Swimming Chef

The two legged kids have been swimming all summer, lessons and guard start.  The young man that has been running the pool and the programs the last couple of years is a real hunny, and we wanted to do something for him.  When asked what would be a useful prezzy, he requested a book of recipes. 

Easily done.  Baas was in charge of pulling all the recipes together, and Ellie May did the artwork for the cover of the notebook.

The Goat Warp

I have decided there is a Goat Warp between my house and Susan, dear Susan's. 

Kinda like a time warp, but it involves goat behavior and health.  They leave here with or without one set of issues, and arrive at her house with or without another. 

Exhibit A:  Ren.  The most obnoxious biddy we have ever had here.  Bullied every goat in the doe yard, and every person that walked in the doe yard.  Used to head but the two legged kids as she walked by them.  Just coz she could.  She pulled ears and bit the four legged kids.  She was the biggest toot.  Gets to Queenacres Boot Camp, and never makes a wave.  Susan thinks i am making up the stories about the bad behaviour.

Exhibit B:  Snippy, aka Cut & Shoot, aka Snippage, aka Snippity Do Da.  Heads to Susan's for Freezer Camp, is in perfect health.  No problems.  Arrives at Susan's and falls apart at the seams. 

Exhibit C:  Legacy.  Legacy had been on a downhill slide with a known health issue, so we brought her here, thinking we would care for her in her decline.  In the year that we were graced with her presence, i almost never saw evidence of her problem.  She did very well here, until she had a run in with Sancho.  Which is a story for another day. 

Exhibit D:  Moon Pie.  Has had no health issues.  I have been watching everyone for evidence of mineral deficiencies, as we know we are having  trouble as a result of the drought.  Have seen no problems in Pie.  Take her to Queenacres for breeding yesterday, and she steps out of the carrier and promptly gives us plops instead of berries.  Then, as i am on the way home, Susan calls and says Pie has gone down in her pasturns, one of the signs of mineral deficiency.

Exhibit E:  Lace.  Ren had always been herd queen.  Ruled with an iron fist.   During Legacy's tenure with us, we shipped Ren up north.  Although Legacy is one of the wisest and greatest equalizers i have ever known in a herd, Lace decided she should be the Queen of Everything.  Lace made Ren look like a marshmallow.  Lace would run everybody out of the barn if she wanted quiet time.  And if she was  munching in the manger when there was alfalfa hay, she would fight any of them off...from inside the manger.  Lace and Legacy went head to head every single day.  It was awful.  They hated each other.   And Lace was a pig in a goat suit.  Any treats that came out of the kitchen were hers, and she did not have a discriminating palate.  She didn't care what it was, she would eat as much as she could, so no one else could.  Lace has been at Boot Camp for about a month.  I saw her yesterday, and as soon as i walked into the yard, she and Legacy started loving on each other.  Susan says they are like that.  Says that Lace is extremely picky about her treats, and at alfalfa time, waits for the others to get their fill, then steps in to eat what is left. 

I am telling ya, people, there is a Goat Warp in the Universe.

And it keeps sucking my goaties in.

Man O'War

Susan dear Susan sent me a picture of Splendora's grandaddy at her age.

Now we know where the ears came from.

Doesn't he just look like he is gonna be a big burly buck?

Well, trust me, he is!!!

Very appropriately named, very manly Manny.

Bomb Shelters

How do you survive a heat wave when all you have to wear is a heavy fur coat?

You dig a nice deep hole, and then every time you go back to it, you dig a little deeper, to get to the cool dirt. 

Kinda like flipping your pillow to the cool side, i suspect.

Ralph started this one back in June.  His July 4th Hot Dog picture was taken when he was in this hole.  It is in the loaf shed in the sweet gum pen, so when he is in this hole, he has a view of the entire doe yard and barn, buck yards, and most of the chicken and brooder yards.  From his vantage point, he can relax and yet still remain on duty.

The second shelter to turn up gives the boyz a view of the entire pasture, staying out of the sun, yet remaining on duty.

From this picture, i suppose you can see why i got Jed a T-shirt that says:  You know you are a redneck when people passing your house confuse it with Jim Ed's Used Cars and Appliances.

This one turned up next.  Jewels is inspecting the den that goes way under the house, and affords sentry view of the road.

George was not happy about Jewels invading his space, and quickly came and reclaimed it before Jewels could take over.*

I didn't finish taking the pictures before George came back...had wanted to put a yardstick in the hole for perspective.  I tried to put it in with him, but George wasn't too impressed.  I think you get the idea, though.

This is how the boys are surviving the heat.

Here is how Ruby is surviving...

*While Ralph is the more muscular of the two boyz, George is the dominant one.  George does a lot of trash talking, and Ralph is very subservient, to the point of dropping his dinner if George says so.  George holds this sway over Ruby and Maka, as well.  Jewels, however, is another story. 

When we have plenty of milk for the table, we give the extra to the animals.  About a week ago, Ellie set milk out for the boyz.  Ralph started drinking, until George came up and growled at him.  Ralph backed away, and George began drinking.  Jewels then came up and stuck her nose in the bowl.  King George then growled at Jewels, who promptly nipped George's nose and gave a word of warning.  Guess which 125 lb dog backed away and watched quietly while the 12 lb (...ok, 15 lb) Queen drank her fill?

Duck Rodeo

Isabell and The Bobs went for their first swim in the big pond yesterday.

As you can see, the drought has all but claimed our pond.   These guys are standing up in the middle of it.  Jessie and Owens took up permanent residency in the pond across the road two months ago.  I suspect it is spring fed, as it is the only pond around here that still has water to speak of.  Even the creek down the road, that is prominent enough that the entire area is named for it, is dry.  First time i have ever seen it run dry.  This is the same creek that floods and blocks us in at two places when we have lots of rain. 

Isabell and Bob spent about 15 minutes in the pond, then decided they were done.  They were bobbing and weaving all over the pasture, so we had a Duck Rodeo to show them the way back home.

Wish we had audio for this.  Just Whirled Peas lots of honking and quacking.

 Moon and Lance were waiting patiently to hear about the big adventure, once they got back home.  Apparently Sparta didn't care one way or the other.  He is still kinda in a snit about being separated from the girls, anyway.

For the record, the pool water is changed EVERY morning.  Ducks are just as filthy as chickens.  Actually, most of what winds up in the water is soil--they peck at the ground and then go get a drink, and deposit the soil on their bills from the pecking.

Splendid Splendora

Meet Splendora.

She is Splendid.

A little needy, but very, very sweet and loving.

And the ears just kill me.

Splendora is an Andy/Dosidoe kid, litter mate to Veribest, and we can't wait to see what she grows up to be. 

She has a reasonably quiet disposition, unless something is on her mind, and then she can be quite vociferous.  Time will tell whether she turns out to be a no nonsense milky girl like her mama, or a drama queen like her Aunty Pie.  Could go either way at this point.

She is especially dear because she doesn't seem to have any aspirations of flight. 

Unlike others who shall remain nameless.

It's Still Hot

Weeellllll. Guess i am not becoming as technologically advanced as i thought i was.  Getting reports that the picture i posted under this title wasn't downloading.  Gonna have to get back to ya on that. 

In the meantime, just know that it is still hot.

The heat really zaps me, so am planning my days around my naps. 

Go outside for a round of chores, come in and pass out. 
Go back out to fill mangers, come back in and pass out. 
Go outside to feed the dogs, come back in and pass out.

And in addition, the UV rays are frying my brain, or at least causing some kind of heat sink that is slowing down synapse function.  Can't stay vertical long enough to compose a couple of paragraphs for ya.

The other part of the problem is the Summer Bizzies.  Averaging three trips to town a day the last 6 weeks, getting everyone to their appointed activities.  The Gas Nazi is coming unglued at the seams.

Will make it up to you about the second week in August, though, when i will finally be able to reveal one of the time consuming projects happening in this house.  Will be worth the wait.   (I'm SOOOO excited!! <<giggle giggle>>)

How about i leave you with a couple of pictures of one of our survivor chicks?  I believe these are called "Golden Lace Top Hats" aka Polish.  I saw some of these a couple of years ago and tried to get them for Ellie, but was out of luck.  Turns out there were two in the straight run we got from Susan dear Susan.  They move faster than i do, so don't have the shot i want yet, but maybe you will still get a laugh from their silly headdress.  Chickens aren't really my thing, but these are quite beautiful, even if all you can see is afro and beak.