tonight's the night.

well, tonight is finally here. the greatest show in st louis. all my friends getting together to play some music and help me forget my troubles. i am so completely blown away by all the outpouring of support. i'm speechless. or shall i say, type-less.

saw new specialist and had a pulmonary function test. it came back normal. was kinda hoping for asthma. i know it's weird to hope for asthma. but it's better than the alternative. so i'm back to square one. a follow-up PET scan should be next on my calendar. maybe for may or june. to check and see if my spots have grown. so, more waiting.

in the meantime, i've been trying to get back to a normal life. got 3/4 of my garden ready for planting. and actually did plant the strawberries, leeks, and collard greens. might try and get my herbs in the ground today or tomorrow.

we had shearing day on the farm easter weekend. i now have my days and nights cut out for me for the next 6 months. beautiful mohair, pygora, and icelandic wool to wash, card, and spin. promise to have lots of yarn, hats, and accessories available for opening day of tower grove market on may 8th. this is the first year our farm will be participating. look for us, provenance farm. we'll have eggs, fiber products, and will be taking orders for duck and turkey meat available this fall.

herchel & bianka before

bianka, leon & herschel after

bianka's beautiful locks washed and drying

what's up doc?

so i met with pulmonary specialist this week. still trying to figure out what is going on with my lungs. i am having a new test run next week. hopefully, that will shed some light as i feel i have wasted the first 3 months of 2010 in medical limbo.

i need to get back to life. back to reality. we are knee deep in pre-gardening season and i have to get to work on my garden plot. jason tilled it last week. so now, it just needs raking and ground cover (straw) for weed management. but i get so winded and tired after only an hour of work that i'm only getting about one row done a day. but that's how you eat an elephant. one bite at a time. and by the end of next week, my garden should be all ready for seeds.

i'm also going to have to rabbit proof (chicken wire) the garden as armel jr and josephine jr (i know i really should come up with more original names but they look EXACTLY like their mom & dad) are completely wild and have access to all fields until we re-do the rabbit field and make it baby-rabbit-proof.

armel jr & josephine jr hangin while little bit supervises

the ducks are still sitting. chicken little still sitting. and oh, i do believe we are expecting piglets in may as well. i happened to witness "the act" back in february. the gestation period of a pig is 3 months, 3 weeks, and 3 days. and i do believe ms penelope is starting to show. i think she will make a wonderful mother. samson is requesting cuban cigars if anybody knows where we can get contra ban?

proud mom to be (cloven hooves crossed)

spring fever.

wow! it was 84 degrees yesterday. and 4 days before that it was below freezing and i had to bring baby goat marton inside for the evening. spring weather is crazy!

marton is doing well. we had a scare with him 2 days ago when he had a touch of frothy bloat and constipation. two things that are incredibly serious in baby goats. i caught it in time. and was able to administer enemas which eventually revived his peristaltic action and alleviated the gas from his rumen. i am so relieved. i was not about to lose our newest little guy. it was pretty much the nastiest thing i've ever had to do. and i'm sure he was as confused as i, but it worked. and he is thriving now in this warm spring weather.

i had my 6 week follow-up with my plastic surgeon regarding my implant replacement. it went great. i've healed up nicely. and have been allowed to start doing yoga and farming again!

tried my hand at a little garden work today since the sun was shining. but got very winded after only 1/2 an hour. which was discouraging. but it's hard to get upset when it is an absolutely gorgeous day outside. i did get a chance to peek at the soil in last year's garden. it is a beautiful rich dark color. can't wait to till it and start planting our seedlings. the tower grove farmer's market is coming up in just 5 short weeks! opening day is may 8th. look for more info on our provenance farm blog.

seedlings a growin'

as for my breathing issues, i was able to get an appointment with a great pulmonary specialist next week. he comes highly recommended. and am hoping we can get to the bottom of what is happening with my lungs. wish me luck.

and now, some gratuitous doggy photos (taken during last weekend's thunder storms). all dogs took full advantage!

the GLOPs

little bit (in MY chair) because...

the beagles claimed little bit's chair

and choppy in jason's chair