Wednesday May 30, 2007

I was exhausted all day today. Am finding that since my back injury I am even more easily tired than usual and what would otherwise be small amounts of work leave me exhausted and hurting.

I went to town to get 10 bales of straw (for the birthing stalls) and the last piece of equipment we needed to try stitching our new Foal Monitoring system into the mares. When I got home Dave and I took the mares over to the vet stocks we made last year and did the procedures. It basically involves stitching (with needle and surgical thread) a plastic transmitter to the mare's vulva (under the tail). This is the first time I have done a medical procedure like this on my own and I was quite pleased with it.

We then spent an hour or so putting up the antennas and setting up the alarm box that the transmitters send a signal to when the birth begins. Then we fed animals, moved the two mares to the birthing pastures and I walked Destiny down to the Back 20 (she has been in a stall all week because of some swelling in her leg).

As we were feeding we found that one of our ducks just hatched out a whole bunch of adorable baby ducks. She has been nesting in the greenhouse that is attached to the house - a safe, warm place. I brought her water and food and locked her in so the cats don't get her ducklings.

For the fifth time this week we saw a coyote in the yard. Earlier in the week we lost a baby goat to the coyotes, and we have also lost an adult goose, we think. We tried to shoot the coyote (the only way we can protect our animals if Louie is not always here) but it ran before we could get the gun up. I wish there was a better way to keep them away. I don't want to hurt them - they are neat animals. But I have to protect my stock and they are getting very brave.

Tuesday May 29, 2007

I've been quite worn out lately, so I slept in late today. Fed animals, then hiked a mile up to a neighbor's house to ask for help pulling our two trucks and the horse trailer out of the mud we have gotten the ALL stuck in this week. He said he'd come down after work.

We are trying a new Foal Monitoring system to help us be present at births without having to stay up all night for days on end. It requires suchering transmitters to the mares' vulva's. We put these in 2 weeks ago and in both our mares they were destroyed - looks like we put them in too tight. I called the vet and he said he would re-do them if we could get he mares to him tonight, which requires our trailer. I told him I would try to get there once (if) we got the vehicles out of the mud.

Our neighbor, Evan, came down to help about 4:30pm. He had a duelly (very good in mud) and we put chains on all tires but still almost got him stuck trying to pull our Chevy out. He and Dave worked for 2 hours getting the two trucks out of the mud, only to get the Dodge stuck again (we left it - the Chevy is the most important truck right now). Then they worked another hour and a half getting the trailer out, only to find that there was no way to do that except to go right through a large (luckily dead) tree. They got out the chainsaw to cut down the tree, but our big chainsaw got run over by a truck this winter and we only have a small one, which couldn't do the job. They eventually switched to an ax and just chopped the thing down, then drove the trailer out over the stump.

By this time it was far too late to get to the vet. I talked to him and he said he would leave the equipment out for me at his office and I could try to do it myself. So Dave and I went down to town to pick up those supplies, only to find that one (essential) thing was left out of the bag. I will have to go to town again tomorrow to get that last piece, then we will try to stitch these transmitters into the mares ourselves.

Monday May 28, 2007 (Memorial Day)

Well, we saw a coyote again near the house and this time Louie went after it. But apparently not in time. One of the baby goats is gone and I imagine it was a coyote that took it. I hate that. Will have to keep a closer wrap on my goats. I like letting the animals free-range, but I may need to limit that if we can't get rid of these coyotes.

We took the Dodge down to the barn area to get the Chevy out of the mud and promptly got it stuck as well. The 4-wheel-drive is broken and it couldn't handle the mud without it.

We moved a number of horses and did a number of odd-jobs that needed to be done, but mostly I feel frustrated with the day, since we now have all of our vehicles stuck in the mud and I need to go to town tomorrow. May not be able to.

Mariah and Echo are getting close to their birthing time. Mariah's milk has turned cloudy, though Echo's is still clear.

Sunday May 27, 2007

We did a bit more work in the tack room today, hanging saddle stands and building the last of the walls. Then we tried to pull the trailer up to the barn so we could unload all the tack we have stored in there. I was careless and tried to pull through wet, soggy mud. Got both the trailer and truck stuck. Arg! Will try to fix that tomorrow.

The goat kids are not nursing both sides on their own so we are doing some milking still, though mostly we let them drink when we can.

Saw a coyote in the yard today but didn't get a shot off after it in time to kill it. I am quite worried about my animals and have decided we need to get these guys - they are getting more and more brave.

Saturday May 26, 2007

Dave and I got up around 10am today and fed horses, milked the goat and generally got ready for the farrier to come. We puttered on the tack room project till he got here. Then we trimmed 10 horses. As each finished I wormed and vaccinated them and then moved them to their new pastures (we are moving everyone around to give the present pastures a break).

Mariah's bag is starting to come in but Echo's is not.

We saw that the goat's udder was healed and decided to try and get her babies to nurse out of that side as well as the other one (so we don't have to keep milking her every day). Worked great and we are hoping that will allow the babies to get that milk from now on.

Friday May 25, 2007

After getting up at 6am to milk our goat, I went back to sleep and slept till 10 or so. Dave and I headed down to town and I had a few appointments in town while he worked at my sister's. We met Sarah for dinner and then came home around dark. As we went to the back pasture to feed, we heard yelling and a woman hollered that their truck was stuck and they needed help getting it out. Another town person coming out here to play in the mud who decided that our meadow looked like the best mud they could find and tore into it, not caring that someone might own it and not want it ripped to shreds. We got them unstuck. They commented on how bad they thought it was that there were so many houses up here now - getting to the point where a guy can't even come up here and play with his truck anymore. I thought about finding out where they live and taking our bit, 3/4 ton diesel truck and doing wheelies in their front yard to see if they liked that...but instead we just helped them get unstuck and sent them on their way.

Thursday May 24, 2007

We had a fabulous visit with our clients today. After getting to sleep at 2am I got up at 6am with Dave to milk our goat, then went back to bed. Got up in time to pick them up in Frenchtown at 10am and they spent the day here. Showed them the horses and they helped me do a fabulous job on grooming Flicka, Cami and Destiny. We made them lunch, then the man, Greg, and their exchange student took our horses out riding while the woman and I went on a hike. By the time they left and Dave and I got home, we were exhausted but feeling good about the day. (The picture is their exchange student riding Flicka (who is very pregnant).

Wednesday May 23, 2007

I spent the whole day cleaning the house. Spent all of Monday doing laundry and finally finished it today. Trying to get things looking nice for some clients that are coming up tomorrow. (The house has been a bit of a wreck lately - not time to clean).

After work Dave and I worked on straightening the outside of the ranch - putting away piles of junk that have been left out. Our neighbor, Evan, came by and we took a quick break to de-horn the two newest baby goats (YUCK) and then he stayed around to help us with the ranch work. Came back in and stayed up till 2am finishing the inside of the house (it was really very dirty).

Tuesday May 22, 2007

This evening Dave and I got started building my new tack room. I am very excited about this. One more couple-hour session and it should be done! Goat is doing well - milked her out twice again. Have been getting up at 6am so we can milk her together before Dave has to work. Ugh!

Saturday May 19, 2007

Dave and I milked the goat twice today and did some ranch work. We baked muffins and sweetbreads and took them down to the Frenchtown firedepartment for their training day (to thank them for their help with my accident). Then we spent a few hours building a goat milking stand out of scraps we have around the ranch. It is 100 times easier to milk her in a stand and we are quite pleased.

Friday May 18, 2007

Got up and left the ranch by 10:30 AM. Dave helped me load Isabelle into a dog crate and we put her two tiny babies in a cat crate next to her. Took her down to the vet where he looked at her, gave her some meds and then milked her out for me. I will need to milk her out often and give meds once per day. The vet got over 4 cups of milk out of the one side of her udder.

Got Ryder's feet trimmed today. Got home and took care of the feeding, took care of rabbits and goats and baked a bunch of sweet breads and muffins to take to the Frenchtown Fire department tomorrow to thank them for their help during my accident.

Thursday May 17, 2007

We are a little worried about Isabelle, the goat with the inflamed udder. If she gets an infection in that udder she will get very sick - we are suppose to milk her out many times a day to help the inflammation go down. A bit overwhelmed by that. Its actually somewhat hard work and my back is not taking to it. We worked on it this evening again and will get up before Dave starts work at 7am tomorrow morning to do it again.

Wednesday May 16, 2007

Today is the first day in a long while when I got good rest. Very little that the animals need right now, as the horses are all eating grass at this point. The newest mama goat had a plug stuck in one of her teats and it had swollen up to 10 times its normal size - we had to milk her out really well. Fluff (the little black chicken) hatched a baby - one out of the whole nest, so far. Dave moved 1000 lbs of grain out of the truck and unloaded our plywood from the trailer (for making the new tack room). I am at that stage where I feel good enough to be wishing I could do more, but not good enough to do anything. Hoping I can keep getting rest anyway.

Tuesday May 15, 2007

Our white pair of geese hatched out two really fuzzy babies and are strutting around the yard with them. I spent three hours looking for Sahara, who was off wandering the hills, then spent four hours driving her and Onyx to the trainers. They will start their riding training today.

Sunday May 13, 2007

Our last goat had babies today! A boy and a girl - beautiful. All the animals are doing well. I am struggling - exausted, sore and my stomach problems are flaring. Can't keep food down. Trying to get rest.

Saturday May 12, 2007

Dave spent over nine hours working with the bobcat. We dumped all the dirt we removed from the padock area in the garden and my garden is now 4 feet high. Not exactly sure what we are going to do about that...

Exausted after all this work. Hoping to get some rest soon.

Friday May 11, 2007

We rented a bobcat this evening for the weekend. Hoping to get the padock area around the big barn cleaned out - I spent three hours running it and removed over a foot of earth in some areas. It was really quite fun and we are hoping to use this to improve the drainage around that barn.

Thursday May 10, 2007

I fed and then worked in my office most of the day. Rested some. In the afternoon I went to groom Onyx and after work Dave come to his pen to help me get a few preliminary pictures of him for our sale page. We raced around on the golf cart (aka "The Grampa Mobile"), fed and got back to the house before five. Sarah came over for dinner and a movie. Dave went to bed and I am on my way that direction too.

Wednesday May 9, 2007

Okay, so much for the recuperating. I fed and took care of horses, but was so worn out I slept most of the day. After Dave was done with work we had to move around a bunch of horses and that ended up being a huge process. Took us two hours and we were both exhausted and frustrated when it was done. We decided to go to town to get dinner.

Tuesday May 8, 2007

Vet came after noon. Worked with him till late. Did two geldings (Big Red and Corry) and we implanted two mares with my new Foaling alert system. We did shots and gave two fillies an ovulation push (they got in with Ryder but are too young to foal safely). Worked most of the day.

That evening a neighbor came over to help us de-horn our 5 baby goats. Boy, what a nasty process. We started with the paste method, but had to hold this goat for 30 minutes to keep it from rubbing the paste on itself, then tie it for 6 hours to keep it still. That was horrid. So we tried the burning method for the other four and, though I hated it, it was quick and within minutes the goats were romping and playing again. Took about 3 hours total. We made dinner and Sarah and Evan (both neighbors who showed up to help) stayed to eat.

Dave and I were both so sore and exausted from two days of hard work that we fell into bed. We should have the next couple evenings to recouperate!

Monday May 7, 2007

Dave and I worked after he finished work (at home!!). We spent about 4 hours moving horses, fencing, and putting away over 1000 lbs of grain. A neighbor came by to help us do most of it and that was greatly appreciated. I did very little of the actual work, since I can't do anything heavy with my back yet.

Dave and I caught 4 horses and brought them down to the house for the vet tomorrow.

Sunday May 6, 2007

Went into town with my mom and the horse trailer early in the day. Picked up my nice and took her to the park so my sister and her husband (and mom) could go look at some houses. Also took her with me to pick up a horse. Drove to Stevensville to get Onyx, a 3-year-old we sold a year ago. His owners have to move out of state and need to sell their horses. We are handling Onyx's sale for them.

Got back and dropped off my niece. Went to pick up Dave and we took Onyx home. Dave is finally home!!

Friday May 4, 2007

Temps in the mid-high 30's today with lots of heavy snow on and off. I spent the day resting, trying to recoup from doing too much yesterday. Animals are doing well. A coyote came calling, but he dogs sent him packing. I went down to town to pick up the first part of a ton of grain that I ordered a while ago. Picked up my mom to come back up as well - thought I could use a little more help the next couple days. Trying not to over-do it.

Thursday

Before we could use the tiller I rented we had to get the truck and trailer out of the mud, which was worse than when I got it stuck because we got 6 inches of wet, heavy snow last night and it was still coming down hard this morning. Jarred had to go to a neighbor to borrow a special kind of jack, then spend an hour digging the trailer out just so we could get it unhooked and get the truck free. He called another neighbor who works from home and asked for help getting the trailer out (that neighbor has a truck we thought would pull it free - mine wouldn't). He came over and the two of them spent another hour digging and pulling and getting that free. We have good neighbors up here - he said he was happy to get to play with his truck.

We got the garden tilled and I went to town. I had loaded up 6 chickens to give to a client/friend who recently lost her chickens. As I pulled in I noticed that Nefertari (this was the client who bought Nefertari from me) had a baby by her side. Turned out she had the baby that night (1:43 in the morning) and Kathy (client/friend) got to be there for the whole thing. Beautiful baby of Ryder's.

Called another client while I was in town. She had left me a message and wanted to see Ryder. She said she lived down on Deschamps Lane and I told her that was where Ryder was at the moment - at Western Montana Equine. She was very excited - said she had been drooling over him since he got there. Had seen him every day in their pastures. I introduced them and I think that she will breed to him.

Got home after 10pm. My mom stayed in town to help my sister. Going to see how I do alone for a few days. Dave comes home on Sunday.

Wednesday May 2, 2007

Destiny is better and came home today. She had a piece of a stick wedged in her ankle. One of the problems with letting the horses roam in pastures with hillsides and woods...

Got home this evening with her and promptly got the trailer stuck in front of the big barn. I forgot that it had been raining for two day up here too and would be too muddy to turn around down there. Arg. My mom walked to the far pasture to feed for me and took a sled to pull the bales (even though there is no snow). Other than that, everything is good here. I am healing quickly and doing remarkably well.

Tuesday May 1, 2007

Got up today and mom did the feeding. We loaded up a winter's worth of ranch trash, old fencing and such, into the truck (took most of the morning). We planned to go to town for my sister's birthday and spend the night. Jarred was working at the ranch and keeping an eye on things.

As we got ready to leave, we saw that Destiny was limping. We pulled her out and washed up her legs (its been raining and she was splashed with mud). Got her fixed up and found that she has some swelling in her ankle - maybe an abscess. Hooked up the trailer and took her to town. Left her for the vet.

Also arranged for Ryder to do an AI shipment today. The vet did it and he spoke for a while about how impressed he is with Ryder as a stallion. Such good manners, so polite and easy to control. I was really glad to hear such a good report on him!