Prophetic Dreams?

I decided this afternoon at hay time to ask the Firebird to help me comb Nicolas. Nicolas is very difficult to comb, jumpy, and tries to butt you. So, two people are in order.

Goats shed their undercoat, or cashmere, at different rates. Nic has already shed his neck out-now we are working on topline and shoulders mostly.

I decided to tie him out in the woods where I put the hay. First thing, I sprung my ankle, and then tripped on the stone wall and fell face first. Luckily I had an armload of hay to break my fall. The goats were all crowding me as I tried to spread the hay. I should have taken it for an omen.

Nic was his typical jerky self, and we spent more than a half hour combing Nic. I was using a white plastic grocery bag hung on a tree to put the cashmere in. All of a sudden, the Firebird yelled, "Ani has the bag!"

Ani, a small Alpine wether, had torn the bag off the tree and was proceeding to eat it. I was off like a shot chasing that damn goat! Over the stone wall, yelling, chucking the wire brush and hitting his behind, and still he kept running and chewing. I watched the bag disappear and yelled for the Firebird to help me corner the goat.

Back in the muck pen, Ani finally turned as I said his name, and I reached over one of the little houses as he offerred the bag. I tore the bag out of his mouth and he prompty swallowed the rest. I have no idea how much fiber I lost to that pig, but a good chunk of bag is unaccounted for.

Shortly afterwards I recalled my nightmare the other night. I dreamed that a coyote was chasing Anaken through the woods and caught him just where I caught him this afternoon.

I suppose if any coyotes (the tricksters) were watching today, they had a good chuckle at my expense.

Busy goat day

This morning I awoke bright and early except it was foggy out. Snow fog. Not a good farm day, after all. I decided my goats weren't too wet for a comb, though. First I did Nic's feet since he was way overdue.

Then I combed Daphne and got quite a bit of fiber off of her. I had the Firebird helping, so I put him on Obi, then Moonie, then Ani. They were all giving him a hard time. By then I had moved on to Genevieve, who was being very good. Last year I could barely comb her, she wouldn't stand still and kept trying to horn me. Not this year-she has learned it feels good on all those itchy places!

Anyhow, I let the Firebird take Gen over and went on to comb Obi, Derek, Ani, and Moonie. I didn't spend a lot of time of any of them, but they are all shedding some nice fine cashmere. I love Moonshadow's-it is nearly black with white marble where he has the lighter spots. It is very short, but very fine.

I figure when I send it off for processing I might have them blend in Nic and Obi's longer cashmere. Or, if I have enough, I might separate the long from short, since the short is so extra fine. I need a pound minimum of raw fiber for processing, so I will weigh it over at the farm at the end of the season and decide what to do then.

Nic and Ob's and Ani's all have a lot of long guard hair mixed in, but the others have nearly clean fiber, so it may be worth doing it in two batches since one might not need the de-hairing process, which removes the long prickly guard hair.

Later the herd came out of the woods for a drink, and I noticed Nic was limping BADLY. He was fine when I released him earlier. I put on boots and coats and rushed out to see what was wrong. He had picked up some kind of stick-it might have been barberry-and had at least a half inch stuck right into the sole of one clew! OUCH! I plucked it out and doused it with hoof and heel, but I will have to keep an eye that puncture doesn't abscess.

He was much better once that was out. I couldn't help but notice he is loaded with cashmere and needs a combing too. Maybe this afternoon if I can get the Firebird to hold him.

Crap I lost two pounds

First I want to edit in a congrats to Scott McClellan, former Whitehouse press secretary, who has released a book detailing the Bush administration's decision to design facts around supporting a war with Iraq.

The White House is already scrambling damage control, no surprise. Surely this book is guaranteed to bring a few more heads around to the truth- the catch is how many? Enough?

I had a follow up appointment with the Doc today for another manipulation.

His nurse weighed me and took my vitals, and I whispered to her to make sure she wrote 130 down for weight and she chuckled.

The first thing Doc said when he walked in and looked at my chart, "What, you've lost weight?"

I had no clue-"What did I weigh?"
"128," he replied.

"Well, I took a big dump before I left for the appointment," I responded.

He's not buying it.

"Are you TRYING to lose weight?" he asked several times in succession.

I protested vehemently. "Hey, I eat good food-chicken alfredo for lunch-I like beer. I say this dead serious. "I like GOOD beer. Not lite beer even. "

I ask him what he weighs. 149. Damn, there goes that theory. We go around a bit about the weight issue-I tell him to tell me to go on a diet and I will gain 20 pounds. LOL.
(Ooh Golden eagle did a fly by as I type this-cool)

I tell him I blogged about it and the comment I received..
"What was that?"he asked.

"You can't be too rich or too thin and you're halfway there ."

This was greeted with a blank stare. Wish I had the cam. The baby bird did not like THAT worm. hehehe.

One thing I did find out sort of in my favor is that I am shorter than I thought-5'7-3/4" not 8 or 9 as I had supposed. (sure I am not a guy? hehehe*snickers) That makes the lower weight spread a little easier.

Finally we moved onto the alignment. This time I was prepared. When faced with the choice between a VERY loose pair of jeans that demanded a belt, or the tight Italian ones, I put on the tight ones. I had my manure free shoes tucked under the chair with my keys and sunglasses. I was no fun today. :P

A few different techniques today, and a good crack to the lower thoracic vertebrae and one to the cervical, some manipulation of the right shoulder that I broke years ago...
One thing I definitely recall as the most painful was, when lying on my stomach, he bent each leg to make my heel touch my buttock. The right quad was screaming! Then I started to get a cramp in a back muscle...I am sure I will be paying for that stretch for two days!

Farmtalk:
Boss is back from Sweden and P has had two days off. I helped R catch babies and grain the does and the bucklings today-yesterday I combed Sheba and Bonnie. Bonnie was a bit better about letting a human so close to her little bucky boy.

I combed Chris yesterday-the last little bit of cashmere that was hanging on his back legs which you can see as he is rump-to in the lower pic. Yes, my male readers will cross their legs to hear that I had to take scissors to the last few mats dangling very near "his boys"-

"No more dingleberries" I said as I snipped. heheh

Today R and I each dug a fence post for a gate to divide the buck pasture. I didn't tell the doc how I spent that part of my morning. :D

Nix's twins Tree

Farmtalk:

I worked four mornings at the farm this week; the primary cashmere comber at the moment.

I combed a lot of cashmere this week!

Old Gwydion, wether, gave off three sacks full. Cashmere, long staple, light, clouding all over the place! He was a sweetie to comb too, a little lame on the left hip, where I went slowly and softly. I spent an hour an a half on him, and he looked so excellent the next day!

The bucks I worked on this week were Leif and Hjalmar. Both jumpy litle buggers-need a lot of fake out persistence to get them to relax enough for certain places...(neck or butt, as a rule).

More wethers, too, fat Clarke (no kidding-he can trick the door to the grain room and stuff himself until caught and does it on a regular basis...) He was the first goat I met at the farm, so I like him and tried to convince him he likes combing, as well...I think I might have gained some ground, there, :D

Lincoln, aka "stinkin Lincoln", another wether that has a bad ass reputation. We seem to get along well enough, although he gave m a warning knock across both forearms with both large horns this morning.

Jazzy Jasper (my nic) with the long long long black guard hair that had gobs of cashmere tangled in it...needed a light touch clean up and looked so glamourous when I finished.

Kid alert: as predicted, many, many little Zeuss babies running amuck. Buffy, triplets; Nix, twins; Carmella, triplets; 5 does and two bucklings so far. Then, young R and I on doe wach for the last two close out mornings.

Yesterday we found Ursula looking imminent, but today still no babies. On close out check, we had to look for BOTH Ursula and Dancer. I found Urusla high up in the edge of the woods with two placenta covered kids-Zeuss twins! And yelled for R to bring the iodine (for dipping the navel). Too bad I forgot to add the hay and water-I volunteered to go down after that, and it was quite a trek down and back but we managed.

We searched but could not find Dancer. I went back out and found her by a stone wall, no babies, but soon most likely...

Next week off, so I hope to see lots of bouncing babies on my return. They are very funny to watch in the mornings as the mommas ease them out of the barn into the field. :)