Gentle Giant Meadows Ranch
  • Home
  • "Almost" Daily Diary
  • Maureen's 60th Birthday Trip to England
  • Gertie and Quest: A True Story - The Book
  • Foresaken Love
  • The Gentle Giants
  • Photo Gallery
  • WWOOFER Program
  • John & Jean Hudson Wedding Nov 2013
  • Lambs
  • Poo Time
  • Memories of a New Cattle Rancher

It's still wet and wild..roll on Springtime !

2/29/2012

1 Comment

 
Well, we’ve had sun and wind and rain…lots of rain. Rain is amazing, somehow those big black gloomy rain clouds always manage to turn on the faucet just in time to catch us with a drenching downfall as we step out of the door. Yesterday it was bitterly cold, there was no wind ( amazingly !) the sun was shining…and it snowed !  Knowing that I never know what weather conditions to anticipate these days, I start with T shirts ( yes, in multiple) and work up to polar outerwear. I make no excuses….I used to be cosy warm and dry in an office, it’s a tough mentality to break….I freeze !

The chickens don’t appreciate this wet stuff either, the hen houses are fully populated, rows of wattles and feathers hunched over the perches. Adolf the Rhode Island Red rooster remains in full control even there. Should a squabble or dispute arise over perching rights or a particularly enticing chunk of grain Adolf is very fast to restore peace and tranquillity. No hen fights on his watch ! Big brother John has been busy keeping our feathered ladies happy by providing them with foraging and pecking material….complete with replacement silly hat ( the original silly hat had malfunctions and sadly had to be retired) but the chickens for the most part remain dry and warmly tucked up in the henhouse, his efforts ignored.     

Gimpy is still holding out, every move is laboured, a struggle to get up, a struggle to get down. Her bulging udder swaying between her legs indicates an immanent birthing but baby watch to date has just seen Gimpy looking particularly miserable and still pregnant…maybe today ? The other lambs are creating chaos and mayhem in the sheep pen. No respecter of age or infirmity those tiny bouncing machines trampoline from back to back, under heavily pregnant tummies and round and round the pen. Anxious moms try to keep control and soon to be moms get irritated by the newest arrival’s exuberance. The sheep/ lamb pen is an entertaining place to be right now which is useful as sheep retained in the “maternity ward” generate a lot of “recycling” and here at the ranch we know what that means….poop!!

Now we have two confused geese, Gertie our resident goose with an identity crisis appears to have persuaded her ardent suitor Valentine that standing under a  horse’s tummy or waddling six inches from stomping hooves is a really good idea. Not too clever Gertie ! Charm has a very low tolerance level, when the hay in his feeder runs low our palomino with attitude looks for alternative entertainment and two confused geese just fit the ticket. Gertie and Valentine can be seen flapping their wings and honking running in front of Charm hot on their tail feathers….you CAN fly guys !!!

All the babies are thriving. Cody and Song are growing daily. The two kids and the three calves are becoming real attention magnets, when people are around you can be sure the babies are close by. People mean food and a back scratch..clearly both top of their “must have” requirements.

Welcome home to Cody who came back to the ranch last night. It was good to see that big enthusiastic smile coming through the kitchen door, Cody is a WOOFER Intern who has quickly morphed into a family member and we are very grateful that he chose to be here.

Well, time to move. It’s snowing/raining out there and yes, it is still very COLD. Take care, keep safe, M
1 Comment
Annie x
2/29/2012 05:54:21 am

So glad to hear that all the troops are re assembling....this time last year we were over there - and what a lot of water has gone under the bridge eh ? So glad that you are back to getting back to normal Maureen....miss you all so much
Lots of love Annie and Mal xox

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Its me, Maureen, (the Boss)

    Archives

    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    July 2017
    April 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010
    April 2010

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly