How did I get into such a sorry state?
Well, Saturday morning, every single goat we have decided to stage some sort of coup.
Maybe current events in Egypt and Libya inspired them I don't know!
Started out normal enough....
0600, fed goats and took them from their pens out to the *outer pasture* (what we call the main part of the 1 acre yard that is fenced off from the back yard). Leave baby buck Geordi in pen (I will milk his mama in the afternoon)
0615, Geordi (the baby buck) has somehow gotten out of his pen. Put Geordi back in pen.
0625, Geordi is out again! Chase him around back yard and finally get him back in pen.
0645 to 0700, watch Geordi out window to see how the little goat Houdini is managing to escape. Gape in amazement as Geordi gets a running start and jumps up on the gate and then scales it and flings himself to the ground outside the pen.
0715, Get the Darlin' Man up, explain the problem. He helps get Geordi back in pen and then watches the escape maneuver himself.
0730-0800, Geordi is put back in pen and Darlin' Man and the Boy get some scrap lumber and add an extension to the top of the gate to thwart little Geordies escape plans.
0800, 0830, Breakfast, suddenly interrupted by the sound of goats bleating in the back yard. Now, Gabrielle (Geordi's mama) and Champagne have somehow found a way into the back yard...yet the gate is still closed and latched! How the heck......?
The next few hours were spent chasing goats, falling on my backside (Gabby goat zigged when I thought she was going to zag!) and trying to figure out how the blasted animals were getting on this side of the fence!
The adult goats were definitely a lot more crafty than little Geordi (who became a bleating cheering section for his mom!) and didn't make their move to sneak into the back yard until we returned to the house and things had calmed down considerably. Finally, we spotted Gabrielle digging UNDER the fence!
Goats dig?
GOATS DIG!?!?!
The rest of the day was spent resolving the problem, which involved extra long tent stakes being used to hold down the bottom of the fence AND cinder blocks being lined up all the way down the fence line at the bottom.
So, pounding tent stakes, dragging around cinder blocks, etc, made for a tired me by the time dinner rolled around .Right after dinner, I had to milk Gabby and return her and the other goats to their pens. The attempted coup was over, apparently, as all the goats were now docile and cooperative.
Immediately after dinner and milking, I fell asleep on the couch while the kids and the fella cleaned up, bless 'em.
But, now, I am wide awake and feeling every ache and pain from the activities. I am waiting for the aspirin to take effect and sipping a favorite vanilla chai tea to relax.
I learned a few things today...wee little goats can jump and climb higher than I expected...adult goats can be tunneling experts...I can't run as fast as I could 20 years ago...and falling on your fanny can hurt several hours later!
hehehehe Lamb! they are indeed very good escape artists... we have found too that the smaller the breed of goat. the smaller the gaps need to be for escapage... we have had pretty good luck with it this year thus far... thankfully since they like to use the perimeter of the pasture as a racetrack when they do manage to find a way out.. i am TOO old for racing
ReplyDeleteI think I have a few years on you, Lamby, but my 'running' ability has been sadly lacking for at least the last ten! I'm good for say three or four strides and then the gas tank is empty and the legs are jelly. I occasionally have to out maneuver the horses when they want to get where I don't want them to be ...requires careful strategy on my part to make sure I win.
ReplyDeleteI'm woefully familiar with the achy aftermath of physical exertion too. When I was younger, I enjoyed hard work and often went to bed sore and tired after a long day. But lately it seems I often wake UP sore and tired ...simply from the day to day chores. I wouldn't trade our lifestyle for anything though. My grandma always used to say she'd rather wear out than rust out. I am of the same opinion!
WWRWH, I'd rather wear out than rust out, too, but yesterday made me wonder if a little rust would be a bit comforting, lol!
ReplyDeleteGoats. I don't know anyone who has them any longer... although they seem very popular with preppers. From a young age i always thought a good goat was one very far away. I've seen them get lose and destroy a hard won garden in a matter of hours. One goat in a vineyard will easily destroy 20 vines in a few hours. Years ago the woman on the property behind decided she wanted half a dozen of these evil creatures. She had to be the cheapest human being I've ever met but eventually she paid for a chain link fense to keep them in because they were slowly, but steadily, escaping their spacious compound for the joys of her garden and hanging laundry. They love to jump on freshly waxed truck hoods. But there's the upside of course... wait.. there is no upside. ;) OK, OK, I'm sure it's not that bad. LOL
ReplyDelete