They must have worn themselves out foraging today because just after sunset they came into the barn, stopped for a quick drink, and bedded down right away. They didn't charge the food bowl like they usually do, and they were tucked up with heads down before I even turned the lights off!
The last surviving kit is the black one. I've brought the nest box inside now because I know one lone kit doesn't stand a chance to keep warm at night in October in Minnesota. Twice a day now I will have to bring him (or her) out to the barn, flip Alice over, and let the little one nurse. Alice's kits are already two weeks old with eyes open and starting to leave the nest box, so fostering the little dutch lionhead kit won't be possible. His odds aren't great, but I'm going to give him every opportunity I can.
It's incredibly hard to run a homestead and wrangle five kids, when you're sobbing in bed feeling like someone is ripping your guts apart for hours on end. Before I always thought that a lactose intolerance just meant people got a little gassy or got diarrhea or something. While I have not been tested to confirm a lactose issue, I largely got rid of these pains last year by cutting out all milk and cheese. Over the last year though the issue has gotten to the point where I can no longer have anything containing dairy at all, even with a couple lactose pills. Within a few hours the pain will start, and depending how much I ate, it can be intense agony for several hours that ibuprofen doesn't even begin to help with.
As a result of this newfound allergen (possibly), I've lost six pounds in the last seven days while largely on a diet of saltines, apples, and coffee - the only things handy that I know won't cause me pain. I'm hoping tomorrow I can get an early start to try to chip away at my "to do" list. This past week a lot of that has been pushed aside.
Anticipated temp when the kids go off to catch the bus in the morning? 39 degrees. I guess I'll be getting my indoor chores done first! Tomorrow night we've got freeze watch alerts as the temp is supposed to drop to 29. Brrr! Chilly weather incoming!