Spring Approacheth

Many people look forward to spring - the warmer days, the sunshine, birds singing, etc. I do too, but not to the extent of most people. You see, I am a winter person. I live for the cold, cloudy, snowy days. Don't get me wrong...I do like spring. Especially now that I have little lambs to look forward to. However, when I think of spring, I can't help but think that summer is just around the corner - and I HATE summer! Heat, bugs, sweat...ick!!

Spring is fun though. Despite all of the poop scooping that I have to do; the mud that gets tracked into the house by humans and - mostly - dogs; the longer days; the loss of my bulky soft flannel shirts.... Anyway - I do like to plant things around the yard (landscaping seems to be a never-ending process around here - especially since there was nothing when we moved in except piles of river rock), as well as spend more time with the animals...so I guess spring is good for something! Kirk and I have also been talking about doing more container gardening this spring. Guess I need to crack open the Seeds of Change catalog and get to planning!

The vet was out last Thursday to give the equines their spring shots - and to do a Coggins on Kiara since she is for sale. Dr. Brown has been caring for Kiara since I first got her as a weanling and every time she comes out she is even more impressed by the stunningly gorgeous Kiara. The only time Dr. Brown has had to see Kiara is for routine shots and wolf teeth removal - pretty amazing for a four year old horse!

Dr. Brown showed me how to draw blood on Tigger so that I can have him Codon tested for Scrapie. As of right now, this testing is not required by the goverment. However, it is possible that in the future it will be required - and all animals that do not meet the requirements will need to be slaughtered. As a breeder, I need to be responsible and make sure that my ram is genetically sound and will not produce Scrapies-prone lambs. I need to have this testing done as soon as possible so that I can know whether or not my current batch of lambs are okay. If Tigger does not have the right genetic makeup, then I will have to test each lamb as it is born - which will be a huge pain. Therefore, I'm praying for good test results from Tig!

That's all for now. Gotta finish my coffee and head off to do some poo duty. Manure Movers of America - unite!