With the acquisition of a small new-to-us greenhouse (thanks Cindy!), the girls have been busier than usual filling seedling cans. The girls have dug up top soil near our sand hole supply area (this was started thanks to the pigs and a wet summer last year). Fino decided on a thrifty approach to planting seedlings several years ago with cans. He drilled a hole in the bottom of the cans we normally recycle and although they are bulky and not particularly attractive, they get the seedlings growing without costing us any money (those little plastic trays can add up when you have a large garden).
We aren't just busy with gardening. Nope, we've been plenty busy with the anticipation of the girls' 4H animals arriving.
We decided to expand the pig pen in hopes that if we have another really wet spring/summer, we have more space to deal with the mud issues. We were given some old rod iron fencing (thanks Mike!) but before it could be used, I had to grind off all the chipping paint. We don't want the piggies getting sick by nibbling on the fence, which we assume they will do since they like to nibble and stick their noses into everything.
I've also been digging out the especially muddy area as part of the pig pen improvement project and filling it in with sand. After 8 wheelbarrows full of sand (not to mention the half dozen trips I made hauling stinky mud out), I'm hoping the pen is a little better with water drainage. Although I did see some puddles forming in there this morning so I know I'm not quite done with this job yet.
Fino and L. have had the biggest job though - building the sheep pen. L. is anxious to bring Midnight Minette and one of her cousins (a second black Romney lamb) to our house. She can't do that until we have a small shelter and pen for them. L. has spent plenty of time as the construction "nurse," standing by her dad for hours handing him various power tools when asked to get her sheep shelter operational.
Last night they were working on the roof so with another weekend or so, the sheep will have a new (temporary) home. (They're only living with us until October until they go back to their real farm home to be bred.)
And while we've had a lot of work projects going on in our own backyard, the girls have also been spending time in other backyards as well.
L. has been visiting the sheep farm twice a week to halter train Midnight Minette. L. has resorted to grain bribes to get her to walk and so far the lamb is liking that program. Although she is being weened from her mama and she was grouchy yesterday. L. basically just sat with her on the hill while she did her baaaaahhh routine. It's amazing to realize in the short time we've been around Midnight Minette that L. and I can identify that lamb's bah inflections. Yesterday she started off with a short bah, then went to a longer bah and then moved in to a feet stomping BAAHH in less than two minutes. L. dealt with one p--ssed off little lamb yesterday who wanted to know where the heck her mama was (in a field grazing about 1/4 mile away).
And speaking of opinionated animals, G. is still working with Sparkles the cow at the beef farm and that very large girl (over 1,100 pounds now) was up to her usual "sparkly tricks." (This is G.'s euphemism for Sparkles' feisty nature.)
But G. has also started working with a young heifer named Bailey. She's going to be G.'s show cow this summer and she's a much calmer personality (and about half the weight).
G. and Bailey are getting along great and should make a nice team this year. Sparkles will of course, still get some attention every week from G. but I would bet Sparkles is as relieved as G. to take a pass on teaming up for the show ring this year. Bailey seems to be a bit better suited with G. for that.
Yup, it's been a busy couple of weekends close to home. But the early spring preparations are almost done and then we'll be back to our weekend adventures in the woods not-so-close to home.
It's good to mix up things up a bit. It keeps everyone in the family happy.
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