Spring is coming!!!

So, the winter this year has been a sad and disastrous one for us.  The constant sub-freezing temps mixed with too much wetness has caused us great sadness on our farm.  We lost several of our senior goats and a few others that took ill quickly, despite regular grooming and vaccinations.   With that said, there is a bright side!  Spring is coming.

The goats have been happier since the weather has changed a bit over the past few days and that is a good thing.   They are enjoying warmer weather and longer days.   They also like longer times for grazing. 

Since I last wrote, we took on a surrendered Potbellied Pig, named "Bucky".   Weird but interesting story too!  One Saturday afternoon, we were coming home from errands and up our road, saw something moving around in the middle of the way.   Low and behold!  It was Bucky, the great escape artist.  He apparently had gotten out of the pen he was in and decided to take a stroll.   As we approached him, our neighbors pulled in beside us and pulled out some feed.

Long story short, the gent got Bucky half way to our property and then went on his merry way and told us that we were now the proud owners of Bucky!  Bucky is very acclimated to his new digs and super excited to have attention on a regular basis.  He gets fresh fruits and veggies, good grains, and lots of water.   He is a bit sad though as he is a herd animal and wants some company so we put him next door to our male goats.   Bucky is on the search for his roommate at the current time. 

Bucky

receives alot of attention as he is a herd animal that really likes to socialize.   Despite pigs having poor sight, they have a great sense of smell and humor!  Bucky smells me long before I greet him and starts "Squeaking!" with delight as I approach.   A once, somewhat aggressive animal, now greets us with very vocal announcements and a wagging tail.   He especially appreciates us in the AM when he gets his daily vitamins.




Another sign that spring is coming is the arrival of babies.   Despite our best intentions of taking a full calendar year off from breeding/free will, we welcomed twin girls several weeks ago.   We separated out our herd this past fall to take a season off BUT someone got a little frisky and BOOM! babies arrived.   Apple and Cherry are kin to their momma, Kiwi, who is an excellent mother.   They are slowly outgrowing the hats that we have been using as coats for them in the frigid weather.

They recently started following Momma throughout the pasture to learn how to forage.   We had to wait for them to grow a bit as the eagles see the babies as bites to eat.  They love to hit the remnants of bird seed that lies on the ground under the various feeders we have everywhere.

Another sign that spring is near are the bluebirds!  They have arrived as regular visitors and love the happy homes we set up everywhere for them.   They also love the meal worms that are placed strategically for their eating needs.   Soon, their friends the Orioles and Hummingbirds will arrive once the Eagles take off.   Not far from that, the whippoorwills and purple martins will follow.

Lastly, another few signs are that the flocks of geese locally are now migrating.   Trees have buds on them.    The bees are coming out of their nukes to forage.   Ladybugs have been sighted inside and outside of our home.   And our dogs have started shedding!  (that isn't always a fun thing to deal with when it comes to constant vacuuming!!!!)

Anyway, spring isn't just on the calendar as coming.   Nature is indicating that the cusp is near and I have to admit, I AM HAPPY ABOUT IT!  Not excited at the idea of tornado season starting and 100 degree temp potential, but happy to get out of this wet umbrella that we have been in for over 6 months!

Hurry Spring...come quickly!  Make Punxsutawney proud.