Sweet Lil Lambs

Cosette

Juliet

Mmmmm, yummy!!

Ironically this recipe comes from a joke app, but it works and it's delicious!!

Brownies in a Cup

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup sugar
• ¼ cup flour
• 2 Tbsp. cocoa
• pinch of salt
• 2 Tbsp. oil
• 3 Tbsp. Water

Directions:

1. add all dry ingredients in a large mug
2. add oil and water
3. mix until it's consistent
4. put in microwave and cook for 2:30 minutes or until consistency is cake like
5. cool and enjoy!

The Tale of Snow and Shed in a Box

Ahhh, springtime in the Rockies.  I have a love hate relationship with the month of April.  I love it because it's my birth month.  I love it because of the promise of spring.  I hate the April weather.  One day the temps are in the 60s; the next day we're in the teens with snow.  Ugh!!  The wonderful melt, dry driveway, possibility of spring planting has been extinguished by the beautiful snow globe outside my window.  Though I'm enjoying the toasty fire and snugly snow day; I'm not looking forward to the mud that awaits in days to come.

This brings me to the saga of Shed-in-a-Box.  The only way Lil Bit uses it is if I put his hay in there.  Other than that he camps out in the pallet, extra fencing corner under shelter of spindly pines.  He has a dry, draft proof getaway, yet chooses to hang out in the snow.  I give up!!  I fought for weeks to get the shed up, and goof ball will only use it if something delicious awaits him inside.  I'm glad I didn't spend the extra money to build him a permanent shelter he won't frequent.

Our Latest Adventure

Saturday we picked up 2 sweet bottle babies.  After swearing up and down that I wouldn't own wool sheep; we have wool sheep, a pair of CVM bottle lambs.  CVM stands for California Variegated Mutant; a breed created in the 1960s to possess beautifully colored fleece that was good hand spinning.  The breed along with their Romeldale counterparts are quite rare today.   Our little ewe lambs are baby, babies in need of extra care and handling.  Our beautiful brown lamb, Cosette, is only two weeks old.  Her dark gray buddy, Juliet, is four weeks old.  They are beautiful little girls, who should have amazing fleece once they get older.  Let the adventure begin!

Sunrise over the Valley

Springtime in the Rockies

Yesterday afternoon the girls were able to pull out their bikes and enjoy the balmy weather.  By this morning spring had disappeared and winter regained its hold.  I love the moisture,  but I hate the unexpected snows.

Fox: Fiend, Friend and Spirit Animal

For the past week a friendly fox has started to come to visit.  I believe he is the fox our neighbors have named Fritz.  On Easter Sunday he had an encounter with our gray tabby cat, Purrpikitty.  I'm not sure if Fritz wanted to eat her or sniff her.  When I got outside the fox is laying in a snow bank, and Purrky was crouched in the dirt puffed up to the size of a basketball.  

Monday morning, Fritz was back; sitting, waiting patiently by the wood pile.  I crept outside and crouched in the driveway to watch him.  Fritz, being the friendly fox he is, came trotting over.  He sniffed my fingers and later came up to snitch bits of lunch meat from my hand.

I'm playing a dangerous game: enamored by this fox's beauty, his tame nature.  We have chickens that is a tempting treat if Fritz keeps coming around.  Yet, I love to watch him, feel at peace around him.  He seems to come around every once in a while as a guide and friend.  So here I sit wondering if Fritz will plunder my poultry or guide me to the next phase of my homesteading dream.