Savingdogs-Saving the chickens

[savingdogs]

Great score on the hay! Horse people and goat people are looking for the same things in hay so that should be a wonderful deal in the future.

How many bales of hay do you feed in a year? When we had all of the horses we had it figured to within a few bales and usually erred on the extra hay side (you can always sell extra hay or use it for mulch). We always tried to have all of our hay bought and barned by the end of July when prices were cheap.

Happy Birthday to Trouble! Knowing lean times is good for kids, it makes them learn to appreciate things more.

We have not really figured out how much hay we use, about two bales a month in the spring and fall, summer more like one bale every three weeks, then in winter about a bale a week. But that is just a rough guess, it has varied a lot because the bale size is different and a few bales they refused to eat, and it pretty much became bedding quickly (which did later become mulch in the garden). So it is a little hard to figure. But 30 bales will last us a very long time, we will have more of a challenge making room to store it. We do have a pretty much unused shed, very nicely built, but it is on the opposite end of our property so not very convenient. God only knows why the previous owners decided to build that way down there, we have used it to store sleds and things we use really rarely. It can't be stored their over the winter because we can't get to it, but it will suffice for now as a place to put it.

I hope you are right that lean times are good for kids. I used to work for doctors and dentists and a lot of their (rich) children were really not nice people, lots of spoiled brats and ....frankly, unhappiness as adults. I think it is harder to raise nice kids when you can give them everything. Needing things makes you nicer. When we lived in LA, we worked really close to the movie studios and knew some people in the industry. Our daughter was just cute as a button as a baby and resembled the kids in that show called Call to Glory, so they were needling us to have her audition as the new younger sibling on the show. We decided against it however, we already knew of mostly unhappy child actors and didn't think it would set her up for a life of happiness (and this was long before the era of Michael Jackson and the many other child stars that have led amazing but tragic lives). But she was such a ham, and now her daughter is just the same, just as adorable. Course I'm not partial or anything.

 

[sunsaver]

There's a lot to be said for having good neighbors. Hope you sleep better tonight SD! At least the warm weather might help your garden some.

 

[savingdogs]

Yes, things are looking better in the garden. Today is warm and drizzly, so I don't have to water.....yesterday things really heated up and I could practically see the pumpkin grow. They are doing awesome and I have several cool varieties going out there. I must admit that I mixed up which plant was which kind of pumpkin, but I have warty, white, blue, sugar pie and a jack-o-lantern one. I've got watermelon and cantaloupe going, zucchini and several other squashes, lots of beans and peas and potato, some corn and quinoa, oats and wheat. and then a bunch of stuff I just planted like sweet peas, carrots and basil.

Ginger learned to open a new gate today, I look out into the pen where they are supposed to be and wonder who opened it and left it open. I'm about to yell at one of my sons when I realize they are both still asleep, and Ginger has been known to open a different but similar gate. She is a smarty pants about it. She likes to open it even if she doesn't want to go through, she just likes to prove it can be done with goat lips. But today I found them cavorting on the across-the-street neighbor's lawn, and he is out there working, chopping stumps and has a burn pile going, I wonder if they were bothering him? When they saw me they start cavorting and leaping about, they are so funny. It is gratifying to me how much the goats love me, I don't need a lead, they go pretty much where I say and know their names. Since we had the kids, they have gotten so much more loving. If I go down to their pen and sit in the shade in a nice spot, they will come over and lay down by me. Emilee tries to climb in my lap still. They obviously get jealous when I scratch one and fight for their turns. These girls have turned me into a "goat person". I swear Ginger bats her eyelashes at me in SUCH a loving way, I wish I could get a picture of it. Obviously the Bringer Of Grain is a big hero in her eyes.

 

[Farmfresh]

I love having a repore like that with an animal! It just proves what a good shepherd you are to your little flock.

 

[savingdogs]

Nah, I think it proves the people who raised Ginger and Molly from babies did an excellent job. And Ginger taught Emilee to be like that.

I'll be away from the computer today, off to see my granddaughter.....

 

[framing fowl]

Enjoy your granddaughter! What a great day!

 

[valmom]

Yeah! for cheap hay that is good quality

Can you store it on pallets in your garage? That's what we did for the first year before we had a round bale source before the barn was built. Just make sure it is dry so it doesn't burn your house down...

 

[sunsaver]

You're a true animal lover, SD. "cavorting" Now that's a word i haven't heard in a long time! That's one of those "Mom" words, lol!

 

[savingdogs]

You obviously do not have goats. They DO cavort. Especially when you bring food and they are hungry, or when there udders are empty, or especially when they are kids. Sooooooooooooo cute.

The hay pile is growing, so far it is just on a pallet with a tarp, but we are going to clear out a shed we are not really using on our property that is a little distance from the goat pen, so it won't be very convenient, but it will work. It is nice and dry and covered, we just need to have it closer to the pen before winter, or maybe teach the dogs to drag a sled to drag it through the snow or something. But it is straight uphill...

We had a great day with the granddaughter and went to lunch to celebrate her birthday. We went to one of those cool sushi places where the thingy goes around, and you see things going by, and pick out what looks cool. We don't eat raw fish, but we like California roll and such, and it was fun picking them out and sharing them. Then you pay per dish. The baby (who is actually one and a half now) was so cute. She figured out the whole thing with the food going around. We pulled off these fancy looking tiny cream puffs and gave her one. She instantly INHALED a second one and we had to laugh and take them away. Then whenever more of those silly cream puffs went by her on the turnaround, she was pointing and trying to get us to take more cream puffs! She actually had the people at the next table laughing too. That is when you know your grandchild is cute.

There was a special procession in my former town with the body of our dear friend the policeman who died, I was at my daughter's watching the news absently while we were visiting when it came on. Across the screen flashes his name, so I start to watch. They interviewed two people who had been my very close friends when I lived there, one had been my next-door neighbor, and they got their remarks while my daughter and I sat there stunned that not only were we watching Mikes funeral procession on TV, but there were our former neighbors chosen to eulogize him. I felt like I should have been there, the three of us were inspired by him to start a neighborhood watch group, but I didn't know about this event in time. I probably would have bawled. Before we knew him, there had been shootings in our neighborhood, and rampant burgularies and car break ins, but there was no police to follow up, only one on duty at any given time, they couldn't even travel in pairs. At one time the three of us and our kids repainted the police department sign as kind of a protest of how the town was treating the police department (neglecting to spend money) and Mike had been real proud of us. He wanted the town to have a detective, and we started attending city council meetings for TWO years, and every time they brought up some stupid money scheme, we reminded them the roads were potholed, the police force had no detective and the fire department had no building of their own, why was the city remodeling downtown?????? After a lot of pressure, they finally caved and funded things more appropriately for the growth and size of the city at that time, and our crowning moment was when Mike was chosen as the detective to take the role created when they hired another cop.
Later he moved back to being traffic cop on a bike, though, he didn't like all the sad stuff he saw as a detective, and he was better as the city ambassador than playing detective. But it sure was sad to see an old friend talking about an old friend who was already dead at 41, no matter how much he enjoyed his job.
Makes you want to tell the people you love that you love them while they are around. We had just seen Mike about two weeks ago, and we smiled as we quickly drove out of town to get our groceries home after he waved when he recognized my subaru. I really wish now we had at least rolled down the window and asked how he was doing, but he was smiling.

So instead I wrote a letter to the editor of the local paper. I'm sure there will be plenty sent about this man. If they print it I'll let y'all know.

 

[sunsaver]

Just hang on to the good memories, SD. Trust in God that this world is a sort of proving grounds, not your final destination. My beloved aunt recently died in a heroic attempt to save a small child from getting run over by a truck. The child survived, but my dear Aunt was run over and died from her injuries. She is my hero, and i will love her forever.