Can you believe I am enjoying fresh cherries today?   I love our produce co-op!   We got to order fresh cherries I don't even want to know what country they are from.  They aren't real ripe but they are really really good.   I have used some restraint in how many I ate.  I'm not sure the kids did.  Oh well!  Life lessons, or not depending on their stomachs.  My guess is not.  They eat so much fruit and veggies that over eating on them is almost impossible. 

Tonight I had the pleasure, NOT of pulling the first lamb out of my sheep.  I make a circle every morning and night checking for issues.  Some days the kids go, some days not. Today they did.  I was so glad.  I had a ewe with a head sticking out.  Of course she is a yearling ewe and NOT gentle.  I had the kids follow/herd her to the pen where I feed them.   I finished my circle.   Then I managed to catch her.  I really thought that the lamb was dead. His head was dry.  In looking I couldn't see any feet.  Lambs should come feet first in a diving position.  Head first no head is a nightmare to pull.  Once I caught her I found one leg sticking out.  I pulled and worked and finally had to go fishing trying to stretch her enough to get the shoulders to slip.  I am still pretty sure lamb is dead, no movement from him.  I can't get it slip.  Off comes my coat.  It is HOT work.  I manage to rotate the whole head and shoulder that I have out.  Once I got it to rotate out it came no problem!  I went to rubbing him.  He was alive!  His head is pretty swollen.  But he is hardy.  I left him with mama while I went to clean up. She wanted NOTHING to do with him.  So I brought him in.  As slimy and nasty as he was I didn't really want anything to do with him either.  MN got colostrum on to thaw and I left him in a box in the kitchen while I finished chores.  He was wanting to stand up when I got back in.  The coke bottle of colostrum was thawed enough I could fill a baby bottle.  I left it in hot water.  Kids were busy rubbing him.  They announced he wanted to eat the towel!   I allowed them to see if they could feed him.  Some babies nurse easy, some are hard.  This one must be easy.  They brought an almost empty baby bottle in here to show me a few minutes ago.  He still hasn't stood up, but is working on it.      So what is in YOUR kitchen? :)   I hope he goes to the barn before bed time.  I don't want to hear the pitter patter of little hooves in the night.  

My son came out to sort dry goats again.  A dry goat if you don't know and want to is one that has no milk.  Meaning she either lost her baby or has already weaned it.  Either way she is eating feed and he is ready to get rid of those without babies.  I love working goats.  Ok, livestock in general.  I was really disappointed that I would have to go do produce and  miss the fun.   I loved it that my dil wanted to go do produce, she wanted to go see everyone.  So I ask her to go in my place instead of with me.     We are so dry that working goats today makes you feel you have been rolling in the dust.  Both my son's laugh and shake their heads at my shoes.    I wear the really cheap Wal-,mart slip on canvas shoes.  They wear steal toed boots.  If you have never been in an alley with wild goats it is an experience.  Your feet get stopped on, you dodge horns with your upper body and try to not get knocked off your feet as one decides she needs to go the other way.  Tomorrow I will look like someone beat me up.  I will be black and blue all over :)  But, it was fun getting that way!    We sorted off a 32 ft trailer full of dry nannies and big kids.  He feels like all but a few will be ready to go in another 3-4 weeks.  Then I will be out of THAT job until fall.  Can you hear how broken hearted I am?  :)   I love doing it, but I love it being done too.    

With our weather being sunny and warm my kids spent the day outside.  MN helped work goats.  The other 2 will tell you they "helped".  They did walk to the other end of the pen and help drive them down and into the working pens.  From there ........ PFFFF!  They were gone :)  I told MN she was more than welcome to go play.  She didn't want to. She liked what she was doing.   Sound like anyone else you know?   After goats and son were gone they spent the afternoon riding bikes and climbing trees.  They will have to have baths tonight.  I would suggest a swim, but it seems they have decided against swimming until the water warms up.  My brown children are now more of a dusty gray.   Hope they don't stop up the tub drains tonight when they shower. 

I am also on a quest for school curriculum for next year.  Our school year starts in April.  I still haven't found Switched on Schoolhouse 5th grade.  I am cheap and want to buy it used.   I keep checking ebay and vegsource.  So far the ones on ebay are new price.  Vegsource just hasn't had 5th grade.   Anyone have any good resources for used curriculum?  

Off to eat supper here!  All be blessed