Molly gives us 3!

We have had some trouble before with triplets—once when we lost Lucille who couldn't push any of them out, and just recently with Rosie who had 2 healthy kids, and a third one that was stillborn.

This morning, Molly gave us triplets, on the coldest morning ever, but at least they are healthy. The first one was breach, and I had to help. The next 2 came with no problems. You can tell by how dry they are who was born first. That first little stinker refused to pose for her birthday pic.

The little girl in her yellow coat offered to give up her coat to the newborns. She said she is warm enough and doesn't need it anymore. The newest ones just need a little help until they are completely dried off.

Goats in coats

So the village came through with plenty of goat coats! From just one little request on Celebrate Cooperstown on Facebook, I got 8 coats in 2 days. Now I just have to convince the little ones that they need to keep them on. One little goatie in particular has removed 3 different coats so far. 

Sharon, the belted mom, moved her 2 today from the calf hutch where they were born, out to the barn. Even though the calf hutch might be warmer, her kids can now snuggle under the hay manger with the other 4. With all the hay on the floor below, and in the feeder above, AND with 6 little bodies (some with their coats still on!) snuggled in together, they should stay warm enough.

We are expecting below 0° temps starting tonight, with a single digit high for tomorrow. And it's windy! I am praying that no one else gives birth until we get back to double digits.

A shout out to The Husband (who hates being mentioned on here). He was very proud when he found the Dogloo (below) and his other big plastic find, the calf hutch a couple years ago. I scolded him because I hate big plastic things, but they have both turned out to be very handy for mid-winter goat-warming. The adults are fine with the cold, newborn kids, not so much.

So thank you my unnamed husband.

And HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

It takes a village

Yesterday we had Rosie and her daughter Sharon deliver 2 kids each in the morning when it was only about 3° out there. Rosie chose the big barn where there is no heat, but plenty of hay. We dried off her kids as quickly as possible to prevent frostbite. They looked mostly content in the sun when I checked on them later.

I was concerned that Sharon chose the plastic calf hutch out in the field to have her kids, but we were able to throw some dark colored moving blankets on top, and pile up some snow and spent hay around the sides. When the sun came out later, it turned out to be a good choice.

It is supposed to get even colder starting tomorrow, and we still have several more pregnant does. Barbara, who works with The Husband, had sent little puffy dog coat home with him yesterday, and we put it on the little cutie in the calf hutch who still looked a little damp. So this morning I posted a request in a group called Celebrate Cooperstown on Facebook, looking for some more coats. There were so many people who responded that I think all these kids, and all those on the way, will stay warm through the winter cold.

It does take a village. Thank you all!

Warm inside, cold kids outside

I do enjoy winters here because I have the luxury of spending them inside with the woodstove. Our 6 floor-to-ceiling windows in the comfortable living room provide a great view of our beautiful property.

It was plenty warm in here this morning, but only 3° outside when Rosie and Sharon gave birth to 2 kids each.

Husband dried them off as best he could, and we both did our best to hold them and warm them up. Both moms also did their best to clean them up and start feeding them.

This is the part of winter I do not enjoy—being warm and toasty inside with the lucky animals, and worrying about the young ones outside in the cold...

A new day

This is going to be one of those winters where we have constant snow on the ground. It comes and goes, but never goes away completely. It came and went several times today. That sunny pic of the back 40 turned suddenly evil looking just minutes later when the clouds took over.

Cyrus spent about an hour dozing on the porch this morning in windy, snowing, 21° weather. Kathy spent the day inside, with the woodstove blazing, in 76° with Woody by her side snoring his way through Biden's inauguration.

The cats, as usual, spent their day sunning themselves in my bed. Just like they did on Election Day (and every day since then).

I am trying to contain my excitement for this new day. I want to get back to a time when I can safely ignore politics—like Woody and Monkey and the rest of the critters. I want to be as chill as my Monkey.

So many gifts

Susan gave us our first 2 kids of the season. Let the fun begin!

Middle Sister gave me some scuba gloves for Christmas after seeing my white fingers from last winter's creek testing. If it weren't for the 2 feet of snow we had in December, I could have tried them out then. We have had pretty constant snow cover since, but not enough to keep me out of the creek yesterday. The gloves did a great job of keeping my fingers pink and warm.

The Husband gave me a trail camera for Christmas. There are too many disbelievers (including him) who think this Jersey girl doesn't know what she is seeing. Now I have proof that the bobcat is still here, and a fox came to visit the night before.

The only good news for the chickens is that both of these predators came at night, far from the chicken coop where they are closed up. 

Mystery sloths find a home

For those of you not on Facebook, I posted a pic of a plush sloth mom and baby that I received in the mail from a mystery sender. Apparently Amazon has strict privacy rules and will not share their secret with me. And no one owned up to it on Facebook. 

After receiving a mysterious pair of Chinese RayBans in the mail a few months ago, I was suspicious, but these didn't come directly from China. I suspect someone just wanted to send me something cute and cuddly. Whoever you may be, I do appreciate your efforts. I hope you don't mind that I regifted them. I gave mom and baby a big hug before I sent them to their new "forever home".

My 5 baby chicks who were hatched in July are being rehomed as well. Rather than sell the 2 young roosters for meat because they have been attacking my Big Roo, I put all 5 for sale online as a "starter flock". It took only a few days to find them a new coop where they will also be appreciated. Tomorrow my Big Roo will be freed from his safe location/prison cell.

The 2 dog boys would like you to know they are currently in no danger of being rehomed. They survived another year without causing too much trouble.

And yes, the tree is still up.

Beaver strong

If I go upstairs to wrap a few late presents, I have the cats as helpers instead of the dogs. I am not yet ready to take down the tree and put everything Christmas away. Until I do that, the cat boys will be playing with, sleeping on, and chewing on the boxes in the hall.

The Husband gave me a trail camera for Christmas, among other lovely gifts, so I went down to install it near the creek where all the interesting critters like to hang out. I checked on the beaver dam while I was there. It has definitely sprung a few leaks, but is still holding strong after the flooding we had last week. 

Our carefully installed dock with steel pipes sunk through cinder blocks didn't last a week. I guess the beavers are better engineers. This has been there since at least September.