Warming Trend

While it's not yet bikini weather, we're up in the low 30s this morning as opposed to the 20s of the past few days.  The weather app on my cellphone has changed from "chance of snow" back to "chance of rain" (which happens to be zip today).  It was colder yesterday by far and I had to break ice in the water trough for the goats and there were ice crystals in the inside chicken waterers, too.  Heavy frost in shaded areas didn't melt off until late afternoon.  Slip-and-slide mud in the chicken pen and goat paths had frozen and would have made for a hard landing, so caution was the watchword of the day.  I feel like a wuss, windging about this California winter when the east coast is getting slammed with ice storms, but hey, it's what I've got.

Inga has been so good about heading right into the milking room that I haven't used the rope lead on her for the past week, but that brat was just waiting for her chance and took off running yesterday.  Crum.  "Fine.  Just fine, my girl.  Stay out and miss your breakfast."  I changed the lineup and went about my chores.  As I finished with the last one, the girls had clustered outside the door.  Aha!  I was able to grab Inga's necklace (collar) and bring her in and get her milked.  "She who laughs last," and all that.

Taking apart everything I could see how to do, I still wasn't able to get the vacuum cleaner to stop throwing out clouds of dust or get it to pick up anything.  Evidently the company doesn't think people should be vacuuming on Sunday because their helpline was not open.  Aarrgh.  I'm recharging the carpet sweeper, and that will have to do.

Otherwise, I actually made inroads on the To-Do list, including firewood to make Stove happy.  Arden stopped by for a visit and was able to sample some of the baked goods fresh out of the oven.  There is a slight chance I might make the deadline after all.  Hope springs eternal.