Goat Maintenance

My love for my goats has not waned. HOWEVER, goat chores in the winter have lost their charm and fun. Seriously. Going out to feed and water them when it's -10 is not a great job. Luckily I have a great "farm hand" (Kennedi) to help me. But even so, not a treat. So, yesterday when it warmed up to a balmy 18 degrees, I decided it was time to get things done.

The girls needed a vaccine before their "fornication vacation" (a.k.a. Breeding Season); they all needed to get their wormer done; they needed their little hooves trimmed; the bedding needed a freshening, etc. So, Kennedi, Lauren and I set out on that adventure.

Let me say, I'm not a vet. I'm not a nurse. This goat thing is the first time I've ever given shots. I'm probably not even particularly good at it. But, I don't think they notice. The vaccine, however, was scary. There is a warning on the bottle that says "WARNING, THIS VACCINE MAY CAUSE ANAPHLAXIS. HAVE EPINEPHRINE ON HAND". Ok, do you think I have epinephrine? Nope. Was I going to wait to order some? NOPE. So, I figured if one of the poor unfortunate goaties had a reaction then Eric was going to get his wish and he was going to get to roast one for Christmas (that didn't happen, by the way).

So, we go out into the pen and visit with the girls. I decide to get the bad part over with first. We give the girls the vaccines, and they aren't thrilled, but they don't do too badly. Teego (the fainter) did the best. There is a pic of that on here too. She actually did really well. She just stood there and let me do my thing. Maggie (the QUEEN B****) was the worst. She tried to gore me, I swear to you, when I put that needle in. The girls (my girls, Lauren and Kennedi) screamed, and I don't think that helped the situation any. I think that is the point at which Eric went into the house shaking his head. He thinks I'm doing it wrong. Not sure what he thinks is right; but I'm doing it wrong.

I stand over the goats, with their bodies between my knees and work on them. He is sure that their horns are going to gash my thighs (or worse areas) open and kill me. I tend to think that my loveable friends wouldn't do that to me. Except, maybe, Maggie.....

Anyway, after the vaccines are done, we go for the wormer. At first they are curious, want to lick it. Until they figure out it is totally nasty. Then I have to force their little mouths open and shove it down their throats. I talked about this before, but this time it went much more smoothly. Except when Gympy bit me. That wasn't delightful at all. Maybe she'll be the first one to go....

Then came the hoof trimming. So, I guess I thought that I wouldn't need to trim them as much in the winter, or perhaps it was just wishful thinking? But they were bad. Poor goaties. So, as much work as it was, I had guilt, so I took a lot of extra time on this task. The only one that was really good was Maggie. Actually Frank wasn't too bad either. I had the hardest time with Teego. She wasn't impressed. And, her feet were pretty bad. So here I was, bent over at the waist with these goats between my knees for an hour! By the time I got over to Pete's side, I was exhausted. Good thing he is a good boy, and very easy going!! He let me give him the wormer and trim his feet in about 4 minutes. Oh, good Petey boy!

So, enjoy the photos, hope you got a laugh, and I wish you a very happy weekend filled with warmth and joy!

Christmas Program

These are my lovely girls right before the Christmas program last night! I think, between you and me, that Lauren was trying to suck in the throw out her rather non-existent chest... but you know. Whatever. They all looked adorable, and they sang so pretty. It's amazing that they can all clean up so well.... especially since just 40 minutes before this picture we were all out with the goats! That post will follow.

December already??

Can it really be December already? Madelyn asked me this morning how many days until Christmas, and I couldn't believe it when I told her 23. That is crazy!

Thanksgiving at the Johnsons was fun. We had 20 people in our house. If you've ever been to my house you know how small it is. SMALL. 12 kids and 8 adults. We had a great time, but it was pretty cozy. We ate dinner, I made crafts with the kids, and did a dice game for the adults. It is fun to play that with the grown ups. This year's favorite prizes were a bottle of wine and a pair of "good" work gloves. You never know what it will be. One year it was pot holders.

I did my annual Black Friday extravaganza with my great friend Siobain. Up at 3:00 AM to leave at 4:00 AM to shop until we drop. And we did. We left Floodwood at 4 AM and weren't back until after supper. I am almost finished shopping though. I just have to pick up something for Kennedi. She is hard to buy for. She really wants babies, but is a little embarrassed to admit it. Oh well, if that's what she wants....

This week is Lauren's last week before the play she is in for the Hibbing area. Little Town of Christmas. The performances are Friday and Saturday. It isn't like our County Seat Theater in Cloquet, but it is a play and it is a good experience.

As for me, I've come down with a nasty cold. Of course. Just in time for the busy time at the Lounge and at home. But I don't have time for that, so I just stocked up on cold meds, and it'll work out.

I hope all of you are getting ready for Christmas and enjoying it! I have to try to keep up on the Wii Fit and the eliptical so that all the cookies I eat don't go right to my a**.

Happy day!