There is something about this clothesline of mine that makes me so happy. Something about Lucy's blankie, Wilson's sleepers, Lucy's pink pjs, Mark's workpants and clean sheets that makes my heart sing.

Lucy inspecting the new Barnyard.

Firstly, a big thank you to my counterpart, colleague for posting the birth announcement so nicely and quickly!
Secondly, things are going swimmingly! Wilson has settled in nicely and while Lucy has been getting molars and fighting a nasty cold, she has begun to accept his existence more and more with each day. I've included a couple family shots in this entry for your viewing pleasure.

As for the farm, things are beginning to pick up. As much as they can with a new baby around that is. Wilson is sort of setting the pace these days so it's been nice to have Mark around the house in the evenings and taking a more leisurely time getting out of the house in the morning.
-We've ordered our first batch of chicks which should arrive a couple weeks from now. We're ordering our second batch tomorrow. One hundred at a time, with the hopes of ending up with three hundred finished by the fall.
We've also recently discovered a small rat (gasp!UGH!!) problem in the chicken coop, which doubles as our brooder house, so a serious sting operation has been set up to get rid of them before the new chicks arrive. Being organic, we're pretty limited in what we can use to lose them, but so far our efforts have been working.
-The laying hens have been enjoying their days outside of the coop, cleaning up all the flower beds and gardens in the area. They are GREAT workers. I've got some seeds in trays, but so far I haven't had the time to dedicate that's needed to get the peppers to germinate. Lucy is a little too curious to keep the trays in the house, and I fear the garage is too cold at night and it's been long enough that I think they've probably rotted, but the trusty broccoli has poked its head through so it wasn't a complete waste of time!

-Mark has been doing some grain cleaning, getting ready for seeding. We've been doing some germination tests on our own grain, figuring out seeding rates, etc. Some have been better than others, but overall, it's not bad.

-The sheep have been lucky enough to get a new corral built for them. Mark and Wendell remodeled the entrance to their pasture and given them a bit more space, until I'm satisfied that the pasture is ready of them. I don't really want to let them out too soon as the grass is still a bit scant, and I have to make it last, with twice as many sheep. Rotational grazing means some pretty tricky organization and planning ahead (not two of my strongest assets).
-It is a minor but constant battle around here to transport the eggs from the hen house to our house. Either we forget and leave them in a pile in the barn until the next day, or carry them carefully in pockets, unable to lift Lucy or do anything really. Or we'll use a bucket and then leave the bucket somewhere else so the next day it's nowhere to be found, or empty it and then lose it, crack it, whatever. SO, Wilson has solved the problem! He's our new egg carrier. A nice gentle ride for the eggs, a good first chore for Wilson.

-Mark is starting to get the equipment ready and as is the annual occurrence, his mind has turned to new/different equipment that works better for our operation. Being the book-keeper and the cheap one, I always cringe at this time of year, but generally end up just trusting his decisions. (Do I have a choice, with my VAST knowledge of equipment values....pfffftt!) So we'll probably be having a hot date sometime soon to go for a tour of the local farm equipment lots.

While Wilson has been sleeping pretty well for a newborn (I realize that's not saying much), I am still in that somewhat foggy new mom haze, so my entries may be infrequent for a bit. Keep checking though!

Hoping all is well with all of you!

Love,
Sally