Spring is coming and i'm still not ready!

Oliver and Mac

Zoe and Sadie

So many things flying through my mind.....my fingers won't keep up with it :)

So the National Cardigan Welsh Corgi Specialty is coming up the middle of April. This will be Zoe's first show since the St Paul show in January. Her time has come to WIN. She and I spoke and discussed the 12 Reserve Winner's Bitch ribbons that hang on the wall. We need some Winner's Bitch ribbons now!! Ell will have her first show with her litter mate, Flash, at the National. I'm very excited to show with all the reputable, renowned, long time breeders in the club. I've been very blessed in the past year to have met many CWC breeders via email and our ShowCardi-L list. I've contacted most of them and hope that I"ll be able to find them in the crowd to introduce myself personally.

I'm pretty lucky!! This year I am road tripping most of the way with a friend from Iowa (share the gas expense), then staying with new friends (for free) in the trailer parking ON GROUNDS, and setting up for grooming with Ell's well known and well respected breeders at Pluperfect-Merrymoon-Puddleduck. I already have most of my nights booked with breeder's education, Annual Banquet, 'social hour', as well as getting to meet many of my dog's relatives and get to see the stud dog, Fudge, in person, as well as many other GREAT dogs. All the top dogs in the breed will be there, as well as first time puppies (My Ell included). I'm pretty pumped about being there to share in all the fun!! AND FOR SO LITTLE MONEY!

On our way home we are stopping at Gail Former's farm to see her sheep and set up, as well as the new lambs. It will be good to see Gail again. I always enjoy our time together. I learn so much!

I've started hallucinating.

Or my ewes are great actresses!!!

Lavender last night starting laying down, getting up and sniffing the ground, kicking her tummy, peeing a lot, tail out, and bleating ever so softly. I panicked, and was up every hour on the hour to check her. Yup, I definitely need a baby monitor. I was so confused as she didn't have an udder but thought maybe she was one of those ewes that didn't bag until she HAD the lambs. At any rate she still doesn't have any babies and I'm quite ticked off. I'm sure she is smug thinking ' YES! Chalk one more up for the girls!' The score must be Garrett 0, ewes 15. I'll never learn. I think I saw her high-five a couple of the girls on their way out to the pasture this morning......as I held the door open with one hand and a large mountain dew in the other hand.

Technically they are due at any time. I've been watching bellies and udders and back ends. Cori and Chloe are still the closest if I go only by udder size. MOST of the girls vulva's are getting quite fleshy but still the udders are not that big. At least a few weeks or more for them. Some of the yearling girls are so round that its difficult for them to lay down and rest comfortably. For both of our sakes I hope they all lamb soon. Then I can get back to full sleep. I walk around in a daze now.

Last week Taika the great escaper managed to OPEN the gate in their inside pen in the barn. They were maybe out for 2 hours total as I went to check them around 9pm. They (all 16 yearlings) had eaten an entire 50# bag of scratch feed (corn, oats, wheat) and 20# of oats from another container. The runny droppings are just plain gross. I haven't fed them ANY thing besides hay since then. AND i've finally learned to put that stuff immediately into the 55 gal plastic drums I have. They can't get into those.....at least I dont' think so.........

No calves to report either. I swear those AI heifers are going to POP at the seams pretty soon if they don't let those calves out.

How is the battle on your front?