Another Spring day = another Winter storm

 It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

 which is unfortunate, because it's the 35th day of Spring.

 We were visited last night not by Santa Claus but by Winter Storm Zeus

 who left an additional 8 inches of snow, making this not only the snowiest April  but also the snowiest month on record.

 Some critter left tracks heading south -- probably in search of a genuine Spring.

 Exactly one year ago we sat in the lawn chairs to watch

 Lassi stretching for greener pastures

 Momo and Chou Chou walking through the salad

 the whole herd headed out to the big pasture to nibble on budding trees

 and Cheeky with a spring in her step.

 This year she views the endless winter with disbelief.

 The not-yet-one-week-old boys, Myky

 Rosado

 and Chorizo are confined by the weather to the barn

 but are doing fine -- even after disbudding.

 The older girls, Geisha

 and Viva

 have been getting out

 to tear up and down the shoveled driveway.

 

 

 They must be snacking on flubber 

 

 because they spend most of the time in the air.

 

If we could harness that energy

we could go off the grid.

Done kidding, not done snowing

After the two complicated deliveries last month, Barb was due for a break.

 

Sure enough, at a convenient 10 a.m. on April 17 Momo popped out a large but correctly positioned buckling.

 

Myky (Finnish for "dumpling") was soon on his feet

 and looking for a meal.

 For a first time freshener, Momo is an ideal mom 

 making sure that her little guy was thoroughly licked clean, fed

 and cozy.

 Cajeta stepped outside the kidding pen and observed the action from a distance, not sure if this motherhood thing was really a good idea.

 She remained slimmer during her pregnancy than Momo, so we assumed that her kid would be smaller and even easier to deliver.

 At 8:00 a.m. the next day (April 18)

 out popped Chorizo

 a handsome little buckling.

 Momo came over to congratulate Cajeta and scope out the newbie.

 Everyone was surprised a few minutes later when yet another buckling slipped out

also with no complications and very little fuss.

Rosado is named for his pink nose -- unusual in an Alpine.

 

 He joined his brother for a vigorous licking

 and was soon struggling to get up on his spindly, wobbly legs.

 This has certainly been a year of the buckling -- 5 boys delivered vs 2 girls.

Momo and Myky played Welcome Wagon

while Geisha

and Viva kept an eye on developments and looked forward to bullying the new boys as soon as they could.

 

 Chorizo and Rosado thoughtfully arrived a few hours before the brunt of Winter Storm Yogi did. 

 It reached us shortly after noon

 and was even more generous than predicted

 blessing us with 20 inches of additional heavy wet snow by this morning (April 19).

We're "enjoying" the snowiest April on record.

 

 Steve shoveled a path to the garage & goat barn

 and will wait for the winds to die down today before hauling out the poor overworked Snowthrower yet again -- on the 31st day of Spring!

 Yogi might have something to do with the failure of our satellite internet connection this morning.

 On the bright side, the new snow will help alleviate our drought;

 we were still listed in the "moderate drought" zone three days ago.  More snow is predicted for the rest of today and then again this weekend.

 It will be a few more days before Barb grills any brats or smokes any scamorza in the cooker

but the new guys are cozy in the barn and getting along fine together this extended winter.