What I am Learning

I will never consider myself a rancher because I care too much about my animals. Cocoa, one of my sweet little goats, recently came down with pneumonia. The health decline was quick and dramatic. I worried like a mother and kept watch on her frequently. I am happy to report that she is herself again finally.

Goat cud looks like a tumor and feels like one too. Cocoa started eating normally after her illness and her rumen came back in full force. I walked out one morning shortly after she began to recover and she had a huge jaw. I felt it. It was hard as a rock and I panicked thinking something else was wrong with her. I turned around and looked again...it was smaller. Then a moment later it was gone. It was cud.

Goats are smart. They know when they have a mineral deficiency and to eat baking soda if their stomach is upset. They tend to refuse lush food if they are not feeling well.

Fleece wear and hay do not go well together. Hay and alfalfa stick to any clothing with a rough surface. Also, if you don't shake out the alfalfa before washing, your clothes come out with green highlights.

Don't turn your back to a donkey if you are dishing out grain to another animal and not him. Jasper nipped me on the shoulder recently when trying to get Cocoa to eat. He got a thump on the nose. I still like him though.

Donkeys are also smart...scary smart sometimes. Evidently they can also be petulant children as well. I bet if Jasper could hold his breath to mimic a temper tantrum, he would.

Fat donkeys can run. If only I had a camera when we opened up the new back pasture, I could prove it. He trotted and brayed at the same time. It was a sight to see.

Rare Central Texas Rain Finally Arrives

It is a wet, cold and windy day which makes a good day for a long overdue post. It isn't a hardy rain, but we'll take it. Beggars cannot be choosey as the old saying goes. It was just two years ago that a rainy season officially delivered Texas out of drought and today we are already under dire drought again here in Central Texas. I imagine the garden seedlings, trees, blackberry vines and pasture grass (what is left of it) are doing a celebration dance right about now.

The llamas and goats are huddled in the barn. The cria seen in the last post has been christened Starbuck. He has certainly found his legs. Below he took a note from the goats and climbed on the hay to eat it. You actually have to look carefully to see him because he blends in so well with his mom.





I will soon be cooking which serves two purposes today: nourishment and to heat the cabin. Apple peels will be cold-weather treats for the goats and llamas, I think. Small apple pies will be my cold-weather treat.

New Cria in Town

Khan delivered her baby boy while we were in town. It was a bit of a surprise. She did not have him in the barn as the picture may have you believe. This picture was taken after moving the newborn and mom to the barn. Michelle and Mom Graham are inspecting the little fella along with Khan.

Jasper and Titan take their turn inspecting him. Initially when moving him to the barn, he started to follow Jasper. I suppose everything was a little overwhelming and he got a wee bit confused. All things considered, Jasper did quite well with the newborn. He was curious and perhaps a little too curious for our comfort but I believe his intentions were good. He takes keeping watch on his charges seriously...unless it is feeding time for the goats in which case he has been known to take leave for a spell.

Name coming soon!

Dairy Entry, Dec. 22

More progress. Last week, the goats were just so loving, especially Cocoa who is leaning on me. They all wanted attention...even Ginger.

We have been experiencing sporadic cold weather in the hill country. On especially cold mornings, I give them oatmeal to warm their bellies. Sean calls this their goat Wheaties. They get so playful afterward.

Coming Soon...

a garden! I hope that I will consequently also have more toned arms and abs. Why? Because I am sifting--by hand, mind you--the rocks from the garden. Hence all the "equipment" in the picture. Libby is supervising.

Ok, I am at least trying to sift about half of the rocks. I am probably about 25 to 30% done. The January planting window is just around the corner and while I don't expect to have the entire garden sifted like flour by January, I do hope to have a portion done to allow for some plants. Broccoli, cauliflower, fennel, carrots, YUM!! More garden pictures forthcoming.

Animal News: The goats now enjoy the pasture during the day. We started letting them out and they are doing quite well. Can you tell we are new to goats with all the concern? I even built them a straw bale "igloo" for the cold and windy weather we experienced earlier this week. The wind was howling so I stacked straw bales to protect them. It worked somewhat but they were still shivering in the morning. I made them warm oatmeal and must have boiled about 5 gallons of water to thaw their drinking water.

They have begun to roam with the llamas and Jasper on occasion. Additionally, I am happy to report that Ginger, the most skittish of the goats, is warming up to us. As you can see here, she is letting me pet her.

I have now nicknamed her Stevie. If you scratch between her shoulders, she will sway her head in pure pleasure...just like Stevie Wonder when he sings. I am very pleased that she is becoming more confident with us. They still need a lot of training, but there is noticeable progress. I keep reading and re-reading my books on goats. I am a very anxious herdess.

And, finally, it is just not a post without a picture of Jasper. He was very upset that he could not come into the upper pasture. He was stomping at the ground and here he was wrapping his mouth around the gate in the hopes he could pry it open. Obviously, he was not minding the sign.

Long Time, No Post

It has been a very long time since my last post and there is much to catch up on. The biggest news is that we put our Austin house on the market, sold it rather quickly by all accounts and now live in a slightly larger than 500 square foot cabin on the small farm. We have been here for about 8 weeks come Halloween.

There are countless reasons for the move, but primarily it was quality time here that finally got us off our duffs. This includes quality time with Jasper. He is such a beggar! Despite his fickle nature, he really is a good donkey and he warms my heart--especially on the days he allows me to brush him.

We now have added more four-legged critters. Meet the dairy goats: Ginger, Cocoa and Brie. Guess which one is Brie. Brie we believe is a mix of Nubian and Boer. Ginger and Cocoa are Nubians. Look at those handsome markings and Roman noses!

We are working with them so they will freely come up to us. We're still not there yet unless goat treats are involved. Hopefully soon we can turn them out into the pasture with the rest of the animals.

Jasper is calmly curious--he used to guard goats and I think they are bringing back memories. Below is a picture of me giving Jasper an apple treat. That was a "fickle" day. As you can see, he would stretch his neck to keep a safe distance. He oh so wanted that apple though.

I know we need a donkey diet plan, but this would involve the neighbors. After meeting and getting to know some of them, Sean has come to the conclusion that Jasper belongs to the entire neighborhood--we just house him. Everyone evidently stops and gives him a treat.

To date, we have dug up an area for an initial garden and a pond that will be the future home of the future ducks. I had ducks as a child and hope to have them again as a much older adult. I haven't really decided what kind yet. Possibly Khaki Campbells.

There are lots of interesting rocks being discovered as we dig and prep. I also believe I am finding calcified bone fragments. And while digging Felix the Cat (the skidsteer) out of the garden, I found my first arrowhead. Of course, I am eyes glued to the ground when in the garden looking for more "artifacts."

During the evening we hunt for shooting stars. Any night of the week if you look long enough you will see a shooting star or space trash. On Wednesday evening, October 22nd I saw a slow moving light. At first, I thought it was a plane. Then it started descending downward rapidly. My next thought was a panicked one...it was a plane crashing. And next the falling light just fizzled out.

My conclusion: I was watching a "man-made falling space trash" star. Oh well, better falling space trash than a falling plane.

Last evening we had a shooting star watching contest. Greg won seeing the first. Nonetheless, we all witnessed at least one through the night. Greg and Sean topped the list evidently with an amazing spectacle of a bad-ass shooting star. Regrettably, Michelle and I did not get to see it. My next internet activity is to research if there is meteor activity that produced last night's show.

So, do we regret our move admid all the spooky economic chaos going on right now? If you cannot tell from the above, the answer is hands down "No!"

Until the next post, I say Happy Halloween.

Bird on a Wire...Sort of

I guess it is really a bird on a post. He and his buddies were hanging out by the road. We managed to get this picture before he jumped down. Now I know where these critters we hear on occasion live.

I don't have much else to say. I thought it was an interesting picture and just wanted to share it.