June 15... a day with Pony, Part1.

I didn't forget, but excitement ensued between then and now, and I just got around to finishing up with the pictures.

So here you go, part 1 of my day, June 15, 2011. My day has change a lot since then, but I'll explain that in another post.

First, I struggle to wake up and make my morning constitutional. No pictures of THAT, thank goodness. Then I either make myself some coffee OR gather my milking supplies, depending on what time I wake up. This day i woke a bit late, so milking first it was!



Once my gear is ready to head out I try to get out the door without tripping over a cat or dog. I usually fail, and trip.



Brego watches expectantly as I start my morning chores.



I grab a flake or two of bland first cutting hay for the bucks and wethers.



They get pretty excited over their breakfast.





Once they are fed and their water is topped off I go out to the little barn where Brego and The Ladies live.

Schrodinger the cat usually greets me, coming out as I am going in. She keeps the mice down, and cleans up any spilled milk.



Brego waits to see if he gets hay or pasture today.



It's a pasture day, so he gets his fly mask put on.



Then we head out to where ever I have the temporary fence set up for him to graze.



This day it was the front yard.



From the moment I opened the front door of the house the Ladies have been calling to me. I think the "goat to human translation" is something like, "OMG COME MILK US! HURRY! ALSO, FOOD!!!!"



I toss some food into the bucket on the milk stand (sunflower seeds and feed mix).



Then I go let one of the does out of the stall. usually Rosemary first, then Thyme, then Sage. They find their own way to the stand.





They jump up onto the milking stand on their own and start to chow down.





i wash their udder.





Squirt a bit of milk from each teat into a pan I have to make sure it looks healthy and clean. Schrodinger will clean that pan for me later in the day.





Then I hook up my Henry Milker machine and start milking.



Mmmmm.... delicious fresh healthy milk!!!



I take each doe outside after i milk her to stake out in the yard. This is Rosemary.



You can see her two tires duct taped together and heavy duty cable in the background, while she tries to eat tree leaves.



I think that is enough for this blog entry.

To Be Continued!!!

Camera in hand....

I've been chattering away on facebook about things but neglecting my blog.

So... I am taking my camera with me and taking pictures of everything I do today, and I will be posting a multiple part photo essay of my day. You all can pretend to be interested in how I make coffee and how I sterilize my milking equipment, lol.

I think I may be nesting.

*laugh*

I've been feeling restless and impatient. I think part of it is a reaction to Tsu still being out of work, waiting for the first unemployment check to arrive after the severance package running out. Part of it is the weather preventing putting in my garden. Part of it is we live in a tiny house, and we are all pack rats, and I am sick to death of having so much STUFF make me feel so dang CROWDED. The more I do around here, craft and food wise, the more room I need and the more I get sick of the clutter.

At any rate, I've been on a rampage. I think I am making Tsu crazy. I'm pretty sure he can't find ANYTHING, which makes him pretty crabby. It's a big part of the mental hang up I have had about just plain reorganizing the house.... because it makes him crabby. Add that to the fact that I just plain hate this kind of busy work and it has made it hard to get started. But I got a huge case of the "I don't give a crap if it makes people crabby"s, lol.

Yesterday's big project was the kitchen counter and the cupboard under the sink. It's interesting how getting rid of the electric coffee pot has opened up the counter top. I have brought out the old dish drainer so i can put my milking items there to dry after washing them, rather than run them through the dishwasher every day, twice a day. I refuse to stop using my dish washer. I will hand wash my laundry and dry it on the line, make my own cheese and soap, and i am even thinking of trying to put together a hand baler to bale up some of my own hay (stop laughing, lol) but washing dishes? Until the apocalypse hits I'm using my dishwasher!

So hopefully we can get my hand-me-down counter and cupboards put in soon. It won't happen this weekend because they are having the big Memorial Day shoot at the gun club and Tsu is working the shoot, but we have the 2x4s for putting in the new wall so we can get started on that soon. Then I can get all my pots and pans off the folding table in the front room and into actual cupboards!! then I can finish the front room. The living room is about 80% done, I think we are going to entirely rearrange it once the new wall between the kitchen and living room is in.

Next project even before the wall and cupboards: clotheslines. I already have my lines and clothes pins, hehe. Who woulda thought some day i would be excited about clothes lines? *falls over laughing*