Not being down at the barn means that the almost daily diary is done "remotely", sometimes through information from a frazzled Greg, sometimes through egg customers who report on frazzled Greg and sometimes I am able to see (you've guessed it ).frazzled Greg scurrying from barn to barn, pen to pen, pasture to pasture. We are always together and it's tough for me to watch him coping with all the chores alone...it's tough for Greg too, thinking of me sitting up here with my feet up, tucked up on the bed, warm and dry, it's a tough life. smile.
So, what happened on the ranch yesterday that was note worthy....
Gerties suitor is staying the course, he has been given a name, Gustav. Gustav and Gertie goose are almost certainly not normal. Gustav may have been,... before he came to Gentle giant meadows Ranch but he is right there with Gertie in the morning waiting for the horses to come out to play and he's right there with Gertie when he walks down the farm road in the evening following the horses all the way to their stalls. So far no pair of geese have started to nest, the tree stump island on the pond remains unclaimed, a very desireable piece of real estate, no neighbors, close to all ammenities and a stunning water view. The nest requires re modeling after a pair of eagle vandals ransacked it last year but nest building materials are ample and free. We aren't sure just why the geese are holding back from nesting...maybe they are having too much fun courting to get down to the serious business of raising young. We will watch and wait.
Danielle and Alissia the cute little doelings eat anything, they eat everything ( they are only fussy about the stuff they SHOULD eat) and something Danielle munched has given her a problem. Poor Greg,...a goat with a digestion issue is not good and Danielle had a big digestion issue. Fortunately Pepto Bismal works like magic, feeding a goat pepto bismal is quite the art and generally the goat ends up wearing about as much as she imbibes. By all accounts, Danielle was not the exception and both she and Greg ended up wearing a very fetching shade of Pepto Bismal hot pink. What goes in comes out....and whatever it was that she ate came out,....NASTY. It was Gregs unfortunate duty to clean up the yucky little doeling who had somehow managed to get coated from head to little tiny toes with poo. Danielle got clean....Greg came home wearing what he cleaned off her...needless to say he was stripped at the door again, I could smell him before he got to the door !!!
The sun is shining, the rain has gone and it's St Patricks day. My mum was Irish and each St Patricks day she wore a sprig of Shammrock in honor of the Patron Saint of her homeland. Happy St. Patricks day if you are Irish and enjoy the sunshine if you aren't. Take care, M