Things are hopping along

Just some quick news bits to share.

Easter bunnies
On Easter Sunday, we went into Austin to spend some time with family. On they way home, in the early dark under an almost full moon, it was like watching an erie Easter bunny tale. As we turned onto our private road the landscape came ALIVE with bunnies! Little cottontail bunnies. They were EVERYWHERE!!! At no other time, in the many years we have lived here, have we seen this many bunnies at one time. They were hopping down the road, bouncing across the road, sitting on the creek banks, jumping thru the pastures - the bunnies were abounding! We stopped the car, looked around, looked at each other and said "Happy Easter"! :)

Puppy recount
Okay, little wiggling puppies can be hard to count when they are safely burrowed around their mom. Greta has let us check out her pups a bit closer now, and we have confirmed there are, in fact, EIGHT puppies. They are a week old today and are really growing. Momma Greta is doing wonderful, as always. Pictures coming soon....

Where there is smoke, there is fire
Yesterday afternoon, a thick haze began to filter its way across the pastures ... coming in waves with the strong, persistent winds. A quick call to my neighbor confirmed that there was, in fact, a grass fire burning just across the highway (about 1 mile from our ranch). Soon, the helicopters and water planes arrived to drop water on it. The event went on for several hours. At times, the local deputies were concerned the fire would jump the highway, putting many more pastures and homesteads at risk. In the end, our gallant fire control crews saved the day! No one was injured and no structures appear to have been lost in the blaze. Thank the Lord!

No kids yet ...
Although I was not sure it was possible to do so, our Nubian goat, Mikki, continues to expand daily! Her bag and teats are full, her ligaments are so soft I cannot feel them, and she waddles about as she grazes. She was exposed to Trevor starting October 28, so her earliest due date SHOULD be March 31 ... will she make it that far? Never mind that we recorded her being in standing heat on November 7 ... surely there is no way she will make it until April 10! Goats, they never cease to amaze me.

Garden zone
This past weekend, between other exciting activities, we took a few hours to clear an area for a garden. Now we just need to rent/borrow a tiller, move some soil around, and get the ground prepped. Oh, and it would probably be wise to start the seeds; they probably are not going to sprout while they are sitting in my kitchen in their original packaging. :)

In conjunction with the garden, we are working on fencing in a large pen in the backyard area too. This involved clearing the line for the fence, and measuring out the distance for materials. We plan to use this pen to bring in the momma goats at night for morning milking, as well as adding to the chicken's running area. The projects are never ending. :)

Guess that is about all the news for now. Thanks for stopping by!