Thursday, March 21, 2013

Spring Means Babies...

I feel like a broken record.

It is cold.

It snowed a foot.

I can't wait until Spring (Spring means inches of mud instead of snow, so make that-) Summer.

So much to do. Planting, building, growing, but we can't because it snowed a foot (again!).

The frustrated expectation of the months ahead is enough to drive one mad slowly waiting for it. And then, I hear these from the living room, chirping sweetly. I take a breath in and out. And watch them. They are not waiting for anything. They play. They scratch. They eat. They drink. They snooze in a warm and comfy pile. I can't help but smile.

And, these:

They are slowly growing into the promise of ducklings and goslings. I candled them last night to check for progress. As far as I can tell, 4 of the Black Swedish eggs have nothing forming. I will give them another week and if there are no signs of life, those eggs will be discarded. The other 8 Black Swedish eggs have the beginnings of life, tiny veins spidering out from the center. The Mallard eggs are faring slightly better. 10 of them are showing signs of development. It is difficult to see inside the strong, thick goose eggshell, but I was able to definitively see a developing "spider" in at least on egg. Such hopeful news! These should begin hatching sometime around April 11th.

And, if those two things were not enough to remind me to live what life is today, the joy of these little ones surely is.



I cannot truthfully say that I am not still awaiting the warm days of summer and eagerly anticipating the bounty of this year's harvest with hope. Nor, that I have given up worrying over the coming delivery of Leah and Rachel's kids. But, I think if my mind starts to run ahead too much, I will just nip down to the kid stall and watch some goat kids at play.

I had so much fun interacting with friends who guessed what breed of chicks we had in the brooder, I had another thought. Rachel is due between now and the end of April 2013. If you would care to guess the date she delivers, I will send the person who guesses the closest a semi-fabulous prize from our Etsy shop. No need to sign up for anything, just leave a comment with your guess. I can tell you that her udder is filling, but is not football sized yet, if that helps, at all with your guessing.

Thanks for visiting with us today.
Sean and Sonja ♥

Also shared at Coop Hop #4

3 comments:

  1. I think she will have the baby on April 7th!

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  2. That video is the cutest thing ever. I always squeal with delight when I see goat kids pouncing and jumping around. They exude pure joy!

    I guess Rachel will have her baby on April 30th, my husbands birthday :)

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