ldawntaylor - bits and pieces

Did you ever hear if it is raining when the sun was shining the "devil was beating his wife" ?

Hi, I can't say I've heard that one

OneFineAcre said:

Did you ever hear if it is raining when the sun was shining the "devil was beating his wife" ?

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Here again,

This buck is Pilgram II, he is named for his sire before him. He is a purebred Toggenberg. I still wish his sire was around though. Although he is settling down nicely.

Thanks to housing and fencing issues my buck runs with the does. The bigger issue is that I don't trust either of my dogs with the goats. I guess both were introduced to goats too late in life. Things will change someday though....

This winter I had one of those "wish I had my camera" moments. Pilgram II was laying down when one of the young kids approached. They started butting heads and Pilgram never even got to his feet.

He does have scurs that I have to keep an eye on. I don't want them growing in the wrong direction. So far no problems.

So tired tonight, and a lot still to do.

It has been a rather tought two weeks. Well, almost two and a half weeks now. Father's Day I had a memorial service to attend. The founding pastor at my church passed away so it ended up being a big event at church and in the community.

You know it is a difficult day at work when it is a relief to take time for grieving friends. Co-workers calling in was just part of the challenge. We also had our "annual picnic" and that has some difficult moments. As well as a lot of prep work for the kitchen and extra people trying to work in an already small space. More deep cleaning than usual too. The picnic was yesterday so maybe things will go back to normal now.

During this time my buck broke off one of his scurs. (The young buck squalling draws some attention but the big buck fussing creates panic.) It was dark so I couldn't see what the problem was at first. It was the next morning before he let me treat his head. In the process he got himself stuck and came really close to breaking both back legs in his panic to get loose. Somehow he got out of that with just bruises and some sore muscles. He still walks a bit slowly but he has been putting full weight on both legs after the first few moments.

Thanks to Pilgram II's panic and fussing the does did not want to co-operate with being milked. In fact one of the does stepped on a chicken and knocked the poor bird head over heals. She rolled at least twice, and not from side to side either.

Boy, was I missing his sire that night. Pilgram would just tremble when he was scared, but I could do whatever I needed to in treatment. His son, my current buck, is much more challenging. Btw, Pilgram was a registred purebred so the spelling was assigned to him by the ADGA.

With all that has been going on I've been trying to focus on things like the fresh blackberries that are ripening now. Or the hibiscus being tall enough for the blooms to be seen from my chair in the living room. Things like homemade icecream and watching the fireflies. That scent on the air when it is raining and the wind is blowing my direction.

I have spent several hours weeding flower beds, herb beds and that jungle I call a garden. It does feel good to be able to work in the garden this year. Last year I was still healing from a bad burn on my legs and even walking was painful.

Well, laundry is ready to move to the dryer and my icecream is almost ready so I'll close for now.

Here it is about 2 months since my last posting.

The weather is cooling down some but the days are just as busy. A few of the trees have leaves that are changing color and falling. I know it feels a bit early but those trees are always the ones I notice first. I like when the weather cools down enough that I don't need the a/c, especially when I don't need the heater either.

I made substantial progress in my garden. Since it was such a non-productive year in the garden I decided to make some changes. I'm sure you know how it goes. I decided after things were set up that I didn't quite like the way my garden was set up. For example...I have a spot in the garden where I put weeds and things like that unil I am ready to add to the compost pile. I had put that pile by the gate. I was thinking convenience of getting the weeds out. Well, now that place is at the back of my garden. That weed pile being the first thing I see gives the whole garden an unkept look.

I use boxes that are 4 foot by 4 foot and various depths. I have "pathways" between the boxes. I have put down cardboard and mulch on them. Now, If I can keep that up weeds won't be as big of a problem next summer. It is hard to control weeds without using chemicals. Ironic in a way because I have no such problem using worry-free (Sevin dust product) to kill the ants that invade my garden and my closets. Maybe I just like the process of pulling weeds.

For now I need to get breakfast so I can get to work.

Another six weeks or so has passed.

With this last storm most of the tall trees have lost their leaves. The shorter trees still have some color. I was glad to see the sun after 5 days of clouds a mist/rain. I kept reminding myself to be glad the storm was so gentle that the rain soaked in instead of just running off.

It is nice to not need the a/c or the heater. I do need to watch for hard frosts though.

One thing I do not like about this time of year is the required flu shot.

I don't spend as much time outside but I am just as busy. The last few days I have been cleaning. A major undertaking because of all the stuff I need to sort through. Plus, I have a bad habit of just putting things down if I think I will need again soon. Only "soon" doesn't arrive as expected and the stuff just piles up.... I'm sure I'm not the only one with that habit.... The cleaning is only partially done. But will be finished on my next day off.

I've got my yarn projects going again. I guess that is part of the challenge in cleaning. I have far too many projects that are in progress. At least I've only bought 3 or 4 skeins of yarn and I've finshed of 8 or 9 skeins. Now, if I can just make the same kind of progress with my other types of projects.

For now I need to get back to sorting those papers.

Lol I am making my list of indoor winter projects.
Not doing any outdoor farm projects this year... hopefully.

How is your little Tog?

She's doing well. That injury of hers healed quite well. She looked like she had a target on her side for awhile though.

Wow, for once it isn't six weeks or a couple of months later.

But, this is a rather exciting day.

It was a rough start finding one of my young does died last night. I had treated recently for parasites. The edema under her jaw was going down. But there was still a hard knot about where roots of one of her teeth was. This morning she was gone with foam on her mouth. I have cared for several ill goats in their final hours and never noticed foam like that.

But after that start things have certainly gotten exciting. My neighbor, aka my parents, are getting electricity put in for their new location. And the electric company is here working now. Maybe this means fewer hunters tresspassing. Or maybe they will just be less obvious.

I've talked to my step-dad and he is on board with putting a bit of fence up for chickens. I think it is better for all if they have their own space.

Another change is that it looks like I may be getting a donkey. It seems to have been dumped off and has made my step-uncle's property its home base. It is friendly but I have not actually seen it for myself. At this point I have no idea if it is a jack or a jenny. Any my dad isn't too likely to notice. It has survived on its own for almost two weeks. Maybe this will be the guardian that wonders with my herd. Not that they can wander very far.

Since the electric people are here with their big trucks I cannot try setting bread to rise yet. Anyone with ideas on how to stop the vibrations through the floor from making my breads flop? I haven't gotten a decent rise yet. Biscuits do okay but even the sour dough ones don't need to rise as long. The only common denominator on the days I try to bake is the vibrations from trucks on the highway, from my fridge or freezer, and from my a/c or heater. Some of that I can control but not all.

I can still set my bananas to drying. I always buy more than I need so I dehydrate the rest. This way I always have a healthy snack on hand.

I can also still start my saurkraut (sp?) process. I'm only trying a little but I hope it will work.

For now I need to get busy cleaning goat shelters and such.

Back again,

Only a little over a week later. The donkey hasn't shown up again so...some other time...maybe....

The chicken pen is in place about 15 feet by 20 feet, maybe a bit larger. The chickens I have should be fine out there. I am adding chicken wire or something similar in a few days.



This picture is from the shorter side. I'm afraid this is very much a decide as I go project. I only have a minimal idea of what I want. So the end result may prove quite interesting. In the background you can see my goats and their shed in the "night pen". The pasture is divided into two completely fenced areas. Three if you include where the dogs are right now.

Below is a before picture of my garden area. In some ways I cannot believe I've accomplished as much as I have this summer - by hand too.




And here it is now. Still some work to do but so much better.



A lot closer to what I want, but still several hours work before spring.

Here it is mid-Nov. and I have my windows open. This morning was about 30 degrees F and now here it was into the 70's.


Must close for the moment.

Lisa