Is it February or June?  It's so hard to tell anymore with global warming and the whacky weather we've been having lately.  Spring is usually pretty wet around here, and so I'm thinking we might be having spring now.   What's a goat to do?  I suppose just rely on the humans to know when to shear.  If you go by the calendar it's not time, but it sure feels like the right time to shear.  oi.  

So what's the news around the farm?  Gracie brought forth a pair of twin doelings last week, a black pinto and a blue pinto.  This was Gracie's first set of twins.  The black was born first, and she stumbled over to Carmella's stall and settled down under the water bucket.  Carmella, Pete and Petunia didn't know what to do, so when wench came to the barn, they were all standing up talking about this tiny intruder in their space.  

When wench got here, the blue had just been born and Gracie was sorta frantic, not knowing where the first one went and trying to clean off the blue.  Chaos!  In any event, wench got it all straightened out, navels dipped, dried off and sweaters on, and then builder put up barriers so the little ones can't wander off and get lost.  Everyone nursed and all seemed right with the world.  The next morning, though, the little blue girl was down.  All the efforts of the medical team here failed, and we lost her about 22 hours after birth.  It could have been a lack of oxygen in the birth canal that caused seizures, but whatever it was, it was a moment of sadness around here.    The good news is that the remaining twin is named Starlet, because she has a pretty star on her head, and a couple of patches of white by her front legs.  She is healthy and vigorous and was outside in the springlike weather in February, at one week old. 

Not sure who else is getting ready, these things usually happen in 3 week time frames, but, since our last year's craziness of kidding out of season, I can't be sure who is next.  I know that Willis has been chasing ME around, and I don't find that amusing.  When the buck starts to chase the wethers, it usually means that everyone is covered and he's not done being a randy boy yet.  ugh. What I don't put up with!!

In other news, we are getting accustomed to Sunny, the great pyrenees, but we still don't want him in the pasture with us during the day.  He can patrol the pasture at night - he's good at it - his barking keeps me awake - but during the day he has another area that he patrols, over by the redneck storage unit (the old van up on blocks).  Builder was taking him on the daily 'run to the river' with Harper and him, but Sunny has proven to be a bad influence on our little girl, and the two of them run off chasing whatever dogs chase, and don't come back for about an hour, with tounges dragging.  I'm sure they find interesting things out there (they drug home a skeleton of something, and everyone has had a piece of that, even Hunter), but really -- not cool, Sunny, not cool. 

I'm pleased and shocked that wench has actually been home for two weekends in a row. Amazing.  It won't last, though, because next week she goes to Dalton, GA for a rabbit show.  Then a weekend at home, then Greensboro, NC for a rabbit show and then Raleigh, NC for a fiber show.  After that, though, one more fiber show up at Powhatan, VA and then we get ready for the Blue Ridge Fiber Fest!  

The Festival is shaping up to be rather fun.   Check the website to see what is being offered.  This first year will be an education for all involved.  I think, if no one is bringing angora goats, I may send Pistol Pete as ambassador for the breed.  He has a nice fleece, and he loves people (and cookies) and frankly speaking, I just can't be bothered.  There's too much to do around here for me to go traipsing off to Sparta for adoration and spoiling.  I'm more of a practical goat than a showboat, er, I mean show goat.  

Our bunny barn is almost empty it seems.  A graduating class left yesterday for a new farm where they will provide fertilizer for an amazing brand of jam from Imladris Farm down in Fairview, NC (30 breeding bunnies) and other products which are provided to restaurants, that I do not wish to talk about.    I hear there are about 20 new chins that will be coming down stairs and more on the way, so, the empty won't last long.

Well, that's the update for now.  As usual, thanks for reading Frankly speaking!