We went to the Vernal Pools yesterday...We met a Paleontologist, and we learned all about the vernal pools - here Maura is sifting through some gravel, we learned about weathering and erosion, sediments and ash....
We learned how the vernal pools form, about the hardpan....
...and then it was time to explore!
We found oodles of tadpoles, water fleas, copopods (?)
snails...hmmm, escargot, anyone...?
it was a great experience for all of us, and we can't wait to go again!
Oh,yeah.....remember last post...? Forget it...we are now up to nineteen....Meet Dotty and Domino!
We have been holding our breath around here...ever since Remy's marathon b-day last week (more on this later), we have been expecting someone, ANYONE....to give us some baby lambs. well, this morning around 7:30 a.m., Crunchy finally delivered! First there was some drama because, contrary to my wisdom ;), Mr. sassafras hadn't separated Jean Valjean from the rest of the herd. He has been weaned for quite some time now, and should have been put with Thor, our other ram, as per my newly acquired knowledge of ram behavior...aaanyway, he was ramming Crunchy while she was trying to give birth! Needless to say, both Mr. sassafras and I ran out to make the separation happen...NOT Easy...we ended up moving Jooley, penning Crunchy,and then finally putting Jean Valjean into the grassy pen. By the time we were done with this, Pinky Dinky Doo had been born! And about ten minutes later, another bag appeared, popped, and out came Popeye!
After a while, we let them out onto the grass, where the sun was shining....
Pinky is quite a bit smaller and skinnier than Popeye, but seems to eat more often
Bobo came over to sniff the newborns...
as well as the rest of the herd...Can you believe that is Curly walking away? They were babies just yesterday...! Popeye has gotten confused a couple of times and starts following Daisy, Cossette's mom for a drink....
We gave Jooley a bath - and to our surprise, she IS as white as snow! The kids kept saying that I needed to rinse her off, cause the foam from the soap was still on her, but they didn't realize how incredibly white she is! And she smells sooo good (7th generation lavender dish soap)
After her bath, she got to go out in the pen for the first time, on a leash because Mr. sassafras is afraid she is going to jump out - and we know she can, because she jumped into the back of the barn the night we brought Marshmallow home... so for now, she gets to be on a leash, like a puppy. Which reminds me, after Jooley got her bath, we gave Trouble a bath too. This morning, he dumped his water and rolled in the mud - he is dirtier than ever...AAAARRGGHHH!!!!
...and on other news, Aysha the rabbit had three baby bunnies...! Mr. Sassafras said she was not taking care of them, it turns out that humans don't usually get to watch them nurse their kits because they do it at night, leaving the kits covered and alone during the day to avoid attracting predators...HA! Who knew....?
Meet Marshmallow - my very own very pregnant dorper ewe.... mr. sassafras and the kids went and got her the other night, and in the morning, when they were trying to figure out who her rightful owner would be, I chimed in and declared her mine...! Imperial plunder! My son says, laughing.... as you can see, she is very ready to deliver her treasured lambies, she is also very, very tame and friendly....
Then, on the way back from the rabbit show, we saw this little flock of mysterious birds running along our street...here they are, plotting their neighborhood takeover....
...HA! Little did they know that they would be captured.....We did some research to confirm that they are, indeed guinea fowl, native to Africa...(!) and they will probably stay with us after they get used to their new surroundings. They are very useful to have with chickens, because their loud calls alert them to potential dangers.... for now, they seem happy sharing a pen with Thor the ram. For some reason, they are unwilling to fly away, and keep running around the perimeter of the fence....
And lastly, this is my little bunny fufu... the minute we got to the rabbit show, the kids started deciding which bunny they wanted to get....there were rabbits and bunnies as far as the eye could see! I have never seen so many in one place...! It was unreal.... So.... the kids wanted a dwarf bunny, no, a Mini Rex, wait, how about a Flemish Giant...? Or an English Spotted...? another American Chinchilla...? Look at the Angora rabbits...! Then we saw this super cute Polish...! He had to be sold as a 'pet only' as he is 'unshowable' because of his coloration: lilac...hmmm....makes me wonder about the 'showability' of our rabbits at home, perhaps we should save them for stew, after all :)..... We did not get our rabbits from a breeder, we got them at the feed store. So please don't tell me to consult my breeder as to their pedigree, and their 'legs' - I. Don't. Know. They were cute little bunnies when we got them, and they are rather handsome fellows now, and it turns out, highly trainable! ( Remy has been hypnotizing them lately). We believe they are a Mini Rex and an American Chin (I'll let you know how they do at fair). But back to Lilac...he was cheap and he was cute so we brought him home. He is also mine. Imperial plunder yet again...I don't want to deal with sibling rivalry over a rabbit.... And he has been cuddled non stop all day. As I type, he is watching Microcosmos with the kids. On. My. Bed. (They better have a towel handy!)
We learned how the vernal pools form, about the hardpan....
...and then it was time to explore!
We found oodles of tadpoles, water fleas, copopods (?)
snails...hmmm, escargot, anyone...?
it was a great experience for all of us, and we can't wait to go again!
Oh,yeah.....remember last post...? Forget it...we are now up to nineteen....Meet Dotty and Domino!
After a while, we let them out onto the grass, where the sun was shining....
Pinky is quite a bit smaller and skinnier than Popeye, but seems to eat more often
Bobo came over to sniff the newborns...
as well as the rest of the herd...Can you believe that is Curly walking away? They were babies just yesterday...! Popeye has gotten confused a couple of times and starts following Daisy, Cossette's mom for a drink....
Then they both got to pet and hold this gigantanormous python.....15 ft. long!!!!
There were lizards that slithered onto the floor....
...and friendly, non-threatening turtles....
After her bath, she got to go out in the pen for the first time, on a leash because Mr. sassafras is afraid she is going to jump out - and we know she can, because she jumped into the back of the barn the night we brought Marshmallow home... so for now, she gets to be on a leash, like a puppy. Which reminds me, after Jooley got her bath, we gave Trouble a bath too. This morning, he dumped his water and rolled in the mud - he is dirtier than ever...AAAARRGGHHH!!!!
...and on other news, Aysha the rabbit had three baby bunnies...! Mr. Sassafras said she was not taking care of them, it turns out that humans don't usually get to watch them nurse their kits because they do it at night, leaving the kits covered and alone during the day to avoid attracting predators...HA! Who knew....?
In addition, they had a special guest show and Maura got to participate... She touched the plasma ball and conducted the energy to a bulb...! 
This is when they turned the lights off....
They also talked about sound waves and made a pane of glass shatter because of the vibrations...pretty cool and exciting stuff for the kids!
Then, on the way back from the rabbit show, we saw this little flock of mysterious birds running along our street...here they are, plotting their neighborhood takeover....
...HA! Little did they know that they would be captured.....We did some research to confirm that they are, indeed guinea fowl, native to Africa...(!) and they will probably stay with us after they get used to their new surroundings. They are very useful to have with chickens, because their loud calls alert them to potential dangers.... for now, they seem happy sharing a pen with Thor the ram. For some reason, they are unwilling to fly away, and keep running around the perimeter of the fence....
And lastly, this is my little bunny fufu... the minute we got to the rabbit show, the kids started deciding which bunny they wanted to get....there were rabbits and bunnies as far as the eye could see! I have never seen so many in one place...! It was unreal.... So.... the kids wanted a dwarf bunny, no, a Mini Rex, wait, how about a Flemish Giant...? Or an English Spotted...? another American Chinchilla...? Look at the Angora rabbits...! Then we saw this super cute Polish...! He had to be sold as a 'pet only' as he is 'unshowable' because of his coloration: lilac...
