Mud.

Those of you who live furthur north will laugh when I say that I cannot wait for winter to be over.  I know that Southern Oregon has mild winters as far as the cold goes.  But it's not really the cold that's bothering me.  It's the mud.

I cannot imagine how much of a challange cleanliness would be if our huge pups lived inside.  When Gretel was sick a few weeks ago, we brought her in at night to eat large amounts of fancy wet dog food and sleep in a warm environment.  She not only tracked mud and hay all over the house, she also didn't know what to do with herself!  She sniffed and sniffed and walked in circles for hours and was particularly confused by the noise of the tv. 

I am happy to report that Gretel is doing much better and is back outside with her sister.  Although we never did figure out what was wrong with her, we are keeping our fingers crossed that this time she will be healthy for many, many years!

All other animals are well and we are hoping to add a milker to our goat herd this spring or summer.  Our next hurdle: fencing the back pasture.  It's hard to believe we have been here nearly a year but I think we have made a lot of progress, one small step at a time!