Well, Saturday morning, I’ve just made an enormous batch of chocolate chip raisin cookies that are cooling on the counter. The aroma of a fresh cookie bake is wafting through the house and the reserve team are going to be a bunch of happy happy ranchers when they come up for lunch. The rain has held off this morning but the forcast is looking pretty bleak. I think that the chickens will need paddles and the sheep water wings if this keeps up.
Alissia the goat “in waiting” is still holding out, as big as a double wide and clearly agitated, we anticipate an imminent kid or hopefully kids but our little lady is keeping us waiting. Greg has started feeding her in the milk stand, her rich creamy milk should provide for her babies and there should be a few drops for us and Bran if plan A comes through. We were concerned that the cantankerous doe may have a plan B in mind for her offspring and milk and refuse to (a) enter the stand and (b) not allow Greg to handle her swollen udder. Fortunately for us….Alissia would sell her soul to the devil for a cup of grain…for a cup of grain and a few carrots she would sell our souls too !! Up she hopped on to the white milk stand, head through the headgate and nose into the bucket. All we have to do now is wait for her babies… and more little mouths to bottle feed.
The calves are all thriving, full bottles of warm rich milk are inhaled before the rubber teat has managed to be flattened. When their allowance has gone they bounce and buck around their stall, milk sloshing inside their little tummies, just for the joy of living. Delilah appears to be slightly confused and when her bounce and buck is over she sucks Samson’s leg, nose or belly in search of more, evidenced by little wet sticky patches all over the growing steer.
Zingy the pony mare has apparently got an ego bigger than her size. That little pony was allocated Lady, our Shire mare as pasture pal. Should Lady display attitude, Zingy could possibly beat the Space shuttle into orbit but our Gentle Giant isn’t sure how to have attitude and the little mare has adopted Alpha role in the pasture. Lady is authorized to eat when the little chestnut has finished, Lady can graze as long as it isn’t the blade of grass which was designated Zingy’s grass and when we try to take Lady home to the barn when the day is done, Zingy has a tizzy. If Lady makes it out to the pasture before Zingy’s mom arrives, that pony bounces off the walls of her stall, calling indignantly and swishing her head and tail in impatience. Luckily for us, that little pint sized pony isn’t a full sized quart !
About 9 Canadian Geese are currently visiting our pond eating our grass and manufacturing a significant amount of goose poop manure…but there is no interaction with our confused and lonely resident goose, Gertie. The transient (we hope) geese are enjoying the mild weather, having a wash and brush up in the pond and making the most of the drive by diner which was our Summer horse pasture. The splashing and vibrant honking from the pond has mildly interested Gertie, but no amount of Gander exhibitionism is going to make her forget that she is a “wanna be” horse. She lingers wistfully between Charm and Roman’s fields, possibly in the vain hope that Quest the big guy will come round the corner once again. Made myself sad then…
Quatre has “come home” and big brother John is apparently intentionally still “lost” somewhere in Seattle. It will be a full house tonight and it’s pizza night !!!
Take care, keep safe, M
Alissia the goat “in waiting” is still holding out, as big as a double wide and clearly agitated, we anticipate an imminent kid or hopefully kids but our little lady is keeping us waiting. Greg has started feeding her in the milk stand, her rich creamy milk should provide for her babies and there should be a few drops for us and Bran if plan A comes through. We were concerned that the cantankerous doe may have a plan B in mind for her offspring and milk and refuse to (a) enter the stand and (b) not allow Greg to handle her swollen udder. Fortunately for us….Alissia would sell her soul to the devil for a cup of grain…for a cup of grain and a few carrots she would sell our souls too !! Up she hopped on to the white milk stand, head through the headgate and nose into the bucket. All we have to do now is wait for her babies… and more little mouths to bottle feed.
The calves are all thriving, full bottles of warm rich milk are inhaled before the rubber teat has managed to be flattened. When their allowance has gone they bounce and buck around their stall, milk sloshing inside their little tummies, just for the joy of living. Delilah appears to be slightly confused and when her bounce and buck is over she sucks Samson’s leg, nose or belly in search of more, evidenced by little wet sticky patches all over the growing steer.
Zingy the pony mare has apparently got an ego bigger than her size. That little pony was allocated Lady, our Shire mare as pasture pal. Should Lady display attitude, Zingy could possibly beat the Space shuttle into orbit but our Gentle Giant isn’t sure how to have attitude and the little mare has adopted Alpha role in the pasture. Lady is authorized to eat when the little chestnut has finished, Lady can graze as long as it isn’t the blade of grass which was designated Zingy’s grass and when we try to take Lady home to the barn when the day is done, Zingy has a tizzy. If Lady makes it out to the pasture before Zingy’s mom arrives, that pony bounces off the walls of her stall, calling indignantly and swishing her head and tail in impatience. Luckily for us, that little pint sized pony isn’t a full sized quart !
About 9 Canadian Geese are currently visiting our pond eating our grass and manufacturing a significant amount of goose poop manure…but there is no interaction with our confused and lonely resident goose, Gertie. The transient (we hope) geese are enjoying the mild weather, having a wash and brush up in the pond and making the most of the drive by diner which was our Summer horse pasture. The splashing and vibrant honking from the pond has mildly interested Gertie, but no amount of Gander exhibitionism is going to make her forget that she is a “wanna be” horse. She lingers wistfully between Charm and Roman’s fields, possibly in the vain hope that Quest the big guy will come round the corner once again. Made myself sad then…
Quatre has “come home” and big brother John is apparently intentionally still “lost” somewhere in Seattle. It will be a full house tonight and it’s pizza night !!!
Take care, keep safe, M
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