The April sun is heating the soil in the garden as the seedlings are growing on the kitchen windowsill. The peppers are growing very slowly, as always, and the tomatoes have gotten their "true" leaf today. The peas have been in for about a week, probably none too early considering the warm weather we've had here lately. The onions, spinach, lettuce and swiss chard were planted just a day ago. I do the heavy working of the soil, adding compost, and running the tiller, while the Gatherer does most of the tedious planting.
In the barn, most of the young bottle fed goats and lambs are nearly weaned. They all will take drink of warm milk when it is offered, but they are eating hay and grain very well now. Our young doe, Elizabeth, had a single buckling Wednesday morning while we were all there to watch. What a wonderfully natural event after months of waiting. We'll let the little fellow drink from his mom and I'll milk the rest out each morning and night. It is sometimes a challenge to train a new milker, but Elizabeth seems to be learning quite quickly.
In the poultry side of things here, we have a new rooster in the hen house. He's a real pretty fellow from a neighbor's farm where he was just one of too many roosters. In our farmyard he is the boss now, waking us each morning and rounding the hens up each evening. If he gets too big for his britches I've got just the recipe for him. Our new laying chicks have arrived and are taking up space on the seedling stand in the kitchen. They like a warm place, but they begin to smell, so they won't be in the house for long. This year we've got a dozen Black Sexlinks, a cross between the Rhode Island Red and the Plymouth Rock. This a new breed for us, but isn't it fun to try new things?
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