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Mini Horses

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Goats. They "seem" to like leaves and not have reaction to them. Defoliation and it dies. I can assure you it works on blackberries....and I have no poison ivy....or roses
 

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I was hoping not to have to spray, but spray it I will. Thanks for the confirmation @Baymule

I believe there are some sprays like round up that you put on the leaves and it gets drawn into the roots to only kill the plant the poison gets on. That’s probably what I’ll use and might work for you too @farmerjan

@Mini Horses Poison Ivy roots are too deep for just removing the leaves to be effective, unfortunately. Even if you dig or pull it up it often will return the following year. I never had my goats on a patch, but everything they ate, my sheep do too (and are actually less picky about feed for the most part), so I wouldn’t count on them being willing to brave eating it lol
 

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Today DH is off to the shop where his friend works to get some stuff done on our car. DH is a mechanic, but we don’t have a garage or lift—anything big like that we don’t have here—so he still has to take it in.
Then we’re off to pick up some poison for the ivy. It rained last night and finally kicked the humidity, so perfect time to get it sprayed as it goes into a grow cycle with the rain (pull that poison into the roots and DIE! Muhuhahaha) while we won’t expire from the heat.
I have a huge list of things I want to get done this week, but right now I want to pat myself on the back for ordering hay when I did. Hopefully the people I ordered from come through because hay prices are skyrocketing as feared/expected. Really need that hay at the prices listed when contacted, not the prices that are starting to happen. I have paid less than 300 for plenty of hay for the winter (and that’s including delivery). As it is this year is looking like well over 500, so I would really be happy if I’m not forced to find new providers that will (at this rate) put my hay cost closer to 800.
My sheep finances are red enough as it is 😝 I’ve still got some credit coming for them when I put the rams in the freezer, but I don’t think that’s going to dent it much.
I don’t have my sheep to make money, but it would be awfully nice if they would at least break even in credit if not cash :rolleyes:
Anyway, enough ranting. I’m in an oddly talkative mood this week 😂
To make up for it, some girly squish faces and group shot 🥰 (I squished Foxy too, but she was too close to the camera for a good still shot.)
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Cooler weather this week means I’m in work mode.
Most of the summer is either too hot or too buggy for me to get much done, so when it’s cooler like this week, I do as much as I can—cleaning out pens, building, repairing, filling holes/low spots, pulling weeds/weed whacking, digging trenches for fall rain, and so on and so forth.
Loads and loads of work to be done. It’s taking much longer these days since DS is at the point of “helping” me, so he has his own little shovel and tries to dig in the garden or muck the barn alongside me while I try to get the work done, help him get his own mission accomplished, and keep us both from injury. Not an easy feat!

He’s still not talking other than “Mom, Mom, Mom” or “Dad, Dad, Dad” but he knows enough sign language to get by and is very physically demonstrative.
I’m guessing some docs would consider him autistic or whatever crap they can come up with, eh @Ridgetop 😂
Of course, rather than freaking out, my reaction to doctors panic-inducing fear-mongering is my firm (because of my experiences with them) belief that doctors are morons and DS is developing just fine.
(Don’t worry, I know doctors are important. We do go regularly and use them for what they are good for with much gratitude expressed for their expertise.)

Well, back to work. I’ll try to get some nice pictures again soon. Maybe of the chickens since I haven’t shown them off for a while 😁
 

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I’m debating the wisdom of my ways today. Yesterday I worked my butt off and now I’m sore, but I keep thinking about all the work that needs done and am probably going to do at least a few things instead of resting the way I should.
I can always rest tomorrow, right?
And I’m technically resting right now, right?
That should be enough…right? :lol::hide
I have a teeny tiny dent in my to-do list, so I made sure to add a few more things today. You know, just because I can’t possibly actually FINISH a list. Ever.
DH says I’m crazy. I’m inclined to agree, but only because I’m in the group of good crazy—or so I tell myself 🤔

Anyway. Got some of the yard cleaned up (okay, started to, it’s not spotless) some sheds cleaned out, garbage disposed of, and poison ivy sprayed since there’s a big enough area that it’s taken me a few days to get all I can find. I spread out a huge tarp that I was using to cover the haylage I had for the sheep in the spring and am cleaning the leftover crud from that away.
Then I figured I wasn’t getting enough done and hand sheared that awful matted mess off of Foxy. She seems much happier ❤️
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And Dingo says hello 👋 He’s so sweet-natured. So glad I have him ❤️
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Starting to get back into working some wool lately. It’s starting to get hot again, so a few more things outside today (weed whacking mostly) and I’ll probably be inside more for a bit. Good time to play with some wool 😊
I was debating about sending my wool away to be processed, but since it’s going to be a continuous thing for me, I decided to look into some equipment to help me out rather than send it away. I don’t want my wool completely stripped of lanolin like a mill would do, so I’m going to pick up a drum carder on Friday and am thinking about getting or making a picker (a box with angled nails that pulls the wool apart and drops the vast majority of VM).
So, there’s all that on my mind, but I promised chicken pics, so that’s the main reason I logged in 😋
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There are only 5 of them. Three Cochin, one Ameraucana, and DH’s Silkie/Speckled Sussex hen.
 
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