Busy weekend

Friday evening Mama and I went to Bowie to retrieve our goats. Rick is confident that all the nanny goats are now bred, so it was time to bring them home. Mama and I dropped Walter and Cathryn off at Great Grandma and Great Grandpa’s house so we would have time to talk with Rick once we started the process of catching and loading our goats. All of ours were mixed in with about thirty of his goats but Mama spotted ours in the mix pretty easily. I was only sure which ones were ours as they came to us out of the group. Loading them was easy enough. I had attached the racks onto the truck for the occasion. I had to lift each one into the bed of the pickup, but they are not very heavy. That portion was completed in about fifteen minutes.

In addition to getting our nanny goats we also picked up the little buck we had bought last month. He was a bit more difficult to get hold of. He is not the overly friendly type. Once we got him into the pickup the fight started. The little buck, who we are calling Midas, began fighting with Aspen as soon as we set him down. It sounded worse than it was because of all the hooves thumping in the bed of the truck, but it bothered Mama in a really big way. About fifteen minutes of it sounding like they were killing each other, and we had to leave. Once we retrieved the grandkids, we took our herd home: via Dairy Queen. Walter had been fighting with Great Grandma through the entire visit, but Great Grandma seemed to be encouraging the interaction, so I did not say anything while we were there. On the way home I explained that he needed to stop fighting with or hitting Great Grandma. It was a long discussion. Whether or not the idea took hold will be evident the next time the two of them are together.

In preparation for the girls coming home, I had moved the Scamper and Champ into the new paddock before we left to get the rest of our herd. I did not try to catch and move Coal – our last lamb – because I will need help with him when we do relocate him to the boy side of the farm. He is very difficult to handle. I had planned on putting Midas with the boys, but Rick and Nancy suggested putting him by himself to get him calmed down and more used to us. Somewhere where he could not get away from us as we tried to handle him. He was put in the kennel in the back yard. It has worked out very well to have that set up and ready for whatever we need. It will take a couple weeks to get him used to us to the point that we could possibly show him. For that he has to be trimmed and groomed. To accomplish that, a buck needs to be gentle and calm. Willing to be fussed over and gussied up. Having the goats in three different locations complicates the feeding routine, but not overly so.

Saturday morning, we went to Muenster to get our pig meat. Mama and I were disappointed by how little hamburger we got in exchange for a pig, but nothing was specified up front. She is going to call this morning to find out how that decision was made, but what we brought home was enough to fill both freezers with meat. The kids had fun on the trip to Muenster and back as we drove over the hills along that route. Mama played with them like they were on a roller coaster. One particular hill is steep enough in each direction that it gives a little bounce coming over the top. The kids really liked that.

Later that day I got a serious start in the roof of the new goat building. Aside from the chicken coop, I have tried to build the outbuildings in a way that will allow them to be multi-functional. They are large enough to be used for cattle or horses if desired. I do not plan on Mama and I owning the farm forever. At some point we will need to sell it to simplify our lives and concentrate on our real estate business and possible travel. Those who own it after us can use the buildings for horses or cattle if desired. That day is far out in the future, but why not have a long-term plan as we build? I worked late into the evening Saturday to get as much roof on the new building as possible. I used up all the metal I had available on the farm but will need a few new pieces to complete the roof. There were some hints at rain as the evening progressed, but the rain did not come. There is no rain in the forecast for this week. Summer has arrived. I watered all the plants as it was getting dark. It was a long, hot, productive day.

Sunday was fun; especially Sunday night. We have the children of the church collect change each Sunday night, Walter really got into it. Staring down each row of congregants as he solicited donations. When everyone had given all the change they had, I called Walter to come into the pew with me and Mama. He complied but before he left the aisle he called out, “Anyone have any more change?”

The pastor loved that.