How do you Say Goodbye?

Fifteen years ago, Charlie, Bailey and I moved here to the current property.  Shortly thereafter, we realized that Callie Jo needed a friend. We were still mulling it over when Bailey saw her opening. She was getting ready to turn two, and she asked for a dog to come join the family for her birthday.

We went down to the local shelter, and wandered the isles while her Daddy was away on a duty assignment. I was worried she would want them all. I knew I did! But she carefully walked the line, looking from side to side, gazing at the animals. Then we got to the last of the row. As she looked to the left, a single white paw extended through the bars, and Bailey stepped closer. Their eyes met, and she sat down.

After meeting Callie Jo, and going through a few hoops, Vegas came home the next day. According to the shelter, he was 3 to 4 years old. How could we have known that he would be terrified of men, noises, fly swatters, the training clickers, newspapers and more?

These photos were taken about four years later. By this time, Callie Jo and Vegas were great buddies, and Hopper Spark had joined the family, as well as Wyatt Clay. That is Vegas Ace on the left in the top right photo. He loved his Bailey, and his girl dogs. A mellow guy, the girls always got what they wanted.  He never did learn how to play, but found his way into following the girls as they played.

As the years went by, Vegas was here when the goats came home. He tried to save Bailey's first goat Vital with Callie Jo when there was a dog attack by one we were watching for a friend. He was there as we nursed Vital back to health, and was there when we lost Callie Jo not long afterward.

Vegas helped raise Remington Pups when she came home, and taught her which humans belonged to which dogs, and how to have manners. He had a terrifying wandering habit in those years. On one occasion, two semis stopped and honked in the big road when he had figured out how to open the base of the West gate. The gate was quickly secured, but even now a honking semi on the big road leads to everyone counting dog noses.

As time went on, his muzzle turned grey, and he slowed down a bit. He had mostly let Remington take over his guard dog duty when she suddenly fell ill three Christmases ago. He calmly snuck out to realize what happened to her, and then followed me around for weeks, giving me love and attention as I mourned the animal who had actually been more mine than anyone else's. Through birthday parties and sleepovers, holidays and visits with family, his sweet yet quiet boy nudged his way into so many hearts.

Old Man Vegas began to wander more, but always had love for us, even if he didn't want to leave the property. His groomer came to him, even though he was old enough most groomers wouldn't have wanted to work with him, Denise came to him twice a year to make him comfortable, working around the growing tumors and quiet complaints of our sweet buddy who didn't look forward to haircuts, but still had a wag and a kiss for her.

Veglar, Vegie, Old Bear and more were his names, and Graybeard was there as Hopper grew sick with cancer, and later that year welcomed Shadow Paws into the family. As she grew into her role, he took longer naps and really enjoyed the mornings and evenings outside, with Shadow waiting for him on rounds and using her nose to help his stand when he stumbled.

The years slowed Bailey's buddy, but he sat with her and reminded her about unconditional love when the bullying made us reevaluate so many of the influences in the lives of the kids. Then he enjoyed the regular ear scratches and treats that came throughout the day from having home schooled kids. 

In the last month, Vegas Ace's health decline became more apparent. Shadow and the kids worked harder to help him, and keep him happy and comfortable, making sure he didn't wander too long during the heat of the day. At about eighteen years old, we know we were so lucky to have Vegas as part of our lives. But that didn't make it any easier for us when we lost him late last night. With one last kiss to his Bailey and a nuzzle to me, he laid down his head and went to sleep. We know he had a great life here, with his own dog bed, doting girls, elk legs to chew on, elk to eat, his own fire hydrant and all the love to make whatever used to scare him melt away.  We are sad for us because we loved him so much.  We are so thankful for all we had with him.

Goodbye, Vegas. We will always have you in our hearts. Run fast with your girls up there.

Love to all.

A Late Spring Update on the Sprout and Fodder Project

Yesterday, I was out working on chores while Bailey was walking her goat, when I found her chatting with a neighbor. It turns out we all have quite an interest in organics and grass fed livestock. We were talking about this project, and whether there was a way to use something similar, on a larger scale to raise grass fed livestock. That is still beyond either of our leagues, but it reminded me about this update I had begun earlier in the week...

On Thursday, this was the growth in one of the barley sprouting trays.  While the sprouts were tall, they seemed rather sparse in the tray,to my eye.

This was the growth in a tray of sunflower seeds begun the same day, though I didn't remember the day I had begun them. While the sunflower sprouts are shorter, and behind in growth cycle, they seemed thicker to me, sparking a talk with the kids.

Wyatt pulled a sprout or two from each, and laid them on the counter. The sunflower sprout is measurably thicker, and while it looks as long as the barley sprout, it is one of the very few tall sprouts from that tray. Some of them were still barely sprouting.

We talked about the trays starting on the same day, and I hadn't written down when the day was. We also talked about how I hadn't exactly measured how much I had used. I knew it was somewhere between 1.5 and 2 cups, but not if they were exactly the same.

Could that have had an effect? Well, we decided to go about it a little more scientifically, and began prepping the next two trays to start for the next cycle.

I started with two identical canning jars.

I measured two cups of sunflower seeds.

Into the jar they went.

Then two cups of barley.

Into the jar they went.

Then the seeds were rinsed and went in to soak on the counter.

When they were ready, they went into the trays on Friday,  We will weigh and measure the feed we gt from them, and share what we learn! Have you done similar experiments? What have you learned? Any other tricks to share?

Romance Over the Nest

The Dating Life of geese...

Two or three times each day, the gander walks from his favorite areas of the property, over where he talks tot he bucks and hte show birds, stops by the Buckeye pen and the Brahma pen, gives them his superiority act, then starts talking. His honks and honks and waddles past the Big pen and the wood pile, around the trees with the birdhouses, and into the backyard. He calls the whole way, then stands, flapping his wings and honking, by the slide. Mother Goose gets up from her nest then, and walks to him.

Then they chatter together, and he walks her back around the way he came.  When they get around by the Big pen, they flap their wings and fly low across the yard, he in front, her following close behind, over to their house and feed area.

They chatter, he makes sure she eats,they play in the water together, and then they walk back together, chattering and waddling back to her nest. She doesn't allow him all the way to the nest, as though it is a hiding spot. Once she sits down and gets her eggs all adjusted, he waddles off to sentry duty to make sure nothing messes with them, or goes off to do his thing around the property.

But for that little time, ten minutes or so, a few times each day, they focus on each each other and their time together. So cute!

Baby Gosling Watch

Mother Goose was off to go eat a couple days ago, when I peeked in and saw that she is up to ten eggs! Wow!!! She has been pulling out her downy feathers and making her nest nice and soft, but we have red flag wind warnings this week, so the nest has been work for her to maintain.

She doesn't like me near, nor does the gander, but she does seem to be doing okay. I would have loved to have her in her regular house, but this is where she selected so I am worried that moving her would be quite disruptive.

Gander likes to tell the other animals what to do, and protect mother Goose fiercely.

Still, he continues with his quality control behavior, here inspecting the job Wyatt and I did with our pens cleaning on Monday and putting fresh DE down.

Mother Goose has been fluffing and fussing and preening her nest, so I sure hope she gets some babies from the hatch. Do any of you have any experience with free range geese nesting in odd spots? Because we don't want her long term home to be so close to the swing set and the greenhouse, I am concerned about moving her other partial fence over there.

I will have to do something, though, since we will be dividing farm duties in rotation during county fair and we won't have as much time to help her around the time they hatch. I suppose I will do some more research today, though if you all have tried it, I would love to hear your experiences!

Baby Buck Update- 6 Days Old

When I got home from work today, Bailey was again worried the boys weren't eating enough. As of yesterday, they both weighed 5.85 pounds which was up from the 5.3 pounds they had both weighed Saturday. So I figured data was good, as you never know if they have just nursed or were getting ready to nurse when she checked them. Besides, while we had them up to the house, we could work on Freedom's Prayer's ears.

So she grabbed the boys, and we put them on the scale. Freedom's Prayer is up to 6.35 pounds, Let Your Light Shine is up to 6.15 pounds. So we do need to push it a bit with Shine, it seems.

So the boys climbed around in the house, and we took first aid tape to work on reshaping Freedom's Prayer's ears. As adorable as the cute little turned up ears were, they change the appearance of the head when left like that, and become more likely to have health issues.

Freedom's Prayer seems rather annoyed by the tape, though, and seemed to want his brother to go back to chewing on his ears!

Of course, having babies in the house is irresistible to Shadow Paws, who had to give kisses and nuzzle them, especially her little buddy Let Your Light Shine.

And Shine can't help be cuddle and nuzzle with anyone who wants to cuddle him!

Mama Silver, though, is always so very happy to have them back!