Other Happenings Around the Farm

My nephew brought their Christmas tree to the goats.  They thought it was a fabulous tree-t.

Zinnia, Caroline and Hera

The next day, I had to turn it over because the only green left was on the bottom.

Maisie checking it out after I turned it over

It didn’t last long.

Dolly and Astra enjoying the treet

I took advantage of the nice weather over break and gave everyone another round of copper.  It was time.  They hadn’t had it since the first part of November.

Sisters Rosie and Purl

The first day, I had a lot of them swarming the milk room.  It gets hard to control the chaos when they all want in.

Cupid (some day I should wash the hoof prints off the window)

I am impressed that my evil plan worked.  I grabbed Zora while she was eating and drug her to the milk room.

Zora eating with maa, Daisy

She was too mad to even try eating any sweet feed, but she got her copper and she got her hooves trimmed.

I did not try to kill you, Zora. Quit telling tales.

It wasn’t so traumatic for her that I couldn’t pet her again by the next day.  She really is a brat.

On the first, I decided I couldn’t put off scooping any  longer.

Ava in front of my door that was snowed shut

I am way too old to be tossing bales through and then me climbing over the Dutch door.  So I chipped away and got it cleared enough that I could get me and a bale through it.

The girls were interested in what I was doing.  Not that they care how I get the hay out as long as I feed them.

Tansy, Onyx, Cupid, Flora, and 2TC

Another thing I did over break was spend a lot of time in the kitchen.  I used the bags of vegetables I froze in the fall and canned a lot more vegetable stock.

I did a total of ten quarts and thirteen pints. Hopefully, it will last me until next fall.

Finishing Clearing the Barnyard

After a break from scooping the paths, I went back and started clearing the bigger spaces.  The greenhouse was actually pretty quick to put in a couple of piles.

Flora

It was the north paddock that I figured would wear me out.  The snow was deep.  All the way from the gate to the building.

From the gate to the north

I have to go around the pen.

Then it’s a stretch to the shed.

They didn’t even come out despite the wind dying down and the sunshine.

2TC in the doorway

Then I scooped for them, and they were happy to come out!

2TC coming out on my path

Chiffon, Trace, and Benji

Then I did the main part of the barnyard.  I had to clear it enough to get all my food pans out and make sure everyone would be able to find a place to eat hay when I fed them.

Hilda testing out the path.

I did it.  I still had the yard and some other little parts to do, but I had it so that I could do chores.

It was close, but we did it.

Hilda and Rosie eating hay

Of course, Pretzel is still going into the barn to eat hay while I’m doing the rest of my chores.

Pretzel

They were very happy to get their food after that storm and the huge drop in temperatures again.

Clearing Snow

While Sky got to have fun, I wasn’t quite as thrilled to look out and see all the snow.

lots of drifts

All the goats were staying inside.

Maisie

Pluto and Dolly

Ava

I’m pretty sure nowbody is going to go out to pasture for a while.

lane into pasture

The snow managed to find every crack into all the buildings.  The chickens had a fun drift in their section of the barn.

There were still a few flurries and quite a bit of wind yet this morning.

Onyx

But, we did at least have a snow day from work, so I got to spend the day clearing things out.

Path from the water to where the goats eat

The geese appreciated getting their space cleared out and fresh hay to nap on (really).

mean honkers

I put a lot of paths to all the buildings.

Dolly, Cinnamon and Hera; you can see I have a path all the way to the milk room

I cleaned spaces for everyone to be fed.

Hilda–they had a pretty big space, but I had to shovel a path all the way to the building.

Purl in the greenhouse

Antigone

I am very grateful that my nephew came and did the driveway.

I have to say, I’m really starting to think I need a little tractor.