April 12 Went to the barn to check on the Swiss Girls, my two Oberhasli goats that are due to kid any day now. No kids… but I did find two white lambs springing around in the barn and a proud Peggy Sue there with her babies. Surprise! All warm and dry with full bellies. What a good mom.
I had not expected any lambs until next week. She wins a gold star again. She was the last to lamb last year when she was a one winter old girl,and had beautiful twins. This year she presented us with our first VAI Icelandic lambs of the year, white twins out of AI sire, Hnallur. We imported semen from Iceland last fall and successfully bred 4 ewes. Still to lamb are Helen’s Girl our oldest ewe now, bred to Krapi, O’Grady bred to Sigurfari, and Sadie, bred to Krapi.
Warm day today, actually felt like Spring! The honeybees were flying and coming back with pollen baskets full, great thighfuls of yellow pollen. They found the pussy willows and crocus and snow drops…and the red maple looks like it will be flowering soon. One hive did not make it through the last very cold days in March, but this hive seems to be thriving …
AND, the garden is rototilled and 2 varieties of spinach and 3 kinds of kale planted. Onions ready to transplant and the garlics are growing. Tomorrow the peas! and maybe some lettuce too.