Assorted Catch Up

The lambs are all doing well so far.  A couple of the multiple babies went off to a nice new home today where they will eventually be part of a new flock.  That will take some of the strain off the moms and ensure that everyone gets enough to eat.  There are still several ewes due any day so lambing continues.

Catarina is due in June if she is actually pregnant.  She has had babies before and she was bred last year so we assume that a space alien baby is on the way.  It probably has to find the right wormhole or some such in order to get into this arm of the galaxy before making an appearance.

If the baby is a girl, she will stay on the farm for good.  If the new space alien is a boy, FB will find a different home for him when he is weaned.  Apparently, male llamas can be a dangerous problem around sheep so a boy will have to find another planet to live on.  Girls rule, boys drool.  Right?

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I spoke too soon about the fish in my pond.  I saw all six of the carp earlier and they seemed fine, but in the past two weeks all of them have died.  I have no idea why and I am very discouraged about it.  There are hundreds of frogs and salamanders in the pond as well as numerous painted turtles and they all seem perfectly healthy so I have to assume the water is OK.

Someone suggested that they might have starved, which I find very disturbing.  I asked all the fish experts last year if the carp needed anything from me and I was assured that they did not.  It bothers me a great deal to think they died for lack of food.  I'd have fed them if they needed it.

The carp were all significantly larger than they were last year so it seems like they had to be eating something all winter.  I don't know enough about fish to know what went wrong and I have not been able to get in touch with any of the experts, but - dead is dead.

I am not sure if I will bother with any more fish.  They were supposed to be easy and self-sufficient, but so far, they have been as heartbreaking and expensive as beekeeping.  I may just leave the pond to the weeds and the turtles and let them sort it all out without me.

I have never seen any catfish bodies floating around so I am choosing to believe that they are still OK.

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I've started working on an interesting new hoof problem in an older donkey.  His story will be coming up in a bit.  He is a sweet, opinionated fellow whose feet fell through the cracks of indifferent farrier care.  He is going to be another interesting challenge, but I hope to get him feeling better.

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I am trying to get back to more regular posting.  I never really meant to drop out like I have lately, but  another bout of bronchitis and sinus infections really sidelined me for a bit.  Ten days of antibiotics has helped a lot and my brain seems to be functioning a little better.  Hopefully, it will continue.