Over almost as soon as begun...

Kidding season is OVER.  It was fast and furious. Spirit had two kids on Sunday, after a prolonged labor.  Celeste had three kids Monday morning, then refused to take care of them by Monday night.  Ella also had triplets Monday afternoon, and was so flushed with maternal  hormones that she wanted to adopt her sisters abandoned kids, too.  Raising what would amount to an entire litter would be tough with only two teats. So, this morning I moved Celeste's hungry boys to a straw lined crate in the house where they would be warm and fed frequent small meals.  By this afternoon they were feeling very bouncy and looking less lean.

This morning I knew Jane  was ready to kid. She didn't want to eat breakfast, and was keeping to herself.  I had to work today, and Jane very cooperatively positioned herself within view of the studio window.  Abraham donkey continued his helpful announcements of each birth.  He would stand near laboring Jane Doe and bray loudly in my direction. Rachel and I had a busy grooming day scheduled. but when we saw a kid emerging Rachel rushed out to help dry it. First one doeling was born, then two amniotic sacs appeared and I knew we were looking forward to two more kids.  Jane is not a large goat, and she never looked as wide as her herd mates, so triplets were a big surprise.  She had her kids outside, in the weak warmth of the early spring sun. The end count was three girls, bringing the total of kids at FairWinds to 11. ELEVEN!  Abraham stood nearby the entire time. He gently sniffed each new arrival, and I think Jane looked as if she were glad for his company.

I was working so didn't get much in the way of photos. But we had an excellent view of Jane and her kids all day.  Customers enjoyed watching the process, too.  As the sun sank and took it's warmth with it, I finished my work day and moved Jane and her new babies to the goat cozy, where they all settled into deep, clean shavings.  Jane tucked into the dinner I brought her with gusto.

All 11 kids are white. This is a first for us, normally we have an entire pallet of colors. It's difficult to tell them apart.  Rachel and I are toying with doing some color coded dots so we can tell at a glance which kid belongs to which doe.

Meanwhile, all the new kids are warm and loved and welcomed to FairWinds.

And then there were eight...

When I did chores this morning I spent a long time watching Spirit and the two kids which were born last night. They are all doing well, and it was so pleasant to spend time enjoying them.  Then I came inside to get ready for a dinner party planned for tonight in honor of Rachel's birthday. She turned 29 today, the same age I was when I hatched her. I was cooking dinner for 7, the menu, at the birthday girls request, was to be roast chicken, (home raised) fettuccine Alfredo, with fresh pasta made by our friend Marion, salad, home made focaccia bread, and strawberry shortcake for dessert.  So there was some cooking to be done.  I tidied up the house, goofed off a little, (because it was my day off, after all,) and while I was goofing off Abraham donkey began to bray. And bray some more.  His sound effects are generally pretty predictable. He sings first thing in the morning to remind us that he is starving to death and needs breakfast, and again any time someone enters the yard.  But this braying was at an unusual time, and seemed urgent. I put my boots on and went outside.

 I checked on Spirit and kids, they were all snuggled up sleeping.  Then I went into the shed and there was Celeste, kidding.

Abraham had alerted me!  Three little white kids, two males and a female, were soon drying in the sun.  Celeste has never accepted kids before, but was cleaning these and talking to them. I had high hopes.  She let me help each of them nurse, too. I tucked her up in a small space to bond with her babies, and went back inside to resume party preparation.

I got my dough rising, and made an appetizer platter. I put the chicken in the oven to roast, and prepared the strawberries for dessert.  Then I heard Abraham braying again.  Surely he couldn't be telling me another goat was kidding?  Or maybe he was. Boots back on, I hustled out. There was Ella, with a wet, new kid, and in hard labor.  I plunked down to stay with her, toweling off her kid and getting it started nursing.  Two more kids followed.  Ella is a wonderful mother, she cleaned her kids up, and let them nurse.

Rachel and Evans arrived, as did friends Scott and Marion. I abandoned them  all out with the new kids to get inside and finish making the bread. I put the appetizer platter out, set the table, baked the bread, took the chicken out of the oven, started the Alfredo sauce, grated cheese. Marion made sure that Celeste's kids got a snack, Rachel and Evans got Ella's kids dried off, and gave Ella her warm electrolyte water, then tucked that little family into a cozy spot where they could rest and bond.

Another friend arrived, and pulled on muck boots to go out and meet all the new babies. Those are the kinds of friends I have. The come to eat, but stop to help with baby goats.  Friends that arrive with muck boots.

We had a nice supper.  Chris made the biscuits for the strawberry shortcake, Evans carved the chicken, I cooked up the fresh pasta and tossed it with the sauce. There was a lot of talking and laughter around the table, and Rachel's 29th birthday will be remembered for all the kidding that happened!

Kidding season..!

It is officially kidding season.  I knew this morning, when I was doing chores, and Spirit goat was talking, and talking, and talking some more. She had the low, rumbling voice that goats use with their kids. She kept away from the rest of the herd, and was restless. I kept an eye on her.

We cleaned out the goat cozy and pony shed, and put deep straw in the calf hutch that Spirit likes to hang out in, in case she wanted to kid there.  It was a colder day than I would have liked to have kids born to, but that was out of my control. All day she paced and muttered. I checked on her often. Her udder was getting bigger by the moment.

She was up and down, digging in the shavings, obviously uncomfortable. I hauled a crate out to the cozy and sat with her. I brought her warm molasses water and special hay. She drank deeply and nibbled.  Around 7 PM she began to push.  I sent my good veterinarian a text and she called me right back. Gave me moral support.  So did Marion, she has delivered lambs and calves and is always the voice of reason.

 She pushed and groaned and pushed some more. One large hoof made an appearance, then vanished, then back, then gone.  Finally, after an eternity, a little nose and pink tongue  showed. Both hoof and head were large. Spirit pushed standing, then she laid down and pushed and groaned, grinding her teeth. We held flashlights and lent moral support. The other animals were curious.

We all stood vigil while Spirit labored.  And labored some more.

Finally, with a great deal of effort, a large kid was born.  I broke the umbilical cord, wiped the mucus from its sweet little face, and dragged it up to its mamas head. She began cleaning with a vengeance.  Steam curled up off the small kid. I dried it's hind end with a towel while mama cleaned its face and front.  There was a whoosh and a wet sound. I went to investigate and found a second kid, lying in a pool of birth goo and shavings. Again, I severed the cord, dried the little face, and brought it up to mamas head.

Meanwhile, Chris, who had stayed with us the entire time, went to the house to fill a bucket with warm water and goat electrolytes.  The kids wobbled to their feet within moments. I helped guide them to Spirit's full udder, and they drank.  I never cease to be amazed, watching kids unsteadily get up on all fours minutes after they enter the world, looking for sustenance. And the way their silly little tails begin to wag the moment the milk finds them.

We tucked Spirit and kids into a calf hutch bedded deep with clean straw, and warmed with a heat lamp. I'll go check on them before bed, but I think they'll be fine. Spirit is a natural mama, just like her mother, Luna was.  I am excited to get to know her babies, and watch the little family grow.

These goats... they have taught me much, and bring me such joy. And the joy multiplies.

Slice of paradise...

We just returned from an honest to goodness vacation. We've only had a handful of real vacations in our married life, and treasure each of them.  This one was to Cancun, in March, dodging a whopper of a blizzard, which made it that much sweeter. We went with sister Deb and her husband, John. They have a whiz bang membership that allows them to travel to amazing resorts for well deserved relaxation. Sometimes we hitch a ride. This year our niece Aimee came, too, as a bonus.

We stayed at The Grand at Moon Palace.  It is aptly named. Think; cool marble, wonderful lighting, the scent of ocean and some sort of herbal infusion in the air that was light, enchanting and everywhere. We had a suite, with two bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, two Jacuzzi's, two full bars, refrigerators, three lovely porches with comfortable furniture, and maid service. The showers were big enough to have a party in. Aimee had a bed in the sunken living room, between the two bedrooms, below the enormous dining area. It was pretty sweet. 

The windows on the lower level?  Ours. Much, MUCH bigger than our house. And did I mention maid service?

Here is our room. There is a sunken area past the beds with a huge hot tub, then a patio beyond.

One afternoon there was a wonderful storm, with thunder rolling in over the ocean. I sat on the patio with a good book, and listened to the incomparable sound of  palm fronds rustling in the wind, and  rain hurtling out of dark clouds. Magical.

The courtyard outside our door had a lovely fountain. The grackles made me laugh by filching packets of mayonnaise off of the tables at the nearby outside snack bars, and bringing them to the ledge you see here. Standing on the blue packet with their over-sized black feet, they pecked a neat  hole, then scooped up the oozing condiment. Next, a saucy drink. Repeat.

After a winter that has been as wintery as this, it was nice to see flowers. And greenery.

Of course, I was entranced by any glimpse of wildlife that I could find.

We did stop, thank you.

Sadly, I didn't get to see a "cocodrillo," as one of our drivers taught us to pronounce crocodile. But there were many signs telling us that they were about.

We spent peaceful time on the beach...

Replenishing our depleted supplies of Vitamin D. Also Vitamin A as in "alcohol," because waiters were constantly passing by and asking if they might bring us a mohito or some tropical delight. As it was all included in the price of our stay, it was hard to say no.

There were kids splashing, and us splashing, and crabs scuttling in the seaweed.

We went on an excursion and snorkeled out on a coral reef. We saw brain coral the size of cars, (over 500 years old) a variety of colorful fish, a barracuda and a few in our group saw a large ray.  Another day sister Deb apparently stepped on a ray and got a nasty sting.  Luckily she recovered fairly quickly, but it gave us a bit of a scare.  

I read, six books or more, spending happy hours under an umbrella, listening to the waves curl and slap. 

It was deeply relaxing. There was a lot of seaweed at this beach, and walking in the surf it would curl around our ankles like warm cats. Tractors with special equipment attached cruised the beach and scooped it up into astonishingly tall piles. I hope they are turning into lovely mulch. 

At other resorts we have been to the food is mostly... fine. Some of it is quite good. At this place, it was all amazing. Each meal more marvelous than the last. And we didn't have to cook any of it. Or wash a single dish. Aimee discovered Chinese Pomegranates, and loved them. I feasted on ripe melons and pineapple so sweet and fresh it made my taste buds dance.

I mostly left my camera inside, afraid I'd get sand in it and cause ruin. I've done that trick before. 

But we stopped for a few posed shots. 

Besides the long beach, there were also swimming pools. Plural. I'm not sure how many all told, but more than we had time to get into. Some were heated, some not. Some for adults only, rowdier ones for people who wanted to play volley ball or be entertained by a MC with planned events and contests, or loud music. One had a water slide, and the air was filled with the music of laughter and splashes. All of them offered hot tubs, lounge chairs, and more people offering to bring us drinks or snacks.  Decadence with a capital "D." 

 Our travel went off fairly smoothly, and Rachel kindly stayed here to brave the blizzard and take exceptional care of hearth, home and animals.  We came back rested and content, with stores of warm memories to tide us over until winter loosens its bitter grip, or until we take another little detour to paradise. 

Breeding like rabbits...

In keeping with my theme of farm related idioms, lets talk about the old saying, "breed like rabbits."

A few years ago I brought home a Netherland Dwarf rabbit from an animal auction on a whim.  I've always liked rabbits, and kept them as pets on and off over the years.  He was a sweet little guy, but he seemed lonely, so I took in a neutered 3 legged rabbit to be his pal. They lived together happily.  Then my daughter suggested we bring home a female California rabbit, and raise some rabbits for meat.We brought a doe home, and all was well until the California learned to dig, and dug out of her roomy hutch. Then she sprung the Netherland from his hutch, and got pregnant too young. We were able to catch her and she had no problem raising a litter. All was well.  Fast forward to last fall when she got pregnant, and also got out of her hutch again, and had a litter under the pony shed.  Suddenly we had rabbits running amok all over the property. They appeared to be very happy.

Those rabbits bred and had litters, at an astonishing rate.  All winter I've been setting up humane traps and catching bunnies when I can, and putting them in hutches.  As of yesterday I had only two rascally rabbits loose. One, quite wild, and one that would hang out near the hutches and let me get very close to it.

I baited the trap with some especially yummy treats yesterday,and felt sure I'd catch this guy.  He clearly wanted to be with the other rabbits, and would sit on top of the trap so he could peer in at his pals.  I was pretty sure this one was a boy, and that the very wild one was a female. If I could catch the boy, the wild one could stay wild, with no loose males to impregnate her.  I would release another female to keep her company, and the vicious cycle of breeding rabbits would be interrupted.  I was pretty pleased with myself.

We ran some errands yesterday, and came home in the afternoon to see... rabbits.  Everywhere.  In the driveway, in the hen yard, hanging by the hutches, dancing in the front yard.  The ground had thawed, the high winds and rains of the weekend storm had softened the ground, and moved the hutch just enough that an enterprising bunny dug a hole.

So we are back at square one.  It's spring, and love is in the air, and I suspect that the rabbits are not immune.  I'll have to get creative to solve the problem, or wave a white flag and give up and let the lagomorphs take over.