Monday April 30, 2007

Great day today. My mom and I worked in the yard, got the yard cleaned up from the winter and all ready for the summer, cleaned up my porches and made everything around the house and yard pretty and neat. I love this place. I am so lucky to live here.

The pastures are growing wonderfully. Another two weeks and we will be feeding off pasture completely.

Mom is still doing the feeding for me and I am enjoying the break.

Sunday April 29, 2007

My mom is doing all the feeding for me right now. A real treat for me - just having a break is great. And being free of that chore for a week really helps keep my back from hurting.

I puttered in my yard a bit, but took it easy today. Am sore and spent most of the day resting.

I sent my goose-suitor to a new home today. I was quite sad to see him go, but he has attached to me so solidly that he is quite aggressive towards anyone around me. And even when he is not aggressive, he "nips" people all the time. Aggression or not, his "nips" really hurt. He has bitten some kids who come up here regularly and I just couldn't keep him around. But I didn't want anything to happen to him. I found him a good home with a friend who has 3 pet geese. She is great with birds and will keep him as a pet. He may even finally have a mate that is actually a goose!

Sat April 28, 2007

When I got home from town the other day I realized that all my turkeys and one of my peacocks were gone. I didn't realize it was turkey season or I would have locked up my turkeys, though I am sure my big Tom did not leave my yard. I imagine some hunter saw that big, beautiful bird down here, noticed that no-one was home and shot him. Sometimes I wish we could make this road private. People who don't live up here litter, destroy things and steal things off our land without a thought all the time.

I felt good enough today that my mom was able to help me plant my spring flower gardens around the yard (she did the planting - I am am still restricted in my movements). I love my plants. My mom commented that I have a great love of growing things - horses, goats, plants... I just love to nourish new life and provide a place for it to thrive.

Friday April 27, 2007

Decided to make my blog private (just open to people I specifically invite). It is fine with me if any of those people share it with others, but for now it occurred to me that it is more about our life here than my business and is not always the face I want to present through my business. I have to figure out what to do about that before I make it public again.

Have been in town for a couple days at my sister's. I am healing well, though I sometimes get frustrated about it. My dad and his wife were a huge help and now my mom is here. Dave comes home a week from Sunday to take over. His job is going great and all the animals here are doing well.

Tuesday April 24, 2007

Very sore today. Back hurts if I move much at all. Paying for yesterday, I suppose. I took it easy. Fed in the morning, then slept. Went out during the afternoon to fix one more stretch of fence. Couldn't get the chainsaw started, so my dad chopped a tree in half with an ax. Then we fed in the evening and there was a tree down in the road. He had to chop that one down with an ax as well! I didn't know my dad was such a mountain man!

Monday April 23, 2007

Dad and I got the horses back in and then spent three hours mending the fences around half of their pasture, just to have 6 of them waltz out the other half before we got to it. He did all the lifting. It was hard enough just to walk the pastures with my back, but I managed to help. Slept all afternoon and then went out feeding again, and got the horses in again.

I am sore from the inside out. Going to bed. Will need to start feeding morning and evenings at set times to give these guys a routine. Also will feed a small bit of grain at each meal. Hopefully those things will help keep them around as we get the fencing fixed.

Sunday April 22, 2007

Got home in the afternoon and all the animals seemed fine. But this evening all the youngsters got out - ten of them. My dad, Ruth and I ended up walking all over (and driving all over) trying to get them back in, but didn't manage it. By the time it was full dark they had headed past the ranch and we just let them go. I am too sore to keep going at this tonight. Tomorrow I am going to have to fix one of my pastures so that it holds the herd. I had hoped to limp by on weak fences until June when I have fencing help, but I can't do that. I am going to have to figure out how to fix these fences with my back as it is. And how to get 10 horses home without being able to ride. That will be tomorrow's work, I suppose.

Saturday April 21, 2007

Am finding it a bit hard to be at the ranch, since I can do so little. Will head down to town for the night and spend tomorrow with my sister's family. Jarred is taking care of everyone here.

Thursday April 19, 2007

Got a great birthday present today. Dave got a job and will be able to work from home more than half the time. He will go out to Chicago one week per month and live at home the rest of the time. He starts work on Tuesday. Thank goodness.

Got home for the first time since my accident. Clara (one of the goats) had two babies. My female turkeys are gone, but that's not the end of the world. For the most part, all is well. I need help getting around some, can't keep a fire going since I can't lift the logs and can't take care of the animals, so it is good my Dad and Ruth are here for the week. My neighbor is going to help feed each day.

Wednesday April 18, 2007

Dave when up to the ranch today to get Ryder and bring him to town. He has to do some AI breeding this week and I usually wait to get the call that the mare is ready and rush him down the mountain for that. Knew we couldn't do that, so we took him to the vet and will leave him there until the AI work is done. May leave him longer as well. I am going to have some family and friends helping me these next few weeks until I can walk normally again, and I don't want anyone else to have to deal with the stallion if he were to get out or something.

Poor Dave got to the ranch, discovered that the house was freezing and had to split wood and build a fire. Then he tied Ryder up and got the trailer ready and Ryder untied himself and went waltzing around the year. With Dave's tendon injury and his ankle in a cast, he had a hard time catching up with him and getting him in the trailer. Then the turkey attacked Ryder and freaked him out. Then Rajah and a neighbor dog followed him to town and he had to put them in the truck and take them with him. Dave finally got him to town and as Ryder jumped out of the trailer he landed on Dave's foot. The whole trip took 5 hours.

I am doing much better today. Able to sit and stand up on my own for the first time. Will head home tomorrow for my birthday!

Had two baby goats born today!

Tuesday April 17, 2007

On Saturday, my brother-in-law and my 3-year-old niece came up to go horse back riding. We saddled up two horses and my niece rode with me. About 30 minutes into the ride, a few miles back on our mountain, my horse stumbled hard. I pulled her head up to help her regain her balance, but quickly realized that I could not hold onto my niece and hold the reigns up. I dropped the reigns to grab my niece and the horse went down. My niece and I were both thrown over her head.

I locked my niece in my arms and twisted in the air so that I would land on my back with her protected against my stomach. As we hit the ground my arms were thrown open and she was propelled out of them and onto the ground next to me. I still had her feet locked into my hands and Tucked under my body a bit, so she didn't go far. She ended up with a scuff on her helmet and a scrape on her hip, but otherwise unhurt.

I fractured a vertebrae in my back (L3) and though we didn't know exactly what was wrong at the time, it was clear we were not moving me. Miraculously, Dave came along on the golf cart minutes after the fall and he was able to rush back to the house and jump in the car to go get our neighbors, who are EMTs. They called an ambulance and rushed up to start treating me.

It took about an hour to get me ready to move - there were four trucks and an ambulance and over a dozen paramedics. They decided not to try and get me down the road with a back injury and called for a helicopter. Loaded me in and had me in the hospital in 10 minutes.

My fracture is mild, considering. No surgery needed and pain drugs help a lot with the pain. I will need help moving from a sitting, standing and laying position for a few days. Help walking for the next few weeks, maybe month or so. I spend most days on my back right now, but can sit or stand for short periods. Jarred is feeding for us right now, since we have been staying at my sisters until I can handle the ride up our road. I hope to get home by Friday.

All in all, we're doing quite well here. Dave is staying with me until the weekend and my Dad and his wife are coming up for a few weeks. The animals are all well and the horses were not hurt during all this. We will keep everyone posted as things develop.

Friday April 13, 2007

Pretty normal day with feeding and a little ranch work. Dave had an interview by phone for the Minneapolis situation and it looks good - he's heading back there shortly to meet them in person.

This evening we came home from my sister's to find Georgia, one of our goats, had just given birth to three babies! She wasn't due till May - I imagine that with three inside her she birthed early. They are beautiful and healthy.

Thursday April 12, 2007

Picked up Dave last night and got home around midnight. We took it easy today. Cleaned the barn, did a little yard work and fed animals. I worked with Sahara, taking her through some Parelli training. She is so smart and quick to learn. Jarred finished removing the greenhouse and garden fence and we are ready to plow that area up. Dave had two job contacts today - two phone interviews and one tomorrow.

Tuesday April 10, 2007

Fed the animals and Jarred showed up to work for the day. We moved about 2 tons of hay from a pile in front of our barn to various barns that will need hay on and off through the summer months. I groomed and worked with Big Red, Sahara and Rose on leading and manners. Walked Big Red to the far pasture to return him to the other youngsters. Keeping Rose and Sahara in a pen near the house for a bit - they need daily work right now. Worked with them for a few hours then went in to sleep some.

Seeded pastures (3 of them) and got the greenhouse and garden fence torn down. It was rotting and we have decided that more effective in this climate would be window boxes that sit closer to the ground. One of the female turkeys got caught in her fence and badly hurt. We put her down and slaughtered her. She is in the oven now. I had hoped to keep her for breeding, but she was just too badly hurt.

Fixed some downed fences in the Blue Moon pasture. Tired tonight.

Week without Internet - Dave's Job

Things are not going well with Dave's job situation yet. We moved him out to Minneapolis to work for a firm that hires people out to big companies to do high tech work for them. Our understanding of what we were getting into was different than what is there. They do not have a job for him yet and will not put him on the payroll until they do. So he is still not working. He has begun applying for jobs all over the country again. Had an interview in L.A. yesterday. I feel like we are starting over.

Talked him into taking the train from Minneapolis and coming home until we hear something. No reason for him to be sitting out there when he could be here. He leaves tonight (Tuesday) and will get home Wednesday evening. About a 22 hour drive.

Week without Internet - Death and Crying For Days

Some aspects of ranch life I will never find easy to take. I do not know why death has to be such a constant companion of nature.

I got a week-old baby goat last week which I tried to get one of my mothers to accept. When they wouldn't, I took her in the house to raise like a puppy. I bought her diapers made for dogs (she never had an accident in the house, once) and I bottle fed her. She romped around the house and followed me all over the ranch. Her name was Rambler and I really adored her. Every afternoon I put her out with the other goats for a few hours so that she got use to being with goats as well as people. Then we'd do back to the house and she would sleep on my lap or explore the house until she got tired, then crawl into the bed I made for her and sleep through the night.

Thursday evening, I went to town and I became so exausted I couldn't figure out where I was or what was going on around me. I got myself to my sister's house and just crashed. Was about as wiped out as I have been in a long time - could barely function. I slept until late and then limped home. I had put Rambler in the goat pasture before I left for town and I checked on her briefly when I returned, then left her there. I didn't have the energy for anything but sleeping. I went to bed.

The next morning I found her dead. I assume she got trampled by the other goats and, without a mother to protect her, couldn't get out of the way. I didn't know that was a risk, but I should have. I have seen it happen before - small things can't get by without protection. I stood there stairing at her and I couldn't believe my little one was dead. I kept begging myself to do something differently, but it was too late. I went back to the house and crawled into bed. I cried all day. I should never have left her out there. I should never have left her out.

Week without Internet - Goat Pastue Improvments

Jarred and I have been working on some improvements to the goat pasture this week. We build a number of things for the baby goats to play on, including a teater-toter. They jump up there and rock up and down, trying to knock eachtoher off. The youngsters are strong and healthy and a neighbor family has bought them (when they are weaned) to take home as pets.

Week without Internet - Goose

My male goose has once again settled on me as his mate. He is much more serious about it now, following me everywhere when I am outside. He coos at me, flutters his neck and rubs against me, wooing me in true goose style. He watches the windows of the house, hoping I will come out, often seeing me sitting in the living room or passing by a window and rushes to the house to entice me out. I think he has decided that I am truly the finest mate because what other goose has a mate who makes food appear every time she walks outside? He stands around as I feed the other birds, preening, clearly proud of me.

He also protects me avidly when I am outside. He even walked the 1/4 mile to the far pasture with me, strutting by my side and then getting out ahead of me when we were turning a corner, so he could protect me from anything unexpected that we came across. Rajah, who has spent his life doing just that, kept looking back and I could swear he was shaking his head in disgust. He is not impressed with my suitor's protestations of protection and love (though I've noticed that any time the goose goes after HIM, he tucks his tail and runs, yelping, towards the house.)

Week without Internet - Lost Horses

Jarred fed for me for about 5 days and when I took back over I counted my horses in the far pasture and came up 3 short. Not unusual in and of itself, since they are getting out regularly. But I can always tell when there are horses out and around the property somewhere (everyone else is always a little excited about the escaped crew being around) and on this day it was clear to me that there were no horses anywhere near-by at all. It soon became clear to me that these three horses were nowhere near by and had not been for many days.

I saddled up Destiny on Easter Sunday and road her for about 3 hours. Explored further back into the hills than I have ever gone. Beautiful ride and really enjoyed it, but saw no sign of my horses. I realized they couldn't be within 5 miles of the ranch or I would have seen them. I was getting ready to start looking in near-by towns. I stopped everyone I met on the road and asked, but no-one had seen them.

Monday night someone came by the ranch and said they had found them. They were 10 miles away, down by the town of Arlee. I hooked up a trailer and went to get them. They had been living it up, having a good old time being wild horses and were quite wild when we got them back. Sahara (my 3 year old Arab-mix) was the leader. The other two just followed her out there. She is a really fabulous horse but needs a challenging life and is a teenage girl, through and through. Just ditched us to go find excitement somewhere. I now have her in a small, secure pen I set up with panels and will start working with her every day. She is perfectly content to stick around if she is getting attention regularly. But I don't think I have a pasture that will hold her otherwise.

Week without Internet - Fencing

Fencing is the bane of my existence right now. I just have to limp by until I have help and can replace a lot of this old fencing with reliable stuff, but spring is a hard time to do that. I have gone up to the far pasture to feed a half a dozen times in the past few weeks and had to fix fences, round up horses and get everyone back where they belong. I have Ryder and the moms in one of the only secure places on the property, but the youngsters keep finding ways to get out. Lots of fixing fences this week.