Canine care, camo guy, watering

Mama set an appointment for Sam and Sasha to get shots yesterday morning. Both of them needed their annual rabies shots. After going back and forth on how to get the dogs to the appointment while providing a place for the kids to sit, she finally elected to use the Sequoia. I had left the racks on the truck until late Sunday. When the decision was made not to use the truck, I removed and stored the racks. Mama was not sure if she could get Sam and Sasha into the bed of the truck and she could not sit the kids in the front of the truck if the dogs were put in the back seat. So, the Sequoia became her only choice.

I am always curious how things will go when Mama makes these appointments, but everything seemed to go well. Sasha easily and willingly jumped into the back of the Sequoia. Sam required help. He is hurting badly in his hips. It is often difficult for him to get up when he has laid down. He still actively protects our property, but he does not stray as far or move as quickly. If we remain at the farm, we will have to replace him. That may happen early next year. I am in no particular hurry, but Mama is getting anxious. Today, she will take Sam to have him shorn. He is miserably hot carrying his very heavy coat of fur. Mama is actually a month late getting his haircut this year, but she has been very busy. Sam will appreciate the relief. Hopefully his fur has time to grow back before the first cold winds hit our farm a few months from now. It is always a race against the weather when we leave his mostly bare to the elements.

Walter and Cathryn helped Mama mow yesterday. Our poor zero-turn mower is about shot. The motor is about to seize up, but it still runs well enough to cut the grass. I do not know if it will last this season or not, but we will run it as long as we can. Anyway, Cathryn and Walter hitched a ride on the mower as Mama mowed. They thought it was great fun. With the mower struggling to run, it was moving slowly enough that the extra riders felt very comfortable. If it was operating at full performance power, they would not have enjoyed the ride so much. As for Mama, she dislikes the current top speed, but she is willing to live with it. Dinner was served in shifts last night to accommodate the mowing and the riding of the mower so, it was later when we went out to feed.

Mama found a couple loaves of French bread that had molded which I cut up to feed to the chickens along with some rice, mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, and some peach trimmings. All that was placed in a red bucket we use to take the accumulated scraps to the coop yard. The kids love feeding the chickens; especially Cathryn. But what Walter did with the empty bucket was one of the most entertaining parts of the evening. Since he was dressed in camo shorts and had on camo gum boots, the red bucked became an army helmet. I was not able to get a picture of him with the helmet in place over his head, but it was hilarious to see – however briefly. Complete with his stick gun, he was an inspiring sight.

When Mama and I got to the point of feeding the nanny goats I asked Mama to be ready to help me move Coal over to the boy lot. I thought if I could get hold of his tail, we could walk him over. Once I did get hold of his tail, the fight was on. I wish we could have gotten a video of me hanging onto the tail of our hundred-pound sheep as he spun me in circles. He jumped and bucked and ran in all directions trying to shake me loose. I managed to hang on until Mama finally got his head restrained but it was a real rodeo for a few minutes. I don’t know what the kids thought. I could not take time to look. Mama and I were laughing pretty hard by the time we finally got his front legs up and began the long walk to the new paddock. Along the way, Coal protested. He lurched. He dragged his hind feet. He leaped upward. It was like holding onto an out of control pogo stick. By the time we got him where we wanted him, we were worn out. So was he. But he was happy to be back with the boy goats.

After that was done, we watered the plants. That is something Walter and Cathryn love to do. Walter thinks of it as putting out fires. I tried to explain that the water needs to go to the root of the plant. Not to the leaves. That the root feeds the plant. The root gives the plant water. That is why we water the ground the plant is growing from. The root is underneath the plant. Hidden in the ground, but it provides life to the plant. They are starting to get the idea.

For right now, they just like playing in the water.