December 30, 2006

I hope everyone had a good Christmas. We did. Grandpap arrived Friday Morning. We decided to celebrate Christmas early. It worked better for our schedules. Asa had to go back to work on Tuesday so we decided to make Christmas Eve Saturday Night and Christmas Day Sunday so that Asa could have an extra day to play with the girls and all of their new toys. It was fun and it worked out well.

The girls were so excited Christmas Eve and they had a great time Christmas Morning opening all of the presents. We took a several breaks so the girls could recoupe their energy and refocus back to unwrapping presents. In the afternoon on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, Asa, Grandpap and I worked out in the hay barn while Grandma gave QT a nap. AR was in the barn with us too climbing on all of the bales and playing with Woody. They were having a good time.

My parents arrived on Tuesday and it was like having Christmas all over again. The girls loved it. Although QT was so tired she didnt always cooperate. While my parents were here my dad helped Asa fix the tractor. Appearently you need Hydrolic Fluid to help move the components of the tractor. Ours were so low it took twenty gallons before it registered and started to work. OOPS. We will remember to check that from now on. Who knew it could hold 64quarts of fluid.

Yesterday I opened the door to the goat barn and saw several rats scurry away. One even stood up and stared me down. It didnt run away until AR came into the barn. They arent as ugly as I thought they would be but none the less we dont want them around. It has gotten cold so they are all coming into the barn now. The goats were out fields so they were left to clean up any food they had left.

Today it snowed about three inches. The girls had a blast doing chores outside with Grandpap in the snow. They were making snow angels. Everytime QT fell down she couldnt get up on her own. My parents left yesterday, just in time to miss the snow. We werent sure why they left so early. Either my dad was worried about my brother being sick and work or he was freezing to death and couldnt stand another day in a cold house. He is use to keeping his house between 74 and 80 degrees. Yikes that is hot for us. Our house is drafty but comfortable.

We Celebrated Grandpap's Birthday on Christmas Day. The real Christmas Day. However he only got a cake and he still cooked breakfast. He turned 60 this year.

Overall it has been pretty quiet around the farm. Nothing too exciting. Woody had a run in with a porcupine and has quills in his nose. This happened this morning. I need to wait until Asa gets home from work in order to get them out. I tried to pull them out by hand but they werent coming out. I called two different vets and they both said we will have to use plyers and yank them out. They said it will hurt. Poor Woody. I bet he wont bother a porcupine again.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Happy Winter Soltice

It has been a week since I wrote in my blog. I am sorry. Asa and I went to Montreal and I have been struggling getting ready for Christmas. I have been up late every night wrapping presents. I have been fighting off a migraine until yesterday it took control. Luckily Grandma was here to watch the kids. Once I threw up I was better. Asa is off Until Tuesday and we plan on working on the goats tomorrow. Grandpap flies in tomorrow morning. AR is had her Christmas party at school today and came home with more treats than Halloween. She is so excited for Christmas and Santa she couldnt even fall a sleep tonight. I cant imagine what it will be like Christmas Eve.

I will write later to tell you about our trip to Montreal. I may not get a chance to write until after Christmas.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Tuesday

Asa has the next five days off and we were going to go away for the full five days but with so much to do around the farm and Grandpap here to help we decided to only go for a few days. Today we worked on more fencing and we just getting started and we ran out of wire for the electric fence. It looked like there was more on the spool. We had hope to get the next paddock area completed for the goats today but having to run to Agway for more supplies killed our momentum. We hope to finish by 11am tomorrow so that we can make a goat auction in Govenour by Noon. Our momentum was also altered by the oil man showing up, people coming for Hay and AR peeing her pants 2x because she was having too much fun outside with us to stop and go to the bathroom. Oh but I did forget to mention the 10 trips back to the garage to get something else we needed. It was nice the one day we had our truck. We put everything we could think we would need in it so we didnt have to make the millions of trips back to the barn. There is too much to carry in one trip so you try to pack as much as you think you will need and hope for the best.

I cant remember if I mentioned we now have a truck. Grandma bought it in PA. It is very nice. However it is broke at the moment. Asa went to go to work yesterday and it quit. It was the fuel pump and it is getting fixed. We should have it in the next couple of days.

Yesterday I ripped out the carpet between the bathroom and the blue room. The carpet was orange shag which was very shag less. The pad was in better shape than I thought it would be but there was still pee stains from cats ( I assume). It smelt before like cat but we tried to mask the odor but now it is even worse. The original flooring (five inch tongue and grove plank boards) were covered up by plywood. This area is where the floor sagged the most so we think the original floor was rotted? Where the orange carpet connected to the much older and more used blue carpet was interesting. The pad that ripped away from under the blue carpet disintegrated. A quick peek under the blue carpet revealed years and years of dirt or cow manure which had worked its way through the carpet. It smelt terrible. I am sure the previous owners didn't take off there shoes when they came in from the milk barn. It made me want to pull up the carpets every where and clean the bare floors underneath and put remnants down as a quick fix.

Asa and Grandpap had gone to Lowe's last night and they took AR with them. QT was home with me and Grandma. I was pulling up the tack board along the walls with a little crow bar. QT took the biggest one we had and was laying on her belly trying to maneuver the tool. It was so cute this little girl so interested in what I was doing and trying to help with this great big crow bar. She was really in the way but I just tried to work around her. It was too cute.

Asa and Grandpap on the way to Lowe's hit a coyote on highway 81 going about 65 mph. The coyote didn't live and our van survived fair. Asa said there was a dent in the bumper but I didn't notice it.

Grandpap flew out of Las Vegas on Friday and got off the plane in Pittsberg to drive to NY with Grandma on Sat. The weather in Watertown has been snowy but not here in Redwood. The girls were very excited to see Grandpap and Grandma. Saturday night after dinner we all went to the Blue Living room for dance time. The girls have pretend stages and dance and run around while I dj for them. They have a great time.

Sunday afternoon we went to WalMart shopping while Asa hunted. It was the last day of hunting season for the year. He was sad when he didnt get to shoot any deer this year. His first deer still alludes him.

Monday, AR went to dance class with Grandpap and Grandma while QT took a nap at home and I tore up the rug by the bathroom. I thought it would help get rid of the cat urine smell.

Here is another picture of the goats at play.

Last night we went to town and couldnt believe all the snow they had. This morning when we woke up it was snowing here. We are suppose to get more but it has slowed for the time. Lake effect snow is suppose to occur sometime between 6pm tonight and 1pm tomorrow. We seem to be in a pocket where we dont get hit with every lake effect snow unlike Syracuse and Watertown.

When I took this picture I was only trying to get the one goat facing us. When I was down loading the picture I thought this was funny. A front and rear shot all in one and I wasnt even trying.

AR and I were out in town yesterday evening, she said "Wow mom some people are really getting ready for Christmas, doesnt it look nice" I said "yes it does". She then said "unlike us, we are slow". I told her its because most of our stuff is still in boxes from moving. I guess I better get busy trying to find our Christmas decorations. At the end of this month we will have lived at the farm for 6 months. We have accomplished some of our goals but we have soooooooooo much more to do. Overall we enjoy being here. I know AR still misses her friends in CO but then again so do I. Our house in Colorado is final. We closed on Nov 27.

Grandma should be back on Thursday and Grandpap is flying in on Friday. He will be hear for a week while Asa and I go away for our Anniversary. We cant believe it has been 10 years.

Today the girls and I went to breakfast with Santa at Bonnie's Castle Resort. It was very nice. AR got her picture with Santa and made reindeer antlers. QT wasnt feeling well so she mostly heeped on the floor the whole time. AR saw lots of kids from preschool, she liked that. It was a nice time.

The only thing new is the weather. We had almost two inches of rain in 24hrs. We were on an ice storm watch but that has been removed. Now we have a high wind advisory until Late Sat Night. It sure is whipping out there. It makes this old farm house quite drafty.

Today AR and I made wrapping paper. We took just plain brown paper and painted it with stamps. She had a good time with it. Poor QT still isnt feeling well.

A Chevron isnt just a name of a fuel company it is also a baby goat. I believe it is a processed kid goat. Chevron meat is goat. I didnt know this until we started reading about goats

Here are a list of names that were suggested:

A Rock n Goat Ranch
Big Rock Goat FarmRock n Angels /Goat RanchRock
Rim RanchRocky
Shore Ranch
Lost Iron Ranch
ASABzer's Boers
Broken Happy Farms
Laughing Goat Farms
Round the Corner Ranch
Lazy Goat Acres
Busy R Ranch
Happy Goat Farms
Northern Star Goats
Goat News Ranch
McGoats
Broken Nail Ranch
Rocking Cradle Farms
Goat Fork Farms
Yankee Reed Ranch
Thunder Goat Ranch
Frost Bite Farms
Good Goat Almighty Ranch
Alexandria Bay Goat Meat Supply Company
Alexandria Bay Hay & Goat Ranch
ASAQ Goat Ranch
Back 40 Hay and Chevron Ranch
Beautiful Pond Hay & Goat Ranch
Best Chevron Goat Ranch
Best of the Boer’s
Open Range Hay and Chevron Company
BG Gruff Goat Ranch
Big Bad Goat Chevron Ranch
Black Fox Goat Ranch
Black Skunk Hay and Corn Farm
Blue Pond Goat Ranch
Blue Pond Ranch
Bobcat Acres Ranch
Bobcat Run Ranch
Bobcat Trail Ranch
Bobcats, Coyotes, and Goats Ranch
Bobolink Chevron Ranch
Boer Chevron and Hay Company
Boer Chevron Ranch
Boers and Hay Goat Ranch
Boers and More Goat Ranch
Box Turtle Pond Hay & Goat Ranch
Brie Patch Hay & Goat Ranch
Brown’s Corner Hay & Goat Ranch
Bullhead Pond Hay & Goat Ranch
Can You Believe It Goat Ranch
Certified Boers Hay & Goat Ranch
City Slickers Goat Ranch
Coon Holler Hay & Goat Ranch
Country Air Hay and Goat Ranch
Crooked Staff Goat Ranch and Hay Company
Curved Horns Hay & Goat Ranch
Deer Trail Ranch
Dream A Little Pond Hay and Goat Ranch
Eat Crow Goat Ranch
Empire Hay and Meat Company
Fence Them In Hay & Goat Ranch
Field Run Goats Chevron Ranch
Fish in Me Pond Hay & Goat Ranch
Five Springs Goat Ranch
Flycatcher Hay and Goat Company
Fox Hill Ranch
Free Range Goat Ranch
Free Range Goats Chevron Ranch
Fresh Air Hay and Goat Ranch
Generic Chevron Ranch
Glacier Pond Hay & Goat Ranch
Glacier Rocks Goat Ranch
Goat Herder Hay and Chevron Company
Good Goat Chevron Ranch
Good Goat Milk and Chevron Company
Gourmet Chevron Ranch
Gray Fox Goat Ranch
Gray Rock Pond Hay and Chevron Company
Grey Ghost Hay & Goat Ranch
Grey Rock Ranch
Happy Birthday Open Range Goat Ranch
Hay and Chevron Ranch
High Grass Hay and Goat Ranch
High Latitude Goat Ranch
Hole in the Tree Ranch
Hoot Owl Hay Fields Ranch
Horned Lark Hay Ranch and Chevron Company
I Can’t Believe It Goat Ranch
Jewett Creek Hay and Goat Ranch
Life in the Country Hay & Goat Ranch
Listen to the Quiet Goat Ranch
Magic Pond Hay & Goat Ranch
Martin Run Ranch
Misty Bottom Hay & Goat Ranch
Misty Holler Hay & Goat Ranch
Misty Pond Hay & Goat Ranch
Muckhole Goat Ranch
Muddy Boots Hay & Goat Ranch
Mystic Pond Hay & Goat Ranch
No Name Goat Ranch
No Work Goat Ranch
North Country Goat Ranch
North Country Hay and Goat Ranch
Northern Harrier Chevron Ranch
Old Mac’s Goat Farm
Old Tramway Ranch and Hay Company
Ontario and St. Lawrence Chevron Meat Company
OOTRR Goat Ranch (OOTRR=out of the rat race)
Otter Creek Goat Ranch
Out of Town Hay & Goat Ranch
Screach Owl Farms
Peaceful Fields Goat Ranch
Peaceful Pond Goat Ranch
Pileated Woodpecker Goat Ranch
Plessis Hay & Goat Ranch
Pond to die for Hay and Goat Ranch
Pretty Woman Goat Farm
Priceless Goat Ranch
Princess Farms
Everything Princess Acres
Rainy Day Hay & Goat Ranch
Red Fox Goat Ranch
Red-tailed Hawk Hay and Goat Ranch
Red-winged Chevron Ranch
Redwood Hay & Goat Ranch
Reed Chevron and Fish Company
Reed Chevron and Land Company
Restful Pond Goat Ranch
Ruffed Grouse Hay Farm and Goat Ranch
Snapper Pond Goat Ranch
Snapping Turtle Pond Goat Ranch
Soggy Bottom Goat Ranch
St. Lawrence River Chevron Meat Company
Sunup to Sundown Hay Company and Goat Ranch
Sweetwater Hay & Goat Ranch
Tall Grass Hay & Goat Ranch
Terrapin Pond Hay & Goat Ranch
The Country Gentleman Goat Ranch
The Country Lady Goat Ranch
The Country Life Hay and Goat Ranch
The Cow Took a Goat Farm
The Goat Herder’s Ranch
Thousand Island Hay & Goat Ranch
Three Generations Goat Ranch
Three Grass Hay Hay and Chevron Ranch
Three Horn Hay & Goat Ranch
Turkey Roost Ranch
Turkey Run Hay & Goat Ranch
Unbelievable Goat Ranch
We Do Live In A Barn Goat Ranch
White Fox Goat Ranch
Wistful Pond Goat & Hay Company
Wood Duck Chevron Ranch
No Poopin on the Porch Goat Ranch
Woodcock Chevron Ranch
Yellow Warbler Chevron Ranch
Do Me Ranch
AddiQuinn Farms
AddiQuin Goats, Hay and More Company
Qcasa Ranch
A QT Goat Ranch
A QT Farms
Adventure Goats
Adventure Acres
What have we done Ranch

Today is Thursday November 30th 2006 it is our 10th wedding Anniversary. Asa was very nice and gave me red roses in an arrangement, a beautiful card and some socks I wanted. I was the slacker. We are going on a trip alone in two weeks so I thought we would celebrate then. I guess I should have got him a card at least for today. Happy Anniversary! Love you! He even came home from work early to surprise us and we were at the movies. What a bummer.

We have been fighting off the flu in our house since Thanksgiving. It has spread to everyone. Today QT wasnt feeling well. She had a fever most of the day. After we picked up AR from preschool we went to the mall and saw Flushed Away. It was cute. AR at the very end started to cry and said is this movie going to have a happy ending? I told her yes and to keep watching. Her favorite movies are Dumbo, Lady and the Tramp, Cinderella and Sound of Music where there are no really scary or intense moments.

Today I was taking AR to preschool and I stopped by a little grocery mart on the way. I mean litttle. I needed a drink for the class. It was our snack day. I also bought a milkyway chocolate milk. I hadnt tried one of those yet. When I was drinking it I thought there was something not quite right with it. It didnt taste bad but it was chalky and too chocolatey. I just couldnt put my finger on it. Well, after I finished it, I looked at the date. The sell by date was August 06. Yuck. Reading that made me want to puke. I couldnt believe it. Here it is going on December. Yuck.

Speaking of puking, Grandma has the flu stomach virus today and Grandpap has it in Las Vegas. Hope you feel better soon.

The bug Asa and I had at Thanksgiving has spread to AR, QT who was up all last night vomitting. I dont know how many times I got puked on. After three shirts I didnt really care anymore, I was so tired. Grandma Reed woke with it this morning and Grandpap Reed in Las Vegas has it too. I havent heard from my parents or Aunt Midge to see if they have it or not.

Yesterday we went to the Salmon Run Mall in Watertown. AR and I went to see Happy Feet while Grandma and QT walked and shopped. Nothing too eventful happened until the early evening when the puking began.

I have a new email address reed_ranch@att.net

I still have my hotmail account but I tend to check it less.

Thank you for all of you faithful readers!

Sunday November 26, 2006

















Tomorrow is our closing. I thought it would never get here. I just cant believe how quickly November came and went. Especially Thanksgiving. Asa was off today. He was up bright and early doing chores around the yard. By 8:00am he had our truck loaded for the dump with stuff he pulled out from the fields. A huge roll of posts wrapped in barbed wire, plastic doors from a vehicle, hoses, all junk that shouldnt be in a field. We started to fence in another area for the goats to feed. This paddock is triple in size and connects to the big milking barn. We expect it to get very cold soon for we have had unusually warm weather. Today was 55 degrees and no breeze. It was beautiful. This evening once the sun started to set we had swarms of bugs in our faces. We arent in too much of a hurry for the cold and icy days come. It makes us a little nervous for we have heard horror stories. Time will tell.





Last night AR puked in the middle of the living room floor. She said she wasnt feeling well and then splat. She was up in the middle of the night once but luckily she made it to the toilet in time. Thankfully she also was feeling a little better today, the puking had stopped but her tummy is still upset. Asa is still getting over what ever it is he had. I am glad mine was gone in 24 hours but I also didnt puke either. I just hope QT doesnt get it.




















My Mom out in the goat pen.

I was thinking about going shopping but after feeling so ill yesterday it was out of the question. I was just glad I woke up feeling better. Asa on the other hand did not. He went to work but was back by noon. Only because his co-workers made him leave. He came home and went straight to bed and stayed there for at least six hours. Woke up and then went back to bed. Today is sat and he is feeling better but still cannot keep food in his stomach. Tonight AR puked all over the rug and wasnt feeling well. We are hoping she has my version of the bug and not Asa's since he still isnt feeling well. My parents and Aunt Midge left today. They all wanted a day to rest before they went back to work.

The picture above is of Asa fixing the steps up to the house.

Thanksgiving Day!

My mom did most of the prep the day before and she took care of the Turkey and stuffing. She even brought us an Oven roasting pan since we dont have a stove. Aunt Midge brought the turkey fresh from her work. She said the turkey was killed and processed the day she left to come to our house. The turkey farm she works at is considered organic and fresh. It was a 17lb turkey. It was really good. Unfortunately before dinner Asa and I got really sick and didnt eat much. Asa ended up throwing up. We both slept the rest of the afternoon. We were Thankful we had people here to look after the kids because we were not feeling well at all. The only other mishap was the apple pie. The shelf slid while I was taking it out of the toaster oven and we lost half of it to the floor. Woody didnt mind. He cleaned it up in no time. I did make another to replace it.

Grandpap Reed deboning the turkey for sandwiches. AR is helping, she did a great job.

Tuesday November 21, 2006





Company arrived around 3pm. My parents arrived first and within a twenty minutes Aunt Midge arrived. And with in the hour Grandma Reed returned from PA. The girls were very excited to see everyone. We decided to go to WalMart shopping after dinner to get supplies for our Thanksgiving feast. Asa, Grandma Reed and the girls stayed home. Right before we were leaving to go to Walmart everyone made their pitstop to the bathroom. It was right after dinner and Walmart is a half hour away. The toilet started to give us problems flushing but things were moving. This has happened before; a little time and plunging, it always worked itself out. While in WalMart we recieved the phone call to get a snake, wax toilet seal and Ridix. The toilets not working. Oh no. By the time we finished shopping and got back home it was 9:30pm. My dad got stuck with the snake duty because no one else had used one before except Aunt Midge and she didnt volunteer. After using the snake, going into the cellar to look at the pipes and looking at the septic tank outside, the diagonsis was a full septic tank. Oh no! The toilet was off limits. Our one and only toilet. You could pee in the toilet but the lines were so backed up it was leaking in the cellar. It was an iteresting evening. Luckily there was no full moon in the sky. We all had our ways of compensating for no bathroom. It wasnt a big deal for my Father or Asa. they just went outside. They probaly enjoyed it. The whole man and nature, peeing in the woods thing. I also chose peeing outside, however it was very cold and frosty and I had to go at least five times. It wasnt much fun going outside so many times. I wont mention any names but other means of pee disposal were a pull up, sitting on the toilet while holding a diaper under you to catch the urine and just peeing straight into the toilet so it slowly drained from the bowl to drip in the cellar.





The morning was interesting. No one wanted to eat breakfast for fear of having to poop with no toilet. AR came to the breakfast table and told everyone the toilet flushed. Like what is the issue. She didnt understand it may have flushed but who knows were the urine water just went. The girls, Aunt Midge and I left around 9:00 am to go to Ogdensberg to meet with Asa. We had to stop at the library to "drop of some books". LOL . Kind of like "dropping the boys off at the pool". LOL. At least AR and Aunt Midge used the facilities, I needed to use the computer (for real, I had to forward our closing papers to the bank and our computer at home was down). That morning the big event was all about poop. Who went and where and if there were still any survivors of holding it. QT was so lucky she was in diapers. Here is how the report went. My Dad went at breakfast at the North Star with my Mom. Grandma Reed went to Kinney's twice. Aunt Midge the Library and a convience store on the way home from Ogdensberg. AR the Library. Asa he went at work. Here is the final stage of the Poop Report. When Aunt Midge and I got home from Ogdensberg we thought the septic guy would have already been to the house, but he had called and said he wouldnt make it until a few more hours. We had been home for a while and Aunt Midge had to go again. I told her she should drive to the library again but she refused. I dont think she could move much because she had to go so bad. She was just kind of stuck in the seat until she could figure out what she was going to do. She was about ready to go behind one of the barns when someone came up with the idea of putting a plastic bag over the seat of the toilet and pooping in the bag. Then to double bag it and discard in the outside trash. As for me I was very lucky and never actually had to poop. Maybe its because I had to pee so much the night before I was spared.





This may not be funny to anyone else but I sure am laughing just trying to retell the story.





When the Septic tank service person finally did arrive it was past 2pm. But the toilets are working wonderful now.





While in Ogdensberg Asa and I signed the papers to sell our house. The buyers will sign on Monday. We are praying it is a smooth transition.





When Grandma Reed, Cheryl, came back from PA she came driving our new farm truck. We are no longer Purist Mini Van farmers. We have a new to use Chevy 4x4 Truck. It is very nice and works great for Hay and Trash.




Wednesday Mornings Frost. We had great weather for Thanksgiving. It was beautiful!

Here are a list of names that were suggested:

A Rock n Goat Ranch
Big Rock Goat Farm
Rock n Angels Goat Ranch
Rock Rim Ranch
Rocky Shore Ranch
Lost Iron Ranch
ASABzer's Boers
Broken Happy Farms
Laughing Goat Farms
Round the Corner Ranch
Lazy Goat Acres
Busy R Ranch
Happy Goat Farms
Northern Star Goats
Goat News Ranch
McGoats
Broken Nail Ranch
Rocking Cradle Farms
Goat Fork Farms
Yankee Reed Ranch
Thunder Goat Ranch
Frost Bite Farms
Good Goat Almighty Ranch
Alexandria Bay Goat Meat Supply Company
Alexandria Bay Hay & Goat Ranch
ASAQ Goat Ranch
Back 40 Hay and Chevron Ranch
Beautiful Pond Hay & Goat Ranch
Best Chevron Goat Ranch
Best of the Boer’s
Open Range Hay and Chevron Company
BG Gruff Goat Ranch
Big Bad Goat Chevron Ranch
Black Fox Goat Ranch
Black Skunk Hay and Corn Farm
Blue Pond Goat Ranch
Blue Pond Ranch
Bobcat Acres Ranch
Bobcat Run Ranch
Bobcat Trail Ranch
Bobcats, Coyotes, and Goats Ranch
Bobolink Chevron Ranch
Boer Chevron and Hay Company
Boer Chevron Ranch
Boers and Hay Goat Ranch
Boers and More Goat Ranch
Box Turtle Pond
Hay & Goat Ranch
Brie Patch Hay & Goat Ranch
Brown’s Corner Hay & Goat Ranch
Bullhead Pond Hay & Goat Ranch
Can You Believe It Goat Ranch
Certified Boers Hay & Goat Ranch
City Slickers Goat Ranch
Coon Holler Hay & Goat Ranch
Country Air Hay and Goat Ranch
Crooked Staff Goat Ranch and Hay Company
Curved Horns Hay & Goat Ranch
Deer Trail Ranch
Dream A Little Pond Hay and Goat Ranch
Eat Crow Goat Ranch
Empire Hay and Meat Company
Fence Them In Hay & Goat Ranch
Field Run Goats Chevron Ranch
Fish in Me Pond Hay & Goat Ranch
Five Springs Goat Ranch
Flycatcher Hay and Goat Company
Fox Hill Ranch
Free Range Goat Ranch
Free Range Goats Chevron Ranch
Fresh Air Hay and Goat Ranch
Generic Chevron Ranch
Glacier Pond Hay & Goat Ranch
Glacier Rocks Goat Ranch
Goat Herder Hay and Chevron Company
Good Goat Chevron Ranch
Good Goat Milk and Chevron Company
Gourmet Chevron Ranch
Gray Fox Goat Ranch
Gray Rock Pond Hay and Chevron Company
Grey Ghost Hay & Goat Ranch
Grey Rock Ranch
Happy Birthday Open Range Goat Ranch
Hay and Chevron Ranch
High Grass Hay and Goat Ranch
High Latitude Goat Ranch
Hole in the Tree Ranch
Hoot Owl Hay Fields Ranch
Horned Lark Hay Ranch and Chevron Company
I Can’t Believe It Goat Ranch
Jewett Creek Hay and Goat Ranch
Life in the Country Hay & Goat Ranch
Listen to the Quiet Goat Ranch
Magic Pond Hay & Goat Ranch
Martin Run Ranch
Misty Bottom Hay & Goat Ranch
Misty Holler Hay & Goat Ranch
Misty Pond Hay & Goat Ranch
Muckhole Goat Ranch
Muddy Boots Hay & Goat Ranch
Mystic Pond Hay & Goat Ranch
No Name Goat Ranch
No Work Goat Ranch
North Country Goat Ranch
North Country Hay and Goat Ranch
Northern Harrier Chevron Ranch
Old Mac’s Goat Farm
Old Tramway Ranch and Hay Company
Ontario and St. Lawrence Chevron Meat Company
OOTRR Goat Ranch (OOTRR=out of the rat race)
Otter Creek Goat Ranch
Out of Town Hay & Goat Ranch
Peaceful Fields Goat Ranch
Peaceful Pond Goat Ranch
Pileated Woodpecker Goat Ranch
Plessis Hay & Goat Ranch
Pond to die for Hay and Goat Ranch
Pretty Woman Goat Farm
Priceless Goat Ranch
Rainy Day Hay & Goat Ranch
Red Fox Goat Ranch
Red-tailed Hawk Hay and Goat Ranch
Red-winged Chevron Ranch
Redwood Hay & Goat Ranch
Reed Chevron and Fish Company
Reed Chevron and Land Company
Restful Pond Goat Ranch
Ruffed Grouse Hay Farm and Goat Ranch
Snapper Pond Goat Ranch
Snapping Turtle Pond Goat Ranch
Soggy Bottom Goat Ranch
St. Lawrence River Chevron Meat Company
Sunup to Sundown Hay Company and Goat Ranch
Sweetwater Hay & Goat Ranch
Tall Grass Hay & Goat Ranch
Terrapin Pond Hay & Goat Ranch
The Country Gentleman Goat Ranch
The Country Lady Goat Ranch
The Country Life Hay and Goat Ranch
The Cow Took a Goat Farm
The Goat Herder’s Ranch
Thousand Island Hay & Goat Ranch
Three Generations Goat Ranch
Three Grass Hay Hay and Chevron Ranch
Three Horn Hay & Goat Ranch
Turkey Roost Ranch
Turkey Run Hay & Goat Ranch
Unbelievable Goat Ranch
We Do Live In A Barn Goat Ranch
White Fox Goat Ranch
Wistful Pond Goat & Hay Company
Wood Duck Chevron Ranch
Woodcock Chevron Ranch
Yellow Warbler Chevron Ranch
Do Me Ranch
AddiQuinn Farms/Ranch
Qcasa Ranch
A QT Goat Ranch
QT Farms

There is not too much to report today. I went to the dentist and had the girls watch Lady and the Tramp while they worked on my teeth. They also had pretzels for a snack. This just didnt seem right to let them have food in the dentist office but it kept them quiet. We went out for lunch came home and it was time to feed the goats and then off to dance class. By the time we got back from dance class, Asa was home and we had dinner then bedtime. The day was shot.

We are having company coming for Thanksgiving so I am trying to pick up the house. We have been with out Grandma Reed since October 29th so things arent quite so organized. For example, the laundry. I dont mind washing it or even folding it but I hate putting it away. I dont know why, I just dont like to put them away. Just like clean dishes. I dispise putting them away. Now the Chaos theory kicks in after a few days. Why put them away when you are going to use them very soon. Now dont get me wrong, I love it when they are put away for me. I just hate doing it myself. So this is why I am up tonight trying to clear off Grandma's bed so she has a place to sleep tomorrow. My laundry system is to wash, dry, hang and dump, right onto the bed. So when you get dressed in the morning everyone goes to her bed and hunts for clothes. Its a 70/30 chance they have been folded. I would rather take the girls to the park or do a craft or feed the goats or clean the hay barn.

Massive Head Wound Harriet, the goat who's horn ripped off, is doing very well today. She is in separate quarters but was very calm and comfy. Her head looked good and we gave her another dose of penicillin. However, she didnt drink much water so we will have to continue to monitor her and keep her out from the other until we take off her bandages.

Today it was the boys turn. This time we were smart. While we had them out for hoove trimming we also dewormed them. We should have dewormed the girls at the same time too but we werent thinking. We will have to go back and round them up a second time and give them their deworming medication. We also want to get individual pictures of each of them so we can track the picture to their ear tags. We only had six bucks to trim today but it seemed like it took forever because QT was screaming the entire time. We had her bundled up in the stroller and she hasnt been feeling well. She just wanted to be inside. Once we were inside the only thing that would calm her was a bath. She loves her bath time. Yesterday and today the stroller looked like a traveling first aid station. We had our gause, medications, syringes, and bandages all in it. That stroller has proven to be quite handy for many things.

No Shocking news today. No pun intended, Asa. Woody was in heaven again eating more toe nails.

Today we decided to cut the goats hooves. It turned out to be very interesting. We started with Happy Birthday. She is our trial and error goat. Asa would cut the hooves and I would hold the goats head in a bucket of feed. We tag teamed it very well. Asa only cut too far once. It bled a little. However, he did learn, you shouldn't pull a goat by its horns if it is under one years old. The horns are not fully developed and they can break off. The goats horn ripped most of the way off right in his hand. It was a bloody mess. It looked like "massive head wound harry" so her new name is Harriet. We weren't sure what to do at first so we separated the girl, Harriet, until we could get the necessary supplies to fix her up. Asa had to cut off the horn the rest of the way then we cleaned the wound with water and iodine. We put 4x4 bandages on with pressure and wrapped its head to secure the bandages. The badages kept slipping and were blood soaked. We ran out of the 4x4s so we had to use a femanine napkins instead. Once the bandages were secure we gave Harriet a shot of pennicillin. Now she stands out of the herd because she only has one horn.

Another story about trimming the goats hooves. A while back when we were still living in CO Asa ripped his big toe nail off the bed, while he was walking Woody. It took about 3 months for his toe nail to fall off. It has been doing just fine, but the last few weeks it has become very sensitive. Asa was going to the foot Dr. for another issue and had her look at his big toe nail. She said "thats infected and needs to come off". After trying to talk his way out of it and lots of sweating the Dr won. He came home with his toe all bandaged up. The next day it looked like he had bright red nail polish on his big toe. Today he was able to get his boots on but he is still very guarded about his toe. Here is where the goats come into play. He went into the pen to pull out another goat so it could get its hooves cut while another one stepped on his toe ( the one without the nail). It hurt so bad. In his agony he reached for something to hold onto. He grabbed the electric fence wire which was hot and he electricuted himself, Again. It was a picture that could have come from the FARSIDE calender.

We found out Woody loves to eat cut off goat nails. He couldnt get enough of them. He was trying to catch them out of the air while Asa was cutting them off the goats. Yes this is very gross but, true. Tomorrow we cut the Billy Goats Hooves. I wonder if we will have as many interesting stories.

A friend sent this prayer to me today in a chain letter but. I thought it was nice.

St. Theresa's Prayer:
May today there be peace within.
May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith. May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you....May you be content knowing you are a child of God .. Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love. It is there for each and every one of us.

A picture of our first snowfall in NY. It was beautiful. Very large flakes. We recieved about 3 inches in a few hours but by morning it was all melted away

Yesterday Asa started his vacation. He has until Sunday off. Our big outing for the evening was to drive the minivan into the Hay Barn and start clearing it out. We had wondered why people on farms used pitch forks. We havent had the need for one yet. Until now. We used one the other day when we cleaned out the goats pen. Now we both need one for the hay barn. We have been selling hay since we moved in and it is still more than half full. It has become sloppy with the way people take the hay out and drive over it. It was never stacked neatly or pulled neatly from the time we moved here. We dressed the kids up warm and let them have fun playing in the hay, car and with the dog. I didnt mention we have no electricty in the hay barn. Thats why we had to drive the car into it. We used the headlights to see, along with a few flash lights. We were able to save about a hundred bales and restack them. We also worked on it today. We are picking up hay that has spread out onto the ground for several years. It is at least a foot deep to waist deep in some areas. We are hoping we can rebale some of it. We have a huge haystack of all of the loose hay. Needless to say we are getting Hay crazy. While cleaning up the hay Asa said " I will never think a roll in the Hay as romantic or fun anymore". I totally agreed with him. It is just a dirty place. I am just so thankful we didnt see any creatures like rats or mice last night. It was too dark to see spiders. I just dont think about that while we are working in there. We did find a few eggs the chicken had laid. We havent seen the chicken in a week or so. Maybe the bobcat Asa saw got it. Or the Coyotes. We will go back out tonight. I will try to take pictures.

http://www.hutchinsonsboatworks.com/content03.asp
This link is a webcam of one of the dock in Alexandria Bay. It is a live cam. Asa and AR will be there today to say Hello to Grandpap.

Our excitement for the last few days was shaving Asa's head. His hair was so long and he needed people at his job to start selling installs, so he told them if they did enough he would shave his head. It wasnt a bad haircut but it was a little uneven in places. He decided he would take the bet one step further and shave it completely. I told him he should go to the barber and just have it shaped up a little. But he didnt want to, so yesterday evening we shaved his head. At least this time he decided to shave his head using shaving cream. It took quite a while; I think his five oclock shadow started to grow in by the time we finished. LOL This is what no TV will get you.

Happy Birthday Terry!

Yep it was a surprise birthday cake. My favorite Chocolate with chocolate frosting. Once the birthday lunch was over we headed to the barn with the goats. We put one of the male bucks in with all the ladies. So in five months we hope to have some goat kids. April goat kids. I shoveled rock to make a path to the barn so its not so muddy and Asa began shoveling out the old hay from thhe goats pen. After breaking a rake we decided we needed a pitch fork. We have a small pitch fork which was a back breaker. It would be perfect for AR. We went down the road and bought a true pitch fork which made the job much much easier. Once that was completed we added about 6 new bales of hay to the area. The goats were very happy.

I am here typing now and trying to fight off the little fingers and hands which keep trying to push all of the buttons. One little one was able to turn off the computer but it wasnt held in long enough to lose all my info. Now I am trying to keep her from climbing onto the desk.

Today Asa saw a bobcat in our field not too far from the goats. He is so excited he is outside now sitting in the dark with his gun in his robe. He just ran inside and wanted me to run out to the street to chase what he thought was the bobcat so he could blast it away. Its dark out. I said no, I'm not leaving the girls inside by themselves. He did see the bobcat earlier in daylight. Asa is now in the car driving back in forth along the road that goes from our house to the two trailers on our property. He is silly.

Grandma is in Colorado at our house which will hopefull be someone elses on November 27, 2006. Grandpap is at the airport waiting to catch a flight to CO to visit her. I am getting ready to read to the girls before bed.

This morning I woke up and I was greeted from two excited girls about my birthday. It was nice to know someone was excited for me to get older. Asa took the girls and I was able to go into town and complete a few errands. Like going to the Dr. for my ticks. They said if i got them from CT they automatically assume they are infected with Lime Disease and treat with Antibiotics. Which isnt a 100% but does help prevent it considerably. They said just remember I had the tick bites because the signs and symptoms may not show for another month or even 6 months.

While I was in town I was able to go shopping. Really shopping. Shopping where you can actually look at things and not worry about who is standing in the cart and who is touching what. It was very nice. I even went to Micheals and showed considerable restraint. Mostly because I forgot my 50% off coupon and I wouldnt allow myself to by anything without it. I know I am cheap.

I brought lunch home for all of us and we opened presents. I think we had to at lunch for AR couldnt keep a secret any longer. She started to tell me over the phone on the drive home. I kept getting hung up on by her father so she wouldnt tell me. I recieved two very nice cards and some smart wool socks (which is what I asked for) plus a I am #1 mom in NY plaque. I will be right back I am being called to the kitchen for a surprise cake.

Asa came home and called the doctors to see which way is the best way to remove a tick. They said to pull it out with tweezers. They also said if one looks like a bullseye I need to come in tomorrow to have it checked for Lime Disease. He was able to remove the tick cleanly and get all of it but for the one AR took off earlier, he said it already looks infected and I will need to get it tested for it does look how they described.

Happy Birthday Sarah, you have Lime disease, I hope I dont hear those words tomorrow.

Tonight I cleaned the litter box and put all the unfavorables tightly in a bag on the porch for I was also cooking dinner and I needed to check on it. Yes, I did wash my hand in between not to cross contaminate. However, Woody was let out side during dinner and I hadnt returned to the bag of dirty cat litter to put it in the trash cans. When I looked out onto the porch, there were no more lumps in the litter bag which had been spread all over the porch and mat. Thanks Woody for making me clean up another nasty mess.

Today in general hasnt been a great day. I hope tomorrow is much better.

Happy Birthday Nancy! I cant believe it is this time again.

This morning we woke up to a warm but rainy day. The girls and I got breakfast and got ready to make a trash run. When we got back we gave the girl goats some hay and we shoveled some rock to put in the really muddy areas. By the time we were ready to go inside QT was covered head to toe with mud and she had pooped. She was so messy I cleaned up the poop as much as I could and then it was straight to the bathtub for both girls. While I was bathing the girls I got soaked and I took my shirt off. I noticed in the mirror a scab looking thing on the back of my arm but I couldnt reach it. I asked AR to remove it when she did and I was able to look more closely I realized it was tick. I immediately started to look in the mirror for more which I found and of coarse I couldnt reach it and I didnt want AR to pluck it off for I want to make sure we get the entire thing. So now I sit feeling grossed out with a tick stuck to my back waiting for Asa to get home so he can get it off of me and I can take a shower to get rid of the willies. Farewell for now for we are off to dance class with a tick stuck to my back. yuck. Hopefully I wont have lime disease and who knows where the ticks came from which freaks me out too.

We only have to entries for our change in farm or Ranch name. We have Grey Rock Ranch and Reed Acres. We were hoping to hear more ideas. Keep them coming.

Not too much has happened this weekend. The girls and I went to CT to see my parents. We had a great time. We visited another Boer Goat Farm right up the street from my parents house. It is always interesting to see other peoples establishments. We went to Starbucks, but unfortunately we only got there once and I was in town for 4 days. I must be slacking. The girls had a great time visiting with Grandma and Grandpap. They also liked seeing their cousins. They were so tired by the time we got home. It took us about six hours each way.

Things so far on the farm are uneventful. Tonight Asa shot at some coyotes. They seem to be getting closer and closer to the goats. We will have to really watch out for them now. Asa sat outside on the porch which over looks the fields last night under the full moon with his night scope. He said there were at least 10 deer running all around the fields. He wishes it was during hunting hours.

Tomorrow we plan on putting one of the bucks in with the lady goats. We were going to do it tonight but we thought it may be best to let the gentleman settle in during the daylight hours.

We are having a contest.

We need to finalize our Ranch or Farm name.

We would like something catchy.

We like Reed Ranch but we dont Love it.

We are looking for something we love.

Please post suggestions and the name we chose will win a prize.

It could be a trip to see us or cheese and wine from the locals here in Alexandria Bay.

We also need someone to design a logo. We would like the name of the Ranch/Farm with a Boer Goat on it.

Please give us you feedback and suggestions.

Happy Halloween

Today AR had her Halloween party at preschool. She went as a fairy princess. QT was also invited and she went as Tigger. QT had more fun than AR. AR took care of her little sister and made sure she got snacks and met everyone. It was very cute. Most of the parents brought in treat bags for the kids so at snack time they were over whelmed by cookies, cake and candy. The three C's. AR brought her snack bags she made in on Thursday with Grandpap. It was our day to bring snack so I am so glad we brought in our Halloween bags early. For they didnt need any more junk food today. Although our bag only had pretzels in the bag with playdough and stickers. No candy, cookies or cake. AR had a great time having her grandpap at preschool with her on Thursday. The moms at the preschool voted and they all think Grandpap should be SANTA this year. All except AR. We will have to figure something out. So Grandpap if you are interested you should start growing your beard for the Holidays!

We had lots of company over the last few weeks. On October 19, 2006 Aunt Jane and Uncle David from Australia arrived with Grandpaps sister Margie and her husband Uncle Roger. Grandpap actually arrived the next day. Much later than he was suppose to. His flight kept getting delayed out of Pittsburg. On his return flight he was also delayed. They cancelled his flight out of Watertown and the airline wanted to book him out of Syracuse to overnight in the Pittsberg Airport. He told them no thanks and Cherly went back and picked him up. And he flew out the next morning and caught the same flight out of Pittsberg. I dont think he got into Las Vegas until 3 or 4pm their time. They are 3 hours behind us. They had him rerouted to the craziest places with many more delays.

The Australians wanted to see another New England fall foliage. Which they did see driving from Penn to here. The day after they arrived Friday, it rained and snowed about 4 inches in 2 hours. It was beautiful. Huge snow flakes and they were coming down so fast. They got to see two seasons for one trip. We were laughing how lucky they were. We enjoyed their visit and they were all to leave Sunday but Roger thankfully decided to stay and help Grandpap with the basement and raising the floors. We were so Happy Uncle Roger decided to stay also. We got lots of work done and the girls just love their Uncle Roger. They were sad to see him leave yesterday! AR kept asking him why did Aunt Jane, Uncle David and Aunt Margie leave him here. He replied so that he could stay and play with her. She loved that answer.

We had quite the sleeping quarters while everyone was here. Aunt Jane and Uncle David slept in Grandma's room. Grandma and Grandpap slept in the living room with Uncle Roger and Aunt Margie. Grandma and Grandpap swapped the couch and Lazy boy each night. Asa and I with QT and AR slept in our room. However, AR decided she wanted to sleep in the living room with everyone so we put her mattress on the floor with everyone too. Aunt Margie and Uncle Roger had an air mattress. After the first night of sleeping Grandma slept with her air plugs because everyone snored so bad. I think it was mainly me and Grandpap who did most of the snoring.

Asa and I went to our first Farmers meeting. It is called the Grange. They are suppose to talk about local farming issues and to get the local farmers together. We were invited to their anual fund raiser meeting. It was fun but we didnt talk too much about farming because we were bidding on wrapped white elephant gifts and that money went to their state chapter of the Grange. We were invited by the Pastor of the local Lutheran Church and his wife. They are very nice and it is affliated to AR's preschool. We had a good time. The who's who of the farm community were there and they all knew of us. They said they new with in twenty minutes of when the farm sold to us. It is a very small community. The one farmer who raises organic dairy is also the Fire Chief of Redwood. He knew we had called 911 to get the number for poison control because QT had gotten a hold of the childrens vitamins and was eating a mouth full when I caught her. I knew she couldnt have eaten more than 10 and I had fished out about 4 from her mouth but I couldnt find the number for poison control so I had to call 911. They wouldnt give me the number and because I called the had to dispatch the ambulance to our house. This happened the morning Grandpap was going to preschool with AR. The Fire Chief said he was just getting through milking and the dispatch wasnt too excited over the call so he wondered what had actually happened. Needless to say poison controll said even if she had ten she should be fine and the first symptom would be vommitting and if she isnt doing that she would be fine. And that if she hadnt had breakfast we may want to feed her.

There is always some excitement even if you dont want any. Saturday we went to a community luncheon at the firehall for some kid with cancer. They were raising money for him to pay for his medical bills. Asa purchased a coon hunt or Racoon hunt and Grandpap bid against him and he was very shocked. Asa goes coon hunting this friday. I asked if he was going to get the girls hats. Saturday night we also had good news of getting two offers on our house. We picked one and we hope it all goes through and we should close on our house November 27, 2006. YEAH.

Sunday it was so windy and rainy here it reminded Asa and I of weather in Alaska. It blew over our metal 6x12 dog kennel. The girls play house, tumbled across the lawn. It was incredibly windy, which is also probaly why Grandpap couldnt leave.

Considering it has been over a week not too much has happened. Tonight we took the girls out trick or treating. They had so much fun. QT's eyes were wide open looking at all the costumes and she kept going into everyone's house and we couldnt get her out without going in after her. It was funny. There was one house which was pretty scary and AR wouldnt go into it. QT had no fear and just went around her sister and straight into the house and got her candy then wouldnt leave. She was mesmerized by the strobe lights. When we got home we had dinner and I made the girls brush their teeth and now they are in bed with Dad.

Sorry for not having any postings lately. We have company. I probally wont get to post any news until Monday October 30, 2006. So Sorry but keep reading.

Sarah

This picture was taken on October 17, 2006. It was raining very hard and all the goats (does) were inside.

Another rainy day but only since about 2pm. Grandma was able to hang two loads of clothes on the line and get them dried before it started to rain. AR went to preschool and had a blast as usual. We picked her up and we went to Sams in Watertown. We rearranged the furniture and vacuumed. But we still need to go do our goat chores and feed and water them. Asa got off of work 2 hours early and went out hunting after he helped unload the groceries.

We are expecting house guests today and tomorrow Grandpap comes. We are expecting Dave and Jane from Australia and Grandpaps sister Margie and her husband Roger. AR is very excited that Aunt Margie is coming especially Uncle Roger.

Here is a short tale from Grandpap:

I had my first phone call with AR yesterday. We have talked on the phone before when Sarah, Asa, or Cheryl gave her the phone and such, but yesterday evening she was in Grandma's room when I called and no one else was there. She picked up the phone, said hello, asked who it was, and then told me all about her day. She talked about painting the bathroom, baking Daddy a birthday pie, having pie and ice cream and singing happy birthday, she was great! She also told me about Woody getting in the garbage again and getting in trouble, and QT not listening when she was told to. We had a great phone call. Love Grandpap

This morning we woke up and there was note from the racoons. The note said all the toys were picked up so we ate the rest of the apple pie and it was so good. AR couldnt believe the racoons came and took the rest of the pie. Usually they threaten to come and take her toys when they arent picked up but to come and eat the rest of the pie and they left a note was unbelievable.

Today was Asa's Birthday! AR and I painted the bathroom for him. We put Happy Birthday Daddy on the wall with lots of fish and scribbles. We also painted, Have a great day and Love you. AR really likes we she gets to paint on the walls. We even managed to make him an apple pie with the apples we bought from the orchard. We found our big toaster oven and a piece of corning ware and hoped for the best. I tried to find our pie plates but couldnt. Not without digging through many boxes. In the first few I looked in I found a corning ware dish. I thought this will work. This may not make sense to some. We do not have an oven. This is why it was such a big deal to bake a pie. Amazingly it turned out great. The top got a little crispy and I didnt have any cinnamon but I improvised and it turned out great.

This is the pool I had dumped a few hours earlier. People from the east coast are probaly use to this but in CO it just doesnt rain like this and as often.

The picture on the right is a good reason why we have to change the girl's clothes so often. We have way more laundry here.

Another soggy wet day and it of coarse is Asa's Day off. He went hunting this morning and now he is putting QT in for a nap or should I say they are napping together. AR and I just went out and took pictures of the goats in their new home. Since it is raining they are all indoors. It takes forever to load pictures onto the blog with dial up but I will be patient and hopefully get some good ones posted. You'll be able to see why the girls go through so many clothes here. Every time they come outside with us they come back soaking wet and muddy. We have a kiddy pool and I dumped it this morning and it is already half full of water. The weather here is very similar to where we lived in AK but we have had many nicer days here at least so far.

Grandma came outside to visit yesterday while we were working on the fence and she commented on our stroller. We had QT in the front with hay bail string draping over the top. A roll of wire, wire cutters and a few other tools in the cup holder and in the bottom we had all the insulators for the fence with the power drill and hammers with a feed bucket. She told us we were going Redneck.

I will have to post the pictures later. I keep getting an error message.

Asa is holding up the bag of bass he put in the pond yesterday. You can also see some of the goats in the background.

Woody, Woody, Woody! You were doing so well. Then you had to go and have two monsterous poops and pee in the hall way. Without even trying to let us know you had to go out. AR noticed her dolls feet were missing. She showed me this morning. I told her, that looks like it really hurts, she said "yeah it does." Woody you went two nights sleeping inside without being in your kennel and then you blew it. I woke up at 3am to the smell of poop I put Woody outside. We all woke up to garbage all over the yard. He made a royal mess of the trash not only inside but outside. He was then put in his other kennel which he urinated and pooped in. This was two kennels both messy. One with poop and urine, the other with vomit. Asa took them both to the car wash this evening and cleaned them. Woody is now in his kennel whining but he is still in trouble and after last night there is no way I am going to be suckered into letting him out tonight.

After breakfast the girls and I went to the state park and they played on the playground and I read the paper. It was chilli but they had lots of fun and the park is closed for the winter so there is absolutely no one there. We then went into town to go to Micheals but it was so busy the parking lot was full. We decided to skip it and go during the week and to go to lunch instead.

When we got home Asa was already home from work. We went to fix the electric fence for we saw in the dark sparks of where it was grounded. Some wires were touching the poles where they shouldnt have been which made the fence not work properly. It has been raining here the last few days so the fields are very muddy to work in. Today it did not rain but it was cool. Asa needed to test the fence so he touched it. It gave him a big jolt and he couldnt move his arm for a few seconds. Soon after he touched it the cat came through the barn and accidently ran into it. He cried so loud and jumped. I wonder if he is down a live. QT came over to where we were working and we to her not to touch the fence many times and while we turned our backs on her for a split second she reached out and grabbed the fence. She was stunned and started screaming. I felt so bad for her.

It was now time to transfer the does to their new pasture. The first few went very smooth. They followed the food bucket right into their new quarters. There were about six which followed. AR wanted to try next. She didnt quite follow instructions but she did well. They almost made it to the new area. Asa was able to get a hold of one and another followed. There was then three running loose. Grandma even joined us to help get them in the barn/pasture. It took a while but we were able to corral them into the field. The skidish goats were still left in the milk barn and had to be transferred. Two Asa caught and we each had a horn and walked each one to the field and then released them. Another one was small enough he carried it. The last two are the scardy goats. We got two dog leashes and collars which Grandma got off the porch while dragging Happy Birthday down to the pasture. We couldnt believe she actually touched HB let alone dragged her the whole way to the barn. Once we had the collars as was able to tackle/pin one goat and I held it by the horns while he did the same to the other goat. She was hard because she had no horns. We were able to get the collars and leashes on them to place them in their new home. At least for a while. All the goats seemed to be happy this evening.

Another rainy day on the farm. Last night we started to bring the goats out of the barn to their outside area when we descovered the electric fence isnt working. We tested it before we brought the goats out and it was working. It was very frustrating. We decided to put the few goats we had out back in the barn where they will be safe. However we were unable to catch one, Janet, is her name. She is a nice smart goat with a black head and white body. We decided to leave her out with Happy Birthday. It is so cold and rainy I havent ventured out to check on them yet. AR and I will need to feed and water all of them soon anyway. Goat catching isnt always easy and electric fences are tempremantal.

We recieved our 100 large mouth bass yestereday. Asa and AR released them into the pond yesterday.

Our feeding frenzie. Today AR and I went out to feed the goats after preschool. Happy Birthday must have heard us coming because she had her head stuck out the bottom of the door where it is broken off. When we went to open the door all the other goats were already there to greet us which makes it very difficult to push past them to feed them. Happy Birthday usually can get her head in and out of the door very easily but because all the other goats were standing there she was stuck. And we were stuck at the door. I put one bucket of grain down and went inside while AR stood there with the water. When I came back the door was wide open and Happy Birthday had escaped. No big deals she is easy to catch. However, there were six others standing in the door way looking like they could make a break for it. Luckily there was still some corn in the bucket I had left and I was able to get them back in the door with a little rattle of the bucket. I was envisioning the worst when I saw them all standing free at the wide open door. Happy Birthday even went back on her own.

Next we had to go feed the bucks. For the past couple of weeks we had noticed one may have the beginnings of a cold. It was sneezing alot and not hanging with the others as much. Well today it had a huge runny nose and was blowins snot all over the place. Just like a little kid when they are sick. Luckily we had just talked to the lady who has the big goat heard yesterday about what to do when they get sick. It was a trip to Agway to get pennicillin and a few syringes. It was too dark to administer the antibiotic by the time Asa and I got home so we hope the goat is still alive tomorrow. Then we will both get to play Veterinarian and try to figure out how many cc's of Meds to give and how often and where to inject the medication. It shouldnt be too hard. Just catching and holding the buck still will be the most difficult part.

With all of the fencing we have been doing and now having to administer drugs to our animals we are starting to look like real farmers.

Today Asa, the girls and I woke up early and drove to Cayuga. It is a small town just south west of Syracuse. Once we were off the highway the trip was beautiful. Lots of hills of full colored trees and so many apple orchards we were overwhelmed. We had no idea they were there. We stopped at a few and bought some of the best apples I have ever tasted. They are like candy. In Cayuga was another goat rancher. Her goats had sixty kids and we went to look at them and her facility. She was very nice and extremely informative. Most of the day was rainy and windy but we all had fun.

Happy Birthday now has 18 lady friends to keep her company. However, she would still be with us and on the porch. Yesterday Asa and I spent the entire day putting up the electric fence for our new goats. It looks nice and it works. In the late afternoon we went to pick up the twenty goats which were purchased. 18 does and 2 bucks. The one buck is older and tried to have his way with all of the bucks we already have, all day today. The other buck is a painted 100% Boer Register buck and is only 10 months old. He got to spend the night with the ladies because when we were off loading the goats into the milk house we were unable to catch him and it was dark. This afternoon Asa was able to corner him with some food and put him in with the rest of the bucks. So if he was able to have his way with any of the ladies we will have kids in April.

The herd is doing well and the girls love to feed them and hang out with them. QT thinks they are so funny. She doesnt seem to mind getting knocked over by them either.

Our current Animal count is

1 Hen
7 Buck Goats
19 Doe Goats
1 Dog
2 Cats

Rats and mice arent considered pets. We are hoping we dont have any of them at least in the house.

Grandma is back and is trying to readjust back to farm living. We tell her she just shouldnt leave then she doesnt have to go through this adjustment period.

Asa and I still have lots of fencing to complete. We are trying to put the goats into large quadrants so we can rotate them around. Hopefully we get faster and more efficient each time.

The Lesson learned today on the farm....Its not wise to wear flip flops and feed 5 hungry buck goats. Their hooves really hurt!

Today on the farm we invented a walking fertilizer system. We put the bucket of feed in the back of the stroller and Happy Birthday wouldnt leave it alone so I kept walking with the stroller and she had her front feet in the bottom of the stroller and was walking behind us eating while pooping. Thus the walking fertilizer system which can also lul your baby to sleep.

Asa hooked up the electric fence at the bottom of the stairs so that the goat will not poop on the porch. It worked really well. She ran very fast the first time she got zapped. Woody on the other hand it took him about 4 times. It was a little nerve racking getting into the house, trying to step over it. We know it doesnt hurt its just the antisipation of knowing you may get zapped.

QT was suppose to be in her crib, I had just checked on her and I was doing dishes. It was no more than 2 minute when I started to taste something weird. I turned around and saw a cloud of white pouring out of the living room. In less than 2 minutes, QT, had gotten a hold of her fathers powder and dumped it all over the living room, in part of the kitchen, in the bathroom and all over our bedroom. Our blue carpets were no long blue they were white and it was difficult to breath because of the thick powder in the air. While cleaning up this mess; I look over into Grandma's bedroom and saw QT had pulled the clean wet clothes off of the rack onto the dirty floor. Tomorrow is another day.

This is a picture of a Boer Goat Buck. Ours arent quite this big yet but we hope they will be at least this big or bigger. Tonight Asa and I were out working on the fence again. The girls were playing in the field. AR was throwing her sister to the ground then dragging her sister by the hood of her sweat shirt thru the thick grass. After the third time we told her she would have to go inside if she didnt quit. Asa and I were in the field on a hill which over looks the farm and the sun was setting while the girls were playing, it was beautiful. Almost surreal and peaceful. We were all working together and everyone was happy. It was great. We never thought a year ago we would be worring about fencing and keeping coyotes out away from our goats.

Tonight it was QT's turn to ride the tractor back from the fields. She has only had 2 or 3 rides and AR always gets to go. Well QT loved it and AR had a fit and wined and cried the whole walk back. She did redeam herself in the end by being such a good helper.




Yesterday a man stopped by and I saw him out there talking to Asa, I was in the house. It looked like they knew one another because they were laughing. Then I saw them walk toward the road and thought maybe it was the neighbor who is working on the water construction team outside our house. They have been digging and blasting for the water line which should be done by spring of 2007. I asked Asa who that guy was and he said it was someone who wanted to know if we had a big red rooster. Appearently, the guy told Asa he didnt know why the Rooster crossed the road and guessed it might be suicide. Yep the rooster got ran over by a truck. The man was nice enough to tell us he killed our rooster. He said there was nothing he could do that the rooster jumped right out in front of him and began to try to fly and he hit him. Which is better than the lady who swerved to miss a sqirrel and hit us. I would rather him hit the rooster than crash his truck. We would have eatent he rooster for dinner but it was pretty mangled. He only had one tail feather left before he got hit due to Woody chasing him. Thats why we wonder if it was suicide or just an accident. He may have thought these people move in, their kids chase us out of our house, the dog is plucking us off one by one, my nerves are shot, I cant handle it any more. Our chicken count is very low. We have One hen and One chick left on the farm.

AR had balliet class today. It is very different from the class she took in Colorado. This one is much more regimented and the focus isnt to just have fun it is to learn and you will learn or be out of the class. So very structured. Which is ok. AR likes it. Although she almost got kicked out of class today because she kept laying on the floor. Then eating her Tutu. The instructor is from NYC and was on Broadway for many years and has now taught for many years. She is very nice and very patient with the students but you will listen or leave. She has the accent of Joey's manager Stella from Friends. The parents can only watch the first week of every month until January then they have to really focus on the recital at the end of June. AR has learned 1st, 2nd and 4th position and several other moves which have names that I can barely pronounce let alone spell, so I wont even try. It is very cute and she does have fun, it is just very different.