The First Cutting

This week, my nephew did the first cutting of hay from the waterway.

With the warm dry weather we’ve had, it didn’t take long to dry.

The next day, he raked it into windrows.

I love the way it looks when it’s in windrows and ready to bale.

Of course, I like the look of all those round bales out there too.

I’m not sure Maybeline shares my thoughts on that.

Maybeline

Nothing like summer on the farm!

Evictions

I am seriously ready to do some evictions around here.  First, is Lemuel.  I was planning on keeping him until I could breed him to Rosie next fall.  That would be a perfect kid combo.

Lemuel

But his personality is identical to his grandpa Xerxes.  I am not having another wild buck that I can’t sell.  I’m getting rid of him before we get to that point.  I kid you not, I spent ten or more minutes chasing him around the Love Shack to catch him and give him his copper last weekend.

And it is absolutely an inherited personality.  I swear it is.  I mean he spends his time with my sweet Benji and Frodo.  They both love me.

Frodo

Anyhow, I’m hoping he will be gone in the next couple of weeks.  The second eviction notice is being given to Old Man Winter.  We had another 2+ inches of snow when I woke up Thursday morning.

no picture from the morning because I had to go to work

This time of year, it usually melts quickly, but I took these pictures after I did chores.  It was still here.

Penelope in front; Lemuel, Benji, and Frodo in the Love Shack

We are all tired of the cold and damp.  It’s miserable.  It means more work for chores.

Sky

Onyx finishing up a pile of hay I gave them.

We all demand winter leave and let spring warmth and rain show up.  Seriously, because I am beyond ready to evict the goats from the garage.  They are happy as clams.

Cupid teaching Brigit about yummy hay

Spunky and Spuds

Hera feeding Lady and Tramp

But I’m not sure any of my stuff will survive.

Tommy, Bubbles,Shellie, Ostara (Flower in back)

my garage door opener sensor

Hera behind the air compressor

Thursday when I got home, someone had discovered and opened the bag of birdhouse gourds.  I picked them up and put them all in the soap room.  Well, there was one that had a little hole eaten in it, so I left it.

a bag of gourds

When I went back to the garage, I kid you not, Bull was wearing it. His head was completely stuck inside.  I am amazed that he wasn’t panicking, but he was just standing there trying to figure it out.  How I wish I had my camera for that one.

Bull (yes, I really was going to put it back on his head)

By the time I came back out to do a recreation, Coral had eaten the rest of the gourd.

Coral finishing off the last of the gourd

I am really ready to get them out of the garage, but the weather has to cooperate a bit for that to happen.

To Pasture For Real

With the warm weather last week, the goats have gone back out to pasture for real.  Sunday morning, despite the cold and wind, I decided to go out there and see them.

Of course, they came as soon as they noticed me.

It didn’t slow down their eating much though.

Pretzel

Penelope

The llamas are out there too.

Aurora and Maybeline

Odie

I am really glad to see them out here because it means I have fewer bales of hay to give them in the evening.

Munching away

Because they are also drinking out of the ditch, it means fewer buckets of water to carry.  I am really happy about that.

But it’s back to snowy winter, so I’m back to full rations of hay again and carrying lots of water.