Another deluge

Well, I really need to stop speaking in absolutes as they seem to come true.
I may need those loads of gravel for the drive sooner than I thought.

We returned home around noon after errands and a lovely hike down a power line, where both saplings lost a shoe in mud, in different places, at the same time. I managed to keep my shoes on, but came out of the hike spattered in mud. Peko had a blast. The day turned hot and sunny, so first thing on our return was to answer the pleas to go for a swim.

Being a lovely Sunday afternoon, plenty of canoers and kayakers had similar thoughts, and the Willow was a bit put out that they had to get out of the water and wait for folks to put in. I was happy as I love to meet the folks that come to enjoy the pond. The water was too cold anyhow, so we headed home for some consolation chocolate bars and I made my last post as black clouds loomed and thunder started rumbling. Hence all the typos, as I quickly posted, and then disconnected everything.

Man, did it rain!!! It rained harder than the other day, and it rained like that for well over a half hour. lightning, thunder, but no big wind. It was an enormous deluge. I kept hoping that all the nice folks I spoke with had made it safely off the pond before it hit.

As soon as the storm passed, we headed out to survey the situation. Quite a lot of my driveway had washed away. There is a huge collapsed section in front of the mail box again-worse than last time. It is over a foot deep and two feet wide and about twelve feet long. I am glad most of my important mail goes to a post office box, because there is no way the postman will be able to get to the mailbox.

All the vehicles of folks we had spoken to were gone...but there was still a truck jammed up in the woods. I imagine they must be camping to have left their truck there...hopefully they didn't wash away. The storm sprang up very quickly. I would have been ashore cowering under the canoe if it had been me. LOL.

April rain

April Rain Tree

rainy day

I expected to have today off from the farm, with torrential rains forecast. Yesterday I combed one of the wild doelings-a 15 minutes clean up, and then moved on to the new goat, Emerson, a white fluff bomb; a huge wether.

Boss said she had done his neck and shoulders the day before so I started on his haunches, as she said to put that fiber separate. After evaluating it, she said to put it all together but save the britches separate. LOL. So I started combing in earnest.

Within minutes I had clouds of white fluffy cashmere in great gobs all over the place-me, my coat, the goat, and the fence as he was leaning against it on the off side. I quickly shed the fleece hoodie I was wearing down to cotton flannel ,and rolled up my sleeves so I didn't take half the goat home with me.

I spent over an hour on him and he looked like a different goat afterwards. Then Boss went to let the bucks out at Prescott while R and I went down to Jenny Nash to fix the shingles on one of the little houses. That went quickly, and we stopped to check out the upper section of fence. We have to put a couple fence posts in there, as the temporary ones snapped at ground level from the snow this winter.

Once back to Prescott, we found Boss down by the highway with two bucks near the road-armed with her broom and pan. Those two and the rest of the bucks recognized my car pull in and came running back to the barn when we arrived.

At the end of the morning, I left it with Boss that I would call her in the am regarding work, as rain was forecast. When I heard about the heavy rains, I figured I would be having the day off and contemplated crating the roosters and hauling them up to the livestock auction. Waking to torrential rain, staying in bed late sounded like a better plan.

However, when I called Boss to check in , she gave me the offer of hooves for the morning. Hooves are not fun, but I knew it would be a chance to get some tips and good experience at the hands of an expert, so I agreed.

I did four sets of hooves and did I leave there looking and smelling quite a mess!

I prefer to do the front feet by facing toward the rear of the goat, half kneeling, with the goat ankle resting above my kneecap. It's the way I was taught to pick out horse's feet, except standing in that case.

That position leaves my shoulder free against the goat to help steady them or hold them against the wall. Because of the rain, most of the goats were wet, so I quickly became covered in wet stinky goat. The free side the Great Pyrannees thought would make a great place to dry his face, when he wasn't trying to use my hair as a towel.

The goat hooves were tough as nails after the long dry spell we have been having, and I realized on the way home that I had earned a good sized blister on the ring fnger of my right hand from the clippers.

And the smell of a good old dirty hoof...goat or horse, those smell pretty much the same...

The deluge of rain continued all day-I can't tell you how much rain we have received but I bet at least 5 inches by now. The fields leapt to life today; driving to the store this afternoon my eyes ached from the emerald green where just days ago was plain dry brown.

The maples are in full bloom with a blush of red, so delicate.

Aprils showers bring May flowers. :)