If you have not read the previous post from yesterday, please scroll down or click here to read it first before reading this one.
I guess an explanation is in order. Angus has spent some 'off and on' time in the goat lot. The goats eat hay out of a barrel with holes cut in the side. When Angus was smaller his head fit in the holes and he ate their hay. Then one day he got his head in and couldn't get it out, he managed to tear the barrel off of its anchor in the goat shed.
My DH rescued him from his plight the first time, however, calves don't learn from their mistakes. Every time he gets close to that barrel now he gets stuck in it. The only way to get him out is to pull on the barrel at the same time that he pulls back.
On Tuesday morning when the picture was taken, he had been stuck for quite awhile and he had broken the goat lot's bottom strand of wire to get into the main horse pasture. Luckily the horses had not come down to water yet or they might still be running for the hills. Since I was home alone on Tuesday, it was my turn to rescue Angus and I had to fix the fence that he broke with a very sore thumb.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Terrible Tuesday
What started out as just a normal miserable Monday, ran over into a terrible Tuesday. It was just one thing after another yesterday. First, I was sitting at the computer when I first woke up and I heard the sound of a Stallion outside of his designated area.
It is a distinct sound that only people who have more than one Stallion would recognize. A horrifying sound that makes your blood run cold because you know how much damage can be done in a very short time when one stallion gets directly across the fence from another stallion.
Stallions who live in the same town, state, country or even on the same planet hate each other with a passion and having to live on the same farm with each other is nearly unbearable. They dream about the day that they can get nose to nose to prove who is the master of the universe.
Jazz, our Appaloosa Stallion had figured out that his electric fence wasn't hot. He really doesn't care much if it is hot or not, he will still lean into it to get the greener grass on the other side. Some things are just worth it. When it pops him good it just makes him mad and he shakes his head and stomps his front feet at it as if he is going to whip it into submission.
So he accidentally leaned too far into it yesterday morning and low and behold he found himself outside his area without even breaking a wire. Once he was out, the green grass lost its appeal and all he wanted to do was kill Badger our AQHA Grullo Stallion. There was still another electric fence separating them but neither of them cared.
As soon as I heard the sound, I was out the door grabbing the first rope that I could get my hands on. The lot that Jazz had found his way into was uninhabited so the grass was tall and boy was it ever wet with dew. They were squealing, rearing, biting and bleeding and one strand of fence was already history.
I yelled at Jazz to stop it and he does listen and obey but then Badger would say something that he just couldn't ignore and they were back at it again. We ran back and forth, and back and forth. Finally, I threatened Jazz in such a way as to become a bigger threat than Badger. He could tell that I was really tired of running and I was soaked up to my knees in the wet grass.
So he stopped and started eating, pretending that he had done nothing wrong. Badger continued to badger him but he was focused on me and my anger at this point. He stood perfectly still while I put the rope around his neck and listened carefully to all of my lecturing.
That was just the start of the day, the whole day continued on like this, just little annoying problems like fences to fix and working out the glitches of the electric current.
In the evening when I was just starting to relax after a tough day, I stapled my thumb. It's true, I was reaching for the stapler and it shot me right in the thumb. I screamed at the very thought of it, ran into the kitchen without looking at it and held it out to my dear Husband, saying something like, "Get it out!". He got a good hold on it and pulled it out in a quick motion. It had gone all the way in to the bone. My thumb is still sore but it was at its worse about two hours after it happened, very painful, like a smashed thumbnail, throbbing.
I was happy when Monday ended but then Tuesday came...
It is a distinct sound that only people who have more than one Stallion would recognize. A horrifying sound that makes your blood run cold because you know how much damage can be done in a very short time when one stallion gets directly across the fence from another stallion.
Stallions who live in the same town, state, country or even on the same planet hate each other with a passion and having to live on the same farm with each other is nearly unbearable. They dream about the day that they can get nose to nose to prove who is the master of the universe.
Jazz, our Appaloosa Stallion had figured out that his electric fence wasn't hot. He really doesn't care much if it is hot or not, he will still lean into it to get the greener grass on the other side. Some things are just worth it. When it pops him good it just makes him mad and he shakes his head and stomps his front feet at it as if he is going to whip it into submission.
So he accidentally leaned too far into it yesterday morning and low and behold he found himself outside his area without even breaking a wire. Once he was out, the green grass lost its appeal and all he wanted to do was kill Badger our AQHA Grullo Stallion. There was still another electric fence separating them but neither of them cared.
As soon as I heard the sound, I was out the door grabbing the first rope that I could get my hands on. The lot that Jazz had found his way into was uninhabited so the grass was tall and boy was it ever wet with dew. They were squealing, rearing, biting and bleeding and one strand of fence was already history.
I yelled at Jazz to stop it and he does listen and obey but then Badger would say something that he just couldn't ignore and they were back at it again. We ran back and forth, and back and forth. Finally, I threatened Jazz in such a way as to become a bigger threat than Badger. He could tell that I was really tired of running and I was soaked up to my knees in the wet grass.
So he stopped and started eating, pretending that he had done nothing wrong. Badger continued to badger him but he was focused on me and my anger at this point. He stood perfectly still while I put the rope around his neck and listened carefully to all of my lecturing.
That was just the start of the day, the whole day continued on like this, just little annoying problems like fences to fix and working out the glitches of the electric current.
In the evening when I was just starting to relax after a tough day, I stapled my thumb. It's true, I was reaching for the stapler and it shot me right in the thumb. I screamed at the very thought of it, ran into the kitchen without looking at it and held it out to my dear Husband, saying something like, "Get it out!". He got a good hold on it and pulled it out in a quick motion. It had gone all the way in to the bone. My thumb is still sore but it was at its worse about two hours after it happened, very painful, like a smashed thumbnail, throbbing.
I was happy when Monday ended but then Tuesday came...
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Accolades
I am proud to announce that Paypal has seen the light. I have criticized Paypal, GoDaddy and the USPS websites in some of my past blogs for the slowness of their sites for those of us who are still stuck in dial-up country.
Paypal has heard my cry and changed their ways. I can now visit their site and take care of my business without stroking out. It is a pleasure to go to Paypal now. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Now if GoDaddy and the US Postal Service would just follow their lead, redesign their sites and get rid of the caged, running squirrels in wheels who are now powering their servers. I would never have to worry about my blood pressure again.
Since I am sure that Paypal, GoDaddy and the USPS all follow my blog regularly, I expect that we will be seeing these much needed changes soon.
Paypal has heard my cry and changed their ways. I can now visit their site and take care of my business without stroking out. It is a pleasure to go to Paypal now. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Now if GoDaddy and the US Postal Service would just follow their lead, redesign their sites and get rid of the caged, running squirrels in wheels who are now powering their servers. I would never have to worry about my blood pressure again.
Since I am sure that Paypal, GoDaddy and the USPS all follow my blog regularly, I expect that we will be seeing these much needed changes soon.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Crotalus Horridus
Crotalus Horridus is just a great name for a snake, don't you think? My plight today took me to the main horse trough where the water hose was resting. I drug Rancid's dog house out of the kennel to hose it out because of all of the rain water that had somehow found its way into it. Rancid is also not very discrete about where he goes to the restroom or maybe he is too discrete, anyway there was manure in his dog house.
I walked to the hydrant to turn the water on then walked down the hill to the horse trough. I bent over, reached my hand down to grasp the hose to pull it up out of the trough, when I noticed this strange looking thing in the tall grass that my fingers were nearly touching. I did not immediately jerk my hand back, it just lingered there while I assessed the situation.
Whatever this thing was, the hose was resting on it. It was gray, spotted and muted in color. It's texture was very rough and that is what totally fooled me. I was convinced that it was a dry, weather worn root. But my spider sense was tingling (a little Spiderman lingo there). So I hesitated and pondered some more, bear in mind that my hand was still suspended there very near this root.
Somehow common sense prevailed and I realized that the pattern on this root was just a little too perfect. Also whatever it was that I was seeing was in a zigzag position and I could only see about 6 to 8 inches of it in the tall grass. This was very important information because if this was a snake then I didn't know which way it was facing, toward me or away from me.
I quickly withdrew my hand in one swift movement whilst stepping backwards rapidly. I was still reasoning with myself and I came up with the strange notion that if this was indeed a snake then it must surly be a dead snake. I could not possibly have come so close to picking up a live snake so close to my house. Looking back now, I realize that I was in complete denial.
Somehow I maintained my composure and picked up the hose at a different spot, far away from the dead snake. Then for some unknown reason, I sprayed the snake with the hose. I had by this time moved a little farther up the hill ready to bolt in any direction necessary.
Guess what? It wasn't dead and it was a snake but it was headed downhill, so this was good news. I watched from a distance as it made it's way under the horse's water tank. Judging from how the tall grass moved, I am guessing that it was at least 10 foot long. Rule of life #1; Snakes always appear larger than their actual size. So it was probably closer to 3 foot long.
My first thought was Rattlesnake, but I knew that no one would believe me. I didn't see a rattle but I was pretty far away at the time. So tonight I did some research on Indiana snake identification. I answered all of the questions on the website about color, pattern, texture, size and even the fact that it was frozen in a zigzag pattern, I clicked the "Search" button after I had finished. The first thing that it brought up was Crotalus Horridus or Timber Rattlesnake.
This was not the answer that I wanted. I was more looking for some harmless, non-venomous snake that only eats mice and is terrified of humans. The thing that worries me the most about all of this is that I have to go out there tomorrow to do all of my normal chores. The other thing that bothers me is that now I have to go to bed after looking at several pages of pictures of snakes with irritable expressions on their faces, Oh the dreams I will have...
Now of course you know that some little harmless corn snake barely bigger than a worm will start hanging out down by the horse trough, so that my Husband and the rest of the family can make fun of me, it's bound to happen!
I walked to the hydrant to turn the water on then walked down the hill to the horse trough. I bent over, reached my hand down to grasp the hose to pull it up out of the trough, when I noticed this strange looking thing in the tall grass that my fingers were nearly touching. I did not immediately jerk my hand back, it just lingered there while I assessed the situation.
Whatever this thing was, the hose was resting on it. It was gray, spotted and muted in color. It's texture was very rough and that is what totally fooled me. I was convinced that it was a dry, weather worn root. But my spider sense was tingling (a little Spiderman lingo there). So I hesitated and pondered some more, bear in mind that my hand was still suspended there very near this root.
Somehow common sense prevailed and I realized that the pattern on this root was just a little too perfect. Also whatever it was that I was seeing was in a zigzag position and I could only see about 6 to 8 inches of it in the tall grass. This was very important information because if this was a snake then I didn't know which way it was facing, toward me or away from me.
I quickly withdrew my hand in one swift movement whilst stepping backwards rapidly. I was still reasoning with myself and I came up with the strange notion that if this was indeed a snake then it must surly be a dead snake. I could not possibly have come so close to picking up a live snake so close to my house. Looking back now, I realize that I was in complete denial.
Somehow I maintained my composure and picked up the hose at a different spot, far away from the dead snake. Then for some unknown reason, I sprayed the snake with the hose. I had by this time moved a little farther up the hill ready to bolt in any direction necessary.
Guess what? It wasn't dead and it was a snake but it was headed downhill, so this was good news. I watched from a distance as it made it's way under the horse's water tank. Judging from how the tall grass moved, I am guessing that it was at least 10 foot long. Rule of life #1; Snakes always appear larger than their actual size. So it was probably closer to 3 foot long.
My first thought was Rattlesnake, but I knew that no one would believe me. I didn't see a rattle but I was pretty far away at the time. So tonight I did some research on Indiana snake identification. I answered all of the questions on the website about color, pattern, texture, size and even the fact that it was frozen in a zigzag pattern, I clicked the "Search" button after I had finished. The first thing that it brought up was Crotalus Horridus or Timber Rattlesnake.
This was not the answer that I wanted. I was more looking for some harmless, non-venomous snake that only eats mice and is terrified of humans. The thing that worries me the most about all of this is that I have to go out there tomorrow to do all of my normal chores. The other thing that bothers me is that now I have to go to bed after looking at several pages of pictures of snakes with irritable expressions on their faces, Oh the dreams I will have...
Now of course you know that some little harmless corn snake barely bigger than a worm will start hanging out down by the horse trough, so that my Husband and the rest of the family can make fun of me, it's bound to happen!
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Gnawing Guilt
Awhile back I posted a teaser of all of the things that I intended to blog about in the near future. I did post a couple of them but have had this terrible guilt about not being true to my word and blogging about the other things on that list.
Here is that post:
Here are the posts that will relieve me of all of my guilt:
1. I did post pictures of Calico and Paris before they kidded. So I can check this one off.
2. This one is a big one. My DH did bring home an orange Harley Davidson. All of my friends gasped and I wondered how long it would take our kids to call to get the details. They never did!! They just didn't really believe it because they know how their Dad is about money and they know how I am about motorcycles. My eldest Son did finally ask, "What is up with the Harley?" long after I had posted.
So here are the pictures for those who have waited with baited breath to find out whether my Husband has lost his mind or not.
When I mentioned to my neighbors that my Husband had bought an orange Harley, they both were disturbed but didn't lecture him. I had forgotten that she had told me about a dream that she had where my DH had a horrendous wreck on a motorcycle.
When the truth finally came out about the bike. She confessed to nearly dying with worry about the whole thing. This made me feel pretty bad beacuse I should have told them the truth sooner.
My neighbor is a bit eccentric and I hate that I worried her so. Yes, she does have lavender hair and an orange VW.
3. My Bantam hen who had the prolapse did not survive, that may have been the reason that I didn't post about it. I did learn a few things about prolapses though. If I ever have another one, I will clean it, cover it in Honey, put the hen in a clean environment, start her on antibiotics, then wait. I won't try pushing the prolapse back into place again.
4. My Doctor diagnosed me with hypertension on my last visit. I have never had high blood pressure before and they always comment on my great BP when I go in. I was a bit swollen that day and I am sure that with the stress of going to the Doctor in the first place, this was the reason that it was high. Well, it wasn't really even high 138 over 89 but this is high for me.
He slapped me on BP pills and wrote Hypertension on my chart. I took the pills for two days and got dizzy, so I quit taking them. I took my blood pressure for several days after that and it was never high again. I am still taking it occasionally and it remains low. As my Dear Husband likes to say, "Doctors are only practicing."
5. Here are more recent pictures of Sky:
6. I did post pictures of Calico's babies, so I can check that one off as well.
Now that this post is done all of my guilt is gone and I can hold my head up high again.
Here is that post:
Coming soon to this blog! Don't miss even one of these exciting posts.
* Updated Pictures of Calico and Paris (how many do you think they will have?)
* Husband brings home an Orange Harley Davidson (complete with photos)
* Bantam Hen Prolapses (and what I am doing about it)
* High Blood Pressure!? (Doctors are only practicing)
* Updated Photos of Sky
* Pictures of Calico's New Kids (hopefully arriving soon)
Here are the posts that will relieve me of all of my guilt:
1. I did post pictures of Calico and Paris before they kidded. So I can check this one off.
2. This one is a big one. My DH did bring home an orange Harley Davidson. All of my friends gasped and I wondered how long it would take our kids to call to get the details. They never did!! They just didn't really believe it because they know how their Dad is about money and they know how I am about motorcycles. My eldest Son did finally ask, "What is up with the Harley?" long after I had posted.
So here are the pictures for those who have waited with baited breath to find out whether my Husband has lost his mind or not.
When I mentioned to my neighbors that my Husband had bought an orange Harley, they both were disturbed but didn't lecture him. I had forgotten that she had told me about a dream that she had where my DH had a horrendous wreck on a motorcycle.
When the truth finally came out about the bike. She confessed to nearly dying with worry about the whole thing. This made me feel pretty bad beacuse I should have told them the truth sooner.
My neighbor is a bit eccentric and I hate that I worried her so. Yes, she does have lavender hair and an orange VW.3. My Bantam hen who had the prolapse did not survive, that may have been the reason that I didn't post about it. I did learn a few things about prolapses though. If I ever have another one, I will clean it, cover it in Honey, put the hen in a clean environment, start her on antibiotics, then wait. I won't try pushing the prolapse back into place again.
4. My Doctor diagnosed me with hypertension on my last visit. I have never had high blood pressure before and they always comment on my great BP when I go in. I was a bit swollen that day and I am sure that with the stress of going to the Doctor in the first place, this was the reason that it was high. Well, it wasn't really even high 138 over 89 but this is high for me.
He slapped me on BP pills and wrote Hypertension on my chart. I took the pills for two days and got dizzy, so I quit taking them. I took my blood pressure for several days after that and it was never high again. I am still taking it occasionally and it remains low. As my Dear Husband likes to say, "Doctors are only practicing."
5. Here are more recent pictures of Sky:
6. I did post pictures of Calico's babies, so I can check that one off as well.
Now that this post is done all of my guilt is gone and I can hold my head up high again.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Steady Rain
The rain started last night, slow and gentle. The perfect rain is not a downpour or a thunderstorm, it is a steady, gentle rain that last for hours. I had not watered my plants last night so the rain was very welcome.
This type of rain slowly soaks the ground with moisture and nourishment. It doesn't wash away loose seeds, plants, dirt or gravel, it doesn't cut ditches. This is the kind of rain that we cherish.
I woke up all through the night to hear the gentle rain and it made me happy. It means more grass for the thirty some odd horses that we have, not all are odd just most of them.
It also means more grass for my DH to mow. Mowing gives him something to do in his spare time. I would venture a guess of 47 acres of mowing in his down time, when he isn't working six days a week. Some of that mowing is with a push mower to keep himself healthy.
When I arose from my slumber this morning, I found that it was still raining. I waited for awhile before going out to bring the goats to the barn for milking. After looking at the radar on the internet, I decided that this sweet rain wasn't going to stop anytime soon and that my feet were wet from where the lovely rain was coming through the wall under my computer desk.
Upon venturing outside, I discovered that there was barely a dry spot inside the barn. My milkstand is standing in about two inches of beautiful rain water. Angus' stall is now a marsh area but he isn't there, he is outside enjoying the steady rain.
I have tried to stay positive throughout this post but after just hearing the weather forecast on the radio, I am beginning to have negative thoughts. There is more rain in our immediate future and the possibility of thunderstorms tonight. How could such a lovely summer rain become so annoying?
This type of rain slowly soaks the ground with moisture and nourishment. It doesn't wash away loose seeds, plants, dirt or gravel, it doesn't cut ditches. This is the kind of rain that we cherish.
I woke up all through the night to hear the gentle rain and it made me happy. It means more grass for the thirty some odd horses that we have, not all are odd just most of them.
It also means more grass for my DH to mow. Mowing gives him something to do in his spare time. I would venture a guess of 47 acres of mowing in his down time, when he isn't working six days a week. Some of that mowing is with a push mower to keep himself healthy.
When I arose from my slumber this morning, I found that it was still raining. I waited for awhile before going out to bring the goats to the barn for milking. After looking at the radar on the internet, I decided that this sweet rain wasn't going to stop anytime soon and that my feet were wet from where the lovely rain was coming through the wall under my computer desk.
Upon venturing outside, I discovered that there was barely a dry spot inside the barn. My milkstand is standing in about two inches of beautiful rain water. Angus' stall is now a marsh area but he isn't there, he is outside enjoying the steady rain.
I have tried to stay positive throughout this post but after just hearing the weather forecast on the radio, I am beginning to have negative thoughts. There is more rain in our immediate future and the possibility of thunderstorms tonight. How could such a lovely summer rain become so annoying?
Monday, July 20, 2009
I Must Be An Alien
After reading the two following articles, I have decided that I am really an alien who somehow got stranded on this strange planet within the last few years.
This whole cow burping thing has me shaking my head and the thought that U.S. Citizens are taking this serious leaves me totally dumbfounded.
Greener diet reduces dairy cows' methane burps - Yahoo! News
(Don't tell anyone but goats and deer burp too)
The following is a quote from the second article about the Wild Horse Bill:
I like wild horses and burros but $700 million dollars, when people are losing their jobs and homes? Anyone who would support something like this has not been affected by this present economy, has more money than they need and should be sharing their wealth with the needy.
This whole cow burping thing has me shaking my head and the thought that U.S. Citizens are taking this serious leaves me totally dumbfounded.
Greener diet reduces dairy cows' methane burps - Yahoo! News
(Don't tell anyone but goats and deer burp too)
The following is a quote from the second article about the Wild Horse Bill:
The Congressional Budget Office estimates that enacting the bill would cost up to $700 million.Barrasso, Lummis oppose House's wild horse bill - KIFI - Idaho Falls, Pocatello, Jackson WY
Barrasso says the government shouldn't spend $700 million on wild horses while the nation is in debt.
I like wild horses and burros but $700 million dollars, when people are losing their jobs and homes? Anyone who would support something like this has not been affected by this present economy, has more money than they need and should be sharing their wealth with the needy.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Cooter
I have put it off because it was too hard to talk about. A week has now passed and my feelings aren't quite so raw. I first noticed that Cooter was acting a little off on Monday of last week. I couldn't put my finger on it but I knew something was wrong. By Tuesday he was obviously in trouble.
He kept standing in the hot sun panting. I finally had to stake him out in the shade, so that he couldn't get to a sunny area. Then I noticed that when I went out to check on him that his right hind foot was always wrapped up in the rope. This just wasn't like him.
The second time I went to untangle his foot, I was bent over and starting to pick it up when someone hit me hard on the top of the head with a baseball bat. I studied the pretty stars in the darkness of my brain for just a moment, then picked myself up off of the ground.
I was shocked that Cooter would just butt me like that but after we observed him for awhile later we realized that he didn't butt me at all. He was spinning violently to the right at times and that was the reason that the rope kept wrapping around that right hind foot.
Since I wasn't sure what I was dealing with, I started pumping different things into him; Electrolytes, B-Complex, lots of Thiamine and Antibiotics. Then later; Probiotics, Vegetable Oil, Baking Soda, Nutri-Drench and finally two Enemas.
I stayed up with him that night until around 2:00. On Wednesday morning he was still in misery, so I made the decision to put him down. I was not going to put him through another hot day. At this point, I was certain, after talking to several goat people that he had a twisted gut. Something else had started the problem but after his falling and flopping around several times, the result was that he had twisted something.
He drank water all day and was urinating well but his bowels had stopped working. Even with the oil and enemas, he never even passed the enema water that I put into him.
Angel stayed by his side throughout the day and all night. She followed us as we took him to his final resting place and after the grave was covered, she sniffed the dirt and laid down beside it. As we were leaving I was afraid that she might stay there but after we arrived back at the house, I looked back and seen her come up over the hill.
I miss him. Even though I had made up my mind to sell him, it is still hard for me to deal with. I miss the way he cocked his head when he looked at you and the way he always had to rub on me. I even miss the way he smelled. I can still get a whiff of him from time to time when I am close to his favorite places.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Flight of the Bumblebee
Actually only a few make it to flight, most of them end up lying in wait on my bedroom floor.
In case you are a new reader I will recap our living arrangements. We are living in our barn until our ship comes in, at which time we hope to build a house.
We can't see the ocean, a river or a lake from here, so I don't know how the ship will get to us. I have a suspicion that the ship is not even coming but we still keep waiting for it.
We don't have drywall or any kind of ceiling in most of our humble home, it was suppose to come on that ship as well. But we do have insulation in the ceilings. For some reason, the bumblebees chose our bedroom ceiling insulation as a good, safe, nesting area.
We had a good working relationship with the bumblebees to start out with, we didn't bother them and they didn't bother us. It wasn't until the new babies started hatching out that the problems began. Newborn baby bumblebees are not that frightening, and can in fact be considered cute like most babies.
I discovered that little baby bumblebees can and will sting if you get under the covers and try to share a sleeping space with them. That sting is just a little annoying and the pain doesn't last all that long.
As time has gone on we have found that baby bumblebees grow into children then into teenagers rather quickly. In each stage of their lives we have also found that they struggle to survive in the frigid temperatures of our bedroom.
With our little window air conditioner cranked up to its highest or should I say, lowest setting, only the very strong and healthy young bumblebees can actually find and use their wings successfully.
The rest of them end up scattered around on the bedroom floor on their sides trying to right themselves. They do occasionally make it to the side of the bed and manage to crawl up onto the bed or at least under the covers. It is really nice, if when they make it under the covers that they then find and figure out how to use their wings. That way, the noise will alert you to their presence.
I would venture to guess that we have killed approximately 14 flying bumblebees recently inside our house. I would not even try to guess how many we have picked up and disposed of that were on the floor and bed. We are starting to see a decrease in numbers, so I would say that we are about to be done with it all.
I had considered us pretty fortunate that we had only had one stinging incident and when I went into the bedroom to turn the air conditioner up a little because the weather outside had cooled down so much. I felt a little foolhardy to be in that room with no shoes on. While I thought on these things a sharp pain shot through my big toe.
My DH and I spent some time discussing which was worse; a bumblebee sting or a hornet sting. He assured me that a hornet was much worse. He gave me no sympathy whatsoever. As if I should just forget it ever happened.
Then last night he got up several times after we had gone to bed. I warned him each time. Finally, this morning, I heard him say, "ouch!" and I knew what had happened. I was ready for him too. I told him it was nothing and that a hornet sting was much worse.
This has all brought about a scientific study. I was telling a neighbor about my Husband getting stung by the hornet the other day and she told me that she got stung once in her arthritic, swollen finger.
After the sting her finger never bothered her again and all of the swelling in it went away. Now my DH's toe that he just got stung on has given him fits throughout the years, we'll have to wait and see what happens.
In case you are a new reader I will recap our living arrangements. We are living in our barn until our ship comes in, at which time we hope to build a house.
We can't see the ocean, a river or a lake from here, so I don't know how the ship will get to us. I have a suspicion that the ship is not even coming but we still keep waiting for it.
We don't have drywall or any kind of ceiling in most of our humble home, it was suppose to come on that ship as well. But we do have insulation in the ceilings. For some reason, the bumblebees chose our bedroom ceiling insulation as a good, safe, nesting area.
We had a good working relationship with the bumblebees to start out with, we didn't bother them and they didn't bother us. It wasn't until the new babies started hatching out that the problems began. Newborn baby bumblebees are not that frightening, and can in fact be considered cute like most babies.
I discovered that little baby bumblebees can and will sting if you get under the covers and try to share a sleeping space with them. That sting is just a little annoying and the pain doesn't last all that long.
As time has gone on we have found that baby bumblebees grow into children then into teenagers rather quickly. In each stage of their lives we have also found that they struggle to survive in the frigid temperatures of our bedroom.
With our little window air conditioner cranked up to its highest or should I say, lowest setting, only the very strong and healthy young bumblebees can actually find and use their wings successfully.
The rest of them end up scattered around on the bedroom floor on their sides trying to right themselves. They do occasionally make it to the side of the bed and manage to crawl up onto the bed or at least under the covers. It is really nice, if when they make it under the covers that they then find and figure out how to use their wings. That way, the noise will alert you to their presence.
I would venture to guess that we have killed approximately 14 flying bumblebees recently inside our house. I would not even try to guess how many we have picked up and disposed of that were on the floor and bed. We are starting to see a decrease in numbers, so I would say that we are about to be done with it all.
I had considered us pretty fortunate that we had only had one stinging incident and when I went into the bedroom to turn the air conditioner up a little because the weather outside had cooled down so much. I felt a little foolhardy to be in that room with no shoes on. While I thought on these things a sharp pain shot through my big toe.
My DH and I spent some time discussing which was worse; a bumblebee sting or a hornet sting. He assured me that a hornet was much worse. He gave me no sympathy whatsoever. As if I should just forget it ever happened.
Then last night he got up several times after we had gone to bed. I warned him each time. Finally, this morning, I heard him say, "ouch!" and I knew what had happened. I was ready for him too. I told him it was nothing and that a hornet sting was much worse.
This has all brought about a scientific study. I was telling a neighbor about my Husband getting stung by the hornet the other day and she told me that she got stung once in her arthritic, swollen finger.
After the sting her finger never bothered her again and all of the swelling in it went away. Now my DH's toe that he just got stung on has given him fits throughout the years, we'll have to wait and see what happens.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Sold 5 Goats Today
What a day! I was told that I probably wouldn't be able to sell any goats until this fall. Then I got several calls yesterday and someone showed up to look at Paris and her twins last night. He told me he was going to take them and sure enough he showed up today with a trailer. I think that they got a real good home.
Then a lady came who was interested in the other spotted buckling that is the twin brother to the one that I am keeping as a buck. She had told me over the phone that she wanted him and was coming after him today. Then when he started crying for his brother after she loaded him, I talked her into buying Calico's last buckling as a companion for him.
That takes care of all of the goats that I have for sale except for Cooter. But I believe someone will come along who has a hankering for a big, lovable, stink pot like him.
My new little lonely buckling has officially been named Rancid, even though he doesn't have any odor yet, I am confident his time will come.
This also means that I have two does who will have to be milked twice daily without any breaks for me. Calico's big buckling was not only keeping her drained but was nursing Collette as well. I have been having to put him in the dog kennel with the other two bucklings at night so that I could get some milk in the mornings.
Angel, my Great Pyrenees, is not a happy camper. When the man drove off with Paris in a crate on a small trailer, she was in hot pursuit. I had just come back into the house without even thinking about her. Then I got a call from Paris' new owner that Angel was still following them and that he was going to have to turn around and come back.
I went to the top of the hill to meet them and when Angel thought that he was bringing her goats home, she took the short cut across the field and went down over the hill. He turned back around and took off again and I came back down too.
Angel was waiting on me and wagging her tail, all happy that she had saved the day but kept looking up the hill, after awhile she went back up the hill to see what was keeping them. She went back up to check around three times. Even now, after several hours have passed she is still acting defeated.
Then a lady came who was interested in the other spotted buckling that is the twin brother to the one that I am keeping as a buck. She had told me over the phone that she wanted him and was coming after him today. Then when he started crying for his brother after she loaded him, I talked her into buying Calico's last buckling as a companion for him.
That takes care of all of the goats that I have for sale except for Cooter. But I believe someone will come along who has a hankering for a big, lovable, stink pot like him.
My new little lonely buckling has officially been named Rancid, even though he doesn't have any odor yet, I am confident his time will come.
This also means that I have two does who will have to be milked twice daily without any breaks for me. Calico's big buckling was not only keeping her drained but was nursing Collette as well. I have been having to put him in the dog kennel with the other two bucklings at night so that I could get some milk in the mornings.
Angel, my Great Pyrenees, is not a happy camper. When the man drove off with Paris in a crate on a small trailer, she was in hot pursuit. I had just come back into the house without even thinking about her. Then I got a call from Paris' new owner that Angel was still following them and that he was going to have to turn around and come back.
I went to the top of the hill to meet them and when Angel thought that he was bringing her goats home, she took the short cut across the field and went down over the hill. He turned back around and took off again and I came back down too.
Angel was waiting on me and wagging her tail, all happy that she had saved the day but kept looking up the hill, after awhile she went back up the hill to see what was keeping them. She went back up to check around three times. Even now, after several hours have passed she is still acting defeated.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
A Little Better
I am somewhat better, I was much better yesterday but went back to somewhat better today. I got outside and did a few things yesterday. I milked all three goats. Cleaned out the buckling's doghouse, gave the bucklings their bottles and then we had to reburn one of Calico's buckling's horns that we didn't do a great job on the first time around.
We also had to reburn both of the horns on the spotted buckling that I am keeping and one of the horns on his twin brother. Those horns were not our fault, they were done by someone else.
I milked Paris for the first time last night. She wasn't fond of the idea but I got through it. Her milk is like Collette's it is naturally homogenized, it had hardly any cream on it at all after sitting untouched in the refrigerator over night. But her milk is also like Collette's in the fact that it isn't as sweet tasting as Calico's.
I have decided to sell Paris and keep Collette, mainly because Paris' teats are just a little too small to hang onto when hand milking. My little milking gadget works great on her but when it comes time to strip her out, it isn't quite as easy.
We also had to reburn both of the horns on the spotted buckling that I am keeping and one of the horns on his twin brother. Those horns were not our fault, they were done by someone else.
I milked Paris for the first time last night. She wasn't fond of the idea but I got through it. Her milk is like Collette's it is naturally homogenized, it had hardly any cream on it at all after sitting untouched in the refrigerator over night. But her milk is also like Collette's in the fact that it isn't as sweet tasting as Calico's.
I have decided to sell Paris and keep Collette, mainly because Paris' teats are just a little too small to hang onto when hand milking. My little milking gadget works great on her but when it comes time to strip her out, it isn't quite as easy.
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