Our Kids

Supper time for Hazel.

(Thanks, Mom and Dad, for the coveralls!)

Corylus doesn't want to miss out!

No, Hazel, there's no milk in my chin.

If I look real sweet, will you feed me?

Filbert LOVES to climb.

He is definitely the most acrobatic of the three.

He's the mouthiest too.

No, Corylus, I'm the king of the hill.

He sings and he dances!

Hazel is quieter than Filbert,

but still quite adventurous.

(and adorable)

Hazel seems to be learning a lot from her big brother.

No, I don't care how cute you are,

you have had all the milk you are going to get for today.

Finishing Touches

If you cut out the floor and ceiling....

doesn't it look like a finished house?!?!

The south (porch)-facing window in the great room.

(The chickens hanging out under the porch under that window.

It didn't take them long to find the driest, dustiest spot around!)

The east-facing window has a wider sill.

Someday it will be full of plants eagerly soaking in the sunshine.

Mickey trimmed the bedroom window too.

The oak sill matches the oak trim on the bed,

which now has its slats!

The wall cabinet behind the headboard

-ready to receive its goods.

It continues to be amazing and inspiring

to see our home taking shape!

Pruning

Mick and I walked down to the old apple orchard today, which he discovered this autumn at the bottom of our property. I didn't know apple trees could grow so tall and straight! He did some initial pruning to begin to clean up the area, and all the chainsawing was uneventful and successful.

Well, almost uneventful.

Meet Our Kids!

We are so excited about our three new kids!!!!

Hazel, in the background, is probably 1-2 weeks old.

Filbert is a 2-1/2 week old buckling,

and Corylus (COR-i-lus) is a 1 month old doeling.

Mickey built a pen in the "barn" for our kids.

They are all still bottle babies.

Corylus tries to get hers while Filbert chows down.

Little Hazel managed to climb up to the top of the haybale!

All three are mixes of dairy goat breeds,

combinations of Alpine, Saanen, Toggenburg, and Nubian.

Hazel was born at a farm in Moravia,

and Corylus and Filbert were born at a farm in Mexico.

Mickey brought us safely home through a mighty snowstorm!
When the storm finally moved on,

it left behind a beautiful evening to welcome our kids home.

Critters in February

Gerard has taken ownership of stray banana boxes.

Good luck attempting to change the contents of His boxes!

The geese made their mark on our maple syrup.

(1.5 gallons bottled so far!)

We had left our pans out on a cold night, and the boiled sap froze.

As the day warmed, the sap started to turn slushy,

and the curious geese got their beaks in it!

Sorry, guys, you can't convince me those patterns are natural!

Besides, I saw you with your beak in it

(and trying to sneak back to the pan

as soon as I turned my back after chasing you away).

Meanwhile, the hens sneaked into the shed for nesting purposes.

Mick captured their song:

And the next day:

We went from an average of 1 duck egg a day (a week ago)

to an average of 2 duck and 2 chicken eggs a day!

I see many omelettes in my future.

Bedroom

Here is the view of our bedroom from the bedroom door:

Mick has been hard at work on our built-in bed,

with cabinets and drawers underneath.

You can also see how much of the paneling he has done in the bedroom!

The closet is almost completely paneled.

Isn't it beautiful? I love the wood!

And after a day of hard work on the cabin, Mick returns to the cabin to brew.

This is the scene I came home to last night:

one full carboy, two empty carboys, a bucket,

and many many gallons of apple juice waiting to be transformed.

Cheers!