RicelandMeadows

     Again the rains continue to hold up field work, but the spring babies keep coming. This little sow , who we call Betty, had ten little piggies. Mom and babies doing fine. Her expectant sister Wilma waits nearby for her due date.

     Usually we farrow on pasture, but the mud season has us in a cold grip. So Betty made her nest under the protective overhang of the barn. She will stay here for a few days and then even in the wet ,will wander around the pasture gleaning and grazing while her babies splash in the water and bask in the sunshine.

     More lambs were born today. The flock continues to grow. We have been fortunate that no mommas orphaned any of their lambs so far. We usually don’t have too much trouble with orphans, but it is always a concern. Bottle babies never do as good as the ones that are raised by a ewe. They become great pets that blat every time they see you … for a very long time…  even after they have grown up.

     As I wait for the weather to clear and the soil to warm, I am thankful for the new babies. They will keep me busy for a time, keeping my mind off the spring work that slowly piles up as the rain continues to fall. I don’t want to wish my life away, so I will watch the babies grow, fix a few things on my never ending list and wait for the planting season. I can listen to the wild birds sing and the grunts of encouragement from new moms to their babes… and off in the distance I can hear that old ewe blat hello …. everytime she sees me 😮