What a difference a day makes

Yesterday when I milked and did the morning chores it was minus 5 degrees. This morning it was 30 degrees. That's a big change, but it felt good. Curly Sue freshened yesterday with a giant buck. He was in there like a cork and it took some serious pulling to get him out, but everything turned out alright. Now we are done with kidding and life is settling in to the normal routine. I'm back to washing bottles, nipples, buckets and the milk strainer twice a day. My hands, once again, have the familiar scent of Bag Balm. The does are getting used to getting up on the stanchion again. I decided to give my oldest doe, Tulip, a rest this year. She has freshened for the last 7 years and is my best milker. She loves to be milked and she is so mad at me! She cannot understand why some of the other does are getting all the attention. She won't have anything to do with me. Oh well... I'm very happy with our new crop of babies, 6 does and 2 bucks. I have been coming up with names. So far we have Dinah (she was born on my sister's birthday and that is her nickname). Marshmallow's triplets are Blueberry Frost, Blackberry Bramble and Ramblin' Raspberry. I still have to come up with names for April's babies. I don't name the buck kids, because they won't be staying. Tim doesn't know how I tell them apart, but when you are there when they are born and you inspect every inch of them, you know. They already  have their own personalities. Dinah and Raspberry are my most social. Blueberry is my quiet one. They will stay in the pen, under heat lamps for a week or so and then I turn them over to Teton. Poor Teton, all these girls to watch this year. Girls always get into more trouble...it's just our nature.