Spent about 2 hours at TSC and got everything on my list. The big stuff will be delivered tomorrow and monday i will get everything put together.
I ended up buying 2 more cattle panels than I planned. I can double the size of their pen with two more panels, so why not? I also have plans for some stuff for them to play on. I'll be running electric wire around the inside of the pen at shoulder height and also above the top of the pen to keep them from jumping out.
I have an old hardwood table out in the barn that my sibling-in-laws left here... it's not really a table, it is the base of one old table and the top of another old table. The base of the table is too big for the top, and from being out in the barn the top had developed a big wide crack. So it's not really worth anything at this point. Plus it is taking up most of the spot I need to clear out to put all my hay for next winter.
I was thinking about it today and realized I could nail the top onto the bottom and stick it in the goat pen with something next to it and they could climb up there. Plus they could use it for shade and I could stick a hay feeder on the side if i wanted to. Is that a terribly "hick" thing to do? I sorta hope so, since I always wanted to be a hick, lol.
Now i just have to get help to drag that heavy stinking bad boy outta the barn. I have a few other things out in the barn I can put in there for them to play on. I want to make sure they have all kinds of fun stuff to occupy their brains and keep them moving and fit. I may give then the Jolly Ball I have for the horses since they never play with it any more.
This is going to be so much fun.
Now I have basically everything but the goats. Basic health supplies for boo boos and such, water tub, feed pans, mineral lick, fencing, supplies for their shelter... I'll get a bag of feed as soon as i find out what they have been getting and then... I'm ready for my goaties.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Thursday, March 4, 2010
I'm such a sucker.
Guess who broke down and made a call to ask about a pitiful ugly little ear-less goat? Guess whose goaty mentor lady was delighted at the idea and offered to just let her take the ugly little ear-less goat when she buys her does? Guess whose human-kid is absolutely delighted that above mentioned ugly little, picked on MiniMancha goat is joining the family?
*raises hand* *rolls eyes* *sighs*
I couldn't take it. I had to ask. I just couldn't stop thinking about how the other boys were picking on him, and how sweet he was, and how pitiful he looked. I was dreaming about him, about him needing us. Then Tiff started in and... well, what else could i do?
They called him Petey, but I am going to call him Parsley.
I promise to post pictures once I get them all home, which won't be until after tax refund gets here. When you see what he looks like you are going to just crack up, i promise.
I also got my milking starter kit today, which is my bucket and my strainer with strainer filters, as well as their collars and a set of hobbles just in case I need them once I start milking (which will likely be a while, like next year after they kid the first time).
As soon as I get the refund money i will give her a call and then she is going to have me come over and we will trim their hooves, give them their booster shots and worm them all before I bring them home. that way she can be sure i know how to do the basics myself.
I'm getting soo impatient to get them home!!!!
*raises hand* *rolls eyes* *sighs*
I couldn't take it. I had to ask. I just couldn't stop thinking about how the other boys were picking on him, and how sweet he was, and how pitiful he looked. I was dreaming about him, about him needing us. Then Tiff started in and... well, what else could i do?
They called him Petey, but I am going to call him Parsley.
I promise to post pictures once I get them all home, which won't be until after tax refund gets here. When you see what he looks like you are going to just crack up, i promise.
I also got my milking starter kit today, which is my bucket and my strainer with strainer filters, as well as their collars and a set of hobbles just in case I need them once I start milking (which will likely be a while, like next year after they kid the first time).
As soon as I get the refund money i will give her a call and then she is going to have me come over and we will trim their hooves, give them their booster shots and worm them all before I bring them home. that way she can be sure i know how to do the basics myself.
I'm getting soo impatient to get them home!!!!
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Compost, horse poo, drama....
In reverse order.
This stuff with Tiff and her dad and step-mom keeps coming back up over and over to invade our lives and I am SOOO over it. As always I thought we'd come to some resolution just to have the ex do a 180 on me again. *sigh* I am SOOO over this. Having my kid cry for hours over it sure doesn't make it any easier. gah. So here I am trying to do what is best for everyone, when there IS no "best for everyone". *pounds head against the wall* I'm just not going in to detail, but I really REALLY wish i could just snap my fingers and make everything all better for all of them. Especially my kid, but really for all of them, because if everyone isn't happy NO ONE will get to be happy.
But, you know, this drama changes from one day to the next so who knows what tomorrow will bring. *rips hair out*
On top of that Tiff is failing THREE of her classes. And she just cried and cried over THAT because she is trying really hard and just not getting it. Looks like summer school for her this year, if they have it. And being grounded. I'm going to try and find some kind of tutoring resources for her, something like Sylvan learning centers but not a 2 hour drive away. She needs help I can't give her because quite frankly I struggled in the same ways and barely made it through school.
Did i mention my ulcer is back and I am in constant pain again? Yay stress. Yay stress that is not of my making that I can't seem to escape, brought to me courtesy of someone I have done my best to avoid and make life as easy for as possible... because of this drama and the way it is effecting our kid.
HELLO! I'd like my blissfully boring life back please!!!! I worked really damn hard to have the laid back, relaxed, mellow, boring life i have, and I would really REALLY like to not have to deal with this bullcrap anymore.
*deep breath, shaking hands*
I worked on cleaning out the barn some but I can't get the wheelbarrow out to the compost pile area because of the snow. So I just took out a few loads and dumped them in low places in the barn lot. The poo outside in the lot is still frozen to the ground. Blarg. The snow melted off of it but i can't even bust it loose with a pitch fork. I need a manure spreader so i don't have to deal with THIS in the future either. *sigh* I dream of being able to pick up poo piles all winter long, before the freeze to the ground, and being able to dispose of them. As of now i am physically incapable for getting the wheelbarrow through the snow to where it needs to go because the snow is higher than the wheelbarrow wheels.
This spring I'd LIKE to get the front fenced in with electric and keep the horses out there while I reseed parts of the barn lot and get some gravel in some places to possibly help with the muck. So rather than carting out all of the droppings i will be spread them out, letting them age some, then seeding over them. Letting them dry and raking them around should help kill off some of the parasite eggs that might be in them before i seed. There is SOOO much i want to do this year, and there is no way i can actually do it all, but I can get a good start going on it.
I've started composting kitchen waste and the rabbit's cage cleanings. I have a trash can to dump it in then haul it to the pile once it is full. I wrote "compost only" all over it, so we will see if anything other than compostables ends up in there. I really look forward to being able improve my soil, it really needs it.
And just because right now this is one of the few things helping me keep my sanity. Please forgive the poo mountains everywhere, grrrr:
This stuff with Tiff and her dad and step-mom keeps coming back up over and over to invade our lives and I am SOOO over it. As always I thought we'd come to some resolution just to have the ex do a 180 on me again. *sigh* I am SOOO over this. Having my kid cry for hours over it sure doesn't make it any easier. gah. So here I am trying to do what is best for everyone, when there IS no "best for everyone". *pounds head against the wall* I'm just not going in to detail, but I really REALLY wish i could just snap my fingers and make everything all better for all of them. Especially my kid, but really for all of them, because if everyone isn't happy NO ONE will get to be happy.
But, you know, this drama changes from one day to the next so who knows what tomorrow will bring. *rips hair out*
On top of that Tiff is failing THREE of her classes. And she just cried and cried over THAT because she is trying really hard and just not getting it. Looks like summer school for her this year, if they have it. And being grounded. I'm going to try and find some kind of tutoring resources for her, something like Sylvan learning centers but not a 2 hour drive away. She needs help I can't give her because quite frankly I struggled in the same ways and barely made it through school.
Did i mention my ulcer is back and I am in constant pain again? Yay stress. Yay stress that is not of my making that I can't seem to escape, brought to me courtesy of someone I have done my best to avoid and make life as easy for as possible... because of this drama and the way it is effecting our kid.
HELLO! I'd like my blissfully boring life back please!!!! I worked really damn hard to have the laid back, relaxed, mellow, boring life i have, and I would really REALLY like to not have to deal with this bullcrap anymore.
*deep breath, shaking hands*
I worked on cleaning out the barn some but I can't get the wheelbarrow out to the compost pile area because of the snow. So I just took out a few loads and dumped them in low places in the barn lot. The poo outside in the lot is still frozen to the ground. Blarg. The snow melted off of it but i can't even bust it loose with a pitch fork. I need a manure spreader so i don't have to deal with THIS in the future either. *sigh* I dream of being able to pick up poo piles all winter long, before the freeze to the ground, and being able to dispose of them. As of now i am physically incapable for getting the wheelbarrow through the snow to where it needs to go because the snow is higher than the wheelbarrow wheels.
This spring I'd LIKE to get the front fenced in with electric and keep the horses out there while I reseed parts of the barn lot and get some gravel in some places to possibly help with the muck. So rather than carting out all of the droppings i will be spread them out, letting them age some, then seeding over them. Letting them dry and raking them around should help kill off some of the parasite eggs that might be in them before i seed. There is SOOO much i want to do this year, and there is no way i can actually do it all, but I can get a good start going on it.
I've started composting kitchen waste and the rabbit's cage cleanings. I have a trash can to dump it in then haul it to the pile once it is full. I wrote "compost only" all over it, so we will see if anything other than compostables ends up in there. I really look forward to being able improve my soil, it really needs it.
And just because right now this is one of the few things helping me keep my sanity. Please forgive the poo mountains everywhere, grrrr:
Monday, March 1, 2010
Well, Helloooo Ladies!!
That has become what I call my future goats. "The Ladies". Last night I ordered them collars and tags. I don't generally keep collars/halters on my animals (aside from Misty) unless I need to lead them somewhere but it sure helps to have them when you need them. I got tags for both dogs and all four of The Ladies, just in case. The dogs have tags but they don't have this address and phone number on them so what good are they?
Well, now they will have up to date tags. And The Ladies will also have tags. Because at least two of them will likely look a lot alike and it will be a real chore at first for me to tell them apart. lol.
Everything is melting. I oiled Brego up really well last night because it is getting mucky and yucky. The inside of the barn SOOOO yucky now that everything is thawing. They pee in there, even in place i don't keep bedded, and it freezes. Then when it thaws the nice solid ground turns to pee mud. Which makes Mr. MudPuppy blissfully happy. I think this year i am going to dig it out and put some gravel/stone in there.
I was going to start on that today but i woke up with a broken ankle. OK, it's not actually broken, but to be honest i have no idea what IS wrong with it, It just HURTS. Every time i move it, it hurts, every time I put weight on it... it hurts. I have it wrapped to stabilize it but I'm thinking slogging through the mud and forking out yuck and muck is out of the question. This means it is going to be a horrible septic smelling swamp when Katherine comes over to trim the mini horses tomorrow. UGH! It's not like my barn is a fancy show place. it has a huge hole in the roof and the stalls are kinda slapdash put together but it isn't usually a huge urine-swamp!
Oh, edit to add: it will likely be a year before i have any milk arrive, but I ordered a 6 qt milking bucked and a milk strainer. YAY!
Well, now they will have up to date tags. And The Ladies will also have tags. Because at least two of them will likely look a lot alike and it will be a real chore at first for me to tell them apart. lol.
Everything is melting. I oiled Brego up really well last night because it is getting mucky and yucky. The inside of the barn SOOOO yucky now that everything is thawing. They pee in there, even in place i don't keep bedded, and it freezes. Then when it thaws the nice solid ground turns to pee mud. Which makes Mr. MudPuppy blissfully happy. I think this year i am going to dig it out and put some gravel/stone in there.
I was going to start on that today but i woke up with a broken ankle. OK, it's not actually broken, but to be honest i have no idea what IS wrong with it, It just HURTS. Every time i move it, it hurts, every time I put weight on it... it hurts. I have it wrapped to stabilize it but I'm thinking slogging through the mud and forking out yuck and muck is out of the question. This means it is going to be a horrible septic smelling swamp when Katherine comes over to trim the mini horses tomorrow. UGH! It's not like my barn is a fancy show place. it has a huge hole in the roof and the stalls are kinda slapdash put together but it isn't usually a huge urine-swamp!
Oh, edit to add: it will likely be a year before i have any milk arrive, but I ordered a 6 qt milking bucked and a milk strainer. YAY!
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