Dinner with Seth, new twins, who let the dogs out?

Shame on Mama and me for not taking any pictures of Seth and Gabriella’s first big dinner in their new home. Months ago, Seth and Gabriella bought a shipping container and have since turned it into a nice home. They have added a living room/dining room/kitchen area onto the container. Inclosed, sided and finished, it does not even resemble it original design. It is very nice. Large enough for the three of them for now, but plans are in the works to add two bedrooms and an additional bathroom onto the current structure. Gabriella has done a great job of outfitting and decorating the home. They are in the process of adding a deck on the front. Seth and Gabriella have done almost all the work themselves with Grandpa and Normal contributing at critical junctures. I was impressed.

Gabriella’s parents, Ron and Christy, who own the property their little home sits on, were at the dinner – as were Grandma and Grandpa. They were are an interesting couple. This is the second marriage for them. He was a widower. She was a widow when they married over twenty years ago. Gabriella and her twin sister were a surprise to them several years after they married. Mama and Grandma were constantly wincing as Christy handled Seth and Gabriella’s baby. She was quite rough, but the baby is used to being treated roughly and pays no attention to it as she was maneuvered in her grandma’s arms. Ron and Christy’s primary interest is travel and all their money goes to feed that interest. They were quite forthcoming about that. It shows in the house they have occupied for the last two decades. No updates. No unnecessary repairs. No unrequired mowing or yard maintenance. Not even a decent drive to approach the house. That serves to bolster their pride in what Seth and their daughter have accomplished over the past year. Seth has a great job now and he is spending his money to provide a home for his family. A nice home. A debt-free home. An accomplishment he never thought he would achieve. Kudos, Seth.

As Mama and I fed Saturday evening, we noticed Dolly, our last nanny to deliver her kids, was staying away from the other goats. A sure sign she about to kid. She did not deliver overnight but was certainly at the point of kidding by the time we left for church Sunday evening. We could not get her to abandon the spot she had chosen no matter what we tried. So, we left her to her own devices. No rain was in the forecast, so there was not a concern about keeping her and the new arrivals dry. Mama and I did not give it another thought until we were on our way home. It was good that Dolly had chosen a spot near the fence at the road. Mama and I were able to shine the car lights on her and her twins as we parked on the road. We went into the paddock through a small gate I installed there. We rarely use that gate, but the goats have kept it clear for us.

It was immediately apparent to Mama that one of the twins was significantly smaller than the other. The larger, a little girl, had very curly coat but that may flatten out as she is cleaned. She had just been born judging from how wet she still was. The little male, dried and cleaned, was certainly smaller, but he appeared to be healthy. All kids are now accounted for. All safely birthed. Four females and five males. The females we will keep. The males we will sell. Late next May or early June we will put Midas, our young buck, with the nannies and start the process over again. The little ones, new to our farm, will be bred in November of next year. And so the herd grows.

Victoria left church early yesterday evening. She was complaining of a bad headache. When she got home, she let her dogs our as normal. Five minutes later they were gone. I have not checked but I have to assume they dug under the back fence again. They had not returned home by the time we all went to bed. Since I was having trouble sleeping in the bed, I got up and went to my recliner to start my night. When I stirred around about midnight, Kira was looking in the window wanting in. Not! From the skunk smell permeating the air I was pretty sure that smell was attached to Victoria’s dogs. In my opinion, they wanted out so badly, they can stay out. And so they did until this morning when Victoria went out to check them out before she got ready for work. As far as I know, the stinky messes are still outside. Mama does not tolerate skunk odors well.

I will have to get my electric fence back from the family that borrowed it and reinstall it. It is highly effective in keeping the dogs in the yard. The last time I used it, Kobe was stung by it and would not even get off the patio for several days.