Early Spring on the Homestead

We’ve had some really nice weather lately – temperatures in the high fifties and sixties and sunshine, glorious sunshine!  We’ve been able to spend A LOT of time outside.  My kids have freckles and I’m even getting tan!

The kids have been helping with farm chores and loving the animals.

Here are the sheep – Taleggio and Phoenix – waiting for breakfast and to be let out of their sheep shed in the morning.  I’m sure they are baa’ing at me!!

Here’s our greenhouse!  Our neighbor, BriAnn, planted up a storm.  Mine are the ones on the far table with the multicolored popcicle sticks…

which, by the way, are painted and the paint does bleed into the dirt.  Rainbow seedlings!   The rest are hers! I planted broccoli, cucumbers, and two different kinds of tomatoes – cherry and beefsteak.

BriAnn has peppers, corn, carrots, beans, zucchini, some lettuce, and cabbage… and a few others I’m sure I’m forgetting.  She’s hoping to have some starts for sale at our farmstand, and Makers and Growers Markets  (see link for details).

 

The alpacas have been happy with the sunny and warmer weather, too!  They’ve been grazing a lot and eating less hay.  They still are not interested in cooperating with me about getting their halters on and being handled… but they will come and stay close to me while I clean up their poop.  Sometimes, they even stand single file.

When the wind blows through the hay feeder in the alpaca field, it blows the lighter pieces all around the feeder.  Now that the grass is finally starting to grow again, we need to rake up the hay so that it gets sunlight.  Braden helped me get it into piles… sort of.

He loves to help!

 

When Taleggio and Phoenix first got here, they were totally comfortable with me… but nervous around kids and men… they didn’t get much exposure to either on the sheep farm.  Now they love the kids.  Partly because the kids know not to RUN at the them, even if they’re excited, but also because they’ve had good experiences with scratches and loves.  Here are Hattie and Nora getting some sheep love.

Awww…. Taleggio… I love your face! 🙂 

 

Phoenix came in to get some love, too!

Nora loves to say hi to the alpacas, too.  They love kids, and are skittish around adults. 

Zoe is so sweet with the kids. 🙂

See???!!! Spring Really Is Coming! 🙂

Sidewalk chalk on the patio.  Hattie added some special dandelion touches.

And here’s Braden… fixing his truck.  

Nora is the 3rd redhead child to love this truck.  It came from a very good friend who has a redhead boy who outgrew it… Braden loves it, still, and now Nora, too!

Here’s Hattie’s drawing of an alpaca! 🙂

And Nora just wanted to have her picture taken!  How can I say no to that face?! 

Lunch outside?! Alpaca lunch! 🙂

More signs of Spring! 🙂

Cute cousins!  Both 2013 babies, nine months (and several inches, and lots of pounds!) between these two.  I hope they’re this close forever.

And… one of the sweetest monents in that day!  My kids, all snuggled up with Becca (Taleggio and Phoenix’s mom) in the sheep shed, looking at pictures of sheep and hearing sheep stories, with Taleggio and Phoenix in the foreground having their snack! 🙂