Busy Week

Last week started off with more than usual going on for a Monday.  First, I needed to attend a meeting that started at 8AM.  For some of you that may not seem like such a big deal, but around here, my son isn't even usually out of bed until about 8 or 830.  I don't usually make plans to leave the house before 10.  Knowing it was coming I didn't separate the twins from Cream, so I wouldn't have to milk that morning, that helped!

Next, it was my first day as a drop coordinator for the monthly Azure Standard order.  There's no set time for delivery, just whenever the truck driver calls to say he's almost here.

Did I mention I was watching 3 goats for signs of labor?  Yes, one that I thought would be about 10 days later filled her udder Sunday night.  No other signs though, so thought there might still be another day or two.  Nope.  Got home from picking up co-op order and Goober Gus went out to see animals and informed me we had a new baby goat.  I stopped what I was doing in the kitchen to go check and this one was still wet and being cleaned. 

Azure boxes opened and waiting to be put away.  Dishwasher needing to be emptied.  Counter tops to clear.

We stayed out to see if she'd have more and she did.  Two boys.

Once the after birth was delivered we moved on to a few other tasks, but then Baby Boy 1 started crying and couldn't get up.  Turns out he was having convulsions and died the next day.  Baby Boy 2 was originally named Blackjack, but we changed that a couple of days later.

The night that the buckling died, Gus and I were enjoying pizza and a movie.  Did I mention Tony was on a business trip during this time?  Leave it to the goats!  We heard a squealing sound and turned to see that one of the cats had brought in its recent catch, still alive and struggling to get away.  It was a baby wild rabbit and we thought it hadn't been mortally wounded, so tried to keep it.  Turns out there was a puncture wound near the heart and he died in my hand.  Two deaths in one day was almost too much for me!

Wednesday, I felt like I had sufficiently recovered from the events of the week so far to tackle the kitchen.  Of course I made it into a bigger task, simply because to do it right, I needed to change some things.  Like the shelf that hangs on the wall, collecting odds and ends.  I've been wanting to change it into something visually appealing and functional, so I took everything off, asked Tony to reinforce the hangers, and put labeled quart jars of bulk herbs on the shelves.  The small shelves on the sides need attention-perhaps a pretty wooden box to hold recipe cards and small flower arrangement?

By the time I had accomplished this, it was mid afternoon (I did get the counters cleared and dishes done too) and I was ready for a treat.  I was planning to take Gus to get an ice cream sandwich (organic of course) and something to drink.  Before we could leave I heard a goat moaning.  Again?  Already?  The next one wasn't due until the 23rd and it was just the 18th.  Sure enough, Annie, who is so huge we thought she was having triplets at least, if not quadruplets, was pushing out her first kid.  We grabbed the camera and sat down to watch.  I couldn't get close enough to tell if it was a girl or boy, but within 30 minutes another one was born.  Guess what happened then?  It started drizzling on us!  This is the desert, we don't usually get spring rains.  It was even cool enough that we went in to put long pants and jackets on!  Back out we went, waiting for #3.  Waiting and waiting.  For the afterbirth.  Yep, she only had 2, but they were big kids.  Turns out we had a boy and girl, so we decided to name them Jack and Jill (and that's why Blackjack needed a new name).  They are so closely marked that until the next day, I couldn't tell them apart!  Jack has longer white spots on his hindquarters, and Jill just has a little white dot.  Now she has a collar on so we can tell more easily.

The picture doesn't adequately show how huge she was.  She looked like a barrel on twigs.  The morning she gave birth it took all she had to get up on the milk stand.  No, I wasn't milking, but giving her treats and checking for signs of labor.

Do you see how similarly they are marked?  They were both still damp with birth fluid and in the excitement I didn't see the longer white stripe on Jack.

We need to take more pictures of them-ideally be out when they are playing and get video.  Tony missed the Wednesday births too because he's got a nightly music job 90 minutes away.

We've been working in the yard, garden and searching for duck eggs.  They're hiding them from us.  Did I ever mention a friend gave us her 3 Indian Runner ducks and 7 hens?

I've been working on this post for a few days now.  It's Thursday and these events all took place last week.  Something kept me busy Thursday & Friday, but I can't remember.  Oh yes.  I finished working on house cleaning and then my step daughters came for a visit on Friday.  Saturday morning we hit up the yard sales and continued looking for property to buy.  Saturday night we had tickets to a Styx concert and finally got to relax a bit.  I think I needed it!