Sap, Sap & More Sap!

Well it's official, sugar season is in high gear & sap is running like crazy. Days & nights are starting to blur, but here's a recap.

We boiled & gathered on Tuesday.We took my nephew  Q to gather with us. He spends Tuesdays  with his Meme.Most Monday nights he comes with my brother on the 6 wheeler for a quick visit.I told him we would bring him to gather, like we did last Tuesday, if he took a nap. Well, I guess after lunch my sister in law was looking for him & he said he was in bed. Think he wanted to make sure he took his nap so he could go. We head down to the sugar woods & start gathering. Q is like the dogs takes off running through the field & we have to call the 3 of them back (Q & the dogs). Then he likes to play with sticks & ride on the four-wheeler. He  got his gloves wet reaching in the bucket to get out the ice, then he wore K3's gloves - got them wet the same way, and ended the day with mine. He is quite a boy! We love him, he makes us laugh!

We gathered 220 gal sap on Wednesday & 350 today! My sugarmaker is busy! Think we are up to having made 17 gal.of all fancy syrup. That was before tonight.

Barn update- Mark spent the day jack hammering the curb. K3 helped move all the concrete & Leo did a great job cleaning.

Lambs & mama's are doing great! Looks like K3's show sheep Addison is going to lamb. I wasn't sure if she was bred, but she is bagging up, so looks like more lambs soon.  Here's a peak at all the cuteness we have!

Peony's Lambs

Tonight, after gathering sap with K3 & our Tuesday helper (my nephew Q), night chores, dinner, cleanup and then finally a few minutes in the sugar house in was 9:00 which is bottle time for the quads. When I got down to the barn I saw Peony was in labor. I got to watch:) Every year she has had one black & one white, but I have never seen her deliver her lambs, so I was glad to catch it this time.

1st born -ram

2nd born - ewe

Good old Cater was watching just outside the pen - in case I need him!

EXCITING NEWS!!!

So, I know you all are thinking I lost my mind. Why would she get rabbits? What is she going to do with alpacas? Doesn't she have enough mouths to feed already?

Well Folks, I assure you there is a reason....we are opening a petting barn!!! Mark your calender Our Grand Opening is scheduled for June 22.

Here's our story: Mark & I have been wanting & planning our farming future for 3 long years. We've hit a lot of roadblocks. Finding land and/or a barn being our biggest hurdle. We've been disappointed numerous times, due to misrepresentation / miscommunication, property just out of our price range, or sold before we could get everything lined up. Mark kept saying, "we just need someone to give us a break". Leo & Arlene Lamoureux have given us our "break". We are renting their barn & pasture. They have been so wonderful, helpful, and supportive.

It's going to be GREAT...we will have a farm store to sell our syrup, eggs, and house our pasture raised meat/poultry CSA (still have a few spots left....). We will have a party room to book your favorite kiddos birthday party. Lot's of great animals to entertain all ages.  A play barn complete with sensory table for the little ones.We want to provide good old fashioned fun!

I have been working in the early education field for many years. I am currently working in a kindergarten classroom. People think Vermont and just assume it's a bunch of farm kids...not the case. Many children have not experienced the pure joy of holding a newborn chick, cuddling a sweet baby lamb, or feeling the soft fur of a rabbit or alpaca. I see a need to provide these experiences to children.

The barn we are renting was a milking cow barn. We are completely remodeling it.

This is what it looked like.

Andy jack hammering the curb.

Mark cutting out the stalls.

K3 & I removed the gutter cleaner the first day we worked, while Mark worked on some stalls. Today,  Mark & Andy removed the rest of the pipe line, cut out all the stalls, and  removed some of the curb until the rental jack hammer  BROKE (super frustrating!!!)  I was the clean up crew & camera girl!

I promise to keep you updated on our progress and take lots of pic!!

Sugaring pics...

I am too tired  to blog, so here's a few pics to enjoy :) Our nephew Q. came to help us. He had more fun running around the woods, but did help with a few buckets, so I could get some pics! He did like riding the four wheeler with Uncle Mark & Grandpa Simonds!

Q & K3 hard @ work!

Uncle Mark, told him to show me how strong he is....

Our syrup canner!

More Kritters ......

Meet the newest members of Triple K Farm....ALPACAS!

                                       
                                         

This is Daisy.

Here is Gianna.

Quad update: They are all doing great!One ram lamb nurses on Myra - he doesn't drink from the bottle at all. The white ram & Pepsi nurse a little & supplement with the bottle. The all black only drinks from the bottle. They are so cute & fun. Poor Pepsi still has really crooked bow legs from being squished inside Myra. They have improved some, but still have a ways to go. She has no problem getting around, which is good.I am not sure what the outcome is going to be, she might always have crooked legs.They are starting to run & jump around, which is really fun to watch. After they eat & their bellies are full its nap time.They like to sleep together.

Good old Phoebe had twin ram lambs on Friday. She plopped them out no problem, they are nursing, and doing great! Phoebe is K3's first sheep. We got he in Maine, but she was born in Washington state. This girl has been around! She is 9 yrs old & this is the 3rd time she has had lambs for us. They all look the same black and a face like Phoebes.

I love the way lambs wag their tails when they are nursing!

We are up to 9 lambs- 5 rams & 4 ewes. I believe we are going to have a little break. Peony is due March 7th. I have 3 more possible but I'm not sure if they are bred, if they are it will be end of March.

We gathered & boiled on Friday and Sunday. We've made 6 gallons of fancy syrup.

I am done vacation & back to work today...Last night I told K3  my "vacation" was exhausting and I dreaded going back to work & trying to keep up with everything. She told me that I often stress out and say how busy I am, but this week she told me I really was going non stop.

 I have to say all the Ks were very helpful. Doing some of the dishes and laundry. They helped gather sap and did a few of the daytime bottle feedings. They are great girls! I did manage to sneak in a few hours alone with each of them & take them to lunch and shopping.  Burlington & a new comforter for K3.  Port Henry & a prom dress for K2.  Rutland & a new phone for K1.

Phew.... it never stops!! But, it all makes me happy & I wouldn't want it any other way. (Except, I could do without the middle of the night feedings!)

What's in my kitchen?

No, Thankfully not a lamb. Myra is tending to them all with a little help = every 3 hr supplement feedings.

• 25 lb bag of milk replacer
• 1/2 empty bottles of lamb milk
• lambing kit (don't want everything frozen)
• defrosting chicken water
• defrosting sap pump
• Flash light on the table (all the night runs 10:00,2:00,5:00)
• Everyone's muck boots (no one wants to put on cold boots, especially in the middle of the night, OH...wait, ONLY I get up then!!!)
• Way too many dog prints (even though K2 mopped yesterday)

I am so ready for SPRING!!!!!

K1 feeding our ewe lamb. K3 named her Pepsi!

OMG......QUADS!!!!!

 Yes, you are seeing correctly....Myra had FOUR LAMBS!!!!

 So, yesterday was her due date. During morning chores I fell on the ice & dumped the 5 gal. water bucket I was carrying. I smacked my knee, which caused me to limp all day & night for the MANY  trips to the barn.  I checked on Myra through out the day. I did leave to bring the dogs to the vet for their yearly shots.

Around 5 PM we noticed that Myra was hunching up & was in the beginning stages of labor. All evening we checked, we were worried about her but wanted to give her space. Mark went to bed around ten, while I waited.
10:00 I saw the water bag starting to emerge.
11:30 It was fully out. I set my alarm & slept for an hour.
12:30 I found the white ram lamb had been born. I set my alarm & slept for another hour.
1:30 I found a black ram lamb. I moved her into lambing jug & I thought she was done.
2:30 Finally go to bed
5:00 AM I hear Mark come into the house, briskly walk into the bedroom, "Tracy GET UP, there's four!" and he turns around & walks out.

In the pen, there is one more black ram lamb & the tiniest black ewe lamb. She had just been born.The other ram lamb is still wet too. I take the ewe into the house & we wake up K3. She takes over & uses towels & the hair dryer to dry her. We go back to the barn & check everyone else. After she is dry we bring her back out. At 8 as soon as the vet opens I call & ask them for advice. He says as long as she is accepting them all then leave them but we will need to supplement them.  Now, I notice Miley is acting strange. She is reacting to her shots. I call the small animal vet, they want me to give her an aspirin.Off to Brandon for milk replacer.
Once, home (10 am) we hold Myra down & try to get each one to nurse. Then we bottle feed them.
Repeat @ noon. Now it's 3 and time to go back to the barn.

P.S. Miley is doing better!

More pics because they are sooooo cute!