Spring cleaning has begun

Modern cleaning and organizational experts tell us that we should stay on top of things 365 days a year, which means spring cleaning should not be necessary. Well, modern organizational experts don't live on a farm where winter temperatures get down into single digits and below zero! When it's that cold outside, you do what you have to do, and then you run for the warmth of your house. That means that a lot of things don't get put away or cleaned up, and organization goes out the window.

Yesterday's temperatures went up to 60 F, which is the warmest it has been since November, which means I spent the whole day outside. First thing I did was clean the windows in the new kidding pens. I know it sounds trivial, but it makes the whole area look so much better when the sun can stream through the windows. Jonathan cleaned out the kidding pens after I moved the mamas and babies to the nursery pen, where the kids can grow up together, play, and learn about the harsh realities of life, such as -- not everybody loves you like your mama, and if you try to nurse off the wrong teat, you're liable to get your tail bit!

I also installed a mineral feeder in the nursery pen, since I see no point in Mike wasting his time doing something I am perfectly capable of doing myself, like a using a hammer and screwdriver for something simple that won't imperil human or goat if I mess it up.

Then I tackled the storeroom in the main barn, which was no small task. I spent three or four hours in there, washing bottles, pans, feeders, and buckets. I dusted off shelves and bottles of hydrogen peroxide, Basic H fly spray, iodine, OB lube, horse shampoo, etc., etc. I put everything back where it belonged and filled up a big bag with trash. This is the "before" picture. The one above is "after."

At the end of the day, after the sun had long gone down, I sat in the nursery pen with the mamas and babies for far longer than I should have.