This Is What You Signed Up For! Mwahaha

A blog post for my farm sitters while we're in Hawaii. These instructions are only good for October 2013 because we keep changing things so often that if we need a farm sitter next month it will be different. Sit down, buckle up and hang on! Weeeee

Welcome! I'm too cute to be a trouble maker! hee hee

Cute goats makes everything that's about to happen much more fun.

The green bales are alfalfa for the goats. I put it in the gray bin with goat feed and ride my delivery vehicle to the goats... just kidding I don't really ride the trike, but you can try it if you want to. Be sure to take pictures if you do, I wanna see that. The other bales are cow hay.

Some flakes off the alfalfa bales are thin and some are thick.

Refer to the 4 page instructions manual I sent you on what to do with thick and thin flakes.

Whatever you do, don't listen to these two characters  These guys will lie to you about who gets the alfalfa and how much!

This is what a clean slate looks like, memorize it and love it. When all hell breaks loose you will have a fond memory of this. Note the poo pusher (broom head) on the left clipped to the panel, this is what you will sweep nanny berries with. Some day I will have a beautiful milking parlor that is clean and not in the main barn, with running water and no turds. Back to reality!

So you successfully got Lucy in the milking pen, alone and she's eating peacefully. Show off! Stuff her hay bin with alfalfa...

All the way or it'll end up on the floor.

If it's morning don't forget to lock her in (clean off that poop) or she'll excuse herself off the stanchion and you won't get any milk. Otherwise, leave her head lock open.

If you're really good at basket ball, toss the other flake of alfalfa across the barn and into the small hay bin like a slam dunk! (yes I can and DO it every time I feed without the man with the beard, challenge on!). Now that all your subjects are occupied, its on to the boring stuff.

Up here! Yup, this is the hay mow, climb on up and toss down a couple flakes of hay. Its actually fun! The thing is, it's dark in the morning and no lights up there yet so, you might want to organize your bale in the afternoon light.

It's a great place to escape to as well, bring a snuggy and good book.

Zen gardening is part of the therapy of farming... yes it is! Rake the poop off the goat "patio" and fling it as far across the pen as you can. The further you fling it, the more points you get. Yes, my shirt does say "volunteer" did you think you get paid to do this? (just kidding, you actually do get paid) Note the water buckets cause that's next.

But, before you leave the goat pen lock er up. Don't do what I do and tell yourself you'll be right back and don't need to lock the gate... FOOL! Its not safe because they are busy eating, that is when the least expected is going to happen and next thing you know you're trying to convince the goats its funner to be in their pen rather than trimming our ornamentals. Good luck with that.

Scrub-a-dub that goat water bucket and the other goat water bucket (yes we have two, Lucy is thirsty) and while your at it you may as well scrub the chicken water tanks too, Cinderella! 

Give em some freshy, a little nip of the good stuff and off you go.

These guys are so spoiled, they get a bucket of feed each evening and a new local. Little social butterflies! Same with the layers, only they get their food in the same place every day. That's alright cause they change the place where they lay their eggs.

This week they are laying in the cow hay feeder, hint hint. 

When you walk the goats, don't forget to remove temptation. Coil up the redneck electricity (aka, extension cord) and put it out of reach... zzzzzzzzzzzzzzt

Ahhhh, farm therapy. Happy and beautiful.

Mahalo 

A New Member Of The Family

Today we got a new family member... "Kim" the Crock. Arlen will be the new adopted parent to Kim and take good care of him.

See... he's researching all about this little critter already!  (on our fabulous country porch, of course)

Poor Banjo

My poor little guy,
He buggered his eye,
My doesn't know what to do.

I give him kisses,
and belly scritches,
and gunk his eye with goo.

I pray for the best,
I Tell him to rest,
Hope E' ain't gotta twitch

The toad aye ain't got,
Nor a charmed pot,
If only I was a witch

Love you little buddy, get well soon!

Slow Down! Wordless Wednesday

Extreme Makeover: Goat Home Edition

We decided to get busy fix'in the over hang for the goat barn. When it rained it "used" to puddle up outside their door because it was lower than the ground around it. Since we both work in trail maintenance we know how to fix such a problem. We decided we didn't need any helpers so we put the cuties (aka: Goats) in the other pen while we worked. It pretty much felt like Extreme Makeover: Goat style!

Arlen wheeling gravel into the pen with an audience.

They can't see what we're doing on the other side.

14 wheelbarrow's full of gravel, 4 wheelbarrow's of fill rock and 1K pounds of large rock for the retaining wall... just to elevate 128 sq ft 6 inches.

Looks pretty insignificant in the end... haha

Time to let the cuties in to see what they think.

"OMG what happened... OMG... OMG... OMG!" Fine they didn't really say that, they're goats. It just sounds dramatic and something you might hear on the real Extreme Makeover: Goat Home Edition.

Whoa, okay, it's kinda cool! (that's what they're thinking)

The Boys are having a huddle...

Shane: "So, what do you guys really think?"
Uncle Huck: I don't know, it's alright I guess."
Banjo: It's kind of cool to walk on, feels good on my hooves."

Lucy making sure everyone is polite.

Lucy: "Don't be rude, say, Thank you!"

Everyone: "Thanks, Dad!"

Dad: "Aw shucks, you guys are worth it!"

Oh, and the rest of the day we worked on the porch.

The Porch!