Anticipation…

Posted on January 23, 2012 by Mary

We’re eagerly waiting for new little hooves to make their mark in our freshly laid straw. Which doe will surprise us first with new babies? Will there be one, two, three, or four born at the same time?

Our girls are even more eager than we are. After five long months, many are convinced they have to have at least six in there, and boy are they sick of carrying them around! Some are complaining of arthritis and asking us please for some Aleve or Motrin or something. They are very heavy and uncomfortable, as you can see. (Pumpkin)

In the goat yard we have new toys for tots, solid and sturdy but empty and lonely! We’re quite sure they can’t wait to have baby goats playing on them.

Meanwhile Miss Fluff Puff  is pacing like the expectant super cat nanny she is, checking out all the birthing pens with their clean straw and heat lamps ready to go at a moment’s notice.

The annual flocking of the neighbors up and down the ditchbank has already begun in anticipation of the little newcomers. Everyone smiles when they watch the kids play. Like Dumbo’s descendants the babies jump from high places and flap their long ears, though so far we haven’t caught one actually flying. (The crows tell us not to hold our breath.) Phone calls have started to come in as well, with eager customers wanting goats for their herds and 4-H projects.

Maria, our oldest and finest mama, here enjoys an apple treat from Dad (Gerald). She knows if she just bats those beautiful eyes of hers, he can’t resist giving her just one more. Her daughter, Christina, has picked up this profitable skill and thus is also regularly pampered. And they say animals are stupid!

The boys—Clark, Pete, and Semi—keep peeking through the fence with their chests puffed out, anticipating the arrival of their new offspring. Obviously each believes theirs will be the finest looking. Then of course there are bets circling as to which buck will have the most kids. Pete looks a little nervous when Clark isn’t watching. Young Semi is just hoping he has at least one, or he won’t be able to show his face in the buck pen this spring.

We’ll keep everyone posted as the maternity ward starts to fill up. Of course we welcome new baby gifts of the goat variety—hay, straw, grain, and lots of love.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Goat Fashion: Before and After Shots!

Posted on August 30, 2011 by Mary

When the weather got hot over the summer, we had to dive into one of the more difficult chores involved with raising goats—shaving. All that winter hair doesn’t come off by itself, and the goats get too hot wearing it, say nothing of how scraggly they look!

The nice thing about this chore is that it’s so rewarding. Just look at the difference it makes! Here’s a before and after shot of Sophia, our doe who thinks she’s a super model. She says she even looks younger with her new haircut!

Some people have asked me how we go about shaving our goats, so here’s a quick rundown of the process. First, we put the goat up on the stanchion to keep him or her still. Sometimes this can be a hassle with the young goats, as it’s all new to them, but for the more mature does, it’s no big deal. They’ve been there, done that many times, and they know there’s GRAIN waiting for them in the feeder once they are on the stanchion!

Next, I get on one side with my clippers and Gerald gets on the other side with his clippers and we go to town! Two stylists finish the job faster than one.

When we’re done clipping (smooth movements in the direction of the hair), we start trimming hooves. It’s like a regular trip to the spa. Gerald does the back feet and I do the front, cutting the extra hoof off with a pair of hoof clippers, much like trimming nails.  We each do the opposite side as the other so the goat can balance and doesn’t fall down!

When the hooves are done, I brush the goat off, put on the lice powder from the head down the back to the tail, then pick up the hair and put it in a sack so it doesn’t blow all over the barn. We set the goat free and he or she steps down, looking much more beautiful or handsome than when first getting onto the stanchion—and feeling much cooler as well.

Clark, one of our bucks, was so very good to do this year. Check out his before and afters. Of course, we can’t remember a buck that wasn’t. Being male, they seem most interested in their stomachs, so as long as we keep the grain coming, they don’t care what we do with them!

Here’s Pumpkin’s before and after shots as well. She was super easy to do, being a mature doe who knows what it’s all about. Doesn’t she look smooth and wrinkle-free?

Some of the younger goats were more difficult until they got used to the whole routine. These three below, for example—Tara, Alice, and Caroline—I swear wanted MORE spa treatment once they were all done. We can’t blame them. After all, we don’t know of anyone who would do all that for us for free!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

A New Muscular Addition: Semi Load!

Posted on May 21, 2011 by Mary

Semi and his mother, Love Affair.

We traveled to Austin, Colorado in January, 2011 to see this very young buck out of sire Quality Load and dam Love Affair. He was amazing—muscular and beautiful at only six weeks old. So we purchased him and named him Semi Load, but had to leave him behind a little longer as he still needed his mother.

We returned in March to pick him up and again were amazed at his muscular physique. For a buck only three months old, he was gorgeous. He rode home in the back of our pickup, protected by the camper shell, and he cracked us up because he kept watching us through the back window! I think he wanted to be a backseat driver, but we couldn’t hear his instructions!

After taking a little time to adjust to the new place, Semi seems quite content and is still growing. We are so eager to try him on a few does this fall to see what he will produce. We are hoping his babies will look just like their daddy — strong, muscular and beautiful!

See our Buck Page for more on this strapping young fellow.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Sometimes Friendships Need Time to Grow

Posted on April 11, 2011 by Mary

No ranch is complete without a couple of horses, and this one is no exception. Since we lost our two favorites in 2004 and 2005—my daughter’s Quarter Horse and my Morgan that we had raised from birth—we were a horseless ranch. That was just unacceptable! So in 2005 while visiting our daughter in Idaho, we saw a picture of a registered Tobiano Paint/Quarter Horse on the bulletin board at the local farm and ranch store. Her name was Cheyenne. She was beautiful, only 11 years old, and well trained. A perfect fit!

We went and tried her out and of course, my daughter, being a Quarter Horse gal, fell in love with her. So she had to come to Colorado. Since I was a Morgan person, I was still looking. I soon heard about a Morgan horse farm in Preston, Idaho. Idaho has a lot of beautiful animals! Back we went to Moonridge Farms. At first I was looking at a young gelding, but he was just too spirited for me. Fortunately, they had a black mare named Mountain Shadows Mystic Powers (Misty). I guess they figured she was too old and I wouldn’t be interested, but once I got the chance to see her I got goose bumps! She looked so much like my other Morgan I felt I was seeing a ghost. At the age of 13 and mostly trained, she was another must have.

Now our old horses were fast friends—so much so that one died within three months of the other, though they were a year apart in age. I had hoped the same for these new mares. They made the trip together from Idaho to Colorado, but I’m not sure they were entirely happy about it—certainly not with each other. Cheyenne is tall, strong, and confident, and just didn’t appreciate Misty’s more polite and deferring demeanor. It was so irritating to her that she took great pleasure in chasing Misty out of the food trough as often as possible, baring her teeth in a most threatening way. Misty, however, always seemed to shake it off, believing completely that in her heart of hearts, Cheyenne really loved her. So every time Cheyenne threatened her, she would run a short way, then turn around and come back. Cheyenne tried repeatedly to scare her off, but it just never worked.

Now, six years later, Cheyenne still likes to threaten Misty, particularly when we’re riding. If Misty gets closer than a few feet, Cheyenne punishes her with a blazing look. Maybe just to convince herself that she’s still in charge? Misty backs off, then continues on. She just loves Cheyenne, and for the last several years, this strong, confident Quarter Horse has watched over my little Morgan when no one else is around, as if she somehow knows that she’s too tender hearted for the tough times in life.

It was difficult for me to catch this moment with my camera, as Cheyenne doesn’t really like to admit that she’s come to love Misty as much as Misty loves her. Besides, she’s usually the one playing watchdog. Imagine if this got out—the fragile Morgan watching over her! But I know her secret. Sometimes it just takes awhile for us to accept the flaws we see in one another. Over time, we learn to care less and less about them. After all, what really matters in life is not the ins and outs of our personalities, but having someone you can count on to watch over you while you sleep.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

What Do Cows Eat for Breakfast?

Posted on March 31, 2011 by Mary

What do cows eat for breakfast?
Why grapefruit, of course.
In halves or in wholes,
Even cut up in fourths.

It’s good for their eyesight
With much lycopene,
And the vitamin C
Helps keep big noses clean.

Called “citrus paradisi”
In the Latin tradition,
This juicy delight
Is a prized acquisition

For cows big and small,
Black, white, brown, or splotched,
Go out with a grapefruit
And you’ll definitely be watched

With a keen bovine eye
Blinking “please, pretty please
Hand over that grapefruit
‘Fore I’m down on my knees.

“So juicy, so sweet,
So sense satisfying,
Name your price Farmer John,
‘Cause by golly, I’m buying!”

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Footprints In Our Hearts

Posted on March 14, 2011 by Mary

Eleanor Roosevelt is quoted as saying, “Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart.”

Tom’s feet were as soft as Q-tips, and his personality equally as gentle. He was good looking, but not handsome. Pleasing, but not dashing. If he’d been trapped in an animal shelter, chances are most folks would have walked right past him, as his orange and white coat resembled that worn by many others of his kind. Really, there were no other distinguishing characteristics about his appearance. Most of his life, he was just a little bit overweight. In a way, he resembled a rounded pillow, like something that might get lost in the corner of the couch.

His personality was equally reserved. Anyone taking him home would have needed time to get to know him. He wasn’t prone to showing off with a fancy preen or predatory pounce. He was like one of those beings who’s always around, but kind of recedes into the background. He could be easily overlooked, but after the third year, the fifth year, then the tenth year of just being there, day in and day out, with a happy smile and an affectionate purr, he managed to weave himself into our lives, until we wondered what it was ever like without him.

At the ranch, Tom was a permanent fixture in the stockyard. His favorite place was a dark hole between the hay bales, and that’s where we could find him when his hearing degenerated to the point where he no longer came to us at feeding time. We put up a bell then, near the tack room where the dishes were. When it rang, it sent out vibrations that he seemed to sense even when he couldn’t hear much else. True to his steady nature, he was the same calm, happy creature every day, without fail, even when a nasty infection wounded his face, and later, when a stroke paralyzed him from his belly to his back legs. Not once did he complain, whine, or seem to feel sorry for himself. He just waited for us to help him to the dish, where he could eat, and then he ate, happily. Until he couldn’t, anymore.

It wasn’t just us humans who grew deeply attached. Hardly a day went by that we didn’t see Miss Fluff Puff hanging out with him, either taking turns grooming or enjoying the warm rays of the sun, two friends content to just be in each other’s presence. They didn’t have to do anything special, like hunt or explore or run races around the goat pens. Tom wouldn’t have gone for any of that, anyway. He preferred taking it easy, and company was much appreciated. If his companion grew bored and wanted to indulge in all that running around stuff, he’d be happy to wait right here, thank you very much, until she was ready to return and chill out for awhile.

Seventeen years he shared life with us here on the ranch, and in his quiet, unassuming way, brightened our days. He taught us that no matter what, it’s okay to just be yourself in this life, as it’s through your own unique personality that you grace the lives of others. He showed us what true character is—one without the pretense of ego or self-importance, yet one that isn’t afraid to indulge in personal pleasure and satisfaction. He seemed to be a 24/7 representation of joy and contentment, as we never once saw him ruffled, angry, anxious, or depressed. How he managed such a feat we will never know. But it had a lasting effect on us. To think of Tom means to think of calm relaxation, and to remember that nothing in life is ever worth getting too riled up about.

He left us in his characteristic way. No problems, no fuss, no drama. He just laid down near his dish and closed his eyes. As if this, like everything else, was really no big deal.

What is a true friend? Perhaps one who walks softly, so that when he comes into our hearts, we’re hardly aware of the change, except for a light flicker in the chest. When it’s gone, its echo reminds us: Everything’s okay. The sun is out. There’s some warm hay nearby. Come spend a moment with me if you will, before you go about your day, and I will smile and be happy that you gave me the gift of your presence, even if just for a brief moment in time.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment