Favorite Shots Of The Week (belated)

This is a post I made a few weeks ago,

before all the goat drama.

The garden veggies are much bigger now with

all the nice rain we have had.

Two of my favorite peoples.

First campfire of the year.

Toaster Strudel cooked over an open campfire.

Me and Tess.

Me and Sage.

(apparently pregnant goats have no legs)

Peas : )

Lettuce : )

Country life is good. 

The end.

Tail Ligaments - A Sure Sign

I can't take much credit for seeing to it the new babies made it into the world okay.

But I do have something I would like to share with other goat breeders,

if you didn't already know,

like I didn't, and I have only been doing this for at least a dozen years.

Tail ligaments.

It is the key to everything.

Tail ligaments.

It doesn't lie.

Don't waste your time looking for any other signs.

Check the tail ligaments.

I took Rikki with me to the barn Friday evening to check on Cocoa.  

I showed her where the ligaments were on Sage and had her feel them,

then on Cocoa, so she could feel they were just a little softer.

Saturday morning, I had to take her (Rikki) into town meet her friends 

and work on a school project.

I checked Cocoa before we left and there were no ligaments to be felt. 

I watched for signs of contractions, but saw none. I knew it would be soon, 

but figured I had a least 4 hours (don't ask me where I came up with that).  

We left at 7:30 a.m. and I got back at 10:15 a.m.  I knew when I drove up, 

that something was happening. Sage was standing outside of the barn 

looking in the door - not about to go inside.  Cocoa was not outside.  

I ran to the barn. Just before I got there, heard the most happy sound in the world 

to a worried goat breeder.  The cry of baby goats. 

I didn't need anything but dry towels and a heat lamp to help out this amazing mom.  

She did it all and she did wonderfully.  I am sure if I were there 

I would have just interfered.  My timing was important though, 

they needed some immediate attention, that Cocoa wasn't able to give them. 

The girls are named Wendy and Rainey - after the weather we have been having.

The boy is named Trevor John - after the little boy my daughter is nannying in NY.  

He begged : )

Now he wants us to bring them to NY and show him.    hehe

The next plan is to try to get Sage to take the boy and mother him 

so everyone can have plenty of milk.

I did say "try".  Good thing I still have a few more days off.  

Wish us luck and click here for a video on how to locate the tail ligaments in a goat.

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They Are Here

Please joining us in welcoming 

Rainey

Wendy

Trevor John

Mom and family are doing very well.

May the force be with you.

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Ladies In Waiting

I have spent the last three days and nights conducting and in-depth study of a goat's rear end.
Glossy-eyed, I peer at it.  Each time, looking for the slightest change in this window to the womb.
Cocoa has accepted the fact that it is no longer her cute little furry face I am interested in.
She obliges me until it is just more annoying than she can stand.  Then she waddles off to scratch on the fence, leaving me to watch, wonder and guess what is going on with her.

I am sure my daughters will never get over the fact that I have abandoned them for a goat.  Leaving them to fend for themselves on "microwaved" (gasp) Hot Pockets while I sit aside Sage, a first-time milker, trying desperately to grasp and milk 1" teats with my fingers and keep her foot out of the pan at the same time.

I sing to her, there in the barn, just her and I.  It comforts her and it soothes my frazzled nerves. The beat of the song keeping time with the rhythm of the milk stream hitting the pan.  Cocoa watches from outside the milking stand pen, as curious now, about me, as I have been about her backside.

I have come up with some of the most creative ways yet discovered in order to do everything that was required of me this week, including 2 days with the EPA, and still manage to check on Cocoa.  Don't ask me how.  I won't answer.

Tomorrow, my package of kidding supplies from Hoeggar Supply will finally arrive.  It would be nice if Cocoa would hold out until then, but I'll not hold my breath.  I had to go buy back-up supplies just in case.  I have 5 days off now.  I hope to get more than 5 hours sleep each night, I hope to be there for Cocoa, I hope to do at least part of my mile-long list, I hope to catch up on your blogs and I hope to get to the grocery store and then re-introduce myself to my children.  None of this is a given though.  I just hope for the best.

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The Hardest Things

My heart hurts.
We lost Sage's babies.
I was with her all weekend and she showed no signs at all.
She had them sometime Monday during the day.
Four.
Two were too tiny to have ever made it.
Words cannot express.

Things could have been worse.
Sage is fine and had them on her own.

I have been milking her, in hopes that Cocoa will start labor soon.
If Sage had four, Cocoa will have at least that many if not five.
Maybe I can get Sage to help with the mothering.

We have to get through two more days and then I have five off.
I check her two to three times a day and am there overnight.
We have to get this right.
We just have to.

I didn't want to tell you.

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No Blogger Left Behind

If there is a No Blogger Left Behind Act I am behind it 100%.  I have been gone a little over a week and feel like I am so out of the loop I questioned coming back.  Hopefully you are all still healthy and happy and your animals are the same.

We are for certain healthy and happy here and working at staying that way. Our schedules are busy and hectic but so far we are managing.  The girls both work now and it is quite a feat trying to remember who works where and when and get them to and from, even if they aren’t told exactly when they will get off.  Tonight I need to sit down and have a talk with Cocoa and Sage and explain to them that, preferably, they need to have their babies on a Monday or a Tuesday between the hours of 5 p.m. and 8 p.m.  Lord help us all.

If home life wasn’t chaotic enough, we are in the process of moving our work office – by ourselves.  The only hitch is, we have moved nearly everything and have to be out of our current space, but the new building contract has not yet been finalized.  This means work from home for a few days – which would work great for me, but those are the days I have to be on inspections in my area with the EPA.  It will be stressful to say the least.  We also have a new hire who started last week and since he will also be doing Ag inspections, guess who is responsible for all of his training.

On the farmfront, the roof is done (that's all I am going to say about that little experience),

How does someone get to be this brave?

and I am now highly motivated to begin my next project of scraping, priming and painting the house.  My little tiller, that I was so proud of, crapped out.  I returned it and got another one  (I am not the brightest bulb in the pack) and I got 4/5ths of the garden done before it quit too.  I had lost the second receipt, so didn’t get all my money back, but figured I would put the store credit towards the paint and worry about next year’s tilling, next year.

On the townfront, I dropped price on the house to less than what I owe and if I can get an offer, hope to try for a short sale.  Hope is not the word here, in fact I can’t think of anything I hate having to do more than that.  I am bracing myself for being made to feel like the lowest scum of the earth by a certain bank with the initials of WF.  Three years of cleaning and showing and cleaning and showing and dropping the price three times and cleaning and showing and still nothing.  I think I have done all I can do, and it is the time to do what I have to do.   Then there is the fact that if the house does sell, we actually have to move, which is a thought that I push right on out of my mind the minute it pops up.  There is a limit on how much I allow myself to worry about at one time.  Anyway, even the dogs are learning to wipe their feet before they come in the house as we are doing everything we can to keep the house clean between showings.

So there you have it friends.  I didn’t even mention keeping the business afloat and thinking of ways to expand locally – such as joining up with Grow Nebraska.  I guess I mentioned it now didn’t I?

On the lighter side, Moab got a new ball

and no one is allowed to play with it but him

 So there.

Can’t wait to get out there with my camera again and show you around.

Rylee has used my camera more than I have lately. 

She snuck a photo of me coming back from the barn, being joined by our cat Alex. 

Now I am off to visit your blogs and see what I have missed  : )

It's good to be back.

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My Cheese Has Been Moved

If you have ever read the motiviational book "Who Moved My Cheese" by Spencer Johnson
you are sure to appreciated where I am at right now.
If not, I encourage you to read the book which features two mice "Sniff" and "Scurry" and two littlepeople (humans) "Hem" and "Haw", who live in a maze, representative of ones environment and look for cheese, representative of happiness and success.

The point of this post is to let you all know that I have not had a spare minute to devote to blogging as I am consumed with Cheese issues. 
All is well - just very, very busy and I miss reading your blogs and I think of you all often and wonder what I am missing.
I hope to get through this maze soon and catch up on all the news.

For anyone interested in a summary of the book Who Moved My Cheese, I have copied part of a post from Life To The Fullest for you below.

Each morning, Sniff, Scurry, Hem and Haw wear their most comfortable shoes to run and search the maze to find cheese. They search each day until they found Cheese Station “C”. The four were so happy and glad to have found Station “C” which is filled with cheese. Hem and Haw, human as they were, become comfortable having found Station C. They thought that the Cheese in Station “C” was more than enough to sustain their needs in a lifetime. So the next morning, Hem and Haw lazily gets up every morning and walk to station “C” without their running shoes on. On the other hand, the two mice “Sniff” and “Scurry” still eagerly runs to Station “C” to search and find their cheese.

Then one morning, as Hem and Haw lazily walks shoeless to station “C”, they’ve arrived and found it empty. Hem and Haw became furious and angry. Unprepared, the humans have counted on the cheese supply to be constant. They rant at the unfairness of the situation and were mad to those who stole their cheese. They wanted justice. They wanted the cheese to come back but they went home hungry. On the other hand, when Sniff and Scurry found that Station C was empty, they are not surprised. They noticed the cheese supply were decreasing, they have mentally prepared beforehand for the tough but foreseeable task of finding new cheese. They’ve easily accepted it and moved on to search for new cheese.

The next day, Hem and Haw still walks to Station C hoping to find their cheese. Hoping that things were the same as the past. But they failed for the cheese was gone and will not come back. Beginning to realize the cheese less situation, Haw proposed to search for new cheese. But Hem is dead set in his closed mindset and rejected the proposal. Meanwhile, Sniff and Scurry have found “Cheese Station N”, a new supply of cheese.

Hem and Haw are still lacking of cheese and blame each. Wanting to change, Haw suggested once again to search for new cheese but Hem rejected it again. He didn’t want to change, he’s already comfortable his old cheese and he’s also afraid of the unknown, the new cheese. He just wants the old cheese to come back and he’ll be happy again. After many days in denial, Hem and Haw remained without cheese.

One day, having discovered his weakening fears, Haw begins to laugh at the situation and stopped taking himself so seriously. Haw realized that he should simply move on and enter the maze to find a new cheese. While walking down the maze in search for new cheese, Haw took time to write on the walls of the experiences and lessons he’s getting in search for change, of new cheese. Haw did it for the intention of giving a guide to his friend, Hem, just in case he finally accepts to move on and find new cheese. First he wrote, “If You Do Not Change, You Can Become Extinct” Still fearful of his new quest, Haw wrote “What Would You Do If You Weren’t Afraid?” . In his journey he realized and wrote down “When you move beyond your fear, you feel free.” Then one day, Haw finally found Cheese Station N and realized it was better and tastier than Cheese Station C. Wanting to remember everything he’ve learned, he wrote to the largest wall in Cheese Station N the following Six (6) Important Lessons on Change:

1. Change Happens. They Keep Moving The Cheese
2. Anticipate Change. Get Ready For The Cheese To Move
3. Monitor Change. Smell the Cheese Often So You Know When It Is Getting Old.
4. Adapt To Change Quickly. The Quicker You Let Go Of Old Cheese, The Sooner You Can Enjoy New Cheese.
5. Change.Move With The Cheese
6. Enjoy Change.Savor The Adventure And Enjoy The Taste Of New Cheese

Wacky Weather

When we woke up this morning

the sun was shining bright and hot.

It was a beautiful Saturday morning

everyone was out and about.

I hadn't intended to head to the farm early

because there was rain in the forecast.

But with the warmth of the sun,

I just couldn't resist.

There is so much to do to get ready for

the new baby goats.

I left the girls at home.

They both work at 5:00 and then have a slumber party after work.

I figured their day would be full enough.

Within 30 min of arriving at the farm,

this is what the sky looked like.

I just had to go grab my camera.

The clouds were so picturesque

and surreal.

A few hours later the girls called to say

a huge hailstorm had hit the town.

One window on the house was broken out

there was hail piled everywhere and tree leaves all over the porch.

They said no one was supposed to be driving

and the county was under a tornado watch.

The farm is 35 miles north,

and there was a breeze and spitting rain.

This is what I saw coming into town.

Driveway next to the house.

Front of house.

Porch.

I am wondering how hard this will be to clean up.

Looks pretty sticky.

The girls took photos during the storm.

But they took them on their iPods and 

I don't know how to access them.

It was pretty intense.

I am glad they are brave and capable

(they brought my garden plants in off the porch)

So that's the excitement for today.

My mom called me from Wyoming,

they had been watching the storm on radar

and saw it was right over us.

My "middle" daughter is on her way to NY.

She is going to be a Nanny for the summer.

She has been texting us as she goes through each state.

She told me that if I ever move again

I need to go to Philadelphia.

She said it is exactly what I would love.

Green like a forest with farms scattered throughout. 

She said NE is great, but Philly is what we see only in magazines.

This is Sara and her boyfriend Jake,

who is driving her out there and flying back.

I took this the evening before they left.

Be safe Sara.

Miss you already.

Goose Antics

There is never a lack of goose antics on this farm.

Gander of the Mountain.

Taking a Gander.

Wash.

Rinse.

Repeat.

He always has an attentive audience

for his comedy acts.

I am, however,

concerned

about the lengths 

he will go to,

to get a laugh from the crowd.

Linking up with Lisa and Nancy at Rural Thursday Blog Hop.

Working On It

We are I am making  trying to make some

changes around here.

We They use the microwave 

for everything  way too much.

I am replacing it's spot on the kitchen counter

with this.

Even though it is hardly a "replacement"

it is a good space holder.

The microwave hasn't gone far.

But if they want to use it,

they have to walk downstairs to do it.

and then walk back up.

Yes, I am that kind of mom.

The one that bets on our innate laziness

to get us to break a bad habit.

Next change,

homemade yogurt

made with local hormone-free skim milk.

We have never been milk drinkers

and I am hoping to up our calcium intake

by introducing more yogurt.

The girls are all for this.

Now that's a fruit and yogurt parfait.

I will let you know how we are adjusting to not

having the microwave so handy.

After I moved it, I remembered I use it to melt 

the oils when I make our soaps.

I am certainly getting my exercise.

Silly Goose

Moab lacks no creativity

in finding ways to keep himself busy.

 Every container in his pen

gets dumped,

chewed on,

stood on

and thrown around

as quickly as it gets filled.

No matter the size

or shape.