Good morning farmers. It's early here, I just got back from checking for newborn lambs at the neighbor's. We didn't have any tonight on my shift but the pens in the barn have a lot of cute little faces looking at me through the slats. One little guy was still wet but had been born long enough ago that he was already registered on the barn chart by the person who does the 10 o'clock check. The guard dog pups greeted me when I got out of the pickup and followed me into the barn. They are much happier with all the human activity but the new moms are not too happy to have them in the barn. I really have to work to restrain myself from making friends with them, they are supposed to be bonding with the sheep so I have to remind myself not to talk to them or hug those cute little balls of fluff. The moon was playing peekaboo behind clouds, stars where shining here and there, wind blowing a bit, 26* but not uncomfortable with all the layers of clothes I wear. Last night my hands got really cold because my gloves got wet from lamb goo. I need to grease the gloves again with shoe waterproofing.
My horses get shoes in a few days and then I can start some more serious riding instead of just going where the feed truck has gone through the fields. I've been avoiding the county road because the gravel wears the horses feet down pretty fast when they are kind of soft from the winter. The snow has been going away at a fast pace with several sunny days and wind. Our driveway is muddy in the daytime but every night it freezes. That makes it possible for me to get out of here with a 2 wheel drive pickup. Our old pickup, a 77 GMC is my chore truck and going to town rig, we also use it for hauling wood and hay. My hubby usually has the car for his work in town and I don't think he wants Odor de Barn in it. The diesel pickup is not too efficient for half mile trips and those short trips are not too good for it I have heard so I try not to have to use it. That is the one that pulls my horse trailer on all my endurance ride travels. I guess you could say we are specialized around here.
Friday morning after I finished my lamb check my hubby and I went to get our taxes done and visit his sister and her husband. We left here at 3am, drove 6 hrs, visited an hour, got the tax appointment taken care of, had lunch and drove back home. I slept in the car during the trip over and my hubby napped on the way home. If you have ever tried it you know you don't really rest that way. After we got home and had a quick bowl of soup I went to bed and slept until I had to get up and do the lamb check again, then after that slept until 9am and seem to be caught up. My sister in law gave me a plant for my greenhouse, a zygo cactus that has pink blooms, not the bright ones that you see at Christmas she said, just pink. She got it as a gift and really doesn't have a good place for houseplants. This plant has the points on the sides of the leaf segments like the one I have that blooms at Thanksgiving and is white with pale purple comming up from the center of the blossom.
I'm attatching a picture here to show you my winter fashions. Do any of you wear a similiar outfit? While the rest of you wake up I am going to try to get a couple more hours of sleep. Have a good day and count your blessings.
