The start of an obsession and happy endings

What happens when a gal with a big love of animals visits a dairy and discovers that a cute little goat kid will be killed and sent to a zoo for feed just because he was born the wrong sex? She decides that since she wanted to start a dairy herd of her own anyways the little buck can come home with her and be the start of her herd. (Yes she knows she can't save them all and that something has to be done with little bucks)

His first months at "home"


Standing in front of his house


This being my first goat I had no idea what I was getting myself into. For starters I quickly learned why they say to always get goats in pairs. All day he cried when I wasn't with him. I also quickly went on a search for general goat knowledge and discovered that for a small dairy herd like I intended that a buck was simply overdoing it a bit. The cost of feeding a buck is higher, you have to have separate places to put him away from the does if you want to know the due date, and to top it all off they reek! After discovering this my little buck quickly got wethered (fixed). The search began for a new job for him. In the meantime the search also continued for a companion for him. Early on in the search for a companion I discovered that he'd been born at the wrong time of the year. Being an October baby meant that there were no other kids to be found and that the only adults for sale tended to be expensive.

Reading on his breed, Saanens, I discovered that they had been long prized as pack animals since that breed tends to be one of the strongest goat breeds. Points for "buddy"! The training began. He learned to come when called, walk on a leash, and to accept being touched all over. As the months went on reality hit and it was discovered that despite his training and the time spent with him then he was still miserable. No companion could be found. So I decided the best thing for him would be to find him a good home with goats elsewhere.

I posted him on a site I'd found about packgoats and within a week a very excited man in Montana contacted me. His goat had lost his companion due to old age recently and he'd been searching in vain for another pack goat. After many emails and phone calls it was arranged that a business friend of his would pick Buddy up in Casper, pay us, and transport him to Cody. Then Bill (his new owner) would pick him up from there and transport him home. His journey began anew with me saying goodbye.



You always wonder what happens to animals you have to part with and if they truly do have a good home. I'm thrilled to say that I know Buddy does. He's grown into a very handsome goat and gets to hang out with his friend all day and go on trips into the mountains and on regular hikes. I couldn't have wished for a happier ending for my beginning of an obsession.

This is a trip they took just this month (Buddy will be 1 in October)

Things I love about my daughter #13

She makes me laugh behind my hands when I know I should be scolding her.

Permanent marker *sigh* I'll bet this outfit is ruined.

The holiday baby...

I'm getting a valentines present! I'm getting a valentines present!

Here's the official announcement! I'm pregnant! Yahooo!! Okay I waited awhile to tell you all but I've been a tad busy with other things.

So....



Is it a boy or girl???? What should we name it?? I'm so very excited!

This cute little bar that tells about the baby will be hanging out at the bottom of my blog for those that are interested!

Bank picnic

One of the things I love about living here is that every year the Converse County bank hosts a fabulous summer fun picnic in the park. They have hot dogs galore (some years they've even had brats and hamburgers), tons of drinks, tons of bags of chips, and tons of fun.

We started with dinner (something you did from the years they had brats, the brats were always gone by the end of the night)
Lilly had a hot dog and some white cheddar popcorn


Then we had ice cream sandwiches.


Then we were messy so we cleaned up a bit.


Then we wandered over to the balloons and got a balloon and since there wasn't much of a line yet for the tattoos or face-painting we stood in line for those. Lilly got a tattoo of a butterfly on her arm.


And a ladybug on her cheek, which took all of two seconds to smear.


Then we decided to check out the bouncy's. We thought she might be too young for some of them but that she could do others and would enjoy it. Boy were we wrong!


But watching the others play was a good opportunity for making friends.


Then with daddy along to reassure and help Lilly tackled the obstacle course.


She wasn't doing too bad by the end. she says the bouncy things still aren't her thing.


Then we watched all the kids zipping down the slide and she wanted to try it. so her and daddy climbed the slide and slid down! She enjoyed the climbing but didn't think much of it when it was her on the slide coming down. Maybe next year she'll enjoy these more. There were kids barely taller then her making their way up the rock climbing blowup. I have hope for her for next time.


Entertainment was provided in the form of some gymnastics and a dance by the local gymnastics girls team.


They also did handstands.


Then we had to get snowcones! This was the one thing she thoroughly enjoyed last year. She enjoyed it no less this time.


Down to every last slurp!


Then since we'd found uncle Rick we all walked back to get more food and she got to swing a bit between their arms


She got Cheetohs this time! and double fisted it!


Then we enjoyed some of the live music provided by the local band and danced till the sun went down! (If I can figure out how to do a video on here I'll put a dancing one on.)



And we're all looking forward to a wonderful time and tons more fun and food next year!

I'm a little fruity!

Well we all knew I'd lose it someday. What happens when a woman buys a few fruits to try out her "new" old dehydrator that she just inherited from grandma and the husband says "I'll take your dried fruit to work with me." ?

Lemon (citrus didn't work well), honeydew, cantaloupe, plums, cherries


After giving him a dirty look and "politely" explaining that he can take fresh fruit while it is in season she decides that since fruit is in season and on sale and since hubby obviously doesn't have a problem with dried fruit that she is going to buy some and dry it for winter. Yummy snacks, topping for oatmeal, cereals, ice cream and so many other things. hmmm

So she goes to the store, and what does she see?? Fruit! And lots of it! And all sorts that she loves! soooo.....


She buys the fruit and gets it home

She vaguely wonders if she might have gone a tad bit overboard but hey this is fun right?

She sets her apricots that she canned last night off to the side.


Places her azure order up out of the way (ordered with Michaela and Millie)


And begins. The blueberies and cantaloupe make it into the first dehydrator (got at a garage sale when I mistakenly thought the trays would fit into grandmas)

Some nectarines, peaches, and cherries make it into grandmas and the rest of the fruit is all sorted through for firmness and ripeness. New batch tomorrow hopefully!

Slaughtering chickens

Warning! Contains graphic photos!

Well I talked my friend Millie and her family into coming down and helping me process my chickens. neither of us had done this before.

I had caught the four chickens the night before and had them locked in a pen. Millie's hubby Joe was wonderful and wrung all of their necks for us. Then we took the four down by the BBQ grill and got the scalding pot ready.

The chickens waited patiently


Then I scalded the chickens while Millie and Joe started plucking.


Here are the chickens waiting to be gutted (Joe did the gutting!)


And here they are after gutting and having their feet removed


And here is one of mine all cut up and in bags

Corrals

The water pretty much took out enough of the corrals that we will have to rebuild most of it.
The quick paint map I made below has the barn in blue, where corral fences are/were in black and red lines where they've been wiped out.



First fence (far right of map)


Next fence in (second to right on map)


Third fence (third from right on map)


Corner by the upper Corral


Fence to the left of the barn


Other end of the fence on that side


Fence along the tires


Barn flooded


One more along the road

Flash flood

It was a hail storm, electric storm, and torrents of water all in one. We had about 2 inches of rain, golf ball sized hail, and lightning strikes all within 1 hour. And the wind, can't forget the Wyoming wind...

You've heard the statement that things will look better in the morning?? They do and they don't! lol There is quite a bit of damage and most things are gone. I have no garden, no sunflowers, the peonies and rhubarb that we planted 3 days ago are gone. I don't know if my lilacs, plum, or cottonwoods will survive. There is no point in planting the willows that I had. We lost the six chicks, the rest seem to be doing okay. There is a few leaves left on two of the cottonwoods and we will see how they do. The evergreen saplings look slightly rougher but are all in great shape considering. Other than the 6 chicks we didn't lose any of the other animals so far. They were all soaked to the bone last night and it remains to be seen if any will have lasting effects but they are all alive this morning. Other than the rabbit that was in the flipped hutch the others managed to stay dry and safe. The chickens, turkeys, dogs, and goats were all soaked.

At one point during the storm the back door blew open and Tim's dog Sarah came rushing in drenched. I have no idea why she wasn't in her dog house! She has one! At another point I was in the living room and Lilly started crying in the kitchen less than 20 feet away and I couldn't hear her over the storm. To top the fun off yesterday was Tim's birthday and I threw a party for him. We had 7 extra people here when it hit. There were points last night we weren't sure that they were going to be going home that night.

The ranch got it worse. I have no idea how the cows are doing but the corral at MIL's house is gone. I haven't been down there to see yet I was waiting for Lilly to wake up. I did get up this morning however and take a drive down the road in both directions from our house and we also took a drive after company left last night although it was almost dark.

Hail flows in our back yard last night


Is there a pot of gold?? I think we need one.


Our back yard


Irrigation ditch behind our house and along the road last night


irrigation ditch this morning


what's left of my plum tree


The willows that were to be planted


The cat that hunts and got caught in it vs. the lazy cat (this is the muddiest I've ever seen this cat and he is nuts about staying clean!)


Waterfall on the road last night (there were idiotic teenagers driving across this!)


That same waterfall by mornings light


the undercut of the road


The creek and fenceline, as you can see by the grass on the posts the water was HIGH!


The brand new culvert by our place that the county just put in.


Ironically the thistle survived...


The irrigation ditch from the hill. You can see where the water level was by all the washed mud


These are drifts of hail covered with mud and grass. My B-I-L has a picture of him standing next to them last night and they reach his waist.


Some of our pasture area...the grass is gone, the cactus survives *grimace*


I will post more later after I have pictures of the corral and some of the damage on the ranch itself.