Spring is here for sure!

We started out this month with a cold snow storm. This week we are having high temps in the 70's and even close to 80°. It was a cold winter, but spring is shaping up to be hot!

I managed to go to three auctions so far this year. I haven't spent a lot of money, but I have brought home some good items. Most of the things I bought were for fencing or other "construction" related items, but I did manage to come up with a few good deals on other things!

Yesterday, I brought home a real nice 10' x 6' grain wagon with a hoist. No one else bid on it, so I got it CHEAP! It will be put to good use around here - that is for sure!

One thing to look for at auctions is items nobody else seems to want. I have brought home bunches of pipe, angle, wood, and even hog/cattle panels because they were "bent' or otherwise damaged. These panels make wonderful gates and even creek crossings, even if they are bent. Usually, they can be cut to whatever size you need.

I am making plans to plant some corn this year. I am not going to plant much, but am not sure of the amount yet. I already have some seed lined up (free), so I am ready to go!

I have been picking up any small rocks I find in the pasture ("fist" sized or smaller). They work just great in some of the low spots in the driveway. They are also a lot cheaper then buying rock! There is an endless supply of them out there, so I should be able to pick them for awhile!

My sister is staying with us for awhile, and is helping out with some things around here. This week, she braved the wilds of our "back forty" to help me survey a line for fence. One of these days we will start building the fence and have more pasture for the goats.

New Arrivals

We were waiting for one of our goats to kid for the past 2-3 weeks. We didn't catch them "in the act", so we couldn't tell the exact date she was due. She was showing all the signs - restless, soft ligiments, holding her tail up, side had dropped, her bag was full - but she held out on us just like she did last year! The new kids finally arrived on 19 February 2007! We had a boy and a girl. The girl has long ears like her dad and the boy has short ears like his mom. They both are happily frolicing around in the barn with their mom!

My sister was here this weekend, so she went with me to an auction I had planned toattend. It was 20 miles away in Syracuse NE. It was a bit chilly at first, but it was an enjoyable day! The sleet/snow waited until just as the auction ended, so we were able stay for it all and make it back home safely. I didn't have much to spend, but came home with a few small items. I needed a calf waterer for the goats - the kind with a "head hole" in the side for smaller/younger animals. There was a small one there that went for dirt cheap, so I couldn't pass it up.

My other auction finds were a Radial Arm Saw, some odds and ends, a couple platform scales, and a loading chute on steel wheels.

I ran into several friends from the Syracuse and surounding area while at the sale. I hadn't seen a couple of them in about 20 years, so I am glad I went!