Out like a lion!! cute as a lamb!!

and so the story goes.....I decided to have vet come out ,,raging weather...horrible roads...and very fat, pregnant doe in great discomfort. He decided she was lacking Calcium and was losing her strength. Gives her a large dose of Calcium via abdomen and we leave and back to work over blizzarding roads. I am watching her throughout the day on webcam from my office in town...when off in the corner...there in obvious discomfort and severe distress is my smallest and wildest newby I had recently purchased. No dates provided on any possible babies with that one, so my attention was not on her..you could never get close enough without an all out tackle to exam so did it by observations from afar. She was wide, but darted around like a hyperactive 2 yr old. From webcam, I could tell...I was needed at home and 20 minutes later I arrive with a very large head out...NO FEET...none...nowhere...reaching in...I can barely grab the side of a little leg and pull that around..there was no going back. It needed to come out and with a few gentle pulls...I manage to get entire baby out with no ill effects. Lots of fussing from Momma, but it had to be done. I laid baby down and let Momma clean for a couple of minutes and get the pen shut off so she could be by herself. I closed the gate and by the time I turn around to help clean off and dry baby..she is down again...Now where she put that one is beyond me. Hard to imagine that One..let alone Two of that size Fit!! Amazing...and both Does to boot....Looks to me like she had a Saanen for a Father here. Two nice size babies for one so young!! Thank YOU WebCam!!!.....meanwhile...Maggie the Large girl who got the dose of Calcium is up and eating like a champ. I think she awaits the next snowfall, just to make it interesting!

Like a Lamb!!

..............and March is Out like a Lion...but the Wild Kitty living with the goats has become quite the lamb...What a little goat milk will do!!!

Frost Free Zone

Looks like we will have tomatoes setting on before we even get them in the ground.

I am hoping to plant around early May, but I could be getting ahead of myself!!

I am experimenting with my son, who thinks transplanting to bigger pots as it grows makes a good plant, whereas I think snipping the tops down and letting base get large is my theory.

We will see.....

Kids and Cats!

I saw this curled under the light the other night, while it is howling frigid nordic winds outside.....makes for a sweet Christmas Card.....

How's that working for ya!!

I know I have mentioned my goats, but this one is about one of my Jersey Dairy cows named Thelma.
She should of been bred for this spring, but came open on February 14th.
Now, I have a young Angus Yearling that courted her and took her out for a Valentines Date, but seems the last couple of days she came back into estrus.
I decided if I could contact a local "Cowboy" who does AI for a living, I could see if I could rebred her Dairy. So...I got lucky and found he was traveling through on a job and did have some Guernsey Essence at his place in town. He would call and meet me at my place when he was coming through.
Ok, now I think I will be ready and had Thelma haltered up. I knew NOW was the time to do it and my window was quickly closing.
I had all but decided he couldn't make it so I hurried out to get some lunch,(I was working in town).
I just had my order in front of me and ready to enjoy a nice sitdown lunch and the cell rings.."I am ready, he says."
It was like the couple who are trying to have a child and they are timing the cycles and taking the temperatures and she calls and says...I am ready...be home...NOW!!
so I said,,Bag it!! I race across town and pick him up at his place and head to my house. I was pretty prepared....I thought...as I had Thelma seperated with the calves and a nice halter on her for the catch.
The "Cowboy" was sizing up the matter, while I grabbed boots and overalls and lead rope and pail of corn.
He has his "stuff" and a lasso in the other arm. He follows me as I am stating, "I will just grab her and lead her out of the pen and let her eat a little grain and she will be just finnnnee!!!
So...I get her out of the pen...and she took one look and decides she is high tailing to the top pen with the big girls, with me hooked on and dragging behind her.
By then...the "Cowboy" walks up real nice and slow and says with his head down under his hat..."How's that working for ya?"...all the while wrapping up the lasso.
Well,,I finally get my wits and grab the corn and with a quick snap and a wrap I have her tied to the railroad post. She wasn't going to budge now.
So..he starts the process. He was struggling quite a bit and finally swears and says,,,what the...well..son of a ....and pulls the gun up to look. He notes, he has cut off the wrong end of the straw. Says ....hold her..I will be right back. Off he trots to the vehicle to get the other straw.
Now, by now, my four dogs who are the sweetest things in the world have been observing from atop the hay bales the whole process and as he was hurrying back down the muddy slope to bring the goods..the dogs...who I thought were the most laid back dogs in the world, took note of a stranger running at me with something in the air. Now the commotion started. Dogs went barking madly and racing at him, he comes to a slimey skidding halt flat on his back.
But...the gun high in the air.
He gathers himself and walks carefully and slowly the rest of the way, and I am holding a wideeyed girl who is ready to leave now. Boy,,,if I could of repeated his very words..."how's that working for you?" I would of, but really I am not going to press my luck.
Wham Bam and the procedure is done.
As I look back on it now, the statement..."How's that working for you?" will stick in my mind for a long time. Classic!!

Room cleaning and Smiley Rocks Calling!!

Hey there girl...I need a reward. I cleaned the office top to bottom and took out a few tons of paperwork that goes to the burn barrel.

Now about that rock hunt..........................

busy days busy busy busy....

warm winds are blowing in...snow will be gone in a week (or two) depending on the weather man. He sounded a little hesitant this morning, giving the weather, kind of like "hold onto your hats people". I am suspicious!

Meanwhile ,,boy home from College is being quite productive at my house with the installation of a nifty new camera system for online Goat Cam viewing!!! Check out that still shot!

I am most excited! He has tweaked and rearranged and tested the system with much success. I can work in town and still watch and now LISTEN to my girls in their pens. Amazing...Technology....and to think...it hasn't cost me a thing?!! Wait,,I do still feed the boy..Right??!! That should count! Ahh the rewards of parenting!!!