Misc

What a winter-when it's not below zero and freezing pipes, it's dropping a foot of snow on us! This last storm is supposed to leave 8-15 inches of snow by the time it moves out overnight. The saplings say we have about a foot out there now.

I just read that this monster storm has left a million people without power. Kentucky alone had 350,000 out. I predict this is just the status quo with climate change-and it could get worse.

I have been waiting for Exxon Mobil's fourth quarter earning reports to hit the net. I noted that last year they were released Feb 1, so a couple more days. I predict even larger profits for this quarter. Oil prices are down to less than 40dollars a barrel, but gasoline prices should be running about 1.25 a gallon at those figures, and it is 1.86 here at the local stations. That means .60 a gallon higher on the refinery end-so don't be fooled, the oil giants are not losing money at $38 a barrel.

Regarding the banking bailout, the feds are blacking out contract info as to what banks received deals. Not only has money been given to the banks outright with no accountability, but over a trillion dollars has been lent out at special rates. The rich get richer while the poor get laid off, kicked out, and sit shivering in the dark.

On a personal note, I was on two feet today! The goats were having fencing issues, and while the saplings have been stellar with the goat care chores, fencing falls to me. I was pleased to see how clean the goat houses were while I was out there fixing the electric fence, and disconnecting some lower lines in preparation for tonight's storm. That was before I knew we might get over a foot of snow. So I might have the Firebird strap on the snowshoes tomorrow and run the fenceline for me.

I tried like hell to get a boot on my burnt foot today. Even the giant moon boots were a no-go. Finally I grabbed a pair of sneakers and I couldn't believe I could get one on over the bandages. I put a boot on the good foot.

I went into the pens on crutches, and Moonie and Obiwan were scared to death of me! Kind old Caesar greeted me at his fenceline with a grin. Julius was a little nervous until I spoke to him, then buried his face in the hay and managed to step on my toes while I was working. Nic was oblivious as long as hay was in front of him. Derek and his Mom Daphne took a break from their hay and let me pet them.

I ended up having to go off-trail to disconnect part of the fence, and my toes were FROZEN by the time I made it back to the house! I guess the circulation isn't too great on the toes on the burnt foot. Plus, sneakers are not too warm!

Now I am worried with all this snow I will have to get on the goat house roof and shovel it off. I really don't want to get up there!

My foot looked a little irritated when I changed the bandages this afternoon, and it was bothering me tonight, so I tried to keep off of it tonight and went back to the crutches. The itching has started on the ankle and toes-I will be in agony when the rest starts to heal more. That's still too tender to be itching.

My house is a disaster! I haven't had the heart to ask the kids for much more than fetching and carrying with all the extra outdoor chores. I am hoping to vaccuum tomorrow and get to the enormous pile of dishes. I don't want the place a hovel on my birthday!

Hopefully by tomorrow my aversion to hot water will be wearing off.... :D

Fiber Frolic 2008

Boer Goats Tree

Fiber Frolic 2008

Dave Kennard and the sheepdog (border collie) demonstration Tree
We had a great time at the Fiber Frolic today! The first thing we did was to grab an order of the most delicioius french fries (chips for my British reader). Thinly cut, cooked to perfection. Yum.

Then we tucked in to watch the sheepdog demonstration with Dave Kennard from New Hampshire. Dave runs about 200 head of sheep and 50 head of Boer goats on his farm, and brought 4 border collies with him, ranging in age from 7-14. The fifth was home with a broken leg in a cast.

We shared some curiousity with a few bystanders as to how herding the goats would work, and they certainly handle a bit different than sheep, but the dogs knew their stuff, as you can see in the above photo, where they have herded a mixed group of sheep and goats (notice the goats going in last and thinking about dodging away) into a chute.

Only one dog is visible in the photo-on the down command, eyeballing the sheep and goats to keep them from breaking left.

Then we made our way over to the Youth Showmanship ring, to discover there had only been one entrant and they were finished!!!!

We found Boss with a nice table of product, and Clarevonne with her triplets. Boss also brought four bucks to show in the adult buck division. She asked if we would give a hand, and I readily agreed. The young firebird took Grey, I took Hjalmar, Boss took Nishak, and an unlucky goat person took Chris, who spent the whole time in the ring rubbing his bucky head all over the guy.

Boss offerred to switch, but the fellow didn't mind at all. He knew Chris-he had just finished showing two yearling does that were Chris's daughters.

Chris won first and best in show (we knew he would take the first), Hjalmar took second, and it was funny, because when the judge said, "second goes to..." I stepped forward with Hjalmar and then she said, "Nishak" and Boss and I both exclaimed, "Nishak?!?!" and then the judge looked again at the scorecard and corrected herself to Hjalmar. LOL

Nishak took third and Grey took fourth. They were the only four bucks entered.
We had a ton of fun, although the little Tree was quite put out that she was too small to handle one of the bucks. She did get the chance to carry a triplet of a doe that was being shown by another farm from the pen to the ring.

The fiber goat community here is quite laid back and everyone knows each other-especially since Boss really started Cashmere goats in Maine. Even the judges started out their goat farm with Boss' goats.

I did find myself wishing that we had brought our Nicolas-he would have kicked butt in the yearling class, even though he has not totally shed out. I have a huge bag of fiber from him already, and his look is very good. Of course, he also is from Boss' stock. :D

The goats were only there for the day-tomorrow are llamas and alpacas and it supposed to be a very hot humid day, so I think we will pass on the show tomorrow.

Don't read superstitions before bedtime

TGIF! (Thank God it's Friday)
Right beforeI left home this morning I kicked the cat. Well, not exactly, more of a shove with the side of my foot. He was trying to make a mad escape out the door while I was calling goodbye to the Firebird and little Tree. The cat came here declawed-so he must be an indoor cat for his own safety.

After I gave him the shove I felt horrible and picked him up and had him purring in no time. Then I remembered it is bad luck to kick a cat, so I apologized to him. I should have knocked on wood.

I was halfway to the farm when I realized I had left my coffee. I had nothing else to drink in the car. I figured that was my bad luck-instant Karma. But, there was some good luck, because I realized in time to take the long way, which goes by a little market that sells coffee to go amoung other things. The coffee was awful, but at least I had a bevarage for the long hot morning.

Farmtalk:
Yesterday R and I finished hanging the gate , replaced a corner post, and finished the pasture division for the bucks. No combing, but I did help clean and grain the bucks.

Today I started off combing fat Clarke. He is so cute, with silky long white guard hair, but not much cashmere to speak of. I was mostly just prettying him up. He enjoyed it.

Then I saw AliGote had gobs hanging on him. He has a skin issue, so there was a ton of dandruff and places where it had matted. He had one big mat on the back of his neck, and he was so good I took off his collar and scissored through the mat in enough places to brush it out, and he was much relieved. I also gave him some Reiki, poor old guy.

One of the pushy wethers came over and Aligote walked off, leaving me empty handed. Boss put me on hooves. :(

I did Emerson's hooves; not too bad. Boss touched up at the end giving me a few suggestions since there were a few places I was unsure how to proceed.

Then we went to Jenny Nash, where Boss wanted me, apparently, since R was weedwhacking the fenceline, to wrap an apple tree with wire so the buck's wouldn't destroy it by stripping the bark. Sound easy?

Ha! That old tree was buried in the puckerbrush, with many old limbs laying everywhich way, and an enormous deadfall hung up right in the middle. Not only that, but the trunk was actually several, and leaning, and we had only brought a scrap of fence. What an awful job!

I dragged Boss over and she did help a bit and offer some suggestions, and I had more wire on the property from installing the gate this week. Boss told me to have R help me . Once I had enough wire and a helping hand, we were done in a flash.

After that, graining, cleaning, etc, I gave Zuess a quick slick to get the last bit of cashmere off him, and spent some time on Hjalmar, who STILL has a bunch of cashmere. So funny how they shed out at different rates.

Work for me at the farm is winding down-some busywork projects that need to be addressed, including more fencing at Prescott for the buck's winter quarters. That may not be finished by summer vacation; if not, it will be something to do in the autumn.

Now I have had a nice fattening lunch I think I will go feed the mosquitoes and water the garden. I hope we get rain tomorrow-it is VERY dry!

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

Farmtalk

Yeah! Long weekend! Happy Memorial Day!

Took some pictures of the herd in the field this am before heading out to walk bucks and wash their feet.

Monarch was much improved. Leif and Lars have come up lame . I suspect sticks, as I removed one from Lar's front clews.

hometalk Farmtalk

Farmtalk:

Another hard week at the farm. Thursday the fellow showed up with the tractor to clean uner the barn. Lucky us, we get to hand dig what he can't get. Fortuneately, it's not like the cow swers you see...not much worse than turning a manure pile.

Boss left for a trip to Sweden! I am in charge of the bucks during the weekday mornings, and there is already trouble. Willy looks like he was stung by a wasp on his nose, Zuess is limping, Hippolyta's grey is getting eye meds for a scratch, and now P tells me something is wrong with Leif.

The last pregnant doe delivered triplets yesterday. Boss was going to postpone her trip i ncase there was trouble, but went anyhow. Everything went fine, although P called in a bit of a panic yesterday. Placenta covered triplets can be quite a sight. LOL.

Hometalk:
Cricket the goat woke me up at an unearthly hour, and I decided I was moving the girls RIGHT THEN! I tossed the boys hay in the woods and led the does with a can of grain, still in my pj's, into the other pen. They ran all around, then the boys came back, and there was some butting and Cricket still wouldn't shut up!!! Maaa-maaa-MAAAAA-aaaaAAAAAAA!!!!!!!

Finally I went in and grubbed out the big house down to the bottom, and moved two little houses, and finished another shelter. That gave them plenty to think about and the night feeding went fairly well considering we were juggling a large group at once.

Cricket hadn't been in that pen in a year, and still went to her old spot for grain. One of the boys gets fed there now, so there was a bit of shuffling as we straightened everyone out.

I did ZIP in the garden all weekend! The goats took up too much time, but they should be set for a while now, and no more Cricket screaming under my bedroom window!

Canadian Geese 508 Tree

Taking the long way around to the farm paid off again this am. I have to admit, this is one of my favorite stretches of local road most times of the year. (In snowstorms and foul weather the snow drifts at the top and the backside is steep and curvy and prone to ice sheets.)

I had to turn around and go back to get this pic-the geese were quite cooperative, since they were so far away.

While downlaoding the pics, I had to reflect how lucky I am. Between the tornados in the midwest, monsoon in former Burma, and the massive earthquake in China, so many folks are spending the night with everything they have known gone...my compassion goes out to those folks in need.

Just to put it in perspective, one of the cities in China that was hard hit has a population like New York City, and 99% of those folks are camping out in the streets.

Farmtalk:

P was off at the farm again today, and I finished collaring the main barn while R grained. Then R, Boss and I herded the two little wethers, Pablo and Carmells' brown, into the stall with the three remaining 07 doelings. Well, we got Pablo in, but not the brown. He will tame up soon enough.

I then started combing. I finished off two ancient wethers who stared up at me with their teeth jutting out in goaty grins while I made them handsome.

Boss asked me to comb Bonnie, and while she was a pleasant comb while pregnant a few weeks ago, today she was glare eyed and jumpy, protective over her shy homely little single black buckling. I made a comment to Boss about his funky head, and had to restate it more gently when she replied sharply. Hehehe. Boss said he had been very large and Bonnie had a tough time. I didn't spend too much time on Bonnie today. :P

An exciting turn of events, Boss was purchasing another buck, and told me he was a mess and would need combing. As is usual at the farm, the folks didn't show on time, so R and I went ahead to the bucks , now at Jenny Nash.

R let them out for their walk while I cleaned. Boss showed up a bit later and said the folks had not arrived yet, and to go ahead and grain the boys, and gave me the names of two who needed their feet washed.

I had R hold up each foot for washing, since I tore my hand on a goat horn yesterday at my own place, and did NOT want to get the hoof wash on the cut, since it burns like FIRE on a wound. Works great on goat feet, though.

Next I singled Leif out for another comb, since he had streamers of cashmere hanging off his flanks. Usually that is a jumpy place for a goat to have brushed, but Leif and I are old hands now, and between the itchy shedding and the blackflies, he was more than willing to let me vigorously brush him.

Finally Boss arrived, followed by a pickup. The new buck, Chris, was tied in the back of the truck. Need a combing?!?!?!? He looked like one of those caribou or yaks or wild bison with the blankets of fiber hanging off them. It was unbelievable!!!!

R and I immediately took him over and chained him to the fence. I gave the new goat lots of scratches and small talk and a few corn treats and started trying to clean him up. It was sort of a nightmare! I think if it had been up to me I would have done some heavy scissor work, The cashmere had started to felt and was cemented into the tips of all the guard hair. I didn't want to just rip him, so I was tediously teasing individual guard hairs out trying to loosen the gobs of cashmere.

Boss started working on the back of the same side as myself-I was up at the neck and shoulder. Boss put R to work on the other side. We took three big bags off him in an hour and haven't begun to clean him up.

His former owners stood and watched and at first said that they had been told not to brush him as it wrecks the fiber. Then they said that the goat wouldn't let them brush him-but they never tried to tie him to brush him!

I put the exclamation point there, because I had to learn the hard way that if you need to do something to a goat, you need to collar and tie them. Sometimes I can check a foot quickly, but they know they are not tied and will not stand. Even goats that don't mind combing will generally run if I give them a swipe or two with the brush if they are crowding me while I am working on a tied goat.

Certainly the handsome boy had not been neglected-he is quite chubby and was very easy to handle, it was just a matter of them only having the one goat and not a lot of experience. Also in the folks defense, bucks smell. Not many people would want to start digging their fingers into buck hair. The woman even made a point to tell me that the goat's nickname was "stinky".

He will be "handsome"by the time we get him cleaned up. :)

farmtalk, hometalk

Farmtalk

P took the day off the farm , so when I arrived I went to work helping R catch baby goats and team them up with mothers, and grained the rest of the main herd. Then we pulled the task of relocating two of the newly wethered bucklings off the hill and bringing them into the main herd.

R took Pablo and I took Carmella's brown. I had him on long rope lead, and the few times I got him moving forward, he would bolt to the end of the rope and then pivot around to the right, so I was once again in the position of being ahead of him and trying not to drag him.

R wasn't messing around and had Pablo in the lead, both front legs locked forward leaving drag marks as they went down the hill. I should have had it easier in the rear postion, but the little guys were certain they were headed towards doom and refused to lead.

We dragged them over the foot bridge and across the road.

Once onto the front lawn, I tried looping the lead around his butt and pulling and both ends at the same time with no better luck. R shoved Pablo through the gate, and we each took one of Carmella's brown's horns and dragged him in the rest of the way, with me cajoling, "Don't you want to see your Mommy?", and Boss observing from the house sunporch.

Once through the gate, trailing little pathetic bleats, I watched as Carmella's brown singled his mom out of 50 goats, and went directly to her where she was lyng down, and touched noses. She stood up and he turned and trotted off. I felt very emotional. LOL.

These boys had been up on the hill for nearly a year after weaning late last spring.

Later I was describing the scene to Boss, and she interjected, "did she butt him? They often do...."

I replied, "Maybe that is why she stood and he trotted off..."

Ah well....

The next task was securing the goose house door , while Boss held the two more vicious ganders at bay with her broom and pan.

Then I built a new gate-the one that busted in the Pollux incident-guess I finally cooled down after a couple months...lol... and had the gate built and installed in an hour or so, with shiplap scrap and some screws, recycling the old hardware.

Homefront:

At the home front, the russet potatoes went in, the little lettuce, spinach, cosmos, and cleome seedlings were watered, and a few red pototoe sets went in as well.

I prepped another bed for probably tomatoes next week.

Missing the dog. Stayed up late viewing all the humane societies in the state last night. I think a mixed breed rescue sounds like a good plan. Seeing their pictures, makes me want to take ten!

Bluets

Bluets Houstonia caerulea

Tree

A long week so far at the farm! I started out combing a lot of cashmere off some of the wethers. Those old guys are so cute!

Then tragedy struck yesterday. ONe of the old guys was found down in the field in the morning in a bad way, and he was euthanized late yesterday morning.

M called me this morning for a ride, an I was happy to pick him up, as I assumed he would be on the gravedigging detail. Alas, I was put in charge of the "two boys", and since the compost heap is getting rather full, M led me well up the road into the woods by an old foundation, and pointed out several graves.

Dismayed, as I am quite aware what it is like digging animal graves in the woods, M picked a likely spot and we started root chopping. R showed up in a little bit, and we had hardly made any progress. It took the three of us at least an hour to dig the hole.

We put the rocks separate from the dirt for the top of the grave.

P showed up after a little bit and smoked cigarettes and watched us. She and I put the body, slung in a sheet, in the hole, and had to gt one of the boys to help us tug it into position, as one of the hinds legs had stiffened out. The goat, King, still had a large rack of horn. Once the weather warms time becomes of the essence in animal burials, so we had to allow room for his horns as we put his sheet-wrapped body in the hole.

The boys started to fill it right in, and I took a small hemlock branch and placed it over the sheet where the face would be and started backfilling the grave with the boys. Halfway through I thought maybe we should have got Boss but it was too late.

When we finished R offered me a smoke, and I had to have him stick it in my mouth and light it for me. I had been the major rock grubber and my hands were encased in sticky clay. I made the standard joke of having him smoke it for me as well.

When we arrived back to the barn, Boss and Mr. Boss were loading the two Great Pyranees in the back of a four-door SAAB(!!!!!!) to go to the vet, and Boss was heartbroken we had not come to get her for the burial. I still feel awful about it, and let P and R and M know next time to make sure to get Boss when we are readyfor interrment!

Then we agreed that today was the day to move the bucks back to the Nash farm. Yeah!! They actually have grass and large pastures there, although the black flies were unbearable!

I helped load thefirst four bucks and went ahead in my car to hook up the fence charger. Then I was left in position of goat watching until all the herd had been moved over. Tough job!!!

I sat outside the fence at the top where they were grazing and smoked cigs and drank cold coffee. I listened to the blue jays calling and watched a nicely colored land snail slurping it's way over a metal post lying in the grass.

Nature didn't stop when I came home. I decided to take a walk streamside now the floodwaters have gone done. This time of year, the marsh grass is just a few inches high, and the alders have yet to leaf out. The marsh is intersected with channels, some too wide fo me to safely broad jump without a wet foot( ask me how I know this). Today I had to find a few flood-washed logs to make questionable cat walks over some of the channels, determined to reach the lower corner, which I have yet to achieve.

At one place along the stream, a large maple was tipped across the current and still continued to grow, sending upward branches from its now-horizontal trunk. This has created an excellent place for the collection of flotsam and jettson, and I could not pass up the treat of balancing my way over the rushing streams; a fistful of maple buds in each hand for balance as I crossed the fastest part.

Once there, I saw the ancient bottom of a disintergrated skiff jammed upright in some deadfall. I tested one of the logs to see if it was going to sink beneath me and found it lodged firm. I crossed out over the current to tug at the rotted plywood skiff bottom, to find it brittle in my hands, and wedged tighter than I could manage without a swim. My knees got wet while I sat on the log with my feet tucked up behind me.

On the way back, I picked up a handful of freshwater clams shells I found in one of the channels, and paused to admire a wild male mallard swimming upstream.

I picked my way back through the marsh juggling the stack of delicate pearly clamshells in one hand.

As I moved away from the water, the air became hot and stuffy. The clouds are looming large and dark and I am hoping it is too early in the season for a thunderstorm!

Happy May

Well, April sure did fly by, didn't it?

Happy May. :)

I have had a busy week! Jen of all trades this week at the farm-combing cashmere, hooves,
cleaning, fence repair.

This morning we capped the week off by picking burdocks out of the bucks! Boss let them out into an adjacent field while R and I were preparing the Nash pasture for relocating. Apparently this field the bucks were in today is full of burdocks!

R gathered them in to grain once we were done cleaning, and our jaws dropped as the bucks filed in...many, many burdocks!

Some of them are old hands at burdock picking and seem to sense the picker is trying to help. Gingerman, for example, tilted his great white face up at me while I teased a handful of burrs out of his beard.

Some of them hate to be picked at. Monarch cried like a baby and I ended up holding him with a horn jammed in the fence so boss could get the burrs out. I found it too difficult to hold one horn in a hand and pick with the other hand.

Hopefully we will finish the other fence early next week and move the bucks to greener pastures!

The water levels are finally going down after our deluge. Part of the road to work is still barricaded, so I have been taking the long way around .

I saw the golden eagle today, and then immediately afterwards a Kingfisher on the power lines. Both would have been great photo ops had I managed to find the camera in the pile of stuff in the car. My groceries took a beating as I started flinging bags to get to my backpack, only to find the camera wasn't there...I assumed I had left it at home, and then recalled after I couldn't find it at home that I had packed another bag-buried in the groceries, grain, hay, etc at the time of the sightings.

*puts "clean out the car" on the weekend to-do list* :P

Ramblings

The big news is that I finally got my four little bucklings wethered! My initial helper backed out (no suprise-not a fun job) and another volunteered to help hold them. I could only manage to elastrate two, and had to give up on the other two.

I called Boss for help, and we arranged for me to bring them to the farm yesterday morning, although she had only R working yesterday. When we arrived, they were well behind on barn chores, as the main herd had taken the opportunity of a fine Monday to run off down the road!

Still, Boss stopped her work to admire my two little guys, and we proceeded. I begged Boss to run the tool, R took the behind position, and the young firebird and I each took a hind leg. The little Willow tree opted to hang out in the barn with the farm goats.

The flock of geese gave us some consternation when they came across the road onto the lawn where we were working. Twice I asked Boss, "are they going to come over here?!?!"

To which she answered both times, "I don't know."

The second time left me chuckling, as I was expecting her to predict goose behavior!!!Hehehe.

I told the firebird, "just don't look at them"

He was much relieved to take the far leg on the second buckling, so he would be furthest from any vicious goose attack!

We did get them done without a goose attack, but both were difficult even for Boss. I could felt a little less like an incompetent, at least. :)

I was also happy to get the bucklings there and back in the back of the wagon without incident. Having just replaced the back windshield on Saturday, I was praying a goathorn didn't bust it out again-or one of the side windows, which would have been much more difficult to install.

Luckily I had finally chased a rear window down at a junkyard, and picked it up without too much wait for $100. A friend helped with the installation, so I saved $300 on that! I was not looking forward to repeating the whole process if the bucks shattered it out again!

The snow is just about all gone; a few patches left in the woods and shady spots. We were barefoot on the lawn this weekend with snow still on the edges ...LOL. ("Stay out of the snow with barefeet!")

Lots of gardening still to do. We planted peas a week or so ago, but the garden paths were so flooded we turned them into a muddy mess so I haven't wanted to go back in and plant the lettuce and spinach. Maybe this afternoon will be dry enough.

Started on raking the back yard and cleaned the goose house yesterday. I need to finish stacking my firewood and clean the rabbit hutch. So I am off for another round of spring fun!

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. :)

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*

Farmtalk

Bucklings lining up for combing
Tree

I combed goats at the farm today. I started off with two of the doelings. The first was not shedding much, so I moved onto a second, very wild doeling. Boss was doing hooves in the same stall, so she helped me collar the goat and got some special grain for her as a treat to help gentle her.

I moved very slowly and combed softly and got some very nice cashmere fiber off of her.

The bucklings were the priority, and I was just killing time until P and R were ready to go on the hill. P promised to lock all the bucklings in after graining, and Boss directed me to the one in the forefront of the buckling pic I posted a few days ago. The one I was combing is second in the photo-follow the chain, lol.

The little guy I was working on is adorable-he kept looking at me with that quizzical expression and tasting any part he could reach. Another buckling, little silver grey Homer, found my body to be the perfect place to scratch his face, and worked on my shoulders and elbows while I was squatting, and my legs and butt while I was standing.

He was obviously the next one in the combing line! (paybacks...hehe) The friendly ones, they change their tune a bit when you collar and chain them. HOmer's response was to keep the chain pulled taut , but he was not jumpy at all.

I worked him over with the slicker. He had a ton of hay chaff that had worked down through his hair and must have been a great source of discomfort for him! I was more focused on getting him brushed clean then I was for the cashmere.

His cashmere is very short, as is the case with most of the white goats, and he was losing the longer guard hair as well. I nearly filled his small bag by the time I was finished with him. He looked so much better all brushed!

As I was signing out with Boss for the week, she mentioned that the Prescott fence needed attention as one of the smaller bucks was getting out. I had disconnected one of the lower wires earlier in the season so the fence wouldn't short out in the snow, and I figured enough snow had melted the goat was getting out at the lower wires.

I didn't have any tools with me, so I was going to fix it tomorrow, but as I started to leave I decided I would just worry about it, and asked the boss to borrow some of her husband's tools to fix now. I drove over to Prescott and went into the ell to unplug the charger to reconnect the fencewires, and discovered that someone had stolen the extension cord!!!!

I just cannot believe people!!! To unplug the cord to the charger and steal it...grrr...In retrospect, I am suprised they didn't steal the charger as well, since that is more valuable
than the cord.

At any rate, I called Boss on the cell and told her what was up, and drove back over to the farm for another, her last, extension cord. I ran the cord and secured the doors to the place.

I was thinking on the way home that we should get a small padlock for the cord. That way if anyone wanted to steal it they would have to cut the plug to take it!

Cashmere Bucklings 3/08 Tree