instant Karma, or why one should never chuckle at another's muddy misfortunes

Mired Tree

Last night at dusk I noticed the girl goats acting alarmed and staring intently towards the front yard. I kept checking and could find nothing, but kept my eye on the girls just the same.

Then I saw a fox! A full grown adult on the hunt, inside the electric lower part of the doe fence. I have a rooster and a couple of hens in the lower house, and the door was still open. I quickly stepped outside-no, not with a gun or camera, but with a loud, "what are you doing down there?" and several loud claps, and the fox vanished quickly.

This morning after the usual computer rituals, and having a small chuckle at Mouse's sharing of a muddy adventure, I did the regular goat chores, and spent some extra time combing the does. I was getting ready to move over to the bucklings, when I realized it was after 10, the sun was getting high, and I had not yet turned the car.

My turnaround has been a challenge for the last few weeks with the freezing and thawing, and I have nearly gotten stuck several times with cave ins from melting ice below. Things did seem a bit soft, but I decided not to wait, and the results are the photo you see above, after I had dug about 45 minutes around the wheel and making a ditch to drain it all away.

There was lots of bird song to keep me company, to my delight the Phoebes returned this am, and stared in at me through the window while I whistled welcome in Phoebe. LOL>

I was so intent on digging the wheel out I was too late to grab a shot of migrating canadian geese- at least 20 headed due North about 11 am.

Then I thought to take a picture of my misadventure. Things don't look too bad from this pic, but if you look closely you can see that the whole nose of the car is resting on the upper part-"Hung-up".

Any friends that could come to aid were sensibly working, so that left it up to me to get it out. A helper might have been able to push it clear at this point...

I tore the back of the car apart to get at the jack, and found a bit of wood without a nail to rest it on. Oh, how fun, what a cheesy piece of crap! My experience with jacks comes mainly from watching my mechanic run a wheeled pump hydraulic--this little rascal required being positioned perfectly into a little slot, and then you hand to wind and flip the little cheesy bar, the result of which that every-other time around, I had to drag my hand through the muck to return it to crank position.

Somewhere in here I took off six layers of clothes and reduced myself to a pair of cutoff jeans and a white tank top, because the sun was beating down something fierce.

Once the front end was jacked free of the ground, I scouted for a suitable rock, which I tried to slip under the tire. Tight squeeze, I got an old ax and used the back to drive the stone under the tire-the resulting mud spatters from high velocity tools impacting wet goo I will leave to your own imagination.

Several times the muck pulled my rubber boots right off my feet...

Rock in place, I scrounged smaller rocks and packed around the front, and then a load of sand and gravel I swiped off down by the road...

Lowered the jack, took away the blocks, and managed to get out of it and turned around. When I did leave the drive later, the bottom part by the culvert collapsed, leaving me no choice but to park the car on the road and hike the groceries in....with a nice cold ale and a half hour on the computer as a reward..but now back to outside chores, and may your days be sunny and dry...LOL

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*

more hawk pix

Hawk

Broad-winged hawk

Buteo platypterus

Tree

Hawks

What a beautiful day here today- 50 degrees F and sunny-we are revelling!

The raptors love a good day, too. On the way home from the farm, I stopped on the way through "dead wood swamp" to roll a cigarette and snap a couple pictures of the alders, when I heard a hawk call.

There was a pair doing acrobatics, and another one closeby. I hit the zoom on the digi and started snapping pics, but they were quite a distance away. I did get a couple of the single one and one of the pair after it had perched.

Not 100% positive, but I ID them as Broad winged hawks.

Mud

We had one of "our" robins return to the yard yesterday! I heard it's call while engineering the driveway river with the young firebird, and turned to call back. I do a fair robin. ;)

The robin was high in one of the sugar maples across the lawn (still under over a foot of ice), and much to my suprise it took wing in our direction, and perched in one of the tall white pines nearly overhead. Yay, spring!

The slowly melting snowpack gradually reveals all kinds of stuff that was hidden beneath layers of storms. (trash the dog tore into-she thinks it is her turf once it leaves the house, even going on 11 years of age, some things you can never teach them...lol)

Anywhere the ground is showing, it is underwater, or six inches of muck on top of water. So of course I had to post this other poem by RW Service!

Mud
Mud is Beauty in the making,
Mud is melody awaking;
Laughter, leafy whisperings,
Butterflies with rainbow wings;
Baby babble, lover's sighs,
Bobolink in lucent skies;
Ardours of heroic blood
All stem back to Matrix Mud.

Mud is mankind in the moulding
,Heaven's mystery unfolding;
Miracles of mighty men,
Raphael's brush and Shakespear's pen;
Sculpture, music, all we owe
Mozart, Michael Angelo;
Wonder, worship, dreaming spire,
Issue out of primal mire.

In the raw, red womb of Time
Man evolved from cosmic slime;
And our thaumaturgic day
Had its source in ooze and clay . . .
But I have not power to see
Such stupendous alchemy:
And in star-bright lily bud
Lo! I worship Mother Mud.

Robert William Service

Why Do Birds Sing?

Why Do Birds Sing?

Let poets piece prismatic words,
Give me the jewelled joy of birds!

What ecstasy moves them to sing?
Is it the lyric glee of Spring,
The dewy rapture of the rose?
Is it the worship born in those
Who are of Nature's self a part,
The adoration of the heart?

Is it the mating mood in them
That makes each crystal note a gem?
Oh mocking bird and nightingale,
Oh mavis, lark and robin - hail!
Tell me what perfect passion glows
In your inspired arpeggios?

A thrush is thrilling as I write
Its obligato of delight;
And in its fervour, as in mine,
I fathom tenderness divine,
And pity those of earthy ear
Who cannot hear . . . who cannot hear.

Let poets pattern pretty words:
For lovely largesse - bless you, Birds!

Robert William Service

April sunset

Tree

Common Crow

Corus brachyhynchos

Tree

Catch up, home, thoughts,

Farmtalk:

First the farm. I am back at the farm alternating schedules of two days, three days. This week is a three day work week.

I have combed a bunch of goats! Today was Nasrim, a very pleasant grey doe with nicewhite fluffy fiber and short guard hair.

Then on to the bucklings on the hill. Two were scheduled for wethering via elastrator. I grabbed and collared Nix's small star for combing, but found myself drawn into the wethering, this time as a needed helper. R took the back position, which left P and a needed I on a leg. Last time R could handle both hind legs, but I had to remind P twice to pin the leg to the ground and not just hold it in the air where they can get some yanking behind them.

Boss was running the tool, and with a hand on a leg and one on the sternum to calm the goat, and also help press the body against R who was standing behind, I was in perfect coach position for Boss.

Although I have only wethered one of my own, I am not too squeamish and have a fair memory enough to coach boss which way to position the tool, watch for the nipples, etc...

While it might seem audacious to be coaching boss, she is, as much as I hate to admit it, showing the symptoms and is aware of them, of Alzheimers, or memory loss in the aged.

After wethering Pablo and Carmella's brown, I combed Nix's small star. Then I helped R in spring cleaning chores and went on to the big bucks over at Prescott. Today I landed Nishak and Shiraz, the latter of whom is a reknown vicious little bastard. Boss took a fiber sample looking for a reason to cull him. I did voice comments on how nice his fiber is-his personality is really the bad case, as he hurt boss on Tues while she was doing his hooves.

I am not sure what happened, but she gave several exclamations (rare for boss) and then nearly threw the hoof clippers before scraping hay until we were finished graining, when she had R hold Shiraz to finish.

The other buck that gives Boss a hard time is Prince Edward ("he is NOT a sweetie"-old blog).

I landed him for combing on Tuesday and we manage fairly well. He has beautiful bright blue eyes and likes cheek scratches and organic crunchy peanut and blackberry jelly on whole wheat-or course we get along! hehehe.

Prince Edward was the only comb for me on Tues, as the day started off damp, so I had opted to do buckling hooves. I went through the whole of six of them, not an easy task, as they can be difficult to catch and I was on my own on the hill. I did four sets of hooves in an hour and a half. ONe was so bad I had to call Boss back, because one clew had a puncture and the other was a mess.

Boss was cleaning it up(she is the BEST on hooves-I call her the "Mac Ridley"-a reknown farrier in these parts-of goat's feet)and I was leaning over the goat observing (I love to watch a good hoof trim!) when I felt a cool mist-I thought it was misting-and Boss let out an exclamation!!!

Homer, the grey buckling, was standing nearby giving us a goatie bucky golden shower with his urine!!! Yes, I still think it is funny! hehehe

Hometalk:

Moonie spent one whole day over the weekend jumping the fence-and finally I could stand now more and put him in with the bucklings. I thought they would kick his ass, but since little homeboy Derek, who grew up respecting Uncle Moonie, is lord of my bucklings, they all now bow to Mr. Moonshadow. Well, I plan to wether the lot of them soon.

Scrounging for hay-bought five bales for 4.25 each-ouch since I was paying 3 for organic!

Cleaned the chimney yesterday in high winds, but the stove was out cold and the stove had been smuttering for days it was so plugged.

That was quite a project-the lat time, in January, was a quick job. This time, I had re-arranged my bedroom in the interim, so I had to move the mattress and box spring to position the ladder for the hatch in the ceiling. I felt like comedy central trying to move the queesnsized mattress, sans handles, by myself, but managed to do it with out breaking anything.

Once on the roof, it was bloody gorgeous out-I was tempted to haul up a lawn chair and soak up a few strong spring rays, the hell with the wind...However, I bent to task and ran up and down twice yanking the chimney brush and enormous clouds of creosote despite the plastic shield I put around the bottom-can you say, "black snot"?

Then it was time to tap out the elbow. WTF?!?!? The thing fell apart. Good thing it was off the stove, and it was a decade old now...

That left the whole project in limbo while I ran off on errands, now including an elbow and reducer...think it ends there? Wrongo bongo...Then I had to bring it home and sheet metal screw the damn thing together...now, don't get me wrong here, any regular reader will know that I am pretty independent (can you spell feminist..lol)..but I did, at this point, wish for THE GUY. Yes, sheet metal screwing stovepipe is a man's job, goddammit...

Well, it was down to me, if I didn't get it all re-connected, it was going to be a chilly night, but somehow I half-assed it and yes, managed to get a fire going before nightfall. And, I think it is safe, so that is cool.

Politics: Al Gore has been a busy topic for me this week, with a CBS 60 minutes interview that showed me exactly WHY he did not run for president this time around. The last fiasco crushed him, and he found a cause in Climate Change to bring him out of the bottom of the pit.

Now Obama is claiming that he is willing to give Gore a high level cabinet post..(please don't presume that Al will go for another VP ).

I have seen that Obama will be our next president, and while his declaration of direct Al Gore involvement is encourging,Obama also indicated that Global warming should be addressed now, not in ten years. Still sound good? Well, the favored position of attack would be to trade carbon credits, and reduce consumption .

Since this leads to higher energy costs via carbon taxes, the spiel is to reduce and with possible intial tax recovery going to compensate poor folk that cannot afford the higher prices...while they are learning to reduce consumption...(obviously Barack has never been poor enough to know how to reduce consumption-which the poor already do....)

Guess that's all for now, folks...