Gettin' Ready to Rumble!

Are you all sitting down?  The forecast for the "WEEKEND" (yes, both days) is for bright sunshine and balmy temps!  Lawsy, I hope I didn't just jinx myself by putting it out there...  so, given that I got almost nothing done on The Lists last weekend, this is going to be a multiple-list-eggstravaganza.

And speaking of eggs, gak.  Yesterday, a mild, brightly sunny day, garnered zero eggs.  Nada.  Nuthin.  No eggs, no how.  It's got me stumped.  Even my Barnevelder girls, who are youngsters and who are NOT moulting, are not laying.  The only egg I get almost every day is a duck egg.  Well, thank goodness for that.

Yesterday, Kevin Ford came out and sheared the lambs.  I tell you, they were tiny before losing their fleece.  Now they look like a miniature breed.  Except for Linden, who is at the right level for his age/breed.  Acacia is getting back to her noisy, feisty self.  She has learned that she needs to trot right up to the gate in the morning, so I can let her out onto the grass.  As soon as she hears the grain can rattling, she trots off to her own little feed dish.  What a cutie.  And what a relief.  The adult ewes still need to be wormed, but I am making headway.

My plans to get hay this weekend were squelched by a family wedding (the farmer's, not mine) on Saturday and his need to chop corn on Sunday.  He was nice enough to offer to give me hay if I run out before next weekend.  Which I will.  This lull will give me the opportunity to clean out the barn so I can stack the 100 bales without worrying that the little piranhas goats will be able to reach it.  I am also going to see if I can disassemble the lattice house frame (thank goodness I screw everything together) so I can move it and use it as winter shelter for the sheep, with a few alterations.  It's time to move them into a new area so that the old, over-used one has time to recover.  Once I move them, I am going to seed it before winter.  Or so it says on my "Outdoor/Animal" list.  My lists have big ideas.

I've moved the electronet so that the sheep can have some grass, but it will entail some fancy footwork and creative electrical work (neither of which is my forte).  Hey, Apple Pie Gal - ZZZZZZt!  Kidding, I hope.  Because of the way I had to set up the charger to keep the top wire hot, I can't move it.  And because of my elaborate (read: wacky) gate system, I have to put the connecting end of the fencing on the other/opposite side of the gate.  That means I will have to rig up a long connecting wire from the fence to the charger over/across the gate opening using wire, baling twine and plastic tubing.  Since I know that Hoosier is capable of doing the limbo, he will just have to work his way under the wire.  This should be interesting.  But, he's a smart cookie and he loves his grass.

The Babes (surprise chicks) will be integrated into the main coop this weekend.  That will give me one less step in the mornings/evenings.  Then, the small coop will be closed up for the winter, unless I decide to banish the ducks to the small coop.  I am thinking about it.

Much needs to be done in the garden.  Lucy needs to be interred somewhere where the foxes, coyotes and stray dogs won't find her.  There is an over-abundance of llama beans that need shoveling and spreading.  The strawberries need to be given a haircut and mulched. 

I am thinking that I need a partner in all this.  Here are the qualifications:  Must be older than me; must be good with his hands in practical ways (electrical/plumbing/carpentry); must love animals in all sizes and shapes; must be retired and not indigent; must like to cook; must not spend all his time on his dusty-buster; must have a sense of humor; must have the patience of Job; must be a good kisser.  So, if anyone out there is either this person or knows someone who fits this bill, send 'em on down!  While I'm waiting, I think I will tackle my lists.

p.s.  I am going to celebrate either my 20,000th page view or my 300th posting (how I DO go on!) - whichever comes first - with a very special giveaway.  Stay tuned.