Well, dear reader, this will be the last I write until March. This month has been a busy, challenging, insightful, and educational month. However, I am happy it will soon be behind us. I am ready for March to enter like a lion and leave like a lamb. I thought I would take today and get you caught up on the happenings here at the farm.
First, there is Little Finn, aka Mr. Tinkles. Finn is now a week old and doing well. He is still spending his nights in the house, but we are easing him into reentering the barn a little at a time. Today he will spend the entire day in the barn. The Bean is doing her best to negotiate a deal where he can be a permanent fixture in our home, but I refuse to budge. I am the one who does the 2 a.m. feedings. Finn is like clockwork; he eats and then urinates and poos. I have been taking him outside after he is done eating to save some of the mess and pee pads. We spend a half-hour, or so outside-it is amazing how much water a little goat's bladder can hold. Although I am not immune to his baby goat charms, Finn will do better if he is in the barn and can run and play with the other baby goats. Sometimes one has to practice tough love.
I am pleased to report I am sticking to the DASH diet, am successfully through sugar detox...mostly, and I can fit comfortably back into my pants with buttons. My goal is to lose 10-12 pounds before returning to the cardiologist in early March. I believe I am on my way to that goal. I do not own a scale, but I think I need to purchase one...sigh. My blood pressure has gone down. It is not in the normal range, but it is lower and not so scary. I feel good about that. As I stood peeling grapefruit, it dawned on me; this has to be a lifelong change. It cannot be something that I do until I lose weight or my blood pressure gets into the normal range. That felt kind of heavy. However, all I have to do is imagine my bean without me, and I am back to being motivated. I do like bacon, though...sigh.
My St. Patrick's Day-inspired soaps are on the drying rack and will be ready in early March. I am pleased with how they turned out. I feel that if you are a fan of the lilac soap, you will enjoy the Irish Heather soap I created. I am very pleased with its appearance, and the scent is very fresh and spring-like. I will post pictures on Facebook soon. Also, Jordan's End of the Rainbow turned out beautifully. We did a rainbow swirl rather than layers. Because I have never worked with this essential oil blend, I was hesitant to try to do seven smooth layers. It turns out my instincts were right, the essential oil blend accelerated the trace(when the soap begins to harden), and it also caused a bit of ricing(when the soap takes on a somewhat lumpy texture). That was a little bit stressful. Instead, it is a beautiful swirl with a white fluffy top dusted in gold. My theory is when one gets to the end of the rainbow, the colors swirl and mix around in a beautiful mist. The Bean seemed to agree this was a real possibility, so she conceded to my idea.
We are feeling a bit anxious because we cannot find lids for our moisturizer jars anywhere. Unfortunately, we continue to notice small holes in the supply chain. We cannot get any answers from our suppliers, but we are reaching a critical low in our in-stock supply. I suppose, as with anything else, we will just roll with whatever comes our way. If you are noticing low inventory on the moisturizer, that is why.
The sun is shining, the temperatures are much warmer than last week, and the snow is melting away. These are all signs that we will be welcoming spring sooner rather than later. The delivery of baby goats is on hold for a few weeks, thank goodness. However, The Bibbed Wonder informed me the other day that it will be time for baby piglets in just a few weeks. I could definitely take a break from all things tiny and needy...just a month or so. I am not as involved with the pigs, but I still worry about them. I also worry my already over-extended husband doesn't get enough rest. Such is farm life. The reward far outweighs the cost with this lifestyle.
We are well into reorganizing and reconfiguring the soap studio and Eric's garage. Yesterday, we cleaned and moved my dad's workbench. This weekend, we will paint the studio, put together new office chairs, and continue to organize and clean. I took a nap yesterday afternoon; it's what I do, no judgment. Eric and Jess, our friend who helps us, got so much done in an hour. I could not believe the difference an hour made. I told them I could go back to sleep if they were going to be this productive. The Bibbed Wonder merely grunted and handed me a box of vintage car headlights leftover from my dad. I thought it seemed like a good idea...sigh. I will soon post before and after pictures of that project on Facebook as well.
I hope you can enjoy the warm temperatures and sunshine this weekend. Here in Western Pennsylvania, it will be in the mid-fifties with sunshine. That is a welcome change. As always, dear reader, stay safe, stay smart, relish the sunshine, and keep washing your hands.