Notes From Around the Farm

With putting the kids up north, I got to milk Zinnia for those few days.  I think she’s a little sad that she has her girls back.  Hopefully, it isn’t for too long.

Barbie, Jeanie, and Zinnia

Dolly and Heidi were glad to be released from the north paddock.  They both enjoy coming in for sweet feed. And I appreciate that I can have them both in there at the same time and leave them unattended.  It’s much easier.

Heidi and Dolly in the milk room

I think I have a ground hog problem.  Seriously. Why not?  The sad thing is that I might have one digging under my garage, but I’m afraid to go in there and check it out with Freddie still here.  I’m not sure what to do anyhow because I haven’t seen one, and I don’t shoot.  I wish they would just go find a pile of brush out in pasture to chuck wood and leave my buildings alone.

Poor Mr. Peacock seems to have caught a cold with the sudden change in temperatures.  He is getting a bit older, so that is a concern. I hope he can shake it off and recover.

Mr. Peacock–molting some of his topknot and growing his tail back in.

The little girls seem quite happy with room service in the Love Shack.

Terry and Crystal

I wonder if Ava and Heidi will develop a relationship now that Heidi is her only kid on the farm she gets to be with (and will be the only when Freddie is gone).

Was supposed to be a picture of Heidi and then I noticed Ava photobombing.

Poor Benji did not go to his appointment to get fixed. I’ve decided he must have spit out his last copper capsule (because it took three tries to get it to stay down his throat when I gave copper over the weekend).  He is in rough shape.  I gave him a larger dose and will keep feeding him hard and hope he can recover. Then I’ll reschedule his appointment.

Benji, with Simon and Frodo behind.

And it’s almost half way to the weekend.  Hopefully, this one will bring some better weather.

A Wicked Swing

Let’s start with the good news!  Last week’s rain dropped us out of severe drought and back to moderate drought.  That is really good.

We started this week warm.  I mean too warm for this time of year.  I believe two nights had record high low temperatures.

Last weekend when it felt like early September.

Then we had a front come through and drop our temperatures to way below normal.

I scrambled to get heated water buckets going.  And it’s a good thing I did because all the ones I didn’t get emptied are frozen solid.

frozen water and the hydrant

Did you notice the snow flakes on the ice?  We have flurries this morning.  I suppose I should be grateful it’s not the huge amounts of snow they had out west.

Astra and Antigone are not happy with snow.

But my hydrant is frozen.  I don’t know how.  My well house is heated (it’s 50° in there), but it’s just like last year when I couldn’t use it and had to carry buckets of water for six weeks.

Snow down the lane to pasture.

So far, there’s water in the cattle tank.  We’ll see if it works or not when I know someone has drunk from it. and they have to because all of their other water is frozen.

Wasn’t it just a week ago I was looking forward to winter?  Hopefully, the ground won’t freeze completely for a while and we’ll be able to replace the hydrant yet this fall.  I hope so.

My Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Week

I know I said I was going to focus on the positive, but this has really been a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad week.  It started on Monday.  I had my doctor’s appointments.  Other than having to wear dark sunglasses, my eye appointment and mammogram were fine.

Glad I had my mom to drive me home

I also saw the podiatrist.  My assessment going into the appointment was that I’m a hot mess from the top of the ankle to the tip of the toes on both feet.  And, basically, I was right. And at some point I evidently chipped a bone in my left ankle. The right one is just full of spurs and arthritis. Fun times!  It’s looking more like a surgery is in my future to clean out that ankle with the arthritis and spurs.

Tuesday is when I discovered Bambi had passed.

Those ears!

Wednesday morning, I left for work and ended up having a deer commit suicide by jumping into my car.  Honestly, I am feeling really lucky that it wasn’t worse than it was.  The car runs, and other than a headlight gone and the door only half opening, it’s functional.  It will get fixed next month.

Deer damage

When I got home that afternoon, I discovered that Flower has bottle jaw.  Her eye membranes are pure white.

Flower (taken on Friday; she does look a little better)

Thursday, Freddie tried to kill me–multiple times.  He will get sold rather than wethered.  I have a policy of not keeping goats who try to kill me.

Freddie

Astra was also acting sick.  She had no appetite and seemed really cold, but I couldn’t find anything wrong with her otherwise.

Astra–she seemed fine the next day.

And Friday…the streak broke.  Thank goatness.