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.