Happenings at the farm

Update: Things are spinning here...not quite out of control, although my tired brain couldn't grasp that concept last night as I lay awake with all sorts of unfounded panicky thoughts racing through and keeping me awake...... Chris graduated from college just 2 weekends ago, and we celebrated first with family on graduation weekend, then this past weekend with Chris' friends, and Aunt Nancy came all the way from Atlanta just to be here.  Both weekends were nice, and good to see everyone who could come. The piglets arrived during the party.  Chris and Carrie played host and hostess while Jeff and I drove Michael to pick his 2 piglets from the litter.  No escaped piggies during the festivities, for which I was immensely grateful.  The barn immediately smelled different, but that's another story. Just today, our 2 Southdown (Babydoll) sheep arrived:  one ewe and one ewe-lamb.  The lamb is already looking like a mischievous one, the ewe is seeming to be timid, but will come around.  They aren't any taller than our lab mix, Shadow, although the ewe (Iris) is much stockier. I say that the lamb is looking mischievous because.....they are in a pen next to the new piglets, and both lambikin and piggies are trying to invite each other to play through the wire fencing.  Little Pig One and Little Pig Two munch their corn/feed, saunter over with full mouths, smack their lips in the face of the sheep, and dash off if the sheep make any move towards them.  The piglets were so tired from spinning in excited circles if the lamb so much as moved that they forgot all about eating for a while and sacked out in the middle of their pen.  Much like Ruby (the heifer calf) teasing the dogs, April (the lamb) seemed to be having lots of quiet fun sending the pigs scampering with just a coy bat of her eyes. School ends this week for Michael.  He has a job with the owner of the feed store, the same guy who raised the piglets.  Michael has already been allowed to drive the huge tractor to plow a field which will be seeded for hay, while Bruce teased him about showing up in white basketball shorts and a white T-shirt to work in a dusty field (instead of dirty jeans and an old shirt).  Well, every job has its learning curve. Jeremy has 2 more weeks of school, with next week Friday being the day that his whole 5th grade class comes here for a farm day.  Sheep and piglets will stay in their smaller enclosures inside the barn until after that day, partly so that they can get used to us, partly so that the kids can get a close look without having to touch the animals, and partly (mostly) so that we can get their permanent quarters ready. Chris is here until June 1st, when we move him and his stuff into the apartment in Milwaukee and he gets ready to start his new job (he also bought a new car!  An exciting time for him).   I finally located the camera, so will try to take some photos of the new arrivals tomorrow when I'm not ready to fall asleep at the keyboard. Good night, everyone. Laura http://dykstrasfarm.blogspot.com/