Who's this fuzzy face?







We are officially a four-donkey family! Meet Rocky Mountain Songbirds Ty-Dyed Champ:



Currently, Tikki won't let him near Jazz and Eli... or her hay pile. But things are actually working out well and in a day or two they will all be fast friends.



Champ is a nine-year-old gelding who comes to us from the nice folks at Dixdlor Ranch here in Wisconsin. He was born here and the photo on that web page is in fact Champ himself!



Eli's wondering if we'll still love him. Silly boy!

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Spring is almost here at Tuppinz Farm. The sun sometimes feels warm, the grass is starting to green up, and we're having lovely evenings before the nighttime temps drop back down to freezing.



This guinea bird is doing his evening predator scan and calling the others back to the roost.

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My seedlings are doing well in their indoor greenhouse. Tonight we are getting a truckload of soil for our new veggie garden bed. This weekend, we'll get the cold frame set up and the beds made. We'll plant around May 15th.

I have some wonderful seed potatoes from Seeds Of Change and I'm going to try this super easy method of planting them.

Hope things are green in your part of the world!

A Good Week Of Surprises

It was a week of surprising weather (warm days followed by snow showers and high winds), and surprises in my mailbox.

Beautiful handmade potholders arrived from Professor Nannette, and Miss Kary sent an original painting of an owl (a favorite animal of mine) by Brenda Webster-Drouin. Thanks, guys!



I'd placed an order with The Loopy Ewe, a favorite shop for sock knitting needs. This is what I'd ordered:



And THIS is what I received!



Turns out I am now an official Loopy Groupie. The gifts they sent were more than what I'd ordered to begin with; what you don't see is the chocolate which I promptly ate. Thank you, Sheri!

I became a convert after I received my first order with TLY and I realized what all the high praise was about. They have excellent customer service, and usually include a handwritten thank-you and little treats with my orders... which are becoming more frequent, I have to admit; I love the "instant gratification" of their fast shipping!

I also received the new "Whimsical Little Knits" book by Ysolda in Scotland, as well as two skeins of Fearless Fibers yarn. One of these is destined to become these (Ravelry link). I have been waiting on pins and needles for that KnitSpot pattern to be published and am jazzed to cast on for these beautiful socks.



All in all, a very good week indeed.

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Around The Farm

Frieda The Just gave us 1.4 ounces of beautiful cashmere at the end of March. Not bad for a mostly-Boer goat with a strong resemblance to George Washington.



I planted peas and broccoli rabe outside; started Tigerella and Silvery Fir Tree tomatoes, and serrano and jalapeno peppers, inside.

Other than that, it's business as usual here on the farm. Lots of playful activity inside when the puppy playpen is too muddy from changeable spring weather:



It looks like Champ, our new riding donkey, will not be arriving this weekend as planned. Hopefully he'll be home in the next couple of weeks.



Have a beautiful weekend!