Marie Kondo-ing the goat barn

 Spring seems finally to have sprung, with a few flowers peeking out

 grass slowly greening up

 

 and waterfowl playing on the pond.

 Winter hesitated to leave and snuck in a few Parthian shots in retreat

 with some mornings well below freezing

 

 and a few inches of snow on April 12.

Southern parts of the state got the worst of what MPR’s Paul Huttner called “a high-impact wintry weather event.” 

 There’s a chance for more backsliding as snow is predicted during these final days of April

 and blizzards in May are always possible.

 But the snow gradually disappeared into seasonal pools and streams

 and the pond ice gave way to

 waves of visiting geese

 

 

 who splashed up a storm trying to scare intruders away.

  Deer belly up to the fresh salad bar at all times of the day.

 Final duties associated with breeding season have been completed,

 such as the last disbuddings

 and a herd tattoo for Planet Nine's right ear.

 Barb is doing her best to socialize the kids

 but they are more interested in flights of fancy

and climbing on everything, including each other and Mom.

 

It was spring cleaning time at MeadowWild, in several senses.

 First, the herd was whittled down to manageable size as some of last year’s adults and this year’s kids went to their new homes.

 The current roster consists of Grande Dame Cheeky

 Incorrigible Kuiper

 Petite Bhindi

 and the kids: Planet Nine, Haldi and Jeera.

 We're delighted to hear reports of how well MeadowWild alumni are doing at their new homes, including Eris, Reenie, Zippy and Blintz

(photo courtesy of McKinsey)

 Ixios, who will soon be too big for his new goat mom to lift

(photo courtesy of Teresa)

 and Mojo, cuddling up to a new girlfriend

(photo courtesy of Alexandra)

Spring cleaning also involved some additional Marie Kondo-ing. 

 That thick blanket of waste hay kept the goats warm and cozy all winter

 but with the hotter temperatures, it was on the verge of no longer sparking joy.

 So Laveau Excavating arrived (just after the pens were disassembled and the milk stand and feed bins removed)

 

 to scoop up the old poopy bedding

 and transfer it to Mount Compost away from the barn

 where it will again soon house snakes, mice, ground squirrels and other critters.

 The girls rushed back in to explore their sparkling clean quarters --

and start pooping up the area again.

In the adjacent garage, Momma Kitty basks in the spring sunshine from her hay bale perch. 

 She still reluctantly shares her buffet area with elusive yellow Intruder Cat,

and the warmer weather heralds the return of yet another freeloader:

 Even though mice are plentiful again, Momma still comes to the front door around 6:00 a.m. every day and waits for her canned cat food

 but still won’t let us get near her.

 With the warmer weather, Dustin is spending less time by the heating vents and more time following the sun from window to window.

 A new study confirms that he knows his name when he’s addressed

– but he just won’t be bothered to respond unless that summons is accompanied by some kind of treat.