A new week ~ new projects

A gorgeous sunrise this morning......the start of a very warm day. 80's and near 90 this week in our neck of the woods. I remember an morning early last week when it was 28 degrees! The frost damaged my blueberries, bleeding hearts and hostas. I've never seen hostas so badly damaged in all the years we have lived here. I think they will come back but they look pretty brown and bedraggled at this point. Hopefully those temps are well behind us.

Planting begins in earnest today. Purchased all our bedding plants and will have them in the gardens by this evening. The soil has been setting fallow for two weeks now and is weed free. Hopefully it will stay that way.

I really enjoy working in the dirt but by noon the sun is right over head and just too hot for me. I'll do inside work and then after chores work in the gardens until sunset. We weed and work them after planting in the early morning before chores.

Our goat kids are really getting big and Mom's are ready for them to be weaned. Two of our babies will go to their new homes this coming weekend. Bluto, pictured below, has become our favorite. He has a great personality and would rather hang with people than eat. He loves to ride in the wheelbarrow when we hay the rest of the animals. He will jump into the wheelbarrow from their feeder and ride until we make him get out. They are great fun at this age :)

One thing we need to get is to shear the alpacas. I've been watching shearing videos on youtube. Looks easy but I have a feeling that's not going to be the case. They have adjusted to living here and are hesitantly social. They will eat treats out of our hand but really prefer not to be touched. They lead well once they are haltered and get along with the sheep just fine. Once they are sheared we will introduce them to the big pasture with all of the sheep.

They are very cute but they will spit at you if you piss them off. Scared the daylights out of Tom - he really didn't know what Scion was doing until he spit at him. The rest of us watching laughed because it really was funny. Deliberate and comical :) He likes them still and does very well with them. The fiber is beautiful and I am anxious to see what our yarn is like.

Sheep shearing is just about finished and we finished all the goats last week. Our goats look funny once they are sheared, especially Amos the Buck as he has really big horns and they look really huge on him without his fleece. I know they all feel much better and they look better as well.


My Dad and his two boys, Tom & Tyler are back at Wildwood Stables in Arcadia National Park, Maine. They will be there throughout the summer giving guided carriage tours through the park. If you get there, be sure to ask for "the old Cowboy". He will give you an awesome ride through that beautiful area with incredible views of the Atlantic ocean.

This is the top of my Dad's tack box. Tom sanded it all off and Sarah painted this beautiful picture of Tom & Tyler with my Dad. She is sooooooo talented! He absolutely loved it. Such a wonderful gift - we will miss him but I know how much he loves his job and that he will have a great summer :)

Time to get busy - wishing you all a pleasant, productive week ~