Changes

Our Peaceable Kingdom has undergone some changes this year. First of all, our cantankerous old Blue Heeler, Eppie, went to the Happy Hunting Grounds this spring, and her absence is much felt. Eventually a puppy or two will fill the empty spot in front of the woodstove, but for now we are, sadly, dogless.

We also said goodbye to a number of goats at the beginning of the summer, though in a happier way. The four pregnant does popped out seven babies altogether (Temerity had triplets, Patience had twins, and Felicity and Whimsy each had a single buckling), and we were able to find good homes for them all. Still, the barn was feeling overfull, and after witnessing the three little girls (Patience, Whimsy, and Felicity) hop effortlessly over the pasture fence, I decided it was time for drastic measures. We had never planned to sell any of the adult goats, but Whimsy and Felicity were the least friendly of the herd, and proved to be disappointing milkers after their first kidding. So they were sold, along with their two kids, to a young girl in central Oregon; fortunately Patience didn't seem to notice their absence, the possibility of which had concerned me (what?!? I LOVE my goaties!).

Erin, in her usual insouciant way, produced a couple of lambs in the spring (and as we all know, the best thing about sheep is... TWIN BABY LAMBS!!). They were adorable and shy for a few months; now they are enormously fat and still trying to nurse on their poor mama. Last year's lamb was never dealt with, and has been dubbed "Wannabe", because he thinks he's a goat. All three are scheduled for "harvesting" next month, and will fill our freezer to bursting with delicious grass-fed meat. Yes, it's a bit sad, but I have hardened my heart. It helps that I don't much care for sheep.

We are expecting babies from Prudence any day now--she surprised us by suddenly ballooning last month, when she was supposed to be retired (I guess that's what happens when the buck lives with the rest of the herd!). She is not happy about it, and we are trying to decide how to arrange matters after the birth. I don't want to milk her (we're getting plenty from Patience and Temerity), but bottlefed babies are so much friendlier. Right now I'm considering the possibility of separating them at night and feeding a small bottle in the morning before reuniting them during the day. We'll see how my mother feels about that, since she'll be the one to take care of it.

I have another post on deck, detailing the amazing bounty of our garden and the wonderful meals that have resulted; that'll show up maybe next week.