Kaleidoscope

Kaleidoscope, better known as Lexi, died yesterday at the age of 12. She was my first Nigerian along with her wether brother, Harlequin. What can I say about Lexi? She was just a darn nice goat. Although bred a million times(she really liked the boys) she never had kids. Other than making a few trips to see her boyfriend at a neighboring dairy, she never left our farm. She was never shown, never clipped, never milked. She had the perfect life. She died peacefully in her own bed. What more could anyone of us want?

Rest in peace little goat girl.

Barn Cats

Several months ago, right after Hubby's accident, I was driving our truck when I noticed it was running really rough. Being a fairly new truck we took it in to be serviced under the warranty. Trouble is the warranty doesn't cover a rat chewing all the wiring under the hood. With the truck sitting for several weeks a rat took up residence in the engine. $600 dollars later we got the truck back and Hubby was determined to not let it happen again. He wanted a cat.

We haven't had a cat here in years. I was tired of losing them to coyotes and the road so decided not to have an outdoor cat anymore. I have two cats at the farm but the llamas seem to keep them safe from the coyotes that roam our streets at night and early morning ridding the neighborhood of their beloved cats and small dogs that are not watched when let out of the house early in the morning.
Hubby set out scouring Craigslist for a cat. Now my idea was to get a couple of feral cats from the rescue group. They come spayed or neutered with shots etc....and don't want in the house.

I didn't move fast enough. My son and his dad found a cat on Craigslist, made an appointment to meet the owner at Safeway, and came home with not one cat but two. The other was "going to the pound" what else could they do.
House cats.
That want to be in the house. Not at all what I had in mind.

We kept those two cats in the old bathroom for 2 weeks and then moved them to the garage when the weather warmed. They weren't out in the garage twenty minutes when they caught the rat and laid him by the door so we could trip over it.
Hubby was pretty happy with his cats.
I too have grown to love his new kitties and they come and go through the house sometimes sleeping on my bed. But they also catch a lot of mice and small rats. We live in the woods and apparently the rodents were close to taking over.
The other day I saw the small black kitty sit quietly by a fresh mole hill. I told her she'd get canned cat food every day for the rest of her life if she caught that mole. Moles have been plaguing me for years. I hoped she would get one. When I got home that afternoon there was no mole.
We have been putting the cats in the garage at night because of the roving coyote pack. Last  night I forgot. Yes I went to bed without putting the cats away.

I felt so guilty.
Then I went outside this morning and saw what they had been doing all night my guilt shifted to joy.
Three dead moles. Just like that.

His house cats are the best barn cats ever.

Test Driving

 

Bridget and Frances, granddaughters of a friend, came to the farm to see the babies.  Each baby had a turn being held and getting used to those short little people called children.

Hazelnut's tiny buckling was the favorite I think.

Bridget and Twinkle..as in Star

Frances and Sweet Pea

Hazelnut and family

Northern Belle

Sweet Pea



Mister No Name

ZooDoo

PeeWee

The Best Kidding Ever



We just had the best kidding ever at Minter Bay Dairy Goats. Hazelnut was showing signs of kidding this morning and I had to go to work. I could check on her at lunch but emailed the farmer at Herron Hill Dairy and let her know "the Nut" was kidding and could she come by and take a peek. I was able to check her at lunch and not much was happening so I went back to work. At some point in the afternoon my iPad pinged and I saw an email that said "I'm here" About and hour later another ping and a picture of Hazelnut....and her two kids. All born, dried off and resting. My 5th grade boys reading group cheered and high fived and helped me celebrate.

Bucklings, one buckskin with blue eyes and wattles and one cobby little black and white spotted blue eyed boy. Just what the zoo ordered.

Easiest kidding ever. Oh how I love technology.

Thanks goatfarmer, I needed that.

He has his mother's eyes



Belles and Whistles

 

Wedding Belles did it again. Two of the most perfect kids to have been born on the farm. All spotty with blue eyes and wattles and with conformation so correct it takes my breath away. I keep telling myself it is important to get the zoo correct beautiful Nigerians.

Wedding Belles' Buckling

Sweet Pea the doeling

 I can't keep them all...can I?

Sweet and Sour

Boots as a baby

Yesterday was the much anticipated day of the kidding of the zoo babies. The weather was perfect at about 70 degrees. I knew Wedding Belles would kid. She suddenly had that oh my gosh look to her udder and her normally quiet self was yelling at the top of her lungs. I took a half day off to baby watch. Before too long Wedding Belles produced a spotty blue eyed doeling followed by a spotty blue eyed buckling. Easy as pie.

Sweet.

As I was cleaning up from Wedding Belles babies I noticed that Boots was pawing and pacing. Before too long she laid down to push. She hadn't pushed very much
 when she delivered two long front legs and no head. I reach in and found the head way back but could not get the head to stay in the right position to be born. I called my friend and fellow goat farmer who just happens to have very small hands and asked her to please come. She pulled her little girl off the school bus and the two of them flew to my rescue. But alas she had the same problem.
Boots was loaded up in the jeep and rushed to the vet where they tried and tried but to no avail. At least they had drugs to dull her pain and then ultimately put her out of her misery. We delivered the dead kids C Section. These were my zoo babies.
Two spotty blue eyed bucklings....just what I'd ordered.
Sour

Rest in peace my dear little Boots.

Boots a couple of weeks ago

 

Round Two

Well my hair is cut so I'm ready for round two of kidding. I really should have planned this a little better and not had them all kid during our school's week of MSP standardized testing. I'm proctoring (torturing children) so I can't get a sub. I am lucky to be within a couple of blocks from the farm and can run down on my lunch hour, which is only a half an hour, but I wonder what goat farmers that work off the farm do during kidding. I keep telling myself that goats have babies all the time by themselves but I was raised to worry.

I have worrying down to an art.

The Girl Next Door

Our new little goat, Skipper, is in love with Jenny Goat, the neighbor's old fat goat. She is mean as H E double hockey sticks.

He better be careful what he wishes for....

Zoo Babies

Back in July, when Willow's little Blackberry was born, my friend brought her friend out to see the baby llama. Her friend is a vet tech for the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium. Apparently she went back to the zoo and told of my wonderful colorful baby goats to the keepers at the Kid Zone.  The head keeper contacted me, came out to see my goats, then started the process of setting me up to be an official "zoo vender". It has been a ten month process but like she said, "the zoo doesn't do anything fast".  I am pretty excited to have some of my colorful babies for all the world to see.

Last week, I had an appointment to visit with the keepers and see the areas they will be keeping the babies.  The keeper that I have been working with was called away to an animal behavior seminar so I met with Natalie, the zoo biologist. When she met me at the gate she said, "Are you Wendy?" when I said I was she said, " You just looked like someone who likes goats" Oh man....I try really hard not to. I know she meant it as a compliment but I'm going to have to make that appointment for a haircut and spend some of my money on clothes and not a new herdsire.
We started out with a tour of the hospital where all the lions, tiger, and bears have their treatments and surgery. I would have loved to see a large animal having surgery.....I saw a budgie.

I was then shown the quarantine area where the babies will spend the first month. It is big and airy and I'm sure they are going to enjoy all the special treatment that they will get while waiting for their public debut in the Kid Zone.
Next we made our way to Kid Zone goat area. It looked like a lot of fun for a goat. Tables and stumps to climb on, a huge scratching brush, a hut to get away from annoying children, and all painted in bright fun colors. Everything was clean, well organized, and a farmer's dream. Imagine going into the barn and having all the supplies you are ever going to need right at your fingertips. I have a thing for spreading clean shavings and I saw a mountain of shavings bales that took my breath away. I looked with a critical eye and only saw the best of care and organization.

They have a wipe board for everything.

I have three does bred to kid within three days of one another. We need 4 bucks out of these three does. We expect the kids to arrive the first of May.

I'd better fit in a haircut before then.

Kids these days

Yesterday I couldn't get my computer at school to work. I ran around the building looking for our tech support guy that I'd seen earlier. I found him as he was rushing out the door. I told him my computer wasn't working and I needed help. He told me to call the help line because he was late getting to another school.
Dejected I walked back to my desk. I didn't have time to call the help line. I had to get back to my students.
As I sat at my table with my 3rd grade "special ed" student he looked at my computer screen and said "I can fix that"
And he did.

Out of Hibernation

Well according to my family who is tired of reading about Wendy the Turtle it is time to shake out the cobwebs and dust off the blog.  A lot is happening around the farm this spring. We have had at times a difficult winter with surgeries and the loss of our two dogs weeks apart but we have survived and are going into spring and summer with lots of energy for milking goats and making cheese.

Cora Belle kidded a couple of weeks ago with the three prettiest babies ever born on the farm. I mean ever. Two bucks and a doe in my favorite colors. She is milking enough to feed three babies and give me some for cheese. I have three does, Wedding Belles, Hazelnut, and Boots, due the first week of May. All together. I'm calling these my zoo babies. The Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium has ordered up to 4 wethers from me for their Kid Zone. I am very excited to have my babies at the zoo.

This is the only time you will hear me say I'm hoping for bucks this year.

Wendy the Turtle

 Wendy the turtle has lived at the school for at least 20 years now. She has been the classroom pet for many a classroom. I have always had a fondness for Wendy because we happen to share the same name. The custodian, Wendy,  feels the same way. Wendy the turtle loves Wendy the custodian. She gives her cranberries.
Recently Wendy needed a new home so I brought her to my area and set her by my fish. The kids are in love with her. She can be seen by all the kids now and seen she is. A class will walk by and the teacher will lose half of them because they've stopped to see Wendy the turtle.

Known for her yoga poses, Wendy is a River Cooter I'm told. She is over 20 years old. She loves cranberries.

 

And she loves kids.












 She's a beautiful creature that has spent many years teaching children to value a life. Although she has put in over 20 years she's not ready to retire.

 There will always be children to teach.

 

Here We Go Again

After the sudden loss of our beautiful Stormy, we didn't know if we wanted another dog. After a few dogless walks I knew we wouldn't last long before we got another dog. My son feeling bad for his dad called Charlotte at Conway Kennels, the kennel that trained Stormy to be the awesome hunter she was, and asked her about available dogs or puppies. She did have a litter and she also had a couple of older pups. So with the knowledge that Conway had a 15 month old female pup that didn't quite make it in the field trial world we headed up to Camano Island to visit my dad and his wife and make a side trip to Conway to look at dogs.

Talk about a good day.....pizza and 3 generations dog shopping . That's the way to my heart for sure.

After a delicious lunch we drove over to see the dog(s). Before we saw her I had my heart on Kay the young female. Conway Kennel is a beautiful training and boarding facility on 80 acres in the heart of the Skagit Valley farmlands. Their specialty is hunting and field trial dogs.  They trained Stormy years ago and there was not a better trained personal hunting dog around. They also trained my dad's perfect dog, Sophie.
Well, needless to say, we brought that young dog home for a trial basis and it is safe to say she's not going back. She's got a big motor but since Keith is known to do some extreme hunting she will be able to keep up. She is smart and willing and just might motivate me to get back into the obedience ring.


So meet Minter Bay Special K. We call her K. I must have suggested a million times to  Keith that he could change her name but he likes it and it's his dog so it's growing on me. I've called her Stormy too many times.

She was bred at Conway and her sire is a field champion and her mother is out of a National Ch. so her pedigree says this dog hunts!
We are very excited to welcome her home to our family. Thanks Conway for this beautiful sweetie with a big motor.

We hope to make you proud.

Merry Christmas

                                                                 Happy Christmas

The Goat Girl

When I was 11 years old I begged my mom for a baby goat. As you might guess she did get me one and then enrolled me in 4H. Along with my record books I got a copy of a book called Dairy Goats-Breeding/ Feeding / Management. I read that book front to back. I spent many a night flopped on my bed reading about feed, minerals, hoof rot, kidding, and ADGA scorecards.
I have no idea what happened to that book and wouldn't have even thought about it if I hadn't seen a copy on ebay while hunting for something else.
I had to have it to put in my barn so I bid and battled back and forth a few dollars here and there and won a chunk of my childhood.
It came the other day. I opened it up and started reading the old familiar typed pages. I turned a page and caught my breath. It was the closest I have ever had to a deja vu experience. I had been there before. I wasn't 52 with tired feet, I was 12 years old pouring over a book about my favorite subject. In that split second I could feel my bedroom in the house I grew up in. I know it sounds crazy but remember I"ve been cooped up with a broken hyperactive husband for the last 6 weeks. It was bound to happen.
Here is the manuel I learned how to farm goats with.

 

 

 

It has informative drawings

 

 

    \The milking stand I wished my dad built for me.

 

This one is just as disturbing today as it was then.

 

Flippin' Pigs

One of Keith's chores is doing the pig flip so I can trim their hooves. With Keith out of commission and with the hooves needing trimming I took a couple of friends up on their offer to come help.  I'd do the flipping and Molly would do the trimming. Molly trains horses, she can handle a couple of short-legged  pigs.
I had never been the pig flipper so I was a little nervous. They are heavier than I thought and there is really nothing to hang on to. The idea is to come up behind them, grab their front legs and then gently lay them back in your lap.

 

It is a chore I spend more time thinking about than it  actually takes to do. I think when you see it you will understand.

 

We tend to draw a bit of attention when flippin pigs.

Say Grace

   Almost 11 years ago, I came out of the bathroom at a local dog show in which I was competing in obedience with my sheltie, Miles, and there was the most beautiful dog I'd ever seen. His name was Paris. I told the woman on the other end of the leash I wanted a dog that looked just like him. She told me she had a litter of puppies and gave me her card. I tried not to call her. According to Keith we didn't need another dog...especially another hairy barky Sheltie. I didn't listen to him and before he knew it I was going to look at that litter of puppies. I had my choice between two females. I chose the smaller girl with the two black ears. The other puppy went on to be a champion and was sold to someone in Korea for $50,000.  The story of my life.

That is how Wynstone's Say Grace came to live with us. She was adorable and wormed her way into Keith's heart in spite of all that hair. Everyone loved Grace and Grace loved everyone. People would say something like "Oh she really likes me" as she was up on them licking their neck. I wouldn't have the heart to tell them she did that to everyone. Grace had a whole list of people that suggested she come live with them "if anything happens to you".

 

Bought as an obedience dog, she made it quite clear she didn't really care for that obedience thing. She was known to just leave...and no amount of positive reinforcements brought her back.

Right in the middle of Keith's big accident, Grace started to cough. When I had a chance I took her to see the vet. I was worried because our vet of 28 years had retired and sold his practice to a couple of new vets but I was very pleased to meet Dr. Josh. He was compassionate and practical. He had to deliver the bad news that Grace had cancer and her body as filling with fluid. She had very compromised lung function. He talked about some options but we both agreed no good would come of it. I brought her home and she lasted 9 days. She was spoiled those 9 days and got one more walk to the farm.
I was having a hard time with the big decision.
Grace was still eating, drinking, running, and barking, she just couldn't breath.  I took her back and saw the other very compassionate, practical partner, Dr.
Dean. He helped me make the big decision. Grace was suffering. I had to let her go but I tell you this, Grace knew what was happening. I told the vet that she knew what was going on and he said

"I know she knows"


Grace never gave anyone a moment of grief. She was, and I know it is said a lot but this time it is true,  the best dog.

15 minutes of fame

Here is a clip that includes a couple of my goats.

Rooster Valley Farm School          

My New Favorite Show

Since Doc Martin is not on right now I was happy to discover a new Britsh show to like.  Call the Midwife is a show worth watching. I'm telling everyone about it. I even have a PBS app on my iPad to watch in the bedroom so Keith doesn't have to listen to women giving birth.

Security Breach

I have spent a good deal of time thinking about my breeding schedule. I have been planning kidding dates to correspond with shows and the fair. Cora Belle is still on milk test so I planned for a very late breeding so that she would produce for the full 305 days required. I have thought a lot about who I would breed to whom. I have decided not to breed all the does like I did last year. Maybe just Cora Belle, Wedding Belles, and Hazelnut.

Can you tell where this is going?

Tonight when I went down to put all the does away the herd ran to me as they always do but with two additions, Lucky and Pepe.
Apparently in my haste to get the buck pen up after Keith's accident I forgot to attach one of the livestock panels to the T-post.
I then spent the next ten minutes wrangling the two bucks away from the girls. By now the girls had had enough of those stinky boys...especially Pepe.
When I got home, Keith asked, like he always does, how things were at the farm. I burst into tears and told him about the mess I had walked into.
He wrinkled up his nose and said, "I'd throw those clothes directly into the wash. You smell like a buck."