Catching Up

Last weekend the goats left and it wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be. Linda and George are very nice people and it was clear that they were going to take great care of our animals. They got here around 8:00a.m. and met the goats. Then we talked in the house for awhile and got warm. The wind was coming out of the southeast and it was very cold even though the sun was out. The girls loaded up very easily once Raisin was in and the boys followed suit. Then George and Mark loaded up as much hay as their truck could carry. I guess hay is very expensive in Georgia. Around $10 a bale and we wanted to help them out as much as we could. The trailer was very, very small and the 5 girls were definitely cramped. I was worried about Holly because she had been away from the main herd for so long. I didn't know if she was going to get pushed around, but there really wasn't any room for them to get a good start. I also worried that George would have to stop short and that they would all be smashed against the wall.

I didn't really stop worrying until we got a call from Linda saying they had made it back safely and all of the animals were out of the trailer and in their new homes. The boys gave them quite a struggle as they moved girls around trying to get everyone where they were supposed to be. Romeo jumped the fence, of course. I think George was a bit exasperated, but that's how bucks are. A challenge twice a year for sure. They said that Ivy and Amelia were both flagging so they probably didn't get bred by Samurai. I was afraid of that. He is just so little. Even now, he has shown no interest at all in Dolly. Hopefully that is because she is already bred by Uno though. I'm afraid that if he didn't breed Ivy and Amelia, then he probably didn't breed Juliette either since she is so tall. Maybe Raisin though.

Sunday we went to the Lego Kid Fest with Mom. We had a great time. It was the perfect amount of time to do everything and leave tired. We loved the ferris wheel.

The rest of the week went by quickly. Tuesday was voting day and we were encouraged by our union and administration to take the day off and help at the polls. Mark and I went, but there was nobody there. Nobody. Nobody voting and nobody standing with signs. We voted and then went for a hike at Mill Hollow with the kids and Scout. It was a gorgeous day. We had lunch at Fresh Start and ice cream next door. We went to Inspired and Mark picked the woman's brain about an online fair trade store.

Wednesday was long, long, long. Left at 7:30 to get to work on time for Parent/Teacher Conferences and then two hours after. Didn't get home until 7. Long. Long. Long.

Friday was Veterans Day. Mark and I had the day off, but the kids went to school. We were having a showing that day for the house so Mark and I cleaned for two hours and then headed out to get an e-check, only the facility was closed for the holiday. We went to Tractor Supply and then out to lunch. Fresh Start again. I love their BLTs.

Yesterday we opened our garage sale. We had a nice steady stream all day. Colleen Jenkins stopped by. She had grown up in our house and I invited her to come in and see all of the renovations done by the Holkenborgs. She was amazed and walked around exclaiming how different it all was. The Jenkins raised 7 children in this house. Crazy. Other people stopped by and chatted and hinted about wanting to see the house. I told them to call our realtor. I'm not about to just let strangers walk around in here. I was a little annoyed.

Yesterday was also my 45th birthday. Yowza. We went out to dinner at Moosehead with Dad, Eileen and Pat. Good food as always and birthday cupcakes from the store next door. A very nice evening all around.

This morning Mark made me breakfast. The kids said Happy Birthday to me again and gave me a standing ovation. It was so funny. Like I had done something amazing. Tali made me the funniest card. It says Happy Birthday to Mother on the front. On the inside is a hotdog saying Hi Birthday Girl. :)