Single digit temps, high winds and occasional snow flurries. Enough already ! Need warm weather and sunshine.
Herbies' girls, grandboy and baby daddy have left after a short visit. Went to the local livestock auction yesterday. Very sparse on dairy cows, but they had a lot of day-old Holstein calves, and one little 80lb Jersey. He was such a cutie. It was freezing cold, and stopped by Tina at the feed-store in Clarkesville for milk on the way back.
Made 2 pizzas for dinner, one halved for Herbie and Chad, the 2nd in thirds for Elizabeth, Nanette and me. Chad doesn't eat vegetables, so had 4 meats, turkey pepperoni, spicy Italian sausage I made with turkey, deer crumbles and bacon, and mushrooms, Herbie had the same, but with added onion and green pepper. The girls had 3 meats, and a little vegetables, not sure which all as they added their own toppings, I had artichokes, mushrooms, onion, green pepper, calamata olives, capers and anchovies - onme of my 2 favourite pizzas.
This morning made French toast, served with syrup, cream cheese / sour cream and fresh strawberries and blueberries, with bacon on the side. Yummy. Had 3 x cast iron pans going on the stove. Yesterday was more of a farm breakfast, bacon, poached eggs, sausage, onion and green pepper, toast and cheese. Strangely, there were no requests for Eggs Benedict this visit.
Wasn't in the plans, but my husband is very chuffed with the 55 inch Smart HD telly he's currently watching in the lounge. We moved the TV into the other, much larger room, and couldn't see which channel it was on from across the room. Planning on turning the family room into more of a working kind of space with the desk and computer, bring the piano down from upstairs, my spinning wheel, etc.
Nope, don't think Anni is preggers after all. It's the end of February, way past her anticipated due date of Feb 14. No lambs yet either, and Star is hanging onto her calf too. I move her to the lower barn every evening so that if it comes in the night it won't be born in the snow like Scotchs' boy was, and then move her back with the others during the day. The icy walk is treacherous for both of us, but I don't like keeping her isolated. Yesterday she had Dolly for company, but they eat way more than is easy for me to supply down the ladder, and the double cow poop build-up freezes so I can't remove it, so I prefer just having to look after one down there.
The kids brought their 2 pitbulls with them, and when the alpacas saw them they called out their warning call. Have never heard the girls do that before. The first adults we got used to do this more often. We put them in the shed as, other than the house, it's the only enclosed room. Herbie wasn't impressed, complaining that they would tear up his stuff out there. Hey, he agreed to have the dogs, but he wasn't home when they arrived - what's a woman to do ?
Bandit, our gray boy-cat hasn't come for breakfast for 2 days now. I didn't see him at all yesterday. Wonder if the pitbulls scared him, or if there is another reason for his absence. I call for him every time I go out, but so far, nothing.
Herbie and Chad did all the chores this morning, with Nanette out there as well. Elizabeth stayed in with boy-Chad. He's a cute, happy little boy. Funny how he fell asleep bent forward while sitting on his mums' lap at the auction. She slipped and fell on the ice while carrying him back to the car, and he didn't even wake.
He liked the sheep and cows, but didn't like the chickens. Took him with to collect eggs and he wanted to be carried. Once we for the eggs back to the house, and there wasn't a chicken in sight, then he wanted to touch and hold the eggs. This is totally opposite to other small children visiting the farm :) who found the chickens to be the most interesting, which I've not understood. I'm with boy-Chad, cows are much more interesting.
Went up to visit my friend Salle in Newaygo on Sunday. She was snowed in ! Had to leave the truck on the road and then to hike to her house. She came out to meet me, and I saw there was a path high up on the previously snow-plowed banks. Much easier to walk up there than through the knee deep snow I started wading through !