April 29, 2009

Up this morning and back to the Cradle of Forestry for the last school group. I will not have any more school groups until school starts up again. I am going to try and go up once a week to do some demonstrating.

Dusty spent the morning weed eating around the barn and down the fence lines. It is hard work but it does look a lot better.

I got back home around 1:30pm and rested a bit before typing. I had to wait until Donny brought feed and corn home so feeding was late. I fed alone since Donny and Dusty went to a visitation. Feeding went very fast and I was back in before too long.

I had to type for another doctor today as well as my own so typing took a little longer than usual.

April 28, 2009

I got up early and got Emma Lee and the dogs fed so I could go to the Cradle of Forestry to teach another school group. I got home around 1pm and Emma Lee was hollering to be fed. The dogs were anxious to get outside too. I got the house picked up and spent the rest of the day doing my typing.

We fed late today and all the animals were doing well except for Little Bit, one of our old Nigerian Dwarf goats. She is pretty old and starting to show her age and become weaker. The other goats were knocking her down so we put her in the stall with the bottle babies. She loves to love on the babies and she will not have so much competition in there.

I continued to type after we came back in. I cleaned up the supper dishes and went on to bed late.

August 27, 2009

Monday. Cleaning and washing today. It was pretty and warm outside. So far the electric fences are holding in all the goats.

Emma Lee is doing fine and taking about 5oz of milk 4 x day. She bounces all over the place.

All the livestock are enjoying the new grass. We are still feeding silage to the cows and the hay is getting low. Hopefully we can start baling hay soon.

April 26, 2009

We stayed busy today doing things around the barn and yard. Dusty and Donny put up the electric fence and let the sheep and goats back to the front pasture. No one tried jumping the fence but some of the babies figured they could scoot under the gate. We will keep it closed for a few more weeks so that the grass will get tall enough to give them plenty to eat.

I finished up my typing and Barbara came by to pick up some batting for a project at the Cradle. I gave her two dozen eggs to take home with her.

I mowed the grass in the afternoon and went to feed. One of the goats looks like she may have a cold so I will start her on some antibiotics. The dogs had a good time looking for moles and mice in the barn yard and garden. They will be wore out tonight.

April 25, 2009

We got up early to get ready for the Barrel race. Donny left to get silage for the cattle and Dusty went to get the tires rotated on the truck. I picked up the house and got things ready to go. We are taking two of the Jack Russell's (BB and Spud) and Emma Lee so I had to make sure I had diapers and a bottle for her along with leashes, Spud's food and snacks for us. I went ahead and fed early since I wasn't sure how late we would be. We got everything in the trailer, Flash loaded and headed out.

It was hot at the race but there was a breeze and the awning over the trailer gave us a shady spot to sit. Dusty did very well and Flash had a good run and left all the barrels standing. The dogs were wore out and slept all the way home.

We got home around 7pm and a neighbor said that a goat got hung up in the fence while trying to jump into the closed off pasture and had to be cut out. He said that he thought she had hurt herself. Donny and Dusty went to check on the fence and goat. They will have to put up a strand of electric fence tomorrow to stop that from happening. The goat was scratched up but able to walk fine.

April 24, 2009

I taught a large class of kids this morning at the Cradle of Forestry. On the way back home I stopped by Walmart and picked up some snacks for the Barrel race tomorrow. I also picked up a couple of preemie onsies and a larger size diaper for Emma Lee. She is growing some but still tiny.

Coming up the drive, I noticed that two of the horses were in a lot that they were not supposed to be in. I stopped and put them in their lot and watered while I was there. When I got in the house Emma Lee let me know that it was past her feeding time so I got her bottle ready and changed her diaper. When I sat down to do my typing I noticed that the Internet was down so I would have to wait on that.

Dusty cleaned out the horse trailer while I continued to wash up all the winter coats and overalls.

Dusty did most of the feeding so I did not go to the barn. The Internet finally came back on so I typed for a while instead.

August 23, 2009

A pretty day today. I spent the morning at the Cradle teaching more kids. I got back home around 2pm and picked up the house.

Dusty spent the day helping out Carolyn who broke her arm. He did some of her errands and cleaned her horse stall out.

I went down later in the evening to feed and water all the animals. I noticed that some of the some of the goats were jumping into the pasture we had closed off for rotational grazing. They came back pretty fast when they figured out that I was feeding. We are going to have to get the lambs separated from the ewes pretty soon. They are past weaning age and beginning to pull their mamas down a bit.

August 22, 2009

Back to the Cradle this morning to teach more kids about corn husk dolls and the way of life in the early 1900's. I run by the grocery store on the way home. When I got in the house, Emma Lee was hollering for her bottle so she was the first thing I tended to. After I fed her she found a sunny spot and laid down so she must be full. I went to the barn and let the horses out for a bit. Flash still is wearing her "pajamas" at night. I dehorned two goats for a friend this afternoon and then fed later on. It is finally warming up a bit but it is still breezy. It is supposed to be cold again tonight though.

April 21, 2009

I went to the Cradle of Forestry this morning to teach school kids how to make corn husk dolls and got back home around 1:30pm. The first thing I had to do was feed Emma Lee her bottle and change her diaper. She seems to be doing a lot better now and getting a little bit stronger. I then did some typing and went to feed. We are going to have another cool night so I covered my little trees. After getting back in the house, I fixed supper and finished up typing.

April 20, 2009

Today was Monday so it was cleaning and washing day. All the coats were brought in from the trucks, cars and barn so I will have all that to wash tomorrow.

Emma Lee, the bottle goat wasn't feeling to well today. She felt hot and seemed lethargic. One eye was watery and she seemed a bit congested so I started her on a small amount of antibiotics. By the evening she had perked up some and drank most of her bottle. Since she had no colostrum she will be at risk for infections.

I waited until late to feed since Donny had to bring feed from the store. The bottle babies seem to be adjusting to their new home in the barn with some of the other babies. They are not shy about eating so I don't have to worry about that.

We had a heavy rain last night but things seem to drying up. The pastures are looking so green and hopefully will be growing fast. Dusty waited until the lots dried up before he put his horses out then it came another quick rain. His barrel horse, Flash, does not like the rain and was highly insulted that she got a little bit wet.

April 18, 2009

Today was a beautiful day. After feeding Emma Lee her bottle, I spent the morning cleaning the livestock and horse barn up. I got a truck load of feed bags to go to the trash. I let Fanny (Belted Galloway Cow) and her calf out of their pen to graze in the pasture. Fanny came from the Nature Center and since she was bottle raised and not used to being with other cattle, she gets bullied when she is put in with our cattle. We wanted to make sure she got enough to eat with the calf so we put her up so she can eat undisturbed. Bubbarina (our Movie Star) eats alone too and is out of the pasture. She lets any of the other calves and even older heifers nurse her and she cannot hold her weight up so we moved her away from the other cows so she could put some weight back on. Bubbarina had a very small part in Leatherheads, the movie with George Clooney. While at the barn, I let Priscilla and Presley (pot-bellied pigs) out to play. They had already started to route a hole out in front of the barn.

After cleaning the barn I mowed the grass. My Persimmon tress and Paw Paw trees seem to be doing okay for now. After mowing, I went in to feed Emma Lee another bottle, eat some lunch and finish up some typing. Donny and Dusty were at worked and going to bring feed home with them so I had to wait to feed. While waiting, I put together my swing so I can sit in the yard and watch the animals in the pastures. I have a swing in the barnyard that I also like to sit in to watch the animals. After Donny and Dusty came home we finally got everything fed and done just before dark. Delilah, the nature center sheep, went out to pasture with all the other sheep. She did not seem to want to come back to the barnyard so I left her. Bindi, Lilly and Chunk decided to come back to the barnyard from the Nigerian lot.

April 17, 2009

We went to the Nature Center to pick up a goat. She is an Icelandic and around 7 years old. I put her in front of the barn until she gets settled. The dogs weren't to sure about her at first but they got better as the day went on. She is a food hound and will be all over you if you have a bucket in your hand. I think she will settle in pretty well.



I moved mommas and babies out of the nursery to make room for any new surprises and the bottle babies coming down to the barn. I put everyone out except for the two orphaned lambs and Kayla, an old Oberhalsi doe. Julia Anna and her baby Junebug decided they did not want to go out so I let them stay in. I will move the bottle babies down this weekend sometime.


I spent a lot of the day doing my typing and getting picking up the house then I went to feed. Lilly, Chunk and Bindi are still happy in the Nigerian lot so they stayed there. The Nigerian goat babies slip through a whole and come eat with in the feed room or with the two Nigerians I have together for breeding, Copenhagen and Blueberry.

April 16, 2009

The little goat is still alive and seems to be getting a little more active. She is crying for her bottle now and walking around. She is wearing a size one diaper and preemie onsies. She is still having a hard time keeping her body temperature up so she has to go in her basket and bundle up after she has been up. She is drinking about 3oz of milk 5-6 times a day. Spud the puppy wants to play with her but she is still to little for that. I think I will name her Emma Lee.

Dusty spent the day fixing net wire fencing and putting up electric fence. The goats were very disappointed that they could not jump the fence and to eat silage with the cattle anymore.

Feeding went well tonight. Lilly, Chunk and Bindi (sheep) decided they would stay in the Nigerian lot for a while so that was fine with me. They are out of the way for now but I don't know how long they will stay.

Deer are starting to come around. This is the first we have seen deer consistently since we have been here.

April 15, 2009

Today was clear and windy and a little bit cool. I typed from morning until noon and will begin again when new dictation arrives. I am also cleaning the house and washing clothes.

Dusty did not get in until 3 this morning so I let him sleep awhile. He finally got up fed his horses and spent the day working on goat proofing the fence. He knocked a barrel over at the barrel race last night but he wasn't the only one. It seemed like the first barrel must have been jinxed since so many hit it. His time was good anyway.

The little goat was doing okay this morning but when I went to feed this afternoon she was on her side and lifeless. I brought her in and tube fed her some milk. Since I had the dryer going I put a blanket in to warm up so I could wrap her up. I also gave her a shot of whiskey in her milk. I went back to the barn to finish up feeding.

I came back began supper (meatloaf, mashed potatoes and peas) and started typing again. The little goat was still very weak but was holding her head up a bit. I tube fed her milk again minus the whiskey this time. At last check she seemed more alert and seemed to have a bit of her sucking reflex back. I think she may have been premature due to her size and had trouble holding her body temperature. We will just have to wait and see how she does.

April 14, 2009

The day started out rainy but did clear up a bit later in the afternoon. The little lamb Patience died this morning. Evidently she had something wrong with her that we could just not cure.

Dusty went to get feed and silage for the day and then hurried to get ready for a barrel race east of here. Flash has not been ridden in several days due to the weather and has been up in her stall so she will be ready to go. He will probably not be back until early in the morning.

I fixed a pot of homemade chicken soup and a chocolate cake for supper tonight. At least that will be done.

Feeding went well although it was so muddy that you could barely stand up on level ground much less any slopes.

We had a surprise when Donny went to the barn later in the evening. One of the goats that did not even look bred had a doe kid. She was so tiny but was standing up and moving around. The mama is a first timer but seems to know what to do. We put them in a stall to get acquainted but I am a little worried about the size of the baby.

April 13,2009

Another rainy cool day. I noticed that some of the goats were out this morning so I had to get them up. All I have to do is rattle a bucket and they will come running which is a good thing. If it would stay dry long enough we could get the fences fixed and electric fence up but right now we are getting one or two dry days out of 7. I went ahead and fed all the animals while I was at the barn and it was not raining. My little lamb Patience was not doing to well this morning. I think she got on her side and fought most of the night. I sat her back up and she drank some water but seemed wore out. Everyone else is doing fine. I am still waiting on one goat to kid. This will be her first so I am watching her closely.

We did get the potatoes and brocoli planted this weekend. Hopefully the rabbits won't notice but we put wire cages around the plants just in case. We do not have any squirrels here but we do have the rabbits.

I spent the rest of the day in the house doing this and that. I actually got to read some which I have not done in a while.

Dusty got silage this morning and fed before the pasture got to muddy. He spent the rest of the day working on horse stalls and cleaning around the barn.

Supper tonight was chicken with dip, pita bread, glazed carrots and creamed corn.

April 12, 2009

Easter. Today was pretty. It started out cool but then warmed up some. Before going to eat with family, Donny and Dusty fixed the fence so the baby goats could not go under it. Hopefully that will keep them out of mischief. After eating, Donny and Dusty went to pick up a load of hay while I took the silage home.

Dusty dug a trench across his horse barn so the heavy rains expected tomorrow will not run into the stalls. He also went around the horse lots with a magnet. These heavy rains have caused a lot of nails etc to come to the surface. I don't know what that area was before we moved here but it seemed to be a dumping ground for something.

We found one of our old ewes dead in the stall. She was over 12 years old and we were expecting this. She had twins but they are old enough to do without milk. I will keep them up in the stall just to make sure that they are getting enough to eat. I will probably bring, Coyla, Kodiak, Roxy and Patience (bottle babies) down to stay with them then I can get working on the carding studio and nursery.

April 11, 2009

No rain today but it was cloudy and cool. We did the usual jobs around the farm. Donny and Dusty delivered to bottle lambs and goats to his cousins. On the way back they picked up silage for tonight's feeding. We have kept our cattle on silage year round plus hay. They have seemed to do really well. The pastures were really eaten down due to the drought last summer. Hopefully this want be a repeat year. We have gotten a lot of rain over the past couple of weeks and more expected next week.

Donny and Dusty transported two horses from the AG Center to a new owner. They evidently refused to be loaded into a two horse trailer so they took a stock trailer to see if they would load in it. The horses were loaded fairly easy and taken to their new home.

April 10, 2009

It has stormed all day. The storms were pretty severe at times and tornadoes are popping up all around us.

I stayed in today and cleaned up the house. I also worked on a new afghan that I am crocheting and worked on updating our website. Nothing could be done outside so it was just a lazy day in the house.

Dusty picked up and delivered a truck bed which took most of the day. The livestock had hay today. Feeding grain in the rain is just a waste of feed. The animals, especially the goats will not come out of the barn to eat so the feed gets wet and ruins. Hopefully tomorrow will be pretty although muddy and we can get some things done.

April 9, 2009

Another pretty day. The goats are taking advantage of it too by getting out of the pasture and eating the new leaves in the backyard. This will have to be stopped, especially before the garden goes in. The ring leader is an Alpine cross goat and she it must be hereditary. Her mother would climb fences and trees just to get out of the pasture. She has passed this along to all of her babies. Suri, the goat will make up for it though with a nice udder and a lot of milk.

Dusty worked on the fencing and gates while the horses played. We could spend every day working on the fencing and never get done. We are trying to fence off pastures so we can rotate through the summer. This will help with parasite control as well as keeping the pastures going if there is drought.

Feeding went well with no problems except for the one legged rooster attacking Donny while he tried to water the chickens. Hop-A-Long hurt is leg in a fight with another rooster but he gets around quite well on one leg.

April 8 2009

They day started out cold but did turn warmer. Maybe this will be the end of the cold.

I spent part of the day washing and working on my knitting and crocheting. I then went to the barn and wormed some sheep and docked a lambs tail. She was probably the last one born this season unless we have a surprise. I put mommas and babies up for a couple of days so they can get acquainted and I can tag and dock the tails. This momma and baby have been up a little longer than usual because of the cold weather. They will go out tomorrow. While at the barn I picked up the feed room and let the pot-bellied pigs run around a bit. They were ready to go back in their pen when they saw the food coming. The cold air has confused the hens, I only got one egg tonight.

Dusty worked on putting in a gate in the riding ring before going to get silage. Donny had a SAFF meeting tonight so Dusty will do the rest of the feeding.

Tonights supper was baked chicken, fried potatoes, lima beans and Lava cake with vanilla ice cream.

April 7, 2009

It is a cold day with off an on snow showers so I stayed in as much as possible and worked on knitting mittens and a scarf. The birds are really staying at the feeders, I will have to refill them before long.

Feeding went well and the lamb actually stood and took some steps on her own. She has one back leg that will need a soft splint on it until it strengthens. I can't wait until I can get the bottle babies outside and turn the old milking barn into a nursery and studio for me. Hopefully the weather will turn warm and it will stay that way.

April 6, 2009

A cold day today. I made sure that all the tender plants were covered. Today is cleaning and washing day so I spent most of the day in the house doing that.

During feeding I worked with a lamb that became sick and could not walk. She has not walked or stood in close to a month. I rigged her up a sling today and helped her stand. She is doing better and is walking some with support. Hopefully she will recover and get stronger but it is going to take a bit of work.

Feeding was done without problems. One of the Nigerian goat kids has learned how to get out of his lot and come to the feed room for extra attention and feed. I have several of the "special" goats and lambs and sometimes they make feeding a little more complicated.

The temperatures are dropping so I made sure everything was covered. The new calf seems strong so I think she will do okay with the temperature drop.

April 5, 2009

Another beautiful day but a cool down is on the way. We checked on Mercy and her new calf, Mavis, this morning and both seem to be doing okay. Mavis is already jumping around trying to play a bit with the other calves. She is all black except for a tiny bit of white on her neck. The fencing must be working, there were no goats out this morning.

Donny and Dusty spread fertilizer on the hay fields and pastures today. They also reseeded where it was needed. I finished mowing the grass. Everything is beginning to take shape. I planted the raspberries in the garden. Last year the goats got in the garden and took care of all the raspberries. I moved them this year closer to the house so maybe they will leave them alone.

Dusty rode his horse and took her around the barrels several times before dark. She looks like she is ready for the next race.

Everybody got in the house a little after dark and will make it an early night.

April 4,2009

A beautiful day today. The horses were eager to get outside and spent the first few minutes running and rolling. I took the opportunity to sit in the barnyard and watch the animals while the pot-bellied pigs ran around. I saw the first of the barn swallows this morning. We have many nests in the barn and it takes a while getting used to them soaring in and out of the barn. Because of the barn swallows and bats, we do not have many mosquitoes.

Five goats greeted Donny when he went to the barn so he checked the fence and found several places that had been washed out by the rain. I guess it was becoming common knowledge where the go to place was. He spent the morning trying to fill in the holes. Hopefully it will help some but goats still continued to get out during the day.

The grass finally got mowed and the garden was tilled. I noticed that the Persimmons and Paw Paw trees where getting little buds on them. I will have to make sure and cover them when it freezes next week. My Mock Orange, Witch Hazel and Honeysuckle that I planted are also leafing out. Everything looks a lot better but I will need to do a little bit more tomorrow.

As we were feeding tonight we noticed that one of the cows, Mercy, was in labor and she had a nice heifer calf just as the sunset. The calf seemed healthy and Mercy has always been a good mother so we won't have to worry about her. Dusty also noticed that one of the goats may be in early labor but we will just have to see about that.

Supper tonight was fix what you want with everyone eating when they got a chance.

April 3,2009

The rain has gone for now and the wind is blowing hard. Hopefully it will dry up some of the mud. The rain has made the grass and pastures green. The trees are budding out and my flower garden is showing signs of a good year. My little band of roosters and hens are running around the yard and talking about this and that. I let about seven or so run around the farm. They do a good job with bug patrol and I love to here them crow and talk. We also have a huge Rhode Island Red rooster in the Nigerian lot. He keeps everyone in order and is the watch dog.

It is still to wet in the ring for Dusty to get his barrel horse ready to run tomorrow so he will probably not run. It is not worth her slipping around and injuring a leg.

The grass has got to be mowed soon and the garden needs some work. I don't think I will worry about planting too much. We are supposed to get cold again next week and possibly have some snow. I was planning on putting the bottle babies outside this weekend but I won't do that. They are used to shelter and a heat lamp so they will gradually have to be weaned to cooler temperatures.

Dusty worked on fencing, an ongoing thing around here. The goats and sheep jump or go under the fence to get in the cow pastures. He is going to have to walk the fence in the sheep and goat pastures tomorrow. When I went to feed, I met one of the same goats from yesterday walking up the road. She had a new friend with her today. They very politely waited until I opened the gait and walked on in.

Feeding was uneventful today and went fairly quick. Our male llama has been separated from the others until we could have the vet castrate him. He is now back with the others and making a slow adjustment among the others and finding his pecking order. I will bring in another male later on to do the breeding.

Supper tonight will be venison, homegrown green beans and potatoes, homegrown corn and homemade rolls with chocolate chip cookies for dessert.

April 2,2009

Another morning of waking up to rain. Everyone says that we need the rain but they don't have to slosh and slide through the mud to feed and water the animals and if it raining at the time, forget about the goats coming out from the comfort of the barn to eat.

I took the opportunity to go and feed during a break in the rain. Hope, Bo, Shasta and BB (Jack Russells) went with me. Bindi, Lily and Chunk (sheep) were waiting at the gait to go out and graze in the yard. They were not raised with other sheep so they would rather stay in the barn yard and be spoild rather than go out to pasture with the other sheep. The Nigerian goat kids were running around outside there pen and crying to eat. They are so little that they can easily pass through the fencing. I also noticed two goats walking up the road. They must have found somewhere to escape.

Everyone was fed and watered. The llamas and Alpacas finally finished their feed in between spitting and fussing at each other. The horses were kicking in their stalls. It was too wet for them to go out and it was not time for them to eat. I gave them some hay to prevent any holes being kicked in the new stalls that Dusty (son) had constructed. The chickens are just begining to lay eggs again so I got 4 today. Soon we will be getting a dozen plus each day.

Finished feeding just in time for the rain. Everyone is up and happy except for Bindi who is running around the back yard and Suri (Alpine goat) who thinks it is her priviledge to run wherever she pleases, she takes after her mamma. Dusty will put Bindi back up when he goes to the barn and Suri will go back when she pleases. It will be nasty again tonight when it is time to feed the Cows silage but they have to eat no matter what.