Professional Day

Today was a long day. No school for the kids so Mark took Tali and I took Finn to work with us for our professional day. They were excellent, so after voting we took them to dinner at Lorenzos. Voting was a fiasco. The line was long and slow moving because three people in front of us weren't on the list and had to vote provisional. Every time that happened, the little old ladies (all 4 of them) had to stop what they were doing and call the Board of Elections on their cell phone. One made the call, but the other 3 just sat there. The voting booths were empty. It held up the whole line. Again, Finn and Tali were great. We had a very nice dinner and made faces at the baby next to us. Now its time to hit the hay.
Farm news: Amelia is ready to breed and Bunny is trying his best. He wouldn't dare tackle Raisin, but Amelia is more his size! You should hear the noises he makes at her. Very funny.

Happy Halloween

Today we did quite a bit of running around. Home Depot to purchase a deep freezer and a mini bar fridge to replace the one that went bust. Tractor Supply for the weekly animal feed run. Great Clips where everyone got a haircut, even me. Sean busted his hand, or leg, or arm, or something, so cancelled on me today. I had to resort to Great Clips. I'm growing it out, so it didn't really matter.
For Halloween Finn is going to be a doctor and Tali a princess. I'm kinda mad at their school because they did face painting on Friday and it got all over both of their costumes. We are going to go into Oberlin. The houses are so pretty in the fall. I hope the weather holds. Mom and maybe Dad are coming.
Animal update: I think that Ruby is still feeling punky. I think she still has a strongyle infestation. I need to get some panacur on Monday. I left her in her stall today because the back creek has been flooding and the pasture is a mess. The poor sheep have half of their pen flooded. Luckily the straw has built up and they have a little dry space. Tomorrow the plans for me are to move the goat wall back so that the space is smaller. Then I'm going to fill it with sawdust and get their bedding built up before it gets really cold. I also want to finish painting the sheep shed and the doors to the pens.
I think that Charlie has been doing his job, at least with Raisin. We had to put Mr. Tumnus along with Bear and Bunny into the barn one night this week so that Charlie could have his way with her. Mr. Tumnus was just getting in the way too much. He is very protective of all of the girls.
Oh, we also need to get some lighting out to the chickens and cover the pool. We are getting two eggs a day but I think that will be dwindling soon if we don't get some light out there. This week we have let them back out to free range and they are very happy campers. But the poo situation is very annoying.

Warm buns

This morning Finn told me that while he was lying in bed he put his hands on his butt and he liked it. WHAT! I asked him to elaborate. He said that his hands were like snow so he wanted to find someplace cozy for them. He he!

Dreamin

While I was making breakfast Finn told me, "Last night I dreamed about budder." Butter, that is. Oh, my child is so strange. But in a good way! :)

More to cheese

As a follow up on the cheese. There was a boatload of whey left in the pot and I didn't know what to do with it. It seemed like a lot to just throw away. I found a recipe in my Storey's Guide to Dairy Goats from a 19th century cookbook for making lemonade from whey. So I made that. It doesn't taste bad, pretty good actually, but weird.

I just got in from working with Ruby. I think that lunging a young horse has got to be the most physically exhausting activity. Who needs a workout! I am literally wringing with sweat. I know, yum. But it is so exhilirating!!! Really fun!!!! I'll have to try again tomorrow to see if it sticks, but I'm pretty sure she understands the words for walk, trot and now canter along with the sounds that go with them. Walk is a cluck. Trot a click and canter a kiss. She was hauling butt today and since I was working her in the big corral I had to use all of my strength and body weight to hold on to her. Loved it!!!

Cheese!

Not 30 minutes ago I posted that I was going to try to make cheese tonight. Well, my first batch of queso blanco is already hanging! I am just too proud of myself. It was really easy. I heated 1 gallon of goat's milk to 185 and then stirred in 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar. Waited for the curds and whey to separate (by the way, I had no idea what curds and whey were going to look like, but I do now!) and then used a slotted spoon to move the curds to a colander lined with cheesecloth. I then hung it to drain. Voila, cheese! The kitchen smells heavenly. Hopefully the cheese will taste as good.

EGGS!!!!

We've got eggs! Finally! 21 weeks to the day. I found the first one on Wednesday. It was so cute. Very small, but perfectly formed. We've gotten two more this week. I ate one on Friday and almost lost my cookies. Not that it tasted bad. It tasted the same as the ones from the neighbor's chickens down the road. It was just too fresh, if you know what I mean. I have to get used to the idea of eating my chicken's eggs just like I did with the goat milk. Now I wouldn't drink anything else.

Horse Show

Today Tali and I went to the Lewis Road horse show. It was fun. We liked the egg and spoon race, the water race, and the carrot race. We went to Taco Bell for lunch. Another nice mother and daughter day. Tali got jiggy 3/4's of the way through and I knew it was time for her to take a nap in the car.
Kindergarten is going well. Finn has stopped telling us that he doesn't want to go to school. They both come out everyday in very high spirits. Friday is a professional day for K teachers, so Mom is watching them.
Mark seems to be enjoying his second graders, but Cathy and I have our hands full. I would say that the biggest problem is a lack of respect for each other and an unhealthy joy in making fun of others. We have started team building lessons and will add lessons on bullying. They are really mean and love to laugh at others misfortunes. It is sad and a little disheartening. No, a lot. After last year it is a rude and nasty awakening for me. Thankfully Cathy and I are together. I get the impression that Arod thinks that since there are two of us that we should be able to work miracles. I don't think she understands the extent of the nastiness involved.
Anyway, Ruby and I are doing great. Last Wed. Rachel came and we put the saddle back on and she acted like it was no big deal. My lunging was still on the crazy side. She was trying all sorts of new tricks like pulling her head away and turning towards me, but it came together in the end. I was exhausted and sweating like a banshee. Lunging is quite a workout. Yesterday Ruby spent the morning whinnying back and forth with the neighbor horse. The girl down the street was riding him in the small arena on the other side of Dave and Sheila's. They kept neighing to each other and Ruby was running and bucking and kicking all up and down the pasture. She wore herself out and was very pliable when I went to work with her. She lunged really well yesterday.
My hands and wrists have really been hurting from the lunging so last night I was envisioning myself using the dressage whip. After the horse show I worked with Ruby again, this time with the whip. We both did so well! She is starting to learn the words and sounds for "walk" and "trot". I was able to hold both the rope and the whip without wrapping it around my feet or hitting myself in the face, both which I have done in the past. Rachel was talking about getting on her this week. I hope she remembers to bring her helmet because I think that Ruby is ready, and so am I!
I have started to dry up Raisin. Cathy and I were accepted to go to a professional development conference for Science in Columbus. It is for 2 days and Mark is going to have to do the milking. I thought it would be easier for him to only milk Promise. I hope that come October Raisin will be dry. She is only giving about 1/2 a quart a day and my hands are starting to really feel the cold in the mornings, so I thought it would work out to dry her up. I hope that Promise still continues to give us the same amount. She is giving about 1/2 a gallon a day. I am going to attempt to make my first batch of cheese tonight.

F and T

This evening while Finn and Tali were upstairs playing they prank-called some guy on the phone. Lord have mercy! These two are going to do me in. They called some guy and talked to him on the phone. He spoke English so at least I hope he was somewhere in the U.S. and they didn't call Thailand or Brazil. This led to a long discussion about not talking to strangers. Geesh!

One Month

I haven't posted in awhile, and I will soon once the crazy pace of the beginning of the school year slows down a bit. But I had to celebrate Ruby's one month anniversary. Ruby will have been home one month tomorrow, and TODAY we put a saddle and bridle on her. Pretty amazing. After only one month. I will write more about the experience later, plus rooster, children and school stuff.
Students come tomorrow, but Cathy and I are ready. We have 24 as of right now with 16 of them having IEP's. 4 of them are on a first grade reading level. I am a little overwhelmed with how we are going to make this work, but it will be nice having another colleague much less a good friend in the room with me.

Promise

Promise is home. She is our new Nubian milker. We picked her up yesterday. She is having a pretty hard time adjusting. She just wants to follow me around and calls to me when I go to the house. I hope she adjusts soon. It is hard to see her laying around inside instead of out in the pasture with the other goats. She hardly ate anything today. Last night when I milked her she gave a ton of milk, but today it has gone down a lot. Probably from the stress of moving and not eating. She is very pretty and super friendly. Huge though. I am used to the smallness of the mini-Nubians, pygmys and Mr. Tumnus. She is really big. And her udder and teats are enormous. I thought I would never be done milking last night!
Today we cleaned out the area where Tank and Diego were and turned into my milking parlor. It was nice tonight to not have to fight the goats to get the job done.
I went shopping today for Finn and Tali's school uniforms. All I could find were clothes for Finn though. He already had plenty of pants so I got him some shirts and belts. They had nothing in the way of clothes for girls. It was very frustrating. I was able to get Tali two pairs of beige pants, some belts, and I had to resort to a boy's white polo. I really wanted to get her some jumpers. If anyone knows where I can get some, please let me know.
Tonight we gathered up the roosters for the big day tomorrow. They are going to the place where all roosters go when their crowing is driving you bonkers and they are attacking you when you bring them their food. Today Banjo attacked Tali. He flew on her from behind. Good thing they are going tomorrow. Tali will have the last laugh though when she is sitting down to dinner. :)

Hot days

Yesterday Tali and I went to the Paint and Plain Saddle Club horse show at the Ashland Co. fairgrounds. It was so beastly hot we just melted. The show was in the center outdoor arena and the only place to sit was on the metal bleachers in the sun. We only lasted about an hour. Then we went to Taco Bell for lunch. It was a nice mother/daughter day. There is another one in October that I'm going to try to go to. I need to ask Rachel what the fun events are to watch. We watched a Walk/Trot/Jog. Boring, but something I could definitely do! I can walk. I can trot. The winner won $500!!! And all they did was walk about the ring and then trot and then walk again. Sounds easy, right. The second showing we saw were little girls on the horses wearing flashy shirts with their mothers or trainers on the ground wearing matching shirts. The mothers would lead the horses around and the little girls would sit up straight and smile their faces off. It was kinda funny, but Tali could do that! The little girl who won was so proud of herself. They were so tiny sitting on top of those big horses.
This morning Tali comes up to me all upset and tells me that Finn called her "Sweartogod". I just burst out laughing and couldn't stop. She glared at me, gave me a little hrmmphh, and stalked off. I should have left it at that, but no, stupid me. I called them both in to find out what happened. I didn't even say a word and both of them started wailing and throwing these huge hissy fits. Then they both turned on me when I said they needed a nap and started yelling at ME! When does school start?????

Garden

One misty, rainy morning Finn and Tali wanted to go out and play on the swingset. This is a picture I took of them inspecting the garden together when they thought no one was watching or listening. Their little chatter as they looked for the growing vegetables was too sweet. It brought tears to my eyes.

Here are some grape tomatoes they picked tonight with Grandma EE.

Scout

Well, tonight was quite an adventure. NOT! First, Ruby stepped on my toe again. My pinky toe. The broken one. The one that she stepped on already and broke that was still healing. The one that was supposed to be covered by my STEEL-TOED SHOES!!! I now wager that the steel does not cover my pinky toe. I guess I need boots completely encased in steel. I no longer have a pinky toe. It is completely numb.

Then, while we were out checking on the rams in their new pen, somehow Scout got out of the house. She came down the yard to see what we were doing. As Scout was sniffing around the electric fence, Mark and I were wondering to each other whether she had been zapped yet. The answer was a huge NO as she ran for the house yelping her head off. I thought she had stopped at the side porch, but once I came up to the house I realized she wasn't there. My first thought was to go look on the bike path. Way, way, way down the bike path by Baumhart I saw a small, black shape. I see small, black shapes on the bike path all the time. They are cats or groundhogs usually. I really didn't think that Scout could run that far in that short of time, but I had to go look. I kept calling and calling, but the black spot didn't move. Finally, a biker came by and I asked him to see if that black spot was a small, grey dog and if it was to stop, but if it wasn't to keep going. It was Scout. All the way down by Baumhart. Poor thing. She got zapped and just started running and ran to the place where she liked to be. When she gets out of the house, she usually just sniffs around the property and comes home. I'm not sure she would have found her way back this time. Luckily the bike path was the first place I thought she'd go.

Ruby

Ruby and I are coming right along. I just can't describe the feeling I have when we are working together. Rachel came by two Fridays ago and we had our first lesson. She showed me how to apply the fly spray and how to work with her on the lunge line. Frankly, it was awful. I felt so clumsy. At one point I was holding the lunge line and Ruby got her head and took off running with me hanging on for dear life on the other end. Hello rug burns! The second time I thought, "Hell no!" and just let go. She went flying down the corral with the lunge line trailing behind. Luckily Rachel has the patience of a saint and just laughed and moved on.
I have been reading some books that are helping me to better understand horse psychology. I stopped forcing a lesson on her first thing in the morning. She is only two after all. A baby, and the morning lesson was leaving both of us tense and frustrated. Now I just let her out of her stall and wait until mid morning or afternoon to work with her after she has gotten some energy out. I learned that when confronted with something new, horses either fight or take flight. So, it is okay for Ruby to dance around when I apply the spray. Once she realizes that it won't hurt her, she will settle down. And that is exactly how it has been going. Each day she dances a little less. I can get the spray on her and I can even put on a fly mask. That she took to right away. There was no fighting and a lot of trust. Another thing that has happened is that my fear of her has gone away. I don't know if it is the steel-toed shoes, or the crop. Probably my gaining more knowledge has been the most influential. During Rachel's second lesson I finally "got it" when lunging. I know where to stand now and I know how to get her to move where I want her to. Now I am working with her by myself every day. I put on the fly spray and then do a little lunging. I do the twist from side to side, and back up and whoa. Today I introduced her to the sponge, water, and the sweat scraper. I picked a hot day so that she would enjoy it. I think she wanted me to keep going, so tomorrow I will do a little more. This week Rachel is going to bring out a grubby saddle and bridle and we are going to put them on her. I might be riding her a lot sooner than I thought!

Goats and Milk

Well, it pains me to say that poor Raisin is just not meeting our family's milk needs. Finn and I have come to blows over who gets the milk for their morning cereal. Just kidding. But seriously, one milker is proving to not be enough for us. So, I asked Mark if I could get another goat, and after getting his approval the search was on. I decided on a Nubian since we could breed her with Charlie. I got many offers and we decided to purchase Cruzin Acres Jane's Promise from Legacy Ridge Farm. We went to the Cuyahoga Fair last night to see her. She is a very pretty roan color flecked with white. When up on the milk stand she was very calm and easy to milk. Her teats are GINORMOUS! Its like milking a pastry bag! Especially next to Raisin's itty bitty ones. I told Mark that Promise would be a good goat for him to learn how to milk on. We pick her up next week and I am so excited at the prospect of having more milk in the house. We have been having to subsidize with store-bought cow's milk. Horrifying!
Today Mark finished the temporary ram pen and we moved Tank and Diego out there. They seem very content. Tomorrow I can clean out the area where they were living and get it ready to be a milking parlor.
Tali and I are going to our very first horse show tomorrow. It is going to be beastly, but I promised her. It is a Paint show and it is in Ashland. Hopefully indoors, but I doubt it.

Charlie

We got our mini-Nubian buckling, Charlie. He is so pretty. Gold and white, with very pretty eyes. He is a cutey patootie. He blubbered a little bit at the girls when he first got here, but hasn't seemed that interested since. However, since he's gotten here Raisin has gone a little bonkers, so she may be lookin for love. I will post a picture soon.

Summer Days

I haven't posted in a while and I'm feeling neglectful. To recap: Amanda was supposed to come up with the crew so that we could go to Soak City for Hannah's bday since it rained the weekend we were supposed to go. Driving down the street to get onto the highway, on a beautiful, warm, sunny day, a large limb crashed down onto my sister's car as she was driving. One limb smashed into the front window and cracked it. The other branch hit the back window of the van and the whole thing shattered on my nephews. Amazingly enough everyone was okay despite some cuts from the flying glass. Ben was completely freaked out though and refused to get back in the car. After help from the neighbors, they cleaned up the car and went on to make other plans. Elena's mom drove Amanda to rent a car and they ended up driving to Cleveland that day after all. We had a nice swim day in the pool and went to Soak City the next day. Ben didn't come.
We had a great time, but the majority of the day I spent with Finn and Tali, which was really nice. The three of us had a good time together. Finn really liked the wave pool and was fearless as he dove in and out of the waves. Tali waited on the edge until the waves subsided for "rest period" and then came in and joined us. We spent 8 hours in the sun. It was a great day!
We had a pool party with Michele, Joe, Cathy, Dave and the kids. Mark had to go somewhere with Erin, so he wasn't able to be there. Everybody seemed to have a good time. Dave played for a long time with Audrey, Sophie and Daniel in the pool. I was happy that Michele and Joe stayed late. We went for a goat hike and Mark took the kids for a "hay ride". I showed the kids how to milk Raisin and like Hannah, Maylin took right to it.

Equipment

What a difference specialty equipment can make. I bit the bullet and went to Tractor Supply today to load up. I got another book on equine behavior, a sponge, sweat scraper, longe line, longe whip, and a riding crop. I also got a curb chain to hook onto the halter to stop her lunging forward. My favorite purchase is a pair of steel-toed Timberland boots/shoes. With my shoes on and the riding crop in my hand I felt much more confident meeting her in pasture. The riding crop is like an extension of my arm. When she started to plow into me from the front I used it to pat her on the chest and tell her whoa. I also was able to use the other end of the crop to bump her in the face when she rolled her head into me. She even stood still quietly while I put on the curb chain. More and more progress every day.

Finn and Tali's Ice Cream Parlor - FARMER STYLE

Finn

Swimming

Here is a perfect before, during and after. I hope it posts properly.

Swimming with Kennedy

On Thursday Ann and Tanya brought Karen's daughter, Kennedy, over for a swim. She was very shy at first, but warmed up after spending time in the pool and on the swingset. Then she didn't want to leave! We had a great time.

Touch and Go

The last few days with Ruby have been touch and go. She is trying to bully me and it is a struggle to know the right thing to do. Gaining her trust and forming a bond is imperative. It is the groundwork that sets the tone for everything else. We are making progress little by little. She won't let me spray the bug spray on her, but I can now rub some on her face. She will let me brush her with a soft brush, and last night I was able to use the curry comb. She is very pushy though and likes to push into me, which is a bit scary. I have to learn to stand my ground, but I admit, I'm nervous. I'm sure that doesn't help. She can read my emotions even though my intentions are determined. Yesterday she reared up in her stall when I had her in a halter and on a lead, and tried to push me into the corner. I finally got pissed and gave her a smack on the chest. That definitely surprised her. It would have been comical if I wasn't in such a precarious position.

Putting on her halter and leading her in and out of the barn is getting better. I really need to get a riding crop. I need an extension of my arm to get her to move away from me. I let her out into the pasture on Thursday. She ran up and down for awhile getting the jiggys out. We kept the donkeys in the other corral for two days so that they could see each other over the fence. Yesterday we let them out together and the donkeys want nothing to do with her yet. They don't rush her like other horses would. She would start toward them and they would begin running with her trotting after. At one point it was a beautiful train of Pickles, JoJo, and Ruby bringing up the rear. I think in time they will like each other.

One thing I do like about Ruby is that she will come to me if I walk out into the pasture. I don't have to catch her which is a real blessing. She is very friendly and likes people. She will stand quietly while I put on the lead. Last night, after running around all day with the donkeys she was beat. She could barely keep her eyes open as I rubbed her neck. It was pretty funny. Rachel is coming over Wednesday for our first training session. We are going to do two weeks a month working on groundwork with Ruby, and two weeks a month me riding at the stables.

SHE'S HERE! INTRODUCING RUBY RAZZLE DAZZLE

Okay, yeah, so my horse arrived on Monday night around 7:00pm. I drove out to Middlefield and met Vicky and Frank with their horse trailer. Spring, aka Ruby, was brought out after a bit and very hesitantly made her way into the trailer. It really took only a matter of minutes. She did great. The drive home was uneventful and Vicky said that she was very quiet in the back. She unloaded just as nicely and kinda went this way and that on her way to her stall. She spent the evening circling her box stall, looking out the window, and whinnying to everybody. JoJo is quite taken with her and I caught them "kissing" through the window.

Yesterday I spent some quiet time with her throughout the day. The couple of times I went in she cocked her foot at me, but didn't kick. She isn't used to a box stall as Al and Debby had her in a standing stall during the day, so this was new.

Today I was able to come and go in the stall without any problems. While she was eating I cleaned it out, and she is backing up when asked. We still need to work on her invading my space. Part of the problem is that I am a bit nervous around her. The weather wasn't great today, but I really wanted to get her out a bit. So, with my heart jumping around I put on her halter and lead and led her out. The donkeys were in the back corral. At first everything went pretty well. She would follow behind, but then try to jump in front or go behind me on the left. For awhile she would listen when I corrected with the lead. Then we went down the side the donkeys were on and they started prancing around. She got excited - grass! air! donkeys! goats! and it went downhill from there. I got her back to the barn and wanted her to stand so that I could take her halter off and give her the okay to go out to the pasture, but she wouldn't stand still. THEN, she stepped on my foot. My little toe on my right foot to be exact and crushed it. I don't know if it is broken, but it is certainly black and blue. Next purchase, steel-toed shoes.

So, not wanting to give her the go-ahead without getting what I wanted from her I decided to leave it for another day and put her back in her stall. Boy, was she angry and let me know with her loud whinnying. We will try again tomorrow. Rachel!!! I need your help!!!

Yesterday Mom and Dad came over and went swimming and we had dinner...hamburgers, watermelon, zucchini and squash from the garden, and our first corn. Delicious!

Tomorrow Ann, Tanya, and Kennedy are coming over to swim. I am looking forward to seeing them.

Oh, last night while Mom and Dad were here Lauren came up lame. She was limping very badly and I feared she had stepped on a nail or I had trimmed her hoof to close. So, we had Dr. Matt come out to look at both her and Ellie. He thinks that Lauren just sprained her leg so she is on 7 - 10 days "bed rest". After he went back to his office he did some research and thinks that Ellie has Choreoptic Leg Mange, which is caused by a mite infestation. We are going to treat Ellie with Ivermectin and Frontline spray. If that does the trick I will be SO happy as this has been an ongoing issue since March.

Sounds like the Daveys are having a great time in Michigan. They say the water is blue like the Caribbean. It is very picturesque and quiet. They are loving it.

Horse Today

My new horse arrives today. Still trying to decide on a name. For some reason I am not nervous at all. Her stall is almost ready. We just have to clean up the tools we used yesterday and throw down a little more straw. Mark cut a lovely window in her stall towards the back pasture. He framed it out very nicely. It lets in a lot of natural light, which is nice because the stalls are pretty dark. The stall is very big in my opinion. Larger than the stalls at the stable where I take lessons. I think it will be a nice place for her. Hopefully the adjustment will be easy, although I know she will be scared. It will be interesting to see how the donkeys react to her. Last night when we let them into the back pasture, they were running all around and Pickles was kicking up her heels. It is fun to watch them let loose. They don't do it as much as they did when they were yearlings.

Today is going to be a swim day. Finally a nice, warm day with no rain. I have to leave to head out to Middlefield at 3:30. I am not looking forward to the drive there and back, but I feel like I should be there.

seeing if it works.

A Quiet Moment

Finn and Tali sharing a sucker and a blanket.

Oh, to be a dog.

Lucky boy.

A Patch of Sunshine

My 20 year-old cat enjoying a snooze in the sun.

Work

Yesterday we trimmed all of the hooves - both sheep and goats. We found that Ellie has these really horrible-looking growths above her hooves. It looks like it is Strawberry Hoofrot. Nothing much we can do about it, maybe some penicillin. Mark will be taking her to the vet on Thursday. Yippee! Another vet bill.
We also started taking down the black strips in the corrals in anticipation of Phoebe's (may be Josie) arrival tomorrow. It looks so much cleaner now. Less cluttered. There is still more work to be done on the fence, but we are getting there. The kids were great, helping pull the black strips to a pile out back.
Today I will be getting Phoebe's stall ready, plus a trip to Tractor Supply for some last minute brushes and bug spray. It would be nice to be able to get the kids into the pool. The weather has not been cooperating lately. They want so bad to go in, but then they freeze their little tushes off.

Hannah's Birthday - Waiting For Cake

Amanda came up last Tuesday for Hannah's birthday with the boys plus Hannah and two of her friends, Elena and Sydney. They got here about 3:00pm and we went swimming for awhile. It was kind of chilly as this whole summer has been. Nana and Grandpa came over later and we had cake and ice cream. We went to bed fairly early hoping the forecast would change.

Unfortunately it didn't and the trip to Soak City was postponed. After a few tears Hannah took it in stride and was very mature in her response to try and make the day good anyhow. We decide to go roller skating, so after Nana arrived we all piled in the cars and went to the rink. Hannah and the girls, along with Ben and Leo, did very well. Tali just was not having any of it. After going around a few times and then a lot of crying, she sat on the bench and watched. Finn did not like the slippery floor of the rink, but went up and down the carpeted aisle with Mark in tow. During the last song a little boy skated in front of Mom and fell causing her to fall. She hit her head pretty bad so we took her to the emergency room. It was very scary, but she is okay and the swelling was gone by the next day. She even came over after the hospital to watch the kids swim and we all had leftover picnic food for dinner.

The next day the kids went swimming again in the morning even though it was raining and we all went for a goat parade in the rain before they left. I thought it was a nice three days, but I'm sure Hannah was disappointed. Hopefully the weather will cooperate when we plan to go in August.

F and T

Yesterday I asked the kids what they wanted for a snack. Tali asked me what was in the pantry. I started naming things, but Finn said, "No, say A whole bunch of nothing." I guess I must say that a lot. Made me laugh.

Mower Rides and Camping Out

Mark bought a small trailer for $30 and built an attachment for the lawnmower. It isn't big, but it is handy for hauling stuff around. It is our poor man's tractor!!! So, every night he has been putting straw and a blanket in it and giving the kids rides.

On Sunday night Mark and the kids camped out in the backyard. We built a fire and roasted marshmallows for Smores. The picture is of the kids getting ready to go out to the tent. They were so excited and slept until 8:30 am! Despite the roosters crowing all around.

Funny Things

I am going to start posting random things that the kids say that make me laugh even though there most likely won't be a context. I just want to remember them. For instance, just right now Finn and Tali were in timeout for leaving their shoes lying all over willy nilly AGAIN. After the timeout I was going over why they were having a consequence and I was telling Finn how well he was doing with his temper tantrums and to keep up the good work and to now just try to get his shoes in the basket. He is nodding and smiling at the praise from me, and then blurts out "Zucchini for dinner!" I have no idea where that came from in his little head except that we had zucchini for dinner last night and he liked it. :)

Lots to Write

So much has happened since Hannah came. On Wednesday I took Hannah to my horseback riding lesson. Rachel was great. She not only let Hannah ride Cody, she gave her a mini lesson. Hannah seemed to really enjoy it. After the lesson Hannah rode Cody down the long driveway and back. It was nice to be able to share the love I have for riding with someone else who loves it too.

On Thursday we went to Lake View Park. The kids had a great time on the beach. On Friday we went to the ZOO, on the HOTTEST day of the summer. We were all wilting. We saw the dinosaurs, and the bears were having fun in the water. That's all I remember. It was too hot.

The beginning of last week Mark knocked out the wall in the permanent goat shed, framed it and put in a door. He really is amazing. He has single-handedly (with a very little bit of help from me) changed the lay of the land of this farm. It looks completely different from what it looked like last year. So, now the fence is done, the chicken coop is done, the goat shed is done. We, rather Mark, still has to build the ram and buck pens, and a million other little things, but I feel like we have made real progress. I am very proud of our little farm.

Today Mark went with Joy and Erin to Kent for a final visit before Erin heads off to college. She is very nervous, but excited I think. We are so proud of her, and I am SO happy that she is going to get the college experience. She really deserves it. She has worked so hard. Finn, Tali and I went swimming after doing some odds and ends. The pool is looking good, thank you very much. Hopefully it will stay that way. I just wish it were a teensy bit warmer. I know that Mark is happy its cool because of all of the work he has to do, but I wish it were a bit warmer for the kid's sake. Yesteray Dad and Eileen came over for a visit and brought their friends, Carol, Tom and Ruth. It was nice sitting around just enjoying the day and the kids in the pool.

Teddy

On Wednesday our little Teddy passed away. I don't want to go into details because I am still up nights thinking about it, but Mark and I tried to save him and we couldn't. We buried him under the tree in the back pasture.

After Teddy died Tank was beside himself. He cried and cried all day and ran frantically around his pen. That made it so much harder for me to hear the constant reminder that Teddy was gone. I searched the internet trying to find a ram for sale that would fit in our budget. We found Stewey, who we are now calling Diego, in Waynesfield near Lima at Broken Road Farm. On Saturday we drove there, a six hour trip there and back. We got him home though and he is doing well. Tank is back to his old self, content. Finn and Tali were real troopers that day.

Good bye Teddy.

Goat Parade

I haven't posted in awhile, and I will post more about last week later, but I wanted to get these pictures up of our goat parade. Mark cut a nice, winding path through the pasture for us to go on our nightly walks. Last night the sheep decided to go too, but being sheep they got distracted and decided to graze instead.

Swimming Pool

Yesterday we emptied and scrubbed out the entire pool. It was green and stinky, like an algae-filled pond. It wasn't hard work, but took a long time. I sat back and drank margaritas while watching Mark. Just kidding. There is just a little bit of debris in the bottom now. You can actually SEE the bottom, which is an improvement over last year. Over night it filled up about 4-6 inches, so it will be a couple of days before its ready. Too bad Hannah has to leave today, but it will be ready when she comes back for her bday. It was wonderful having her this week. She was a joy to be around and such a big help. She took right to milking, and if Raisin would have let her Hannah would have finished the job. The kids and I are going to miss her. I am taking her to my riding lesson today. Rachel said she could ride for awhile. Then Nana is meeting us there to take her home with her for a few days. Amanda and the boys are coming up. We are going to the beach tomorrow and the zoo on Friday to see the dinosaurs.

I can make one of the roosters, Turkey, crow by whistling. I had better stop naming all of my roosters. Its getting hard to think of them as dinner on the table.

And it begins...

Raisin put her foot in the milk (Pongo and Scout are happy. They get the milk when that happens.) and Ellie got out of the fence already this morning. Enough said. Let's hope the rest of the day gets better.

I heard the chickens roar. Supposedly Buckeyes (rare breed on the critical endangered list) give a dinosaur-like roar. When I told Finn that we were getting chickens that did that he got scared and said "Ohhhh". Well, I have heard them. It is the strangest sound, and yes, it does sound like a dinosaur. Kinda creepedy.

Here are some pictures of my horse, Phoebe's Starlight Spring (Phoebe for short), who will be arriving on July 27th. She is a two year old Haflinger/Paint cross filly. I will be working with Rachel Jelen to start her under saddle. Another adventure and a dream come true for me.

Hot fence. Finally!

Here are some pictures of our new fence. We have sheep, goats, donkeys, and a new horse coming on July 27th, so we decided to go with 5 strands of ElectroBraid. It is relatively inexpensive, VERY easy to install, and looks nice. Hopefully it will do the job for all of the different kinds of animals. Time and training will tell. I also included a picture of Mark's ingenious lawnmower invention. The ElectroBraid rolls are super heavy and we were going to have to walk the fence line carrying each one everytime. Instead Mark put the rolls onto a 2X2 and then mounted it onto the back of the lawnmower. He slowly moved the mower while I walked behind and watched the rolls as they unwound to make sure the braid didn't catch. It worked beautifully.

Chickens and Fireworks

We decided to go to North Ridgeville's fireworks. They were the only ones in the area shown on the 3rd. So, I had to put the chickens away early. They usually come when I call/sing "Chickens!". Actually they come running, like puppies. It is so cute to see them all running towards me in the backyard in a stampede. I got all of them in but two. Well, first it was only one and then another one snuck out while I was trying to get the first in. No matter what I tried they would not go in and I did not want anymore to escape and we had to go. So, I locked the screen and the two just sat there looking in. I expected that when we got home we could just pick them up and put them in. Chickens go into a kind of stupor at night and you can pick them up then. But when we got home (the fireworks were great), no chickens. We walked all around the yard with the flashlight looking for them. So then I expected them to be by the door when I woke up this morning. No chickens. Then I got a bit upset. Did I leave them out to be prey? I didn't see any feathers though. I let the rest of the flock out and waited to see what happened. Sure enough I saw some movement in the flower garden and here they come stretching and pecking.

Finn and Tali are really enjoying having Hannah around. They are playing a lot of make-believe. Right now they are playing Candyland. I wish the pool was up, but they seem to be keeping themselves occupied.

The fence is finally hot!!! However, we are going to have to do some sheep training today. They went through it twice yesterday. I was afraid of that. They have been ducking their heads under while it wasn't on and grazing the backyard. I didn't mind until they started to get into the garden, and yesterday into the chicken coop! They loved it in there!!! I had a feeling that their wool would be a problem with the fence as it is an insulator. We have to try to get them to touch their noses to the fence. When Mark chased them back through they definitely heard the popping, but we don't know if they actually got shocked. I thought we could get our cellphones and Mark stand at the box and I stay by the fence. Then Mark can turn off the fence and I will put peanut butter, or something, on the fence to try to get them to touch their noses to it. PONGO got quite an unexpected shock this morning though, so I know its working. We'll see how my plan goes.

Hannah comes visiting

Yesterday Finn, Tali and I met Amanda, Hannah, Ben, and Leo at Mohican State Park and we went hiking by Little Lyon Falls. Appropriate name as it was a VERY little fall, well, really just a trickle. But the hike was fun although a bit treacherous. Tali came back with shoes caked in mud and a little brown butt. Hannah suffered several scrapes, but brushed it off like a trooper. We had lunch by the river and called it a day. Amanda and the boys tried to climb the fire tower, and we headed home with Hannah in the backseat.



When we got home she helped me with the animals, we all watched The Fashion Show and then hit the hay.