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Everchanging life on the ranch.

1/30/2012

3 Comments

 
Life on the ranch is ever-changing The trees and pastures change colour with the seasons, family come and go, nervous WOOFER interns, once strangers turn into close friends ( we really don’t eat them you know !) Chickens lambs and calves arrive and leave ( in one way or another)…. with the notable exception of the favoured four, Lamb Chop, Chance Hol-ley and Alice. Each and every one of our two or four legged chargelings is special, regardless of it’s ultimate purpose and food water and shelter is never denied. Last evening we took a two hour road trip to collect a calf whose life was to be terminated before it had even begun and came back with a little (big) boy, two days old and as yet  (we understand) not fed. He is a strange little man, if he is the offspring of a dairy cow I can’t begin to think what his daddy is ( a bison !) In the warmth of the stall Greg and Quatre tried to persuade the weakened calf to respond to the sweet warm milk. Eventually instinct kicked in and showing a spark of life the bottle was drained. Next mission was to find and iodine the umbilical cord…which was nowhere to be found but all the searching on his underbelly stimulated the calf ( he has no name yet) to utilize his plumbing. I understand that it was a very close call but they had to move fast. Well at least we know his waterworks work !

Good news from Quest’s new home. He has settled in nicely and become star of the very big show. We must have done an ok job of our “on off” training because Jamie has been riding the big gelding,..with and without a saddle.Jamie said that all the children love him and he will never want for attention. We have no doubts that our decision to adopt out our boy was a wise one. Thank you Jamie of Thunder Rail Stables in Enumclaw..check out their website and see where he is.

Lady has apparently taken her son’s leaving home without concern. She is currently pastured with Charm the palomino “aka beauty with attitude”. There was an initial show of dominance, arrogance and ego,  ( pretty much normal for Charm when there is a female around) and Lady the big Shire mare settled in to being Charm’s girl. Being in Charm’s territory means that you get to eat when he has finished eating, graze when he allows her to graze ( and not on the patch of grass he was intending to find) and on no account go in the near vicinity of the divider fence between them and awaiting suitor Roman. Apart from that it looks quite peaceful out there.

Poor Gertie is in a period of readjustment. Having watched Quest’s departure from the pasture, the clearly agitated goose is apparently attempting to bond with another equine, any will do. Charm was unimpressed by her overtures and stomped on her tail, no harm done but a few tail feathers blowing in the wind. Lady doesn’t get the connection at all and Roman chases her. Maybe the new boarding pony Zingy will adopt her, she is still staying close, sadly so is Edgar the eagle who we spotted yesterday.
Well, back to Greg’s bookwork…tax deadline is looming !
Take care, keep safe, M
Please check out Hope for Georgia page it REALLY is a great cause and as a grandmother of a child with Dravets syndrome, I can only pray that research finds a way. M
3 Comments

It was quite the day !!

1/28/2012

4 Comments

 
Wow, yesterday was quite the day. I knew when I woke up to the panic button that all was not going to be smooth sailing but I never expected a typhoon !! First mission of the day was to get Ginger to Purdy in time to take advantage of our apparently very timely public transport. At this moment, hopefully our missing farm hand is being entertained by dragon dancers and practicing the art of chopstick handling. Next project was to get Bran the Border Collie to his hot date with the vet for his extraction…Bran was hungry and not in the best humour but he was duly delivered on time and Greg arrived back on the ranch to start chores ( aka relocating various species of poo !!) almost on time. I chose to be an ostrich and bury my head in the sand when Quests potential new owners truck and horse trailer appeared at the farm gate. If she didn’t like him, it would be like my baby not winning the beauty pageant and if she did like him ( which she did, very much !) it meant he would be leaving home. I know, that was the whole purpose of the exercise but when your offspring go off to make a life for themselves, you are happy for them and sad that they are gone. It didn’t save me any pressure being up here watching proceedings not going very far for about two hours. Quest did not want to leave home. He didn’t want to go and he certainly did not intend to venture into the clearly horse eating trailer. Carrots, grain and gentle persuasion all failed miserably. Darkness fell and still two feet on the ramp and a stubborn look on his face, Quest maintained his stubborn attitude. Call in the Calvary, call in Chuck Craft of Horse Handling, ( check him out on the web !!) if anyone can move those huge feet into the trailer it would be him. Meanwhile, Bran the Border Collie had recovered from the anaesthetic induced daze and was ready to be picked up. By whom ? Greg was busy with Quest and I can get out of the truck but have to get in on a steppy stool. Frantic call to the vet coincided with the arrival of our new horse boarding family. To cut a very tedious story short and to save me getting stressed all over again,..Bran came through it great and we have a huge brown canine tooth as a souvenir, Ginger hopefully is in Seattle, our new horse boarders got settled in and found the whole trailer loading episode quite the experience and eventually after a very impressive show of Pirelli horsemanship, Quest went into, came out of and went back into like  he had been doing it all his life. Quest is starting a new and hopefully functional phase in his life, he is too much horse to be a pasture pet  and we can be confident that he will be in a good place. Thanks Chuck, every horse owner needs a Chuck Craft in their life ! It was cold and damp, Quest has gone but is close enough to visit ( and we have an invitation to do so) but we feel confident that he has gone to a home where he will be well taken care of.

Little post script….poor Gertie, she watched the proceedings all afternoon until darkness fell. I wonder if she will now remember she is a goose and do goosey things, I wonder if we will lose Gertie ? I knew it was going to be a tough day !

Time to go, if you haven’t already looked at the Hope for Georgia page, please take a moment and if able donate, it really is a worthwhile cause.

Take care, keep safe and warm, M
4 Comments

Featuring Gertie the goose...

1/27/2012

2 Comments

 
Good morning, gosh, it feels like I’ve “done” a day already and it is only 9.05am. I woke at three this morning with a start, never a good omen and the panic button in the brain pressed on ! Little Natalie was coming at 6am, a safe house for her to watch Bugs Bunny when mommy is early to work. Bran the Border Collie had an appointment with our local friendly vet at 7.30am to have his canine tooth removed. His original appointment was last week, he was duly anaesthetized…and there was a power outage ( sounds like the story of our year, if it can go wrong…. it will !! So, Bran got a scale and polish in the dark and a return date. This morning he was less than pleased with us, having trained US very well, a dog treat is the obligatory trade of for Bran taking his morning constitutional and returning home in a timely manner… this morning he was on the “no food by mouth” diet. No biscuits, no nothing !!!  Not a happy dog. Convinced we had “forgotten” he spent some time desperately herding us in the direction of the goodies box. When that didn’t achieve the anticipated biscuit, when the "good dog" pat was his reward for an enthusiastic tail wagging greeting,  he chose to sulk….a very intense sulk that lasted until he got to the vets office. Then he had a whole lot more to concern him ! Bran is currently under surgery, hopefully he will return safe and well with a toothless grin and no tooth ache.

Ginger our WOOFER intern is taking the weekend off, she is going to spend a cultural weekend in Seattle enjoying the festival of the Chinese New Year. Yesterdays chore, raking gravel to prevent a mud mess in the gateway must have been the last straw, smile.   I guess it’s a bit like night and day, life on the ranch versus life in the city. We will take the country option any day but a weekend escape for Ginger is well deserved. Greg, Quatre and now in a much lesser role me will keep the ranch running in her absence.

Sadly we are currently in the process of finding a new forever home for Quest, our Shire gelding. Due to our “medical issues we are unable to continue his training, sadly, right now I couldn’t ride a rocking horse. Hence, further cause for 3am panic. Today a lovely lady is coming to meet him….

For Gertie fans, photographs have been posted, the goose lingered longer at the stall door than usual last evening, head cocked, tail wagging and quietly chuntering she walked Quest home, stood and waited until his door was bolted then turned and waddled her way back out of the barnyard. Bran, beside himself with anticipation of a goose chase was safely tucked up in the back of the farm truck…..the goose was on his patch and there was nothing he could do ! It’s a dogs life !

Time for me to go, maybe I’ll find something else to stress about ! Take care, keep safe. M
Please check out the “Hope for Georgia” page, these children and parents really need our help. Thank you. Maureen
2 Comments

Life is good...I'm back !!

1/26/2012

4 Comments

 
Yesterday was a GOOD day, a red letter day and the start of getting back to who I really am. My surgeon cleared me to go down to the barn, back to the warm smell of horses, snuggles from Tiger the cat and the biggest smile in the world on Greg’s face. I have missed being a part of everyday life on the ranch, it has been a very long time but even more so, Greg missed me sharing his day……now I’m back !!
Unsurprisingly,  the first furry friend that greeted me as I stepped out of the truck was Tiger the ginger barn cat. Tiger is the ranch supervisor, if anything is happening on the farm, animals moving, sheep trimming or just people visiting, Tiger will appear, purr motor running, for a group hug !! From behind the barn Lucky the feral cat stalked regally across the yard at the sound of my voice and from high up on the hay stack a sleepy Shy came to rub my leg and let me know he is glad I’m back.
For the first time in months I took the flags down, the Stars and Stripes and the Union Jack, it was always my undertaking at the end of the day and I was so happy to be back lowering the fluttering flags knowing I will be back tomorrow.
Greg has taken the opportunity to make some executive decisions in my absence. I could see, as I took stock of changes that he was wondering if there was going to be a power struggle ( smile)…..mmmm, no, the reserve team has done a great job without me. With me back, the “t’s” get crossed and the “I’s” get dotted, just a little bit of cosmetic clean up and I’ll call it good !
Charm came out of the pasture with Ginger his ears pricked and his nose softly wickering. Mum’s back. Quest and Lady the Shire twosome turned at the sound of my voice and as I brushed their dense tails and combed their manes I could sense that they were glad I was back.
Alissia the doeling is due to kid in a couple of weeks (  eta around Feb 12 ) if Macho the man, our young Boer buck did what virile young bucks are supposed to do ( was that sensitive enough ?) She is enormous, solidly rounded with pregnancy but she came running and invited me to give her the carrots she knew would be in my pocket. Macho was withdrawn, he eyed me suspiciously from his vantage point on top of the feeder….he hadn’t given me permission to go away and he wasn’t going to just come running. Guess I’m going to have to work on the boy, it is good to keep a big Boer buck on your side !
 It was good to be back, last year is just a bad memory and this year WILL be good. Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers love and support, you have all helped keep me strong and positive and those good memories will last a lifetime.
Take care, keep safe, M
Please spend a moment reading the “Hope for Georgia” page and if you feel that you are able, offer a donation which will be used for research. These children really need our help. Thank you, M    
4 Comments

Another stormy night.

1/25/2012

1 Comment

 
Wednesday morning, and Cody left yesterday. He will be back in the City now doing his city stuff and far away from horses cows sheep goats …and poo. Thank you Cody we really enjoyed your visit come back soon !

During the dark hours the wind whipped through the Cedar trees and whistled around the house. The rain has come down in torrents all night…we wait to see what damage nature has inflicted on us this go round ! Our two plum trees, most notable victims of storm number four, are hanging on by a tenuous root, they wont be able to withstand much more of this unforgiving weather.

Gertie the Canada Goose is back. She had apparently been close by throughout the recent spell of snow wind ice and rain, just waiting for Quest the big Shire gelding to come out to play. Just to be sure that she wasn’t going to miss him she stationed herself in Charm’s pasture. Charm (aka beauty with attitude ) doesn’t need much of an excuse to be irritated, that palomino was born with attitude and we don’t think it will ever go away. He felt he had cause to be irritated, there was a goose in his pasture, a big goose and the goose was noisy. Gertie was disturbing his early morning routine and the goose wouldn’t go away ! Charm tried to evict the intruder, neck stretched out, nose on the ground he lunged, Gertie stood her ground, clearly Charm isn’t nearly enough horse to concern her, she has Quest to protect her…but, where was he ? Undeterred, the goose continued to wait, Charm elected to studiously ignore the noisy bird and got back to the serious business of eating. In due time Lady and Quest appeared around the corner of the barn, a loud honking and excited flapping of goosy wings confirmed that the object of her affection was in sight. Gertie spent her day in Quest’s shadow and, when the Shires returned to the barn for the night as has become almost habitual, Gertie joined the process back to Quests stall.

Whilst we were busily doing more “doctor stuff”, Quatre and Ginger remained here at the ranch and busied themselves cutting and stacking firewood. Even firewood can have its surprises and our wonderful WOOFER interns discovered that there is a whole myriad of species of nasties lurking in the woodpile. Bugs and ENORMOUS larvae of something surfaced….mmm lots of protein for the ever searching chickens! With luck no bugs or potential bugs will make it up to the house..I don’t do bugs.

Well, it’s back to the surgeon today, it’s time I got ready for another adventure in the City. Hopefully today we have good news.

Take care, keep safe, M

Please, if you have a moment, visit the “Hope for Georgia” page and if you are able and feel that it is a worthwhile cause offer a donation to aid with the research. We really appreciate your support. m
1 Comment

Another Guest Editor Masterpiece.

1/24/2012

1 Comment

 
Once again we have a guest editor for today. Cody was asked to provide an entry of the days events for us.

Today was a rich and lovely day at the ranch with the ole sun coming back again, a rare sight lately! We welcomed back seasoned WOOFER Quatre and let everybody out today, which is so exciting after being stuck inside 4 of the last 5 days. Even though it was sunny, there was still residual ice that was pokey to melt, despite a liberal sprinkling of salt. The slippery conditions meant Daisy Mae, Molly, and Rodney had to wait and wait and wait while the sun and salt did their best melting dance. Mournful moos of protest  peppered the air until they were freed to the pasture, and they didn’t even  sniff twice at the conciliation prize: an ample handful of carrots. Roman was so gleeful to spend the day outside, and was very agreeable about letting our WOOFERS ride him bareback - Quatre in the morning, and Cody in the evening. Gertie the goose, right on schedule, made the rounds saying a goosey ‘Good Morning’ to the horses, and spent the rest of the day making googly-eyes at her  buddy Quest. All the horses should be relieved to know that their bedding was replenished from the huge pile in the back barn. Greg and Cody teamed up on the bagging and Bran escorted Cody for the bag transport on the Quad. The afternoon remained dry and nearly clear out, so all ranchers at hand took the opportunity to pile up a truck-full of dry wood for our home furnace. It was by means of 5 tractor trips and Macho and Alicia being quarantined to their innermost pen.  Again, the injustice! Muscles were sore afterwards but we have a solid 3 weeks of fuel for our house heat. On the way back to the ranch Greg noticed that 2 plum trees were bent over from the ice storm last week. He decided that an experiment was in order, so we shall leave them be and let them grow up sideways. Hopefully this doesn’t mean a free meal for the wasps, deer, bunnies, and birds. About the time the wood trip was completed was also the point in the day for evening chores. Little-big Lamb Chop straggled at the back of the herd, again, and made a sneaky beeline for his old roommate Holly, who was distracted with dinner. Cody coaxed and jostled him back home, and Lamb Chop baaed to the tune of a barf in response. Our special ranch traveler can’t get used to the monotony of hanging out with ‘just’ other sheep. Quest had a successful training tonight – Quatre practiced saddling him and leaning over the saddle on his back. Considering that the training was being documented with a scary and loud camera, Quest did quite well. The day ended a wee bit chilly, but all animals were content and relaxed, including our tough barn kitties who’ve been spoiled lately. Sweet dreams 4 and 2-legged ones.
Hope you enjoyed todays entry authored by guest eidtor, Cody. Please also spend a little time checking out the "Hope for Georgia" page. Those children really need our help.
Take care, keep safe.
M

1 Comment

Guest editor diary entry..

1/22/2012

2 Comments

 

I think we are on Winter storm four with another coming in from the Pacific…but who’s counting, there is a ton of snow on the ground, snow and ice on the cedar trees and just to make it a really perfect day, our electric fence system is grounded, dead as the proverbial do do. Somewhere in the 40 acres of pasture creek and woodland a branch or even a tree has very inconveniently fallen across the fenceline and it needed to be found. DOH…why oh why does it always happen when the weather is nasty, the snow is deep, it’s raining and the wind starts to blow.
Just to make the situation even more interesting, the netting over the chicken shack ( the two star chicken house as opposed to the much improved design of the four star version, the “Roost with a view”) had become engorged with snow and ice….it couldn’t take the weight and for Edgar the eagle the door is open to the fast food diner ! Priorities ??
Gertie the goose, alone out in the deep snow, missing the companionship of Quest  appears to have gone into hiding. The horses are safe warm and dry in their stalls and the Canada Goose alone in the pasture hasn’t been seen. Hopefully Gertie has come to no harm, we will update the diary at first sight of her black grey and white feathers, promise.
Cody has had his Shire horse initiation..twice !! Working with the gentle giants you very quickly learn that putting toes under big big hooves hurts, really badly. Luckily no broken toes and a tough lesson learnt. Well done Cody !

Ginger one of our WOOFER interns has kindly agreed to be a guest editor for todays "Almost Daily Diary", it is always interesting to see another perspective on the daily events here on the ranch. Thank you Ginger. M............

GINGER'S  DIARY
Dawn. There are breaks in the sullen grey clouds exposing patches of nearly blue sky. After three days of constant rain, sleet and snow, the change is most welcome.

The horses were thrilled to be let out of their stalls. Roman frisked like a colt and kicked up his heels in his paddock. The sheep were all glad to get out, all except Lamb Chop. He lingered behind hoping for more carrot snacks.

As the sun came out it melted the coating of ice that had caused the collapse of the netting over the chicken yard. Greg and Cody repaired the damaged netting and after a bit, the chickens bravely ventured out for the first time in days. We can only hope that the exposure to sunlight increases their egg production.

My sympathies go out to the citizens of Auburn and Seattle, which are still reeling from the damage done by the ice storm. Many of these people are without power. We had a brief power outage for a few hours on Wednesday; Greg was just hooking up the generator when the power came back on. All in all we have fared well through the storm, we’ve been fortunate, but it is nothing to take for granted.

Take care, keep safe, M
2 Comments

Snow, Ice, rain, wind and now flooding !

1/21/2012

5 Comments

 
The good news is, we still have power, the bad news is..it may not be for long. The falling snow was replaced by falling ice and the falling ice has now given way to pouring rain and strong winds. We aren’t sure if we should postpone stall building and start constructing an Ark but with the doom and gloom weather forecasters promising widespread flooding, maybe we need to think about nautilus ! The question this morning was…do we pull out the snorkelling stuff or issue webbed fins?  Why am I saying “we”, I am well removed from all the ice snow water and wind, nice and warm with 10 layers of clothes on and a nice hot cup of tea.

We would like to welcome Cody to the ranch as our most recent WOOFER Intern. Cody bravely took public transport from Seattle in the midst of our weather crisis and is a very welcome addition to the reserve team. Just in time for the fourth huge Winter storm ! Bright and very early, Cody happily headed down to the barn to re acquaint himself with the various shapes and sizes of fur and feathers that would be waiting impatiently for breakfast.

All the livestock have been confined to their respective stalls and pens, some with a little more patience than others. The sheep have been content, heavily pregnant bodies snuggled up together, food and water readily available, they were in no hurry to try to get acquainted with the nasty cold wet stuff. Macho the Man, our big Boer buck and his significant other, also very rounded, courtesy of an imminent kidding, always complain. A snow event, rain event or sunshine or wind  those two goats will find something to complain about..and they did, incessantly!. Gentle Giant Lady has remained calm and placid, rarely does the big Shire have attitude, unlike the black Morgan, Roman. Roman’s second name is impatience and over the past days he has raised impatience to a whole new level with all four hooves beating a constant tattoo on his barn door. Roman’s resounding kicks have been joined by the mournful moaning of the two black Dexter cows and Rodney the ram. Molly Moo, her yearling daughter Daisy Mae and Rodney remain quiet as long as their hay manger is loaded. Mouths grinding from side to side they eat, side by side and when the manger is empty, side by side they begin to bawl, long and loud until dinner service has been resumed.
 Greg Ginger and Cody have now had to go into flood prevention mode and Ginger could be seen all around the ranch trying to divert the coffee coloured melting snow whilst the two men concentrated on digging re rout ditches. Freshly baked Peanut and  chewy chocolate chip cookies were some compensation for the cold wet and weary ranch hands. I think eyes were closed before they hit the bed. 
Bran’s surgery was, apparently true to the current medical trend around here, a non event. Bran got there on time, duly starved and topped up with anti biotics, the surgery started…..and they had a power outage ( power cut to us Brits. Sandra, you are going to have to get up to speed on translation and thanks Annie for your translations ). So, the border collie with tooth ache got a scale and polish and we try again Friday. DOH

Greg, out in the pasture,accompanied by Ginger and Cody either got down close and personal to examine the snow/ice or he was doing an impromptu snow angel yesterday. Fortunately his accidental head dive into the snow caused no bodily damage and I believe it was the only fall recorded in this snow event. Mental note...lift foot higher in deep snow.

Time to go, thanks to Ginger and Cody for their fortitude…. Under these conditions,it would have been so much easier to stay in bed with a good book.

Please check out the Hope for Georgia page and if you are able, please help to raise money for research into this debilitating and heartbreaking syndrome. Refer others to the page and if you can, spread the word. These children need our help.

Take care, keep safe and warm, M
5 Comments

The forecasters were right !

1/19/2012

5 Comments

 
I’m going to write this posting as quickly as my two fingers can type..which admittedly isn’t too fast ! All around us there are power outages ( power cuts for us Brits..thank you Sandra ) and the lights are constantly flickering threateningly. All the candles are ready, torches primed and dinner is made in case I don’t have a stove that works tonight. That’s when the barbeque gets fired up. The forecasters didn’t lie, we woke up to a winter wonderland ( if you are looking through the window)…pure hell if you have to work in it The reserve team looked like frozen Popsicles as they ploughed through the snow, about seven inches of the nasty wet cold stuff. All the livestock stayed in the warm dry barn.( Ooops, Governor Gregoire has just declared a State of emergency..now I feel a whole lot safer. Really ? )  After the heavy snow yesterday, today we have an ice storm….not a lot of fun. Sheets of ice have formed on top of the snow, trees are falling under the weight of the snow/ice and buildings are collapsing. They are saying it is the worst for thirty years.
 Hol-ley the Dexter calf has no love for snow and after her initial display of attitude has resolutely parked her little black body in the corner of her shelter. Poor Lamb Chop has had yet another change of accommodation, he and the calf had been pasture companions since we rescued him from assault and battery courtesy of Macho the Boer goat buck. He and little Hol-ley co existed happily until recently. Our bovine prima Donna has grown and as she grows..so does her attitude and poor Lamb Chop, the lamb that doesn’t know he is a sheep became the object of her attention. Hol-ley incessantly batted him around the pasture, head butting him into orbit, the inoffensive lamb just didn’t retaliate and went back for more.. so, obligingly and brutally, she head butted him some more. Having watched Hol-ley remorselessly practicing the art of domestic abuse, an executive decision was made and poor nomadic Lamb Chop was transferred next door to the pen of ewes. Needless to say, the heavily pregnant ladies were less than happy to invite him to join their fold and two of the matriarch ewes were very happy to remind him that they were in charge. Lamb Chop has settled in, Chance and Alice the other two bottle fed and very lucky lambs ( they are under my protection and will never be on a Sunday dinner plate !) seem to have formed a band of three and whilst there is safety in numbers, Lamb Chop will be fine.
As the horses have been kept safely in their stalls, Gertie the goose is alone in the pasture, distraught, the Canada Goose has been performing very noisy fly- overs around the barns….hopefully Edgar the eagle is huddling in a tree somewhere with a full tummy.
Well, we still have power, I think the ice rain has stopped and now it is rain..next problem will be flooding. Time to build an ark ?
Time to move, I’ll go and check the weather through the window…sometimes it’s not so tough to be housebound !!!
Take care, keep safe and warm. M
If you would care to visit the Hope for Georgia page and feel that Dravet Syndrome is a worthy cause, please donate if you can and tell your neighbors and friends. They really need our help. Thank you. M
5 Comments

Doom Gloom and more doom !!

1/18/2012

3 Comments

 
Well, here I am, perched on the edge of the bed…(.it’s softer and less resistant on the back/butt ) looking out the window at a pretty frigid landscape. It didn’t snow a whole lot last night (Monday night) but it did freeze and if the weather forecasters are to be believed we are in for a “doozey” or a “dumping” ( their words not mine) tomorrow. I have never seen weather people so excited so animated so stimulated !  MJ on Fox 13 was moved enough to wear her snowflake brooch as she prophesised doom gloom and snow today.. and particularly tomorrow. On channel 4 last night hands were waving around and without a word of a lie, I thought the weather man was going to pass out at the scale of the doom and gloom he was so excitedly forecasting. The Pacific North West even made CNN’s weather man get animated, we don’t usually even make the green screen ! So, if there is no Daily Diary for a few days, please spare a thought for us, we are almost certainly living in darkness, eating from the barbeque and praying that the generator holds out. The storm supposedly is THE worst for 60 years…oh dear, Armageddon calls. Power lines will be down, trees will fall, Interstate 5 will be a parking lot….and that’s after an inch of snow ! I’m not making light of our situation, and tomorrow I may be eating my words (and snow).

Regardless of Arctic conditions poor Bran the Border Collie has to get to the vet. A dog with toothache is really sad. Luckily we checked his mouth…even luckier he let us check his mouth ! it could have been nasty. We will keep you updated, hopefully the vet doesn’t try to fit a denture…not sure the cheque book could take that.

Gertie the goose got to the stall door again yesterday after the evening process from the pasture to the stall. It’s possibly a good thing she doesn’t try to partake on Quest’s gourmet grain….he’s not good on sharing. It is hoped that Gertie doesn’t try to take a quick swim today, those webbed goose feet aren’t designed for ice skating.

Time to go, keep safe, keep warm, take care, M

Please visit the “Hope for Georgia” page, try to understand this debilitating syndrome and if you could, please donate towards much needed research. Thank you. M
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