Sitting at Auntie's care home today, Bailey filled out show forms and we laughed with auntie about wind and the coming baby goats. Bailey told her about the baby chicken that slept in a box in her bed last night, since the baby was too young for all the other groups of babies, and she was lonely and wanting to cuddle with Bailey all the time.
Soon, in came a barefoot Wyatt Clay, whose shoes had been packed where he couldn't reach them by his exuberant Daddy , excited for the youth hunt this weekend. The kids kissed their great auntie goodbye, and I promised again to watch their animals well. Bailey was particularly worried to leave Glory, since she is due to kid any day.
I visited with Auntie for a bit longer, then headed to return the tripods Charlie had borrowed from Teddy. Teddy always has a smile for everyone. He was getting ready to head to work, I asked how he was enjoying being a boss with the present government shutdown. Teddy has been in the same unit as Charlie since before they went to boot camp, well over twenty years ago. He agreed, this is not the time to be a boss.
They are full-time National Guardsmen, federal workers during the week, military on the weekend, and when they travel, which is generally a lot, since their unit's chief mission is training the military. The state has come up with the money to pay them through this week, but then no one knows what will happen.
Teddy and I agreed that when there is lots to juggle, it is time to hit the gym. So I headed for the gym, and left him to head to do the same before work. With the allergies leaving my throat so raw and painful, I just did five miles on the elliptical, then headed home to the animals waiting for me.
When I got home today, I locked the front gate behind me, the first outward sign that I would be on my own here for a bit. I grabbed the first load from the car, and headed in the front door, where Shadow rushed out, ran around the porch and circled back to let me know she noticed I was alone.
"Where is your brother?" I asked. She danced in circles, leading me back to the kitchen, where old man Vegas lay at the back door, watching the world go by. Shadow vocalized all her weird noises at me, letting me know she missed me, but disapproved of my returning, sans children. They had been here to watch the boys load up this morning, and both knew that they were headed for a hunt.
Somehow, the dogs always know the difference between them loading up for a hunt, and when we load Charlie's car for him to head out on a duty assignment. And when he goes hunting, they greet him back and wait for their present from the hunt- hooves, horns, etc, - we don't believe in wasting the life and the bounty provided. And the dogs know it, and love the reward for looking after the farm well in the hunters' absence.
I offered up some turkey from the fridge to appease them, and gave Vegas some aspirin since the wind had not only left Bailey and I miserable in allergy issues, it also had his joints more stiff. He is seventeen, and has happily given over many of the day to day farm dog duties to his little sister, Shadow. He keeps me company, and looks after his Bailey, but only really pitches in for guard dog duty and the occasional babysitting of a baby animal brought into the house.
We headed out to check on the animals, glancing in on the back porch crowd- sick bay and young animals live there, when they are recovering from an injury or getting big enough to join the older animals in the grow out or bigger pens. The bantam pen looked fine, and I headed straight for the doe pen- for Glory to be exact.
The others came to greet me, hoping to visit with their friend, as Glory is always the head of the herd. She ambled out of her house, and turned to let me check her sides and udder. She didn't feel much further along. It seems like the babies are moving up and back a bit, but her udder is still fairly soft. That said, Glory can move along pretty fast once she gets going into labor. I will still be headed out for a late night check tonight, and will save extra time to get a good check of her in the morning.
Satisfied that all was well, I came out of her pen and turned to head to the feed to top off the does' hay. I think Silver may have taken in her breeding, and they eat in spurts. We always make sure feed is available.
As I turned left, though, I found Shadow on alert, fifteen feet back from the bantam Cochin pen, where the door had come unlatched and open in the gusting wind. Her tail was going, she wanted me to fix the issue without her getting close enough to spook the poultry inside, as she had when watching Wyatt too closely one day in the d'Uccle pen. She still hadn't lived that day down. I counted beaks and checked the feed and water, latched the pen and headed to the feed shed.
After topping off the doe feed, I went to do the same in the buck pen and found old Huey at the gate, awaiting me for a back and ear scratch. Obediah and Powerstroke stood a couple steps behind him, clearly proud of themselves for getting him up a second time already today. Huey is over ten, beyond the life span expected for a buck. He is among several geriatric animals toddling around here, living out their years in retirement.
Huey is in decline, but still seems to be holding his own, though likely only because the other two bucks are dedicated to it. They stand, one on each side of him, and boost him up, then nudging him to walk across the pen a few times a day. Watching the way the animals look after one another makes me really love getting to be a part of their lives. It isn't always so nice, and they can sometimes be mean and need intervention, but the bucks are proud to look after each other, just as the does look after each other and help team up to raise the babies as a group. I know the time is drawing nearer for Huey, but for now he still seems happy, and he is blessed by the kinship of Powerstroke and Obediah.
A quick look around, setting a few windblown items to right, and I was satisfied things would hold until the evening feeding, and grabbed the last items from the car and went inside. I thought perhaps a nap might help me feel more able to manage it all with the allergies, especially since I would need a late night check for Glory, so I did a little computer work then laid down for a nap.
I woke up with my throat worse, but at almost six! This found me heading out as it turned to dusk, with all the chores ahead of me. I managed to grab one of the only flashlights Charlie didn't replace the batteries on before leaving, but began with the back porch, then gathering eggs in the bantam pen, checking on the breeding pens and heading to the goats. I was feeling pretty confident for the afternoon round that the animals were going to behave. Seriously? How many times have I done this? Don't I know every animal here wants their regular caretaker? Don't I know just how seriously the goats take that prankster quality that is part of the pygmy personality?
Bailey had carefully cleaned the pen before leaving, but managed to leave all of the spools the goats love to play with on end. So the gusting wind had them rolling up by the gate to Glory's kidding pen. I rolled them back and headed in to top of her hay, and one rolled back and smacked the gate into my back as the wind started in again. I was just checking Glory as it happened, and she automatically took advantage and escaped from the kidding pen. I let her go for a moment, and shoved the spool back, turning to feed the chickens in the next pen and get their water to clean. Another spool blocked me in. I decided to grab the eggs before fussing with it, but all of the birds told me off for being the wrong caretaker while I was at it. I was thankful as I headed out in the doe area that none of them had tried to sneak into the chicken area, but they were too entertained running with Glory.
I flipped a spool back over to keep the other spools from rolling too close to the kidding pen, and started through the feeding and watering, alternating between cleaning out waters and letting them fill while I filled feeders. The boys brought me Huey again, the young-ens in the grow out pen were already cuddled up for the night. The A pen was a mess again, I set houses back to right and realized what Wyatt has been talking about with the setup of that pen, and understood why he wants that one to be the first to get the new treadle feeders.
I muscled my way through the Buckeyes and the Big Pen, upset one of the Brahmas trying to get the eggs from her. Wyatt would have helped her down from the house if he had been there, he says it is the same as when he offers me an elbow going down the hill in heels in the church parking lot. I managed to lose the egg basket twice, and left my phone in random places, but Shadow split her time between barking at the fence line and checking on me. The geese, (AKA- the farm busy-bodies) followed me around honking disapprovingly.
It's not as though I have never done this before!
I put away the feed cups and stopped in my shed for a basket to put together for the science club auction coming up. Shadow met up with me again, and we headed to the back door so I could set the eggs down and begin watering.
Shadow settled Vegas in for a snack. It's funny, since we free feed, but Shadow wants to make sure that the food bowl is never completely empty and no one forgets to let Vegas in immediately when he wants the door opened. Since she has appointed herself my assistant, she also makes sure he sits down near the food bowl a couple times a day, whether he eats or not. This time, he humored her, and laid by the food bowl and watched us begin the watering.
I water by hand, I think it keeps me from missing things and having it go wrong in our extreme weather. But it means a solid half hour plus of carrying buckets each night. Shadow would run off at top speed, and then disappear for a bit, while i tended the plants, then just as I got to wondering, she would appear back by Vegas, checking on him then coming to see me before heading off to bark at anything she found suspicious.
As seriously as she is taking her farm/ guard dog duties, only hours into them being gone, the neighbors will be loving me soon! I see cookies and bread going over the fence shortly...
Bailey called, they have made it safely to where they had left the hunting stuff after Charlie's last hunt, and I assured her that the animals were fine. I gave her a couple more strategies for the allergies, since she left the meds in the back of my car today, and encouraged her to take the medication she had and get some sleep.
Shadow watched me harvest several pounds of pomegranates, we left the spit ones down for the geese to enjoy tomorrow (they think I don't know they sneak up the retaining wall to raid the tree) and I scratched Vegas' ears on the way in the back door.
It had only taken a couple hours to get through it all, and by the time they get home, I will have it all organized, but tomorrow night, I definitely want to get it all done before dark!
I came inside, and as Shadow alternated between barking like a lunatic at every sound and demanding attention, I settled in to cuddling Tiny, the baby that came in the house a couple days ago. She really wanted Bailey, and kept hollering despite being cuddled, so I gave her a stuffed animal, which she snuggled up to right away, and stopped complaining. I feel so loved.
Now here I am, typing away and listening to the news, drinking tons to try to appease my throat. The eggs are packed away, the dishwasher started. Just as I thought I was getting it under control, Shadow disappeared into Wyatt's room, I called her back and tried to get her to play fetch, she ignored me. I typed a little more, then realized she had stolen my pin cushion and run for her dog bed, to pull the pins out and throw the on the floor.
Yup, feeling loved.
Well, things are temporarily quiet. Vegas has settled into his bed, and Shadow has jumped up on my bed, where she sleeps when Wyatt is away. I suppose that means it is time to get her riled up again and go out and check on Glory one last time for tonight.
I've got this all under control, right? I am sure glad the feed order came in yesterday and Bailey helped me unload it all and put it up, even if I was a little late for the farmers market!
You all have a great night!
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