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2009
January - I
cannot believe that 2009 is here already! This year,
though, has not started off very well with regards to
the weather. The heavy snowfall, cold temperatures and
unbelievable amounts of ice everywhere has made it very
difficult for us to do our daily chores. We are very
lucky to have the well up back so that we can get fresh
water for everyone. Every day, all of the animals have
to have fresh water twice a day; that is a lot of water!
The majority of the dishes and buckets freeze which
complicates the process. We used to have electric buckets
that had heating elements in them which would keep the
water from freezing but we soon discovered that they
do not hold up very long. We bought several last year
and already they are not preventing the water from freezing.
In addition to that, we have found that when they are
bored, Nate, Shane, Pembrook and Satuit find it amusing
to jump up on their hind legs and reach over to the
outlet where the buckets are plugged in, and pull them
out!! I cannot tell you how often I have found them
unplugged and full of ice. Recently we have purchased
some rubber buckets so if they freeze, we can bring
them outside and stomp on the side and all of the ice
falls right out. Overall, this is much better for everyone
involved. The goats, however, might disagree because
there are no plugs for them to pull out of the wall!!
January - There
was a snow storm with heavy winds last night and this
morning when we went up to feed and open up everyone
we noticed that a couple of trees came down in the Arapawa
Goat pen. Unfortunately, when it fell, it destroyed
one or two of the sections of fence. When the weather
improves we will have to cut up the tree, which will
be good for our wood stove, remove it and fix the fence
so that the goats can return to that section of their
yard.
January - Pumpkin
and Patience, the pigs, are out of control lately!!
Whenever we give them fresh water, it seems as though
they both race over to the bucket and, whoever gets
there first, tips it over with their snout. Instead
of drinking it out of the pail, they sip it from the
ground. I have a feeling that they are not overly thirsty
because they are constantly eating the snow. Evidently,
the 'race to the bucket' gives them an amusement to
look forward to.....it is interesting how the different
animals find things that they like to do to have fun
during the winter.
February - Snow,
snow go away...come back another day!! I do not think
that I have seen so much snow that has lasted for so
long, since I was a child. Thank goodness that we have
a snow blower so that Joel can make trails around all
of the animal pens whenever it snows. This year especially
would have been difficult without it.
February - We
have decided on the dates for our summer learning program.
I just posted them on the page. We have so much fun
with the kids that we are looking forward to another
year with them. I am planning to add 'frogs' to the
nature part of the curriculum this year. Frogs are awesome
and I think that children seem to like them. I already
have some projects and activities in mind that should
be a lot of fun!
February - Today
Esther, the polish hen that was hatched last April,
laid her first egg today. She is a little bit of a thing;
I was beginning to wonder whether she would ever lay
eggs. Normally hens begin laying within six months or
so, and until today, she had not produced anything.
We will keep her eggs for our use rather than sell them,
as they are very small. I expect that as she matures,
her eggs will increase in size some. She is a really
cute hen and she has a very sweet personality. Maybe
she would be a good candidate for a 'party animal'.
March - Could
it be that Spring has arrived at Dalby Farm? Interestingly,
the usual indicator that we go by, is different this
year. Normally, when Emma begins to lose her wool, we
have always considered that to be the first sign that
early spring has arrived. I was very surprised the other
day, though, to find that Pepper has already started
to shed his winter coat! I could not believe that he
would actually begin before Emma so, to be sure, I immediately
went over to her and gave a gentle tug on some of her
wool. Amazingly, not even one piece showed any indication
of moving! So.... could it be that the 'Pepper factor'
is, in fact, a valid indicator of spring's arrival?
I guess we will have to wait and see!
May - What
a busy, busy month!! As always, it is great to see everyone
from past years and it is always a treat to meet people
from new organizations! The animals appeared to be happy
to have the increased attention by all of the visitors.
I often wonder what they must think during the winter
months when their only visitors are us....It is not
only amazing but also, very sweet because whether they
have 100 visitors in a day, or only 3, they are always
excitied to see you! Despite the overall overcast weather
that we experienced during the month, everyone appeared
to have a fun time. A few of the post-tour snack time
picnics experienced a few sprinkles but the kids hardly
noticed.
May - We
celebrated a lot of birthday parties here this month!
I always love to see the expressions of the childrens'
faces when they meet the animals for the first time;
it is especially fun to see how enthusiastic they are
when the get to personally meet the 'party animal'.
I always feel really happy when we are able to transform
a child that, in the beginning, is scared to have any
contact with an animal, into a child that gets upset
when the party animal returns to their pen and they
cannot continue to pet it! Enabling children to have
positive experiences with animals and nature is one
of our main goals and it feels great when you see it
happening first hand!
July -
I always look forward to our summer learning programs.
It is so much fun meeting the children on that first
day and watching them form unforgettable memories and
friendships with each other during our time together.
We have many children that come back each year and it
is amazing to see how much they have grown from year
to year. We are able to see what great individuals they
have become; when they recite facts about animals or
nature back to us, information that we have taught them
in past years, it really makes us proud!
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