Quaker Hill Farm 5th month, 2007 News The arrival of Spring was definitely confirmed this week with the birth of the baby goats. They are the last of the livestock to be born here every year. During our casual evening walk around 8:30 pm to close up the barns and make a last check over all for the day, we found 3 sets of twins wobbling on unsteady legs. They had all been born in the 2 hours since chores. What a delight! By next week, the whole herd should be finished kidding. Spring is such a joyful time of renewal. Kittens, baby rabbits, lambs, puppies, chicks and goats, new life is teaming and peaking around every corner and after the bitterness of winter I just love it all and want to hug every thing green. Bill is putting up a large purple martin house in the yard this weekend - with 14 nest compartments. We have a lot of barn swallows but hope to see occupants in this new complex yet this year. We lost a bee hive most unexpectedly in mid April. It was sad to see really, they had done so well all through the long winter only to succumb at the very end. There was plenty of food in the hive too, lots of full combs. We think the unexpected sub 0 temperature streak and raging winds which lasted a week in early April did it. Now the hives are all thriving and busy. The lilac blooms this year are sumptuous in volume and dramatically vivid in color. They sweeten the air with a perfume so delicious it compels one to stand in their midst and just inhale deeply with eyes closed so nothing can interrupt the beauty of the moment! So far they remain undamaged by our late frosts. How wonderful it's been to be able to work outside and how happy my husband is for the fact that I love to mow our large lawn and completely monopolize the task refusing to share. Bill fanes disappointment with a shrug and dramatic sigh of disappointment, "Oh, well…" But, I have caught a glimpse of his grin as he turns away and retreats (with relief I'm sure!) - as if the bounce in his step wasn't give-away enough! We had the grand opportunity to attend an orientation program last month with our daughter, who has been accepted to MSU Law College. What a great day, what a remarkable achievement for a girl who had been home-schooled right through High School. We are very proud of her and I admire her metal as she works hard at 2 jobs to put herself through school. There is a new children's story on the Quaker Anne Children's Story page. We will be watching the weekly growth of baby bunnies from day one until 6 weeks. They are so cute! We sponsored 2 children through Compassion International this Spring and one of our daughters in NC decided to do the same. This is a new experience for all of us and we look forward to working with the program. Site of interest for anyone considering something like this: www.charitynavigator.org This site allows one to investigate information about the charity of interest. In the Peace of Christ; Blessings & Peace, Quaker Anne 4th Month, 2007 Words of Wisdom "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye." --Antoine de St. Exupery