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Thursday, March 10, 2011

What I think about at 3 a.m.

"What if this winter doesn't end until June, and all four ewes have lambs in the sleet and I only have one - okay two - hoop houses to shelter them and the llama hogs one?"

A.  Flora and her twins can have the office (there's a foldout bed).  Cocoa and her twins can have the cats' room (it has the best light and carpeted furniture).  Juno and her lambs can have the guest room (best feng shui in the house).  Freyda and her lambs can have the laundry room (it's small, but I can knock out the wall adjoining the guest bath so they can have a shower).

B.  I'll buy an RV and they can live in it until summer.

C.  I can reconfigure the hayport, fence off the hay bales, rig a half-door for light, plug in a heat lamp.

I like "C", but I would still have to dig out the gates and a pathway to the hayport, convince the ewes it's in their own best interest and they should quietly follow me in an orderly line when lambing time is near.

Maybe I'll check craigslist for an RV.  Do you think they'd take eggs in trade?

6 comments:

melanie said...

D. Send lambs up the road to my house.

Mama Pea said...

You are so funny! When are the ewes due? I hate to say it, but you may have to go for Plan C. Get shoveling, Girl.

Susan said...

Melanie - E. I give the sheep the house and I will move up the road to your house.

Mama Pea - That's what I'm afraid of. What the heck - I am a professional shoveler by now.

Jane @ Hard Work Homestead said...

That is the one guarantee about homesteading. Nothing will ever go the easy way. Makes you wonder why we all do it, doesn't it. The good news is that it all works out in the end. I am starting to believe you are right and spring will come in June. We are getting more snow tomorrow. Arrrgghh.

Erin said...

Eeeek! I always hated it when our 60+ head of sheep would lamb in Jan/Feb but they had a barn, it only got truly bad when some of the older ones with twins/triplets would "expire" during the whole process and we had to cut those babies out in sub-zero weather (although the orphans were so cute baaa-ing in the basement, I could hear them thru the vents!). I remember as a little 10 or 12 year old sticking my hands up there and pulling those babies out! I am hoping and sending good weather thoughts your way! Can't wait to see the little cutie(s)!

Susan said...

Jane - you are so right. And the only law you can count on is Murphy's. We've had a ton of rain, so our snow mass is much less. Now - I just need instant spring!

Erin - Somehow, I could see my 10 year old hands going up there, but my - ahem - older (much) than 10 hands tremble at the thought. But, I'll do what I have to do. I can't wait either - I love lambs.