i have not forgotten you, sweet friends..... 
actually, i think of writing often....
i just haven't seemed to find the time....
...i will come back to you asap ....i have much to share :)
have a wonderfully gorgeous day..... 

Goat Adventures...Part II

Directly after disbudding the kids, I mentioned that the buck (older one) needed some shelter repairs.  Heavy laden with shingles and hammer and nails, we entered his pen.  Now, I know I've mentioned that he likes to butt me, right?  I started playing with him like that when he was smaller.  Let me advise you now against that....  what started out cute when he was a kid is quickly becoming annoying and somewhat painful now that he is bigger.  He was ever so excited to see Darren, me, and Isaac coming into his pen.  Apparently he thought it was playtime??  I fended him off for awhile...taking pictures of Isaac mimicking Darren hammering and working...  at one point, he got most frisky and was going to do one of his little mid-air twirlies.  I happened to be standing beside him and his two back legs whipped around and slammed into my right shin.  OWWWWW!!!  I looked down in utter dismay and pain, and to my horror, saw that the vein on my shin had popped up as big as a water hose from my foot to almost my knee!!  I still cringe when I think of it!!  It totally freaked me out....just so you know....  and it was most painful.  Darren told me to lie down and elevate it so there I am up in the woods, lying on the pine needles, leg up in the air...having a conniption ....
It has since gone down (thank the Lord...that was most unsightly....lol) but I now have a bruise running up the front of my shin from foot to almost knee.  And an extra little bruise up at my knee for good measure.  It is very tender still.  I'm definitely feeling a little more cautious of his back legs when I go in to feed and water him daily.....and he's still pretty frisky...

Goat Adventures....The saga continues....

Two weekends ago, we decided to do a little maintenance where the goats are concerned.  Oh yeah...the trouble started there.  The two older females had *really* been needing a hoof trim.....I mean, really.  Soooo, after we were thinking after hoof trimming, we'd do some disbudding.  Have you ever hot ironed a baby goat's head?!?!?!  It is not pretty.  And not fun.  And not pleasing at all to the nasal orifices.  "We" have only done it once before.  Actually, my husband held the hot iron and his brother-in-law held the baby goat....all I did was turn my back and hold the stopwatch and pray the seconds would fly swiftly by so I could yell, "STOP!!"  At any rate, since it had been a year, I went inside to google disbudding and refresh myself on all the details.  While inside, Darren did the hoof trimming.
After perusing much information on disbudding, I returned outside....I was very much not looking forward to being an active participant, but knew we had to get it done.  Usually disbudding is performed inside a week of birth...our babies were 3 1/2 weeks old.  I had read tho, that even if they were showing spikes, it could still be done...it's just there's no guarantee there won't be scurs (any growth that doesn't come off) and/or future horn growth.  And just so you know, disbudding isn't a bad thing.  A goat with horns can injure a fellow goat while playing or it can get stuck in a fence.  Plus, I really don't like horned goats around kids.
So, we went to the pen, and got the little buck.  I had decided to be the one to hold the hot iron as opposed to the goat.  I was terrified that I wouldn't hold it tightly enough and something unfortunate would happen with the hot iron.  It was horrible.  Have you ever counted the seconds that you were making something else endure pain???  It seems to last forever.  He has hair on his head, so of course it was smoking...he was yelling....I think I stopped breathing during the entire episode.  Finally, it was over and I breathed....  we took him back to the pen...he ran to his momma...they "nuzzled" and talked and he was fine.  Time for the little doe.  For some reason, I had a hard time holding the iron to her head...I think she had more hair so it was smoking more.  I was just glad for it to be over with ....and ever so glad it only has to be done when we have new goats.  So, not very often and not many at a time.... 

Little "spikes" showing...  which will turn into horns later...and potentially be very harmful to herself or others

The evil hot iron...  shiver.....

Holding her head....

I think that I shall never see A poem lovely as a tree. A tree whose hungry mouth is prest Against the earth's sweet flowing breast; A tree that looks at God all day, And lifts her leafy arms to pray; A tree that may in Summer wear A nest of robins in her hair; Upon whose bosom snow has lain; Who intimately lives with rain. Poems are made by fools like me, But only God can make a tree. -- Joyce Kilmer