Glad to see that the forum is back to normal. I read this everyday and have posted a few times; mostly to try to answer one of Mitch's stumpers:) I just wanted to announce the birth of two beautiful little doelings last evening. They are so tiny I can hardly believe it, but eating well and flopping their stumpy tails back and forth. Everything here is named after a cartoon or TV character so I guess their names will be Lucy and Ethel. Mama's name is Moe; her brothers are Curly and the late Larry. Daddy is Billy, a great fainting goat. Shemp had her baby last month--a giant buckling and full fainter. Only one more doe to go this spring another fainter...

We have a 30 acre farm and all sorts of critters. I teach full-time and am a free-lance photographer. I am also finishing up post-graduate coursework in ed admin. My husband is a carpenter and loves me enough to take of my animals when I can't. Who could ask for more? We have two sons, 21 and 25 who have left the nest to move into another house on the farm.

I guess that's more than enough for now. Thanks for giving me such interesting peeks into your lives. I love to see how we are all so alike wile we're all so different.

-- Debbie in S IL (dc1253@hcis.net), March 12, 2002

Answers

Oh, Debbie, I wish I could see your babies-baby goats are soooo cute! It makes me forget all the mischief they get into when they get older......

-- Kelly (homearts2002@yahoo.com), March 12, 2002.

Hi Debbie

What a colorful portrait of your farm. When I read the beginning I was thinking - "These guys can't have children"!

Ours are 22 and 19. They are still in the nest. They oldest is studying for a Respiratory Therapy degree. The young one works in a bakery. She wants to be a hair stylist. She is going to go camp at the homestead for a week in April.

So Long

-- Rick in SW West Virginia (Rick_122@hotmail.com), March 12, 2002.

I just can hardly wait. I am kidding so late this year. I have three does due the first week in April. I just love to watch them play and those big Nubian ears flopping around. All our children have long left the nest, In fact my baby just had her fourth child last month. Grandchildren are ever so much more fun than the children were.

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), March 12, 2002.

Debbie, I, too, love getting home from school and seeing the new babies the day has brought. Every night this week has seen the arrival of a new lamb, and the bonus on Sunday was a new calf as well. Isn't spring wonderful! Polly

-- (jserg45@hotmail.com), March 13, 2002.

A week ago snow storm (yes it snows in OK) I had (not personally) 7 baby lambs all born around 2:30 in the morning, it was crazy in the barn with towels trying to warm up babies (I was freezing too death, myself). Making sure everyong got a drink of colustrum, nutra drench, cords cut and idined, mothers needed warm water hauled to them with molasses in it. One ewe hadn't lamb yet and kept trying to steal others babies, which I wasn't sure wasn't hers at first. At least I didn't miss work the next day,(work on the farm) but did miss church. Debbie P.S> Isn't it fun though!!

-- Debbin in SE OK. (bwolcott@cwis.net), March 14, 2002.