To Everything... Part 2

You've heard the old adage... 'They come in threes.'  Well, they did come in twos.  I hope there are no more...

 

No sooner had our grief for Buddy eased to

bearable, than Mr J noticed Oreo wasn't acting right.

(Oreo got his name from the

big white 'O' on his belly.

As he grew, it became

more of a 'C'.)

Normally, Oreo is the leader of the pack; but on this day, the others were in the pasture while Oreo was standing alone behind their house.  That never happens!

Goats have a tight herd.  Even when Elvis played the loner, he was never more than 15 feet from the others.  When the leader takes off for the woods, the others will stop drinking to follow.  That's just their nature.

Oreo developed respiratory symptoms.  I injected him with antibiotics for a few days, and those symptoms improved, but Oreo didn't.  He grew weaker.  We've been told that goats are a lot like chickens... when you notice they're sick, it's usually too late.   That's proven true.  We started with six goats.  Lost one.  Gained another.  Lost two in one year.  Now Oreo.

Oreo was probably Mr J's favorite goat.

He had a funny personality...

always first to investigate 

current happenings.

(Whenever Sadie entered the gate,

the others would hide behind Oreo,

leaving him to determine the danger.)

This past Sunday, two-and-a-half weeks after we buried Buddy, we buried Oreo.

His grave is next to Willie's.

Rest in peace, Oreo.  We miss you!

A Quick Update...

 I've been MIA again...  Last week I had a very sick granddaughter here for some TLC.  Today I started babysitting my new grandson, and also have the kindergarten girl for a few days.  And I still haven't started my taxes!  So don't be surprised if you don't read comments from me for a few days... or a couple of weeks!

I thought I'd take a minute to post a couple of pics to show you what I've been up to in my 'spare' time...

A while back, I shared my  drawing of a TV table I wanted Mr J to build.  Well, here's the almost finished product:

 

I'm really pleased with the way it turned out.  It's the first piece of furniture that Mr J has built.  I('m already planning the next.)  I still have some detail work to do...  The trim has carved detail that I am going to paint to make it stand out.  Of course, whenever I get around to that I'll post a pic.  

As you can see, it holds a lot of the kids' toys and games.  Videos fit nicely on the bottom shelf behind the wood boxes.  I found them at Michael's and painted them to match.   Now I have a handy place to keep my cameras, batteries and PC cables.  Plus, I finally have a little more space to display some of my  handmade gifts from the grandkids!

I bought two slipcovers last week... one for my FIL's ugly worn recliner and one for my over-sized, over-stuffed chair.  So I stripped the ottoman that matched the chair...

I've had it for almost 20 years!  It was due for a change.  It had a muted print with a pleated skirt.  When we moved the TV, we balanced it on here for a few minutes and now it leans to one side.  I'm going to take it apart and replace the uprights with a beefier size, but less of them.  I'm going to add a solid bottom and keep it open for handy storage for magazines or games.  It will be painted off-white to match the TV table.  The cushion will be covered in denim or tooled leather.  Haven't decided yet.  I'm thinking denim since I have two rectangular ottomans under the front windows that will be the tooled leather.  (I'm not a 'matched set' kind of person.  I prefer eclectic.)

Well, it's after midnight. the baby comes at seven, and the farrier is scheduled to come at eleven.  I think I'd better go, but first I'll share a video of the boys experiencing a bit of spring fever...

G'night all!

A Beautiful Day on the Farm

What a difference a day makes!  This was a beautiful day for enjoying the fall color.  The cold, biting winds of yesterday were gone.  The temperature was up a bit and activity was high.  Even my cast-kids were playing in the sun!

This weeping cherry looks beautiful all year 'round.  I love how the orange-yellow leaves contrast with the red grass and sedum.

Oh, look!  Is that D-Jan dropping in for a visit?

Whoever it is has a bird's eye view of the colorful foliage.

Where'd he come from?

There's a small airport nearby that is home to Sky Dive Green County.

Mr J took advantage of the weather, deciding to cut some more logs.  Can you believe he's sitting pretty on the tractor, and 85-yr-old FIL is doing the manual labor?

My FIL likes to stay busy.  He loves it when Mr J actually lets him do something!

The goats were enjoying the weather, too.

 

All that work...  ah, rest!

Wonder what they are thinking about?  They're actually watching...  Oh, wait...  I can't tell you yet.  You'll find out in tomorrow's post.  (It's a surprise for the bird lovers.)

Sadie loves to help Mr J chop wood.  She makes her logs small enough, even a baby can lift them!

You have to enlarge this one.  I didn't see it at first...

Until tomorrow...

Goats in the Rain

The other day I had a post called Fair Weather Goats where I talked about how the goats will not stand out in the rain. Today I caught them on my camera. This was taken with my zoom at max; so even though it looks like it was pouring down rain, it was a very light sprinkle. (I was standing outside with my camera.) As soon as they feel the first drop, they head for shelter. The opening for them to get back to their house from where they are is about 30 feet down the fence in the woods. I don't know which are more timid... the goats or the chickens. Probably the goats.

My 100th Goat, er,.. I mean post!

Actually, this is my 231st post, if you count all 3 blogs... but who's counting?

I've been meaning to post some pics of the goats for a while now. This morning I saw a cute goat photo on another blog, and it prompted me to grab the camera before the rain came. As usual, the goats were not very cooperative for the camera. They are sweet and loving, but they never stand still for photos!

When I uploaded the pics, I noticed this was my 100th post. So I decided to add a couple of extra photos to the post...

Below is an aerial photo of our farm, taken for county records in 2003. I labeled it so you would have a reference now when you read about the front pasture, etc. The property lines are marked in yellow. We own 2 tracts; one mostly open field, the other woods. The small area in the lower right labeled 'leased' is what I call the side pasture. We lease it for $1 a year. It's a little hard to see, but the red 'X' marks where our house now stands. The V drive now circles around, and in the center of it is the round pen. We built the barn first, then the house. We moved in on Hubby's birthday in December of 2003.

This is the way our farm will look some day... The photo was taken last fall. I embellished it just a tad. The pine trees on the right are much smaller and the front garden isn't finished yet. I erased all the parked stuff and greened up the front lawn. I had to finish 'building' the hen house, as Hubby didn't even have it under roof for this pic. Do you like the added touch of the white 'horse' fence? OK, maybe I'm dreaming there. It will probably remain the white electric rope that stands there now.

So there. My 100th post featured the entire farm. I thought that was appropriate. Now on to my intended post.

Introducing my other herd... the goats. Elvis has left the building, but he's now in my pasture. He had that name when we acquired him. He is much older than the others. Notice the nice beard.
Next is our only girl, Nanny. Real goat people think it's a sin to name a girl goat Nanny. Oh well. She's a real sweetie. Funny thing is, she also has a beard! The other two boys are the same age and they don't! Must be the water...
Mr. Universe... We call him Oreo. When he was a baby he had a big 'O' on his belly. Now it's grown into a 'C'. He has curly hair, and in the summer when it gets its reddish tint, he it absolutely gorgeous! He is also the leader of the herd, and the most brave.
Last, but certainly not least, is Derby. I call him my lover boy. He doesn't know when to stop eating, so he's a little chubby. He loves kisses and affection. Definitely my favorite! I named him Derby because of his white markings. When he was a baby, it looked like he was wearing an English saddle. Now that he's full grown, you'll just have to use your imagination.

We had two other goats that passed away last year. Biscuit was the runt of the litter, and silly Willie was the comic. It broke my heart when Willie died. He had the most comical personality. I miss how he made me laugh.

Our goats are Nubians, a large dairy breed. We don't breed Nanny, so we don't have milk. They work on keeping the woods cleared out, and have well earned their keep! They follow us whenever we take walks through the woods, and come running when I call them. They are not the smartest creatures God put on this earth, but they are certainly among the sweetest!

Chickens Can Learn

Well, it took them a while, but the chicks are finally using both their brains and the door. Now, instead of standing in the opening looking at the great beyond, they actually go through the door and down to the grass. Yea! And they've learned to go back inside before dark. It's a milestone. It's the equivalent of your toddler finally going number two in the potty! Daddy is proud. I'm sure if they hadn't been evicted, they would still be standing there, gazing out at the strange green stuff.



Do you suppose they are agoraphobiacs? If they were raised outside, would they be afraid to go in? I wonder if there are other animal species that fear the big world.



I remember the first time our goats saw snow... We had five that we raised from babies. They stood packed together in the back door of their shed staring at the white stuff. One of them finally stretched a foot over the threshold. Woah! What the heck is that stuff? You sink in it! It was fun watching them test it over and over until they finally summoned up the courage to brave it. I don't remember now how long it took them to venture out, but chickens, if you're reading this, it was the SAME DAY!



The four laying hens we have were several months old when we got them, so they were already accustomed to the outdoors. They are over a year old now. Hubby says they have to be kept separate from the young ones until the babies get bigger. In an earlier post I mentioned how the house was divided. When the chicks got too big for their small corner, Hubby moved the grown hens to a separate house so the babies could have the whole big house to themselves.



Hubby's first wife's father (now deceased) built bird houses. That's what I'd always been told. Bird houses. Those cute little things you hang from tree branches, right? Nope. We're talking big bird houses! When Hubby got ready to have chickens, they gave him one of the bird houses. That's where the hens live now. It's big enough for probably a dozen hens. He was quite the craftsman. Hubby added the little chick door on the side, the ladder, handles and wheels. It's a mobile home for chickens!

It's hard to believe that, in another three months or so, the fifty new hens will be laying eggs. I guess they can all live together peacefully by then - the young and the old. That will be fifty-four hens laying eggs every day! Does anyone out there have any egg recipes they'd like to share?

chickens, and horses, and goats - oh my!

Ridding the critters of mites and worms... I never had these worries in the burbs. Hubby suspects the chicks are infested with mites. No big deal, it's quite a common thing, but still needs prompt attention. The big deal is in the treatment...

There is a powder that will eliminate the problem. The problem lies in that the powder must be applied to not only the hen house cracks, crevices, bedding, nests, etc, but also to each and every chicken. ALL EIGHTY! So Hubby asked, "How are we supposed to treat seventy-five chicks?" I replied, "One at a time." I've got a plan. I hope it works.

Let's make it a pest-ridding week. I figure I might as well worm the six cats, four goats, and two horses.

The last time we wormed the goats was nearly fatal... for us! Fully grown, they are quite strong. I, being a 'townie', bought the first goat wormer I found. The labeled stated how much of the liquid was to be administered to each goat. Apparently, even though the goats love the taste of mud and dandelions, they abhor the taste of this pink liquid stuff! I'd love to have a video of Hubby wrestling Elvis while I scurried around them with the eye-dropper! I'm sure our 'country' friends laugh at us quite frequently.

I'm using a different approach this time... Turns out there's a pelleted form of wormer for goats. They're supposed to eat it like feed. You just pour the correct amount into the feed trough and let them eat it! Who'd a thought? I'll let you know how that turns out.

I mastered the cat meds long ago. When we had fourteen (oops) it was either learn a fail-proof method or be scarred for life! I tried the 'wrap-the-pretty-kitty-in-a-towel' trick. Yeah, right! Without resorting to duct tape, how do you keep the claws inside the towel? (It did qualify for my insurance to cover a tetanus shot on my next doctor visit.) Four hands were simply not enough to control to flailing limbs with extended switchblades.

What would a mother do? Isn't that a question we ask often when faced with a dilemma? So what does a mother cat do when handling her young? Of course! The scruff of the neck! Turns out it works, not just for kittens either. Now, whenever I have to give meds to any of the cats, I simply lift their front-end off the ground by the scruff of the neck. (Sqeeky Bear sometimes requires lifting his entire body.) They passively accept anything I stick in their furry little faces.

The horses can't be picked up by the scruff of their necks. 'Real' horse people do not approve of my worming method. Some meds must be administered orally, so teaching a horse to accept the wormer is a good way to keep them 'med-ready'. Mine aren't. Sorry. I do need to take the time to work on that someday. But for now, I use a wormer they like. It comes in a tube they don't like. So I squeeze the wormer into a little bit of grain and stir. They lap it up as long as I use enough oats & feed to dilute the taste.

So 'country folk' - go ahead and laugh! At least I have blog material!