and marginal to good hay in the winter. Some years were a little leaner and the animals survived on straw and hay, but they did survive.They did not attain market weights of today, but there is another side effect. Production farms routinely do things, like using chemicals to kill worms, and automatically giving medicines. Chicken farmers give newly hatched chicks medicated feed with antibiotics in it. What?Why?
The close rearing of the birds in barns with artificial lights that do not allow the birds to produce vitamin D from the sunlight and that keep the air moving, but not fresh enough, allows the chicks to succumb to respiratory and other diseases. So they are drugged right off the bat.The medication stays in the meat. We eat that. But we are creating a whole new species of birds that can no longer manufacture antibodies to control their own wellness. People are in this sad state too. 

The sheep and goats are in a mess and I cannot speak for the cows, but I believe they are in a worse mess. Years ago, sheep ran around huge mountain sides and grazed until the winter came. They came back strong and vibrant and full of life. They were not chemically treated for worms and there may have been some deaths, but the animals were permitted to die. Today, the bottom line, the profit, means we try to save every animal, including the weak and the infirm. We ply them with medications and hope they survive to keep the profit margins high. In the old days, weak and sick animals were culled to create a naturally pest resistant flock or herd or strong natural animals that could hold their own through lean winters if necessary. They were kept longer and not force fed grains. The animals were allowed their natural diets of grass, weeds and shrubs and they maintained excellent health. 

We have not improved. We have robbed the animals of their survival and made them dependent on chemicals to survive. And grain. And in turn, humans are suffering great consequences with a plethora of modern illnesses and diseases, particularly autoimmune disease. In countries where the modern western diet does not exist, many of the diseases that go with western society also do not exist. I strongly believe in the connection between what animals eat, and what we eat makes us sick. I don't know how to get through to enough people to help them understand that though. What do you think? Or have you given it thought? We need to revert to allowing animals to eat their natural diets if we are going to eat them and we need to cease use of chemicals if we are going to eat the animals that we are forcing chemicals on or the health of the modern human is at stake. Do you think so?

Little Sofi came home with my daughter, Brianna, a tiny puppy cuddled and loved in her arms. I was not thrilled. Brianna lived with me and was a young adult, but I had a border collie and we were in a city where dogs are very regulated. Brianna assured me that she would love and care for Sofi and I would not have to worry. Hmmmm. 

Brianna was a young woman, full of life, going to college, working and partying as young people do. Sofi was home with me a whole lot and although I made sure I only babysat her, she was quite often alone with Josie, my dog, and me. 

She had her quirky little ways, bouncing a tennis ball over my head incessantly day or night. She would run away and I would have to chase her all over White Rock, until she was about 5 years old, and then she started to come back when called. How she managed to get to 5 years old is a miracle in itself, running around busy streets of a city and me not killing her for doing so, or for bouncing the tennis ball while I was trying to sleep. For some reason, Sofi love playing fetch - sort of. It was fetch on her own terms. I would throw the ball and she would fetch it, but not give it to me. It was the same with a stick. She had to be tracked down to get the stick away from her and then she would happily go and get it and keep it at bay once more. She was good company for my elderly mother, whom I lived with and cared for. She would throw the ball for Sofi, just a few yards and Sofi would eventually bring it back and drop it near my mother's feet. They both enjoyed that. 

Sofi like to howl and whine when she did not get what she wanted. It drove most normal people nuts. She also had a bad habit of sleeping on the sofa and going on my bed and rubbing her face all over it. Grrr. If Sofi wanted a drink, it was now, not later or she would howl. 

When I retired in 2010, Sofi accompanied me on my first journey in the motorhome with a rehab rescue, Mikey, and Anna, my beautiful, now deceased rough collie. Anna was fatally hit by a vehicle on the highway here after we moved to the farm. Mikey went to a new home and Sofi was with me for a year or so until Brianna finished her degree. Sofi went home for a while and when Brianna decided to follow her passion to become a midwife by moving to Australia to attend university, Sofi came back to the farm. She has been with me again for a year and a half. 

Despite her quirky and sometimes very annoying ways, she was part of my family and she was my dog. Despite her highly annoying behaviour, she is still part of my heart and always will be. I will always see those soft brown eyes when I gave her to the veterinarian technician, imploring me not to leave her. But I just could not stay. I said goodbye. I thanked her for her life and her love. May she cross the rainbow bridge and remain forever in joy. Good bye Sofi. 

The farm is a busy place in the springtime. There are lots of babies being born, incubated, hatched and prepared for. The ewes are definitely becoming ready. While I thought Rosy Babydoll would be first, it now seems like Magdalene Blue Faced Leicester will beat her. Checking on the sheep regularly helps stave off problems that could occur. The lamb kit is ready: towels, colostrum, which is a thick, creamy yellow and very rich first milk essential for the newborn to survive.It has antibodies that the mother passes on to her offspring and protects them for several week and up to months, perhaps a lifetime. The goats are due as well, with 4 does looking extremely pregnant at this time. The barber pole worms enjoyed a very mild winter and have gone rampant. Two goats have had to be treated for overload symptoms and the worms can easily cause death if not tended to immediately. 

There are three geese already sitting on their nests, and two chickens as well. Baby chicks should be hatched in one week from the Chantecler hen, but if I do not remove her and her chicks to a safe spot, the ravens will eat the babies. I really need a hot shot hunter to take out a few of the ravens to deter them from dining at the Fat Ewe Farm, eating all the baby birds and bunnies and even lambs and piglets. They are terrible. 

The thaw came quickly due to the very warm temperatures and there is a waterfall over the road to the back section, with the water flooding the willows and the old dugout. Perhaps the beaver dam broke and finally the water is finding its old path again. I can go and look in a couple of days when more snow melts.

But with the new life, there is also life that is diminishing. Sofi will not see the sunrise of Tuesday for the decision to put her down has been made. She has stopped eating 3 days ago and is unsteady on her legs. I believe her new medication to help with the incontinence reacted with the cancer and caused it to grow at an unprecedented rate, robbing her of life. I have looked after Sofi, who is actually my daughter's dog, for many years of her life and she is very much a part of my extended family. It breaks my heart to see her suffering now and as hard as it is to say goodbye to her, it is time. 

Finally a possible solution to vending the fleeces has arisen with the offer from a woman to prepare the wool for sale, to box it and sell it and share the profits. This, for me, is an excellent solution to getting the fleece to those who want to purchase it for handspinning and felting. The lady, Vicki and her husband and I had a good day yesterday getting to know one another and working out details on selling the wool. 

Yesterday 3 piglets went to new homes, and so did one baby rabbit. Jake the new Jacob ram arrived the day before and the two Meishan sows came yesterday. Clara will not be bred again and will either be sold as a pet or made into sausage because she tends to prolapse when carrying her litters. The Meishan/Potbelly pork will be fattier than potbelly, which is very lean. Meishan pigs are famous for having and supporting huge litters of up to 20 piglets. They breed twice a year and eat a lot less than regular size pigs. They will be pastured once I get electric wire fencing in place to keep them in and the foxes, who love piglets, out. The meat will be sold and served at the bed and breakfast. 

There was a long, day long to be exact, meeting with the insurance adjustor and we are closer to a settlement. I will do the contracting myself and subcontract trades. I can tile and have a tile saw of my own and paint, so I just need plumbing, a tiny bit of electrical and a finish carpenter to put the baseboards up. Then it will take 2 months to unpack everything, so possibly by fall we will finally be ready to reopen, but that means we will have missed the busy summer season. There is nothing that can be done about that. 

So, with the goings on and Sofi being ill, there has been little time to even think and when night comes, I fall into bed and sleep well. This morning a man called about a goat for sale at just after 8 am. People think because I am a farmer I am up at the crack of dawn. I should call them when I go to bed, which was 1:15 last night. I try to sleep until 9 if I can. Stay tuned for lots of photos of new babies which will be coming soon. Happy spring, everyone!