Farmtalk

I had yesterday off from the farm. Following a trip to the post office to check on an expected package, I stopped on the back road to a private stash of hemlock branches the road trimming crews missed when they chipped.

With good reason-the spot had recently been over-enthusiastically ditched out, leaving a fifteen foot sheer embankment on the far side. Luckily yesterday the ground was still lightly frozen from the night before, so with a quick scout I was easily able to find a few toeholds to scale to the upper plateau where the brush was left.

The day before I had caused a minor landslide further down from thawing. I found myself thinking I would have been ticked if it was my land and the road crew had left it that way- open to erosion.

I had also made the trip armed with freshly cleaned binoculars and different settings for focus on the digital, and stopped in the middle of dead wood swamp for a few minutes. I am sure Mouse will scoff at me here, tales of his dedicated and hours long vigils for shots can't fail to inspire one ( to stay under the warm covers until well past daybreak, if at all possible, lol).

No sign of the hawks from the previous day, although I heard the nearby call of a red-winged blackbird, alarmed at my presence, (no, I don't speak blackbird , yet...)I twice thought that I heard the hawk call from the day before-up ahead in the tall trees, where likely a nest is being located.
The call ID would enable me to narrow down whether the birds were broad-winged hawks or red-shouldered hawks..the latter which favor swampy settings...still not sure, but since I travel through there several times I week, I will try and keep my eyes open! And now the binocs will be a permanent fixture in my daily grab bag.

I always thought that the swamp would make an ideal sky viewing location at night in the summer--creepy and noisy and clear viewing! Maybe this summer....

Today I worked at the farm, and arrived to find Boss had penned Linnea and Bonnie for combing. Uh-oh. Linnea is really the most evil one to comb, being clever and crafty when she tries to bite or horn you, and lightning-quick, unlike fat Daisy and Lois from last week...

Bonnie gave me a tough time last year, but I had excused her attitude for fear and have tried to speak nicely and offer treats and scratches if I could get close enough, since then.

I debated a moment and decided to start with Bonnie. She was a delight to comb! She had me laughing out loud at one point when I was brushing the back of her neck. She tilted her head way back so she was staring at the ceiling, and I took it to mean in bliss...LOL. Even in the normal jumpy places she was fine...

Then I moved to LInnea. I put her right up on a doubled-short chain, so she had only about 8" of chain to the fence. Usually goats like to be combed on the neck-not Linnea. Anywhere on the neck or shoulder is fair reach for a bite or horning. I was squatted down, knees flexed, at arm's length brushing her with the slicker, when "Wham!" somehow she got her head around and knocked me full bore with her horns against my left kneecap.

I was in agony! I threw myself back into the corner clutching my leg spewing foul language!!!

When I recovered, I grabbed the near horn and jammed her other against the pen and brushed her fast and furious with the slicker-no more Miss nice guy...LOL!

My knee still aches....*swears again in head!*

Finally finished with the *** lol, we all helped Boss gather and load pine branches from a large downed pine in the front pasture. R and I took the job of snapping branches off the huge pine, while Boss and P loaded. Then we doled them out at the main barn and went on to Prescott with more branches, where I helped R clean, collar, and grain, and then combed Leif.

Managed not to get a horn in the eye, but..the knee aches...*wink*