Springtime brings new mouths to feed

RITZVILLE – Curtis and Julie Templin have their hands full with lots of mouths to feed on the farm these days, with the arrival of goat kids and lambs throughout the month of March; and a calf on April 1.

Julie Templin, who works in dining services at Eastern Washington University in Cheney, said she took the month of March off to be home during the births. She was relieved when her cow delivered right before her return to work April 1, early in the morning.

"I was so happy to be there," Templin said. "We named him Jester. After all, he was born on April Fools Day."

She started raising sheep and goats seven or eight years ago.

"My husband let me go to a sale in Davenport, and I came home with three goats and three Suffolk," Templin said. "Then I got Merino, Jacob and Icelandic sheep."

She currently has 16 adult goats with 49 kids, and 20 sheep with 26 lambs.

Cattle, chickens, and cats also roam the ranch she and Curtis have near the Wheatland Fairgrounds, homesteaded by Curtis's grandfather, Dell and Lois Templin.