Got milk? Nope.

Raisa still isn't ready to share her milk with me, though we're making progress, I think.  I had been worried about her not liking her new shelter but that ended up not being an issue.  This seems to be her favorite spot.

I spent most of yesterday in her house and she stayed by my side all day.  I let her in the milking stall and fed her.  While she was eating I washed her udder.  She was fine with that;  BUT she was not fine with me squeezing her teats (can you blame her?) and my thigh has a bruise to show how offended she was.  I didn't even think about cows kicking like a horse.  She did a lot of calling out for her baby she left behind.  I hated that.  Once she did it right in my face as if blaming or begging me to find her.  I decided maybe she wouldn't let me milk her because she was saving it for the baby.  Of course I'm only guessing at all of this.  I should mention she hasn't been milked in several years, just nursed babies. 

A milking stanchion seemed in order, with a board in place to protect me from flying hooves.  I was in the barn for at least 5 hours while she watched me work.
I finally got her to walk on the platform but it took lots of coaxing and she still wasn't open to sharing.  I milked her a little here and there the rest of that afternoon and again today (not in the stanchion) and she no longer kicks but she keeps moving her udder away from me.  She'd let me massage it or wash it as long as I like but after I stole about 1/4 cup she'd walk away .   It's hard to believe this animal who is so cute can be so stingy.  I can be patient though.  I know she's still nervous and everything is new to her.  I need to get a halter on her but so far she's not having that either.

 

She follows me like a puppy and is very curious.

She lets me hug her, scratch her ears and face, rub her whole body and even drape myself across her back so I think I'm gaining her trust and that's what we need to get over this milking hurdle. 

She was much quieter  and relaxed today and went out to graze instead of sticking close to her barn.  She and the donkeys were very interested in each other. 

She seems to like me sitting in the grass next to her while she grazes.  I probably like it even more.

Maybe tomorrow she'll be desperate for relief and will let me milk her.  We'll get there.

Raisa's here

When Raisa saw the river she stared at it for a little while.  I wonder what she was thinking.

 

This is Stout.  He's the father of her baby-to-be.  Isn't he awesome?  He's on his way to Canada soon to make some other girls happy.

When we unloaded Raisa she took off to check things out and we hardly got to spend any time with her at all.  I guess tomorrow we'll start the bonding process.  So far I'm thinking cows and goats are very different.  I have so much to learn.

Speaking of things to learn.... I ordered the boar semen today and hope to be making piglets by the end of the week.  Hopefully all the goats are bred, Raisa's pregnant and soon Roxie will join the club.  Come spring Elk Cliff Farm will be a babypalooza. 

The barn is ready for a cow

All it needs is some paint, maybe a little more bracing and a few finishing touches.  Today I put the final screws in the roofing and hung some gates inside for the milking space.  While I enjoyed the view, I'm glad to be off the roof.

iI hope Raisa likes it.  The mammoth donkeys sure have been enjoying checking it out.  I'm pretty pleased with how it came out.  It took us 3 weeks and 2 days to build and less than $3,000.00, which I thought was pretty darn good.

 

Oh what a beautiful moooorrning, oh what a beautiful daayy

When I'm dressed right I don't mind doing chores on cold  mornings.  Today it was sunny, there was very little wind and I was feeling good and singing.   When I turned the radio on and said, "let's get this party rolling", I swear some of the goats began dancing.  They dance about as well as James and I but I appreciated their enthusiasm.  It was 22 degrees and the water buckets were frozen, as were other things.  Needless to say, Cooper was not dancing this morning.

Shortly after singing, "I've got a beautiful feeeeling, everything's going my way", my phone fell into the only bucket of water that wasn't frozen.  Because of my super fast reflexes I can still receive phone calls so maybe things really are going my way.

What I don't like - this may not be pretty

I try to stay positive in my blog, for the most part.  I don't think tonight is going to be one of those nights.  As I type this, dinner is on the stove, I'm having a glass of turnip wine with a blanket on my lap and a fire in the woodstove, nice............... but I DON'T feel like getting up and locking the chickens in their coop because it's 35 degrees out and breezy.  I want to stay in my cozy little nest.   I don't like being cold or uncomfortable.  Note:  James just read this and went outside alone to close the chickens up.  Sweet!

I don't like when people tell me how to do things when I think I know how to do it best.  Ok, maybe I'm a bit insecure.  

I don't like when people think it's horrible when I eat animals I raise humanely, yet they buy meat from the grocery store that is raised under horrible conditions and they think it's ok because they never met this poor, unfortunate animal.  Hands over eyes and ears.  La la la la la.   And they aren't vegetarians.

I dislike that many vegetarians think that all livestock are treated inhumanely and suffer a terrible death.  I often wonder what they think should happen to cows and pigs if we didn't eat them.  Would they become like deer, over populated?   Would they end up in animal shelters?  Do we neuter all the cows and pigs and let them become extinct?

I don't like when animals get injured or sick and I don't know what to do for them or whether to call the vet and spend lots of $$$$ on them and then they're better the next day.

I hate when some of my favorite animals pick on others of my favorite animals.  I wish they'd all be nice to each other all the time.

I don't like that cold weather makes my milking machine stutter and take a while to do its job.

I don't like worrying about whether my animals will have enough hay or bedding to get through the winter and where I should get hay when I need it.  

While I'm being whiney, I hate the mess of firewood in our house.  I hate letting the fire die down so we can empty the ashes from the stove, only to fill it again.  On this note, I hate when we can't get a fire to "get going".

I get annoyed when Lex, our old boxer, stands staring at me whining for a treat or for no reason that I know of, and I get mad at him even though he's the sweetest dog in the world. 

I know there's a lot more I could complain about but all these things I typed made me think of things that I'm grateful for.  Seriously, I have way more things that I like than dislike.  It all depends on my mood. 

Tomorrow's blog may be about what I like.  That would be a long one.

Soup from our home-grown vegetables is almost ready.  James is baking chocolate chip cookies.  All the animals are in their shelters with full tummies on our beautiful farm.  I should feel bad about what I just wrote, shouldn't I?

The 15 minute "homemade" cracker

I've taken this cracker to two recent gatherings and my friends thought they were my homemade ones.  Sometimes I don't feel like making real homemade crackers, or I don't have the time, so I've discovered something almost as good.  All it takes is some flour tortillas, fresh rosemary, an egg white and some coarse sea salt.

Make an egg wash of one egg white and about a Tbl. of cool water.  Lightly brush the tortilla with the egg wash then top with some rosemary and sea salt.  You could use toasted sesame seeds or whatever your favorite topping is, but everyone seems to like the rosemary best.  Cut the tortillas with a pizza cutter into cracker sizes.  This is important to do before you bake.  Place in a preheated oven at 400 degrees and bake for 8 to 9 mintutes till lightly golden.  That's it, you're done.  Serve with your favorite cheese and they'll be a hit.

 

Spider identification

First off I want to say, thanks for nothing.  I'm still singing There's a hole in the bucket, dear Liza.  No one helped me out removing that irritating song from my head.  We went to see a great concert the other night where some awesome soloists sang selections from Les Miserables.  I thought for sure that would do the job.  Nope.  As I type this I have earphones in and listening to some of my favorites on Spotify. 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yesterday I grabbed a piece of wood and found a pale pink egg/cocoon-like thing stuck to it.  I pulled it off the board and then saw that it had been attached to a beautful orange spider.

The spider didn't run away and it was very slow moving.  I thought I had killed it by removing the egg but it didn't shrivel up so I think it was in hibernation, cold, scared or pretending to be dead.  I know nothing about spiders.   I Googled Orange Spiders in VA.  There was only one spider that slightly resembled the one I'd found; the pumpkin spider.  When I looked up pumpkin spiders most of the pictures that came up were jackolanterns carved with spiders in them.  This is the only thing I found that looked anything like my spider but it still wasn't exactly like it.  It's also known as a marbled orbweaver.  http://www.whatsthatbug.com/2011/11/11/pumpkin-spider/

Any spider experts out there reading my blog?
 

So we think we can dance

I love that show, So You Think You Can Dance.  I'm so amazed at how these young dancers can learn any style of dance in a few days.  I watch them and wonder if I would have been any good if I took dance as a kid.  I also wonder if one of those choreographers spent a week with me could I even learn a simple dance routine.  I'm pretty sure I'd be awesome :)

That's the beauty of being 50 or older.  You can pretend you may have been good at something but, oh shucks, it's too late to get started now.  I might as well stick with raising animals.  I wouldn't have time to be traveling all over performing anyway. 

James and I got a note yesterday from Kate and Brittany thanking us for coming to their wedding and "showing off our dance moves!"  HA!  You see?  We were teaching the young folks something.  Really,  I'm pretty sure they were making fun of us.  It reminds me of a night many, many years ago when we lived in Salisbury, NC.   Our nextdoor neighbor shared a birthday with James.  One night he and his familly were celebrating Jimmy's birthday and invited us over.  There was music and dancing and I recall doing the Electric Slide and other line dances with Jimmy's family.  This is where I should mention we were the only white people at the party.  When we went to say our goodbyes everyone was so nice to say how much they enjoyed "watching us".  Not having us, but watching us!

Sure, we can dance.  We just can't dance well. 

The kindness of others

I think I blog about this at least once a year but I can't help it.  Yesterday I saw a Facebook status that said, "trust no one".  I keep thinking about that.  I can't imagine ever feeling that way and  hope I never have to.  How sad would that be?

I'm sure this happens all over the world but I see it here so often.  Many of our friends and neighbors invite total strangers - cyclists, hikers, etc.  -  into their homes for a meal or even offer them a bed for the night.  I don't mean just a few people we know, I mean a lot. 

Last night I emailed a woman I'd met just one time several years ago.  We're friends on Facebook but other than that we've never seen each other since meeting at a workshop that one day.  I don't think we've even corresponded in over a year.  I asked her a favor and she got back to me right away saying she'd do what she could to help me out.  She hardly knows me but responded so favorably I was really touched by her generosity. 

Yesterday my metal roofing was delivered, unfortunately there was a mistake in the order.   The deliveryman happened to be he owner of the company and didn't seem the least bit upset at either me or the receptionist who took my order.  He said he'd sell the roofing at a sale and he'd get me what I need next week.  I wasn't upset because we have to get the siding on before putting the roof up anyway. 

Once a friend of mine lost her car keys while we were hiking.  A week later she got a call saying someone had found them.  She had her YMCA pass card on the keychain and the person who had found them (who didn't even live around us) called his YMCA and they were able to track my friend down by the code on her card.  He didn't find the keys on the trail.  He found them hanging on a tree near the parking lot at the trail head, so someone else had found them and put them there.  

Some of these things surprise me but as time goes by I'm less and less surprised by the kindness of others.  People are basically good, I think, and want to help others.  I hope the person who wrote trust no one will have many really good experiences and change her mind.

p.s.  This is my 16th day in a row of blogging.  I was ready to quit yesterday because I felt like my life isn't iteresting enough to write about every day.  James told me to hang in there so I am.  My life may not always be interesting but the people and animals in my life are.

There's a hole in my bucket

Mark Twain wrote a story, A Literary Nightmare.  It's about a jingle one can get rid of only by transferring it to another person.  So that is my goal with this blog post; to get rid of this earworm of mine.  I've been singing it for 2 days.  Like a dream, I'm wondering if there's a hidden meaning behind the theme of this song. 

 

Recurring dreams

I have this recurring dream.  I re-discover this whole larger part of my house that I'd forgotten was there.  It's not new to me, just forgotten.  I always have a really good feeling about this large space, though it's outdated and could use some redecorating.  The funny thing is it's all very familiar and every time I have the dream I can picture this one very open, very large room.  I love this dream.

I have another house dream.  This other house is, again, very large but in severe disrepair.  In some rooms the ceiling is about to cave in and needs my immediate attention.  The room could be lovely if only I'd get around to fixing it up.  I can't though because it's just too overwhelming.   I feel solely responsible for getting this work done.  I haven't had this dream in a while but I think I've had it since rehabbing this house however many years ago that was.

Recently I had a dream I'd never had before.  James and I were on a ship getting ready to leave on a cruise.  At some point I remember some friends are coming to see me so I get off the ship to say hello to them.  It's more like I leave a building to say hi to them on a city street (these are neighbors of mine.  Jeanette, you are one of them).  I go back to the ship and it has left without me.  I jump in the water and begin paddling on a raft (?) or something and now I'm in a river in a jungle and getting close to catching the ship and I feel hopeful.  My only interpretation of this dream was that "I missed the boat".  I don't know what that boat was though.

Just a few nights ago I had a dream that James was mad at me because I hadn't been making cheese with all the milk we had in the refrigerator.  Guilt?  I made cheese the next day.

James and I are big dreamers (in many ways) and we often wake and tell each other our dreams.  I love to dream as long as I feel rested in the morning.

If a little dreaming is dangerous, the cure for it is not to dream less but to dream more, to dream all the time.
- - - - Marcel Proust
 

 

Glass ceiling

It sure would be nice if we could put a clear roof on the cow barn.  Today was one of those days I had very little energy.  I laid on the ground in the barn and enjoyed the view while I rested.

I don't have energy for much of a blog post either.  I saved just enough to do my 40 seconds of planking.

Shopping for semen

Yes, you read that right.  It appears it will be a while before Wendell is ready to breed Roxie so I've decided I'd like to attempt artificial insemination.  I can predict Roxie's heat to the day.  When she's in heat she'll stand very still as I stand behind her and push on her back as if a boar is mounting her.  I'm hoping this means she'll stand very still while I do this

If you watched the video above you may have seen that the woman turned the catheter as she put it in the pig.  This is because (I've recently learned) a boar has a corkscrew penis.  I KNOW, that's what I thought too.   Crazy.  Check this out.  http://www.lovehealth.co.uk/sale/storage.htm

I will have to do this 2 or 3 days in a row so I have to buy 3 doses to be sure it takes.  It's kind of pricey but I guess for most people it saves money because you don't have to feed a boar year round.  For me it's definitely worth it for a blog post, don't you think?  Last year Roxie was bred with a neighbor's boar but he sold him so that's not an option this year.  I went online and searched for boar semen.  I can't find any in VA.  I've contacted someone in Indiana and I imagine they can ship here overnight.  I haven't heard back from them yet. 

Roxie should come back into heat November 21st so stay tuned for that video.

Cow barn helpers

The cow barn is really coming along, thanks to James helping me with the rafters this week.  Tomorrow we should get the purlins on and then we'll be ready for siding and roofing, which we're waiting to be delivered.  Siding and roofing go very quickly.  The hard stuff is done now. 

I had some other volunteers who did not make things go any quicker.

When I run the circular saw Willo brays at me.  I don't know if she likes it or doesn't.

I quit at sunset and the mountains are just beautiful this time of night.

Tonight James and I drove up to the cabin and the leaves along the forest road were beautiful.  I wish I had a picture of them to show you.

I think we're about 2 weeks away from when we can pick Raisa up.  It all depends on the guy who runs the sawmill for our siding.  Today one of my nieces sent me this video.  I wonder if Lex and Raisa will do this.

Poker with girlfriends is way more fun than doing crunches

Two nights ago one of my friends invited me and 5 other women to play poker.  I've never played and neither had a few other women so we had to have cheat sheets to remember what hand beat what.  I'm not sure any of us are better players after that night but I can tell you we probably all had more fun than any seasoned poker player.  At one point our fearless leader commented that laughing as hard as we were was better than any abdominal workout we could do.  I don't know how long we played but I'm pretty sure we laughed the whole time.  When I look at this picture I can't remember when we had serious faces on.  These must have been our learning faces. 

This is my winning face.  It only happened one time.

 Because I won't be playing poker a few times a week and working out my abs with laughter, I've decided to challenge myself with something else.  Remember when my mom and dad were here last year and my mom was a planking fool?
I saw a challenge on Facebook and I think I'm going to start today. 

The 30 Day Plank Challenge will send your core strength through the roof! Day 1 - 20 seconds Day 2 - 20 seconds Day 3 - 30 seconds Day 4 - 30 seconds ...Day 5 - 40 seconds Day 6 - REST Day 7 - 45 seconds Day 8 - 45 seconds Day 9 - 60 seconds Day 10 - 60 seconds Day 11 - 60 seconds Day 12 - 90 seconds Day 13 - REST Day 14 - 90 seconds Day 15 - 90 seconds Day 16 - 120 seconds Day 17 - 120 seconds Day 18 - 150 seconds Day 19 - REST Day 20 - 150 seconds Day 21 - 150 seconds Day 22 - 180 seconds Day 23 - 180 seconds Day 24 - 210 seconds Day 25 - 210 seconds Day 26 - REST Day 27 - 240 seconds Day 28 - 240 seconds Day 29 - 270 seconds Day 30 - PLANK FOR AS LONG AS POSSIBLE!!

 

One more thing, I'm not going to smoke any cigars or drink Fireball whiskey for these 30 days.  Well, maybe I will on the days it says rest.

 

 

 

 

And you may think my goats are spoiled

Someone shared with me this week a website http://surfinggoats.com/
These guys do good work, along with having fun with their goats.  All the videos are cute so don't skip any.  If you watch Goat Busters hang in there for the out takes.  I think they're better than the music part of the video. 

Maybe this spring when babies are born I'll choose one to teach to go in the river and go on a kayak with me.  I've always thought it would be fun to take a dog on the river but why not a goat?

The difference between farm animals and pets

I posted the pigs in costume on the Homesteading Today pig forum.  Some of the men said things like, "never dressed up my pigs, never will", or "that's the difference between farm animals and pets".  A few women said they were going to make costumes for theirs too.  One woman was looking for some felt.  She never did post pictures.  Another person (I think a man) said something about going to a thrift shop for onesies.  Now that would be funny to see.  I'm getting ideas for next year.  I don't think they make footie pajamas big enough for Roxie so it would have to be a piglet costume.

I've been thinking about the remark about farm animals vs. pets and I don't know why they have to be one or the other.  My animals are both.  Of course, some are more pet-like than others.  Some of the animals that are destined for the freezer crack me up more than ones that will live out their whole life here.  I can't help but take pictures of them and play with them just the same.  Last week Daffy entertained me by dancing on the hood of my car.

This morning I was visiting with the pigs.  Roxie's in heat and she's always extra affectionate with me this time of the month.  What I found interesting was that she was also very affectionate with the little pigs.  She took turns rubbing their tummies.  First Mickey rolled over for her rub and then Wendell took his turn. 

It's hard to think of them as "just a farm animal" because they're so smart and friendly.  Roxie made a very nice winter home for them in the new shelter.  Like last year, she picked lots of grass and made a warm nest for the 3 of them.  Not a small task.

It's interesting to see relationships build between animals too. Keri has been sharing space with my buck, Cooper, lately.  I used to think Keri hated him because when he was aggressive with the girls (and sometimes even when he wasn't) Keri would snarl and jump on him.  Last week I saw Cooper go after Keri to do his bucky thing.  I could understand why she'd want to attack him.  He can be very aggressive during breeding season.  She didn't attack him though.  She told him to back off and he did.  This week it seems every time I see them, they're lying together.  He sometimes whines at her like he wants to hump her but he doesn't touch her and she just watches him like she's enjoying his attention. Most people would say Keri is a pet because she's a dog and Cooper is a farm animal because he's a buck, but how can you distinguish between the two when you see them sleeping side by side?  I'll admit, I'd rather cuddle with Keri than Cooper.

I'm wondering if maybe it's a man/woman kind of thing.  Perhaps more women think of their livestock as pets, but I'm guessing there are plenty of men out there who feel the same way. 

Halloween begger

We never get trick-or-treaters so it feels like any other night to us, that is, until tonight.  James and I were sitting in the living room watching a movie when our doorbell rang.  We looked at each other like, uh oh, we should have bought candy.  I went to the door and there stood a woman in street clothes, no costume.  I hate that some people think Halloween is a time when they can get candy without dressing up. 

I was about to tell her we didn't have any candy but before I could get the words out of my mouth she began telling me how her children hadn't eaten in 2 days and that she was hoping we could spare some food, anything at all.  I decided she was telling the truth so I went to our kitchen and got her some apples and a rabbit sandwich that was big enough to feed a family of 4.

We went back to watching our movie but I couldn't get this pitiful woman off my mind.

Today as I was thinking about what to blog about I realized there were some critters that live here that had never been dressed in a costume.  I would have put a mask and wig on it but I didn't have anything small enough to fit.  This is the best I could do.

I'm not the only one who tortures their animals by dressing them up.  Today I saw an animal costume that took way more time to make than any of mine.  Talk about too much time on your hands.  I don't think my donkeys would have stood still for this.

I was lying about not having any candy.  I bought a bag and we'll probably eat it all while we watch a movie tonight.  Happy Halloween, everyone.
 

I hope you dance

The other day someone said to me, "you have too much time on your hands", after seeing my blog with the pigs dressed up.  I laughed to myself but thought, no I don't, I have just the right amount of time on my hands.  I get my chores done, I spend time with my animals and I have time to blog, go for a walk with James or watch something on Netflix.  My days are near perfect, really.  Twenty four hours seems just about right. 

James asked me the other day, "do you remember being happy as a little kid".  I told him yes, I think I've always been happy.  Blessed is definitely a word I would use to describe my life. 

I think most of you have heard this song, I Hope You Dance, by Lee Ann Womack.   If you don't know it, here are the lyrics. 


I'd like to think I choose to dance.  Remember my recent blog, Life's short, buy the pony?  That's what I'm talking about.  To me the pony or the dance is filling my days with what I love. 

Today we went to the funeral of our friend and neighbor.  We just got to know Don this past year.  One day last week he went out to hunt with some friends.  Later his friends found him slumped over in his deer stand.  He died that evening.  Hunting was one of the things Don loved.  I learned today after the funeral that his family had recently built some stairs up to his deer stand so it would be easier for him to climb into.  He called them, "the stairway to heaven".   How fitting, don't you think?  Hunting was one of Don's dances.   In the short time I knew him I could see he was a positive, happy man who did what he loved to do.

My Pop Pop is just that kind of man.  He's 99 years old and still one of the people I most want to be like.  I told James the other day before I began building my cow shed, "I want to keep going and going with projects just like Pop Pop".  I want to always have plans and dreams for the future.

My dances may not be pretty but I'm dancing.  Dance on, Don. 




 

Lex says, "something's the maaaaatter"

I swear Lex was following me around the house tonight begging to be dressed up.  I think he's been reading my blog and got jealous.  Of all my animals, he's definitely the most patient when it comes to posing in  costume.  I took at least 30 photos of him in two different attempts. 

You may have to squint a little to get this one.

In this next one the ear looks a little better but his udder looks more like he's peeing a pink bubble.

My first attempt was even worse.  The udder was obscenely large and the shoelace wasn't at all discreet.   I do think the burlap ear was ok though.  I decided asking him to wear a beard might be pushing it.  He earned several treats for being such a good sport.  Afterall, how many dogs would stand having a rubberband wrapped round his ear, a balloon rubbing against his penis (especially after hearing me pop one) and fishing line tied around his waist?

Maybe we'll find a better costume for him.  

Pigtails

This was fun, but then pigs are always fun.

Pigs in a blanket, anyone?

 

 

Buck Dynasty

If only you could smell me after what I went through to get these photos.

The plan was to put camouflage pants, shirt, headband and a beard on Cooper but as it was I was taking my life into my own hands just getting this much on him.  He's pretty aggressive this time of year and super stinky.  He likes the attention so he doesn't run away but he would love to make babies with me.  The shots above were the best I could do.  Here's what most looked like.

 

On the opposite end of the spectrum was Cato.  He's such a weak, gentle little fella who I feel like I'm going to break.  Dressing him up couldn't have been any easier.  I probably could have left his costume on him and he wouldn't have cared. 

Stay tuned for more Halloween costumes.

Time for a shower.

Ready - set - not so fast

Once things thawed this morning I was ready to get to work.  I was really hoping to get all my barn posts in the ground and plumb today - maybe even set in concrete.  Alas, this was not meant to be.  Remember how impressed I was with myself being able to call in my order to Lowes for lumber?  I'm now thinking it might be better to place the order face to face with a sales person.  Instead of 4 ten feet long 4x4s and 7 twelve feet long 4x4s, they delivered 11 ten feet long ones.

Trying to stay positive, I loaded up the ones to return and drug Lex along with me for the drive to town.  He doesn't like riding in the truck because the seat is slippery and he's worried he's going to fall.  I made him go with me because I wanted company.  I bribed him like a child.  "If you come with me I'll buy you a treat at Tractor Supply".  

A friendly young salesman in the lumber department asked if he could help me as soon as I walked in the door.  I explained to him how I didn't get what I ordered and would like to trade the 10' long boards for the 12s.  He looked confused and told me I should talk to someone in Customer Service.  A smiling young woman greeted me at the customer service desk, appearing eager to help me until I told her what I needed.  She pointed me in the direction of Returns where I was told (yup, you guessed it), ah yes, the Lumber Department can help me.  Why didn't I think of that?

The not-as-friendly-this-time lumber salesman saw me coming and had that oh-no-she's-coming-back look on his face.  In my most patient voice I made it clear to him and the cashier that they were going to help me and that this was not a big deal.  The salesman went to my truck and retrieved the unwanted boards while the cashier told me he needed the number off them so he could refund my money and then charge me for the new ones.  I explained that I had paid for the longer ones and not the short ones so there should be no money involved.  It took a very long time for this to get through his head.  The man behind me in line stood smiling and it was clear he understood completely.  I told the cashier to look up the order on the computer so he could see that I had paid for them.  He said he didn't know how to do this and he trusted me and it would be easiest if I just took my boards and left the store and never return.  Ok, he didn't say "never return" but he did admit it was easier to turn his head and pretend this didn't happen.  Really, I had no idea this would be such a big deal. 

I returned to the truck with my beautiful (if not perfectly straight) 12 feet long 4x4s in the back and a panting Lex waiting more patiently than I was behaving inside the store.  Actually, the whole time I was there I tried to smile and thank the Home Improvement team.  My voice may have betrayed my face though.

I grabbed what I needed at Tractor Supply and bought Lex his promised treat.  He didn't eat it till he got home because he was too nervous.  He did look very pleased with his bone when he could relax and enjoy it.  I finally got going at 3 PM and am pleased to report I got 7 of the 15 posts in and set in concrete.  Tomorrow is supposed to be a beautiful day and I just know it's going to be more productive. 

Challenging myself and setting goals

This morning the lumber was delivered for my cow shed.  James and I have the holes dug for a 24' X 24' pole structure and I'm itching to get the posts in and set.  Hopefully tomorrow I can begin. 

In the past 6 years I've built a goat barn, a turkey/donkey barn, a small goat shelter, a mammoth donkey run-in shed, a mobile chicken coop and a pig shelter.  I've seen a change in the way I go about building now.  I have a lot more confidence in myself and consider myself a pretty decent builder-of-rough-buildings.  As a matter-of-fact, this time I didn't even go to Lowes to see what I might need.  I just made a list, called them and ordered everything I need.  Today I'll order the roofing and siding.  

There's no set date for me to pick Raisa up but I'm really excited to have her here so, like I did with the mammoth donkey run-in, I'll put some pressure on myself to get it done pretty quickly.  I work best this way. 

This got me thinking about what else I might get done or learn if I challenged myself or set some goals or deadlines.  I'd love to learn a foreign language in a set period of time, say, 6 months, but I feel like we need to be going to France or Spain to force myself to do something like this.  I've decided I'm going to start small.  Beginning today I'm challenging myself to write a blog entry every day for 30 days.  This one counts as one :)  It'll force me to write a little each day and maybe even look at my days and what I do a little differently.  Maybe, like building a barn, I'll get better at it and more creative.

Any ideas you may have to help me out with topics would be appreciated.   What might people like to know about Elk Cliff Farm?  I haven't done any animal interviews lately.  Maybe I'll do one or two of those.  Also, Halloween is coming up and I need to be thinking about animal costumes.

Talk to you tomorrow.


 

Life's short, buy the damn pony

One of my donkey/horse loving friends posted this on Facebook today.  It kind of fits in with lots of other things I've been reading and watching lately.  My latest read is The Happiness Project, by Gretchen Rubin.  There's so much in this book that strikes a chord with me and poor James has to listen to me blather on about it.  Don't you hate when someone says, "listen to this", and proceeds to read something to you without you saying, "sure, go ahead"?  Yeah, that's me.  Of course, when it comes to reading my blog you can click that little "x" above and ignore what I have to say. 

One of the things Gretchen says (yes, we're on a first name basis now) is all of us have a happiness set point; kind of like our weight, which we hover around.  Some of us are naturally happy and some are naturally not-so-happy.  We have a range though.  We could be on the high end of our happiness
set point or the low end, so why not do things to boost yourself to the high end of your range?  That's what her goal is in her happiness project, finding ways to propel herself to the top of her happiness set point.  I find the book humorous and I identify with much of what she says.  It also makes me think about what makes me happy NOW.

Something else I watched today got me thinking on those same lines.   It was a commencement address given by comedian, Tim Minchin.  In his speech he says not to follow your dreams.  He was talking about long term dreams and how sometimes it's best to do what you're excited about at the moment, really enjoy it and maybe what's in your periphery will be just the thing that could be your real happiness.  Kind of a "live in the moment" message.  Do what makes you happy.

I have a friend who has been fighting cancer for 4 years.   Yesterday I spent some time with her after she had taken a fall.  She was feeling disoriented for the 30 minutes I was there but when I went to leave she said, "I enjoyed our visit".  She was being polite even though she felt like crap.  I don't know what that has to do with living in the moment but it sure gives me thought to making the Best of every moment. 

I'm trying to think of what pictures I can include in this blog posting, afterall, everyone loves a blog with photos, right?

Well, today I went to visit a friend and meet her Dexter cows, which I've been considering getting one or 2 of.  I fell in love with Raisa, a red cow who let me give her scratches and milk her.  I want to bring her home and make her part of our farm family.   Of course this means we have to build a shelter for her and we'll need more hay and to learn all about cows and, how will I keep up with all her milk and her babies and....................

Life's short,  buy the damn cow.

 

Goats touch lives

My first goat was a saanen wether (neutered male).  I was 20 when he came into my life and I had no idea this funny goat would have such an influence on my life even though he was mine for such a short time.

Today I received and email from a cyber friend in my Mid-Atlantic Minis Yahoo group and I just had to share it with you. 

I had mentioned a few weeks ago, that I was approached to put one of my does in a movie. Well, I am excited to tell everyone what happened. We shot the movie in NYC and Queens this weekend. My doe Stella and a boy, named Chris were the protagonists for a short internet film called "scapegrace". It was done by a small production company and talented camera crew and director, called Kevin Hayden. You can see some of his videos on his website. I will let you know when the movie is released if you want to watch.

 Well, I must say it was quite the experience. Stella must have had her picture taken at least 500 times by passerbys in the 2 days. She was amazingly good about it all. Trucks, buses, cars, whizzing by, strangers touching her and posing with her. If I had charged $1 a photo, we would have made a ton.

Who knew that a goat in the city could cause such a commotion. It was very touching. I heard many, many stories from people who had memories of goats. A 75 yr old man originally from Yugoslavia, stood about 15 ft away, looked at her and shouted to me, "She is 5 or 6 years old". How do you know? I shouted back. "By the growth of her horns and the hairs on her nose," he replied. He didn't even have to look at her teeth. My vet isn't that good. Next thing you know we were deep in conversation about the herd of 12 white goats he was in charge of sheepherding at the age of 6 yrs old during WWII. Then the conversation turned to Tito and Stalin and how Tito survived Stalin's intended assassination plot.

 There was a young man from the Ukraine who grew up on goats milk and was thrilled to tell me his experiences. A woman from Asia, when she saw the teats with milk, gave me 2 thumbs up with a huge grin, as she passed by. Children in absolute awe. A woman from South America with a cup in hand pleading with me for just a small amount of milk for the baby in her arms. Many people around the world have a very strong belief in the immune enhancing qualities of goat's milk for children. I grew up in Italy so I knew where she was coming from. Unfortunately, Stella was tired and would not stand still for me to milk her. People calling out in Spanish, "Leche! Leche!"

 A woman passed by with a bicycle and stopped with tears in her eyes, petting Stella and recalling her childhood farm in Pennsylvania and the goats there and how much she missed them.

 Stella and I were literally mobbed and had to take refuge in the tinted glass van for breaks from the crowds, in between shoots. We arrived the 1st day in NYC at 7 am and by 9 am people had already seen her picture on the internet and were blogging about her. Stella was quite the sensation. A man from the islands stopped and told me he had been in NYC since 1976 and had never seen a goat there. He was grinning from ear to ear.

 Day 2 in Queens, I heard some old time cheese recipes, how to keep weight on her and several other tips from many old timers in that had been raised in Europe with goats. And one very kind man that stayed watching over her for hours until the end of the shoot, worried because I had not brought hay for her to lay down on, so she could rest comfortably. And when he touched her, her eyes closed in pleasure and she was soothed by his touch, as if she could feel, he was someone who really knew goats.

 What an amazing experience; I learned that there remains an intense memory of goats as companion, friend, family member, and supplier of nourishment and joy, that still resonates very deeply within the human psyche.

 

I'm so lucky to have the chance to have them in my life again. 

25 Years!

I've been married 1/2 my life.  That's so hard for me to believe.  It really doesn't seem that long ago.  That is, until I see these pictures of our wedding day.  Meet couple number 2.  I don't remember having a bouquet.  I think James' secretary gave it to me.  She was our only witness besides all the other couples and the judge.

 

Tonight we celebrated by going to one of our favorite restaurants.  The waiter took our picture.  I don't think James has changed much.  He's still the most handsome man I know.

Thank you, James, for the best 25 years of my life.  I'll have to keep blogging so I can post our picture 25 years older.  By then people probably won't be blogging.

 

Cato

I bought a little buckling a few days ago.  His name is Cato.  He's a sweet, timid little guy.

Cooper is getting up in years and I decided it was time to add some different genes to the herd.  Cooper will probably breed most of the girls this year but next year he's going to have to share the girls. 

Cato is very tiny and not exactly the picture of health right now.  He has a snotty nose and appears younger than his true age.  I have a doeling who's a month and a half younger than him but probably weighs at least 3 times what he does.  She's still nursing though so she's a stocky little girl.  I wonder if he was weaned young.   I bought Cato because of his mother and grandmothers' udders, which were beautiful from the pictures I saw of them.  I doubt he'll be ready to breed any of the girls this year because he couldn't reach them if he tried.  Also, everyone is bullying him.  I feel so sorry for him.  Even my girls who are usually gentle and sweet are being mean.  I hate that.  Yesterday afternoon and this morning I found him in the donkey barn.  At least Chy and Wilson are being kind.

It's funny how he was afraid of me for the first few days but would walk right under the donkeys without being scared.  He doesn't go out and graze with the others much.  He stays close to the barn.  I was tempted to put him in the large field with the other boys and big donkeys, thinking they'd be nicer than the girls,  but I want him closer to the house for now so I can keep an eye on him.  I'd like to get a little meat on his bones so next year he'll be the buck I'm hoping he can be. 

I belong here

I had so looked forward to all our trips this past month.  James and I returned 2 nights ago from Arizona, where we attended a really fun wedding of our niece and her partner.  Congratulations, Kate and Brittany  (eventually all our friends and family will end up on my blog).  I love this picture.  I didn't notice the shoes at the wedding.

It was fun being with James' family and I never really felt homesick or worried about what was going on at home, but there was something missing......animals.

When we were in Vermont a month ago the B&B we stayed at had goats, mini horses and a llama.  The owner was also considering buying a mini donkey so she and I talked lots about that.  In the Outer Banks 2 weeks ago I had my grandpuppy, Maia, to keep me amused.  We did see some wildlife on a hike in Tucson but it wasn't exactly cuddly, cute or amusing like livestock and dogs.

In case you can't tell from the picture, this is a rattlesnake. 

Because I had no one to talk to about pigs, goats, donkeys or cows (I know I have no cows but I like to read about them), I found myself on the internet reading what others had to say about what's going on with their animals.  It's an addiction, I admit it. 

We've been home 2 days and it feels so good to be surrounded by our critters.  This morning in bed I thought I heard music - little snippets of it.  After some time I realized it was our roosters.  I mentioned this to James and he said he thought it was music too.  A short time later I heard the honk of my donkeys calling me to get up and feed them.  There was no mistake about what that noise was but it was still music to my ears.