I was working outside today.
We have 2 small man-made ponds that are getting quite overgrown with the ground cover, Creeping Charlie.
I was making good progress cutting it back when it started to rain. Pleased with what I was doing I didn't want to come in right away so I was a bit soggy by the time I gave up and came inside.
I put the kettle on for a cup of tea, put dishes in the sink and turn the tap on to wash them.
I went into the bathroom to wash my hands and realized how wet my hair was.
After toweling my hair I combed it. Didn't like the way it look so was messing it up again when the kettle started to whistle.
My first thought when I went back to the kitchen was that the dogs had gotten into some fleece. There was a film fine white something all over the kitchen floor.
It was soap suds! I had left the tap running in the sink and it had overflowed. What a mess. The counter was flooded at both ends. Water had gone under the fridge and out into the hallway then on into the living-room.
Thank heaven we don't have carpet any more. At least I was able to get it cleaned up, hopefully with out any damage to anything. With carpet it would have ended up as a major clean up!
I think I should give up trying to multi task and stick to one thing at a time!! The floors look cleaner than they have in a long time though!

We had the vet out to look at Becky the goat.
She has been limping and the last couple of weeks she seemed stiff all over.
I was also concerned about the way her sides looked and felt. The vet checked her over and said she is full of arthritis. He said her sides are normal but she has lost weight and that is emphasizing her pygmy belly.
There is nothing to be done for her. He said to let her have the summer then in the fall we will have a decision to make.
She loves the heat of the sun. It probably helps ease her pain. We are going to get a heat lamp for her. Even on dull days she will be able to get heat to lay under.
Vet suggested we put her and one other goat in a separate area so that we can give her a special diet with out the other goats getting into her food before she can.
I fixed a rickety old fence and put her and Molly apart from the others, 1/2 hour later Becky comes walking up to me, she is out side of any animal enclosure and had to walk a fair step around to get where she ended up! I think she went under a high spot in the fence. I have fixed that and now will have to wait and see if she gets out again.

We have had some really awful weather. These two pictures were taken on Sunday afternoon.
We had a thunder storm with hail stones. My camera doesn't do justice to what the rain looked like bouncing off the road.







A couple of pictures of Jolene. She is just so adorable.



















Picture of the first Muscovy to hatch. So far 10 have hatched out of 11 eggs

After several phone calls I managed to find a bird breeder that had a female Black Breasted Red old English Bantam. BBR for short.
A friend of ours gave us a BBR rooster a couple of weeks ago and I wanted to get a companion for him. The rooster I named Little Red, The hen is named Ginger.
They have settled in very well together.

After Thelma Louise died I felt very sad for Mohawk.
I called the same breeder and told him what had happened and asked if he would sell me another old English hen.
He agreed.
I took Mohawk with me and was surprised to learn that Mohawk is not an Old English at all. He is a Silver Japanese Bantam. One of good quality according to Blair and his father Larry. (The breeders)
Fortunately for me, they also have Japanese Bantams. They sold me a hen with a week old chick. I have never seen anything so tiny as this little chick.
I really have to get out and take more pictures of my still growing menagerie.

Rob and I tried goat meat for the first time at a BBQ Friday evening. We took a very tiny piece and split it between us. we were sure we would not like it.
We were both wrong about not liking it. It was delicious.
Doubt I could ever raise any animal for meat but think I would be able to buy goat meat given a chance.

We got home from the BBQ around 9 30. I checked the critters and found Thelma Louise (Banty hen) huddled on the floor rather than on the perch next to Mohawk.
I picked her up and it almost seems as if she had had a stoke or seizure of some kind.
I placed her in the 'Nursery Pen' under the heat lamp, She didn't make it. Poor love was dead Saturday morning. Also poor Mohawk, He will miss her. I will get another little hen to keep him company.

I wasn't even over finding Thelma when Vi came to remove Jolene's horn buds.
Jolene was placed in a narrow box with her head the only thing outside of the box. Vi had heated the De-budding iron and placed it over the horn buds. I couldn't watch. Jolene was crying for all she was worth as vi pressed the hot iron over the horns and pressed into them.

Becky, one of out Pygmy goats is limping again and her tummy is as hard as a plank of wood. After checking her for me, Vi, my goat Guru, has no idea what it could be.

I really love having all my critters and know I am very lucky to be able to have them.
There are times though, that I wonder if I can cope with the stress that times like these cause me!

Not such a great day today.
I went out side this morning to find two live chicks, one dead chick and the other 6 missing from the 'Nursery Pen'
I don't think mink are responsible this time. Maybe a cat? We will probably never know.
Lucy's nest had also been disturbed. I thinks her eggs are duds anyway but was going to give them another week.

The foot is still swollen and painful but better than it was. Guess that is a good thing.

I started this post a few days ago and saved it in drafts meaning the date is wrong.
Date today is June 14th

Friend Sharon called the other morning saying WE need more Muscovy ducks.
She had been browsing a local 'For Sell' site and just happened to read about FOUR Muscovy ducks needing a new home ASAP.
Of course I phoned. Two drakes and two hens. Both hens were on eggs. Yep, I did it!
Betsey, Rosy, Rolph and Huey have joined our Duke and Duchess.
I gave Huey to a lady that had been asking me where she could find Muscovy ducks. I had managed to find a female for her but no male. This worked out well as I didn't need to have 3 males.

Yesterday was my grandson's class field trip out here.
The day before I had been working at cleaning up a few things before they came. I wanted to move a few board of wood that I thought looked a bit unsightly.
In the process I stepped on a large nail that was sticking out of one of the boards.
With in an hour my foot had turned red and was starting to swell. It was extremely painful and I knew I should go to the Dr and get a tetanus shot. I justified not going by telling myself it was more important to get the place kid safe. In hind sight I know I should have gone right away.
I got very little sleep that night because of the pain in my foot. By morning my foot and toes were huge and purple.
I was able to drive to the clinic and was fortunate enough to get to see a Dr right away.
The foot is infected. I have to take antibiotics four times a day for 5 days. I also had my first ever Tetanus shot. I go back to the Dr on Monday.

The kids had a blast out here. I think the teacher had as much fun with the critters as the kids did.
I bought a tub of ice cream and cones, we sat on bales of hay at the end of the visit to eat them.

Rob and I went to pick up the new goose yesterday.
Catching her wasn't as bad as I thought it might have been. I'm sure we looked a sight though trying to round them up and then separate her from the others.
We have called her Matilda.
For now she seems to be bonding with the Muscovy ducks rather than Andy and Lucy, our other geese.
Lucy is still sitting on her eggs which will hopefully hatch in about a week.
I will post better pictures as I get them.

Sara who lives in the UK and reads my blog, asked what kind of chickens I have. They are Isa Browns, a hybrid bird that are raised for their egg production. They lay large brown eggs and are quite prolific.
I also have a pair of Old English Bantams. Thelma Louise and Mohawk.
I found one of Thelma's eggs and put it in the incubator with the other eggs. I was so pleased yesterday when it started to peep and crack a little hole in the shell. This morning I thought it would be hatched for sure so was very sad to see that it had died still in the shell.
I have another Old English Bantam that a friend dropped off for us a couple of week ago. I call him Little Red, ( he is red and black.) He can't go in with Mohawk and Thelma Louise because they will fight.
I have put him in the pen with 3 of the rabbits. Now I am on the lookout for a little red hen for him.
The same friend that gave us Little Red has a gray goose she wants us to have....So the menagerie continues to grow!

Bridgett is the grumpiest little one eyed dog you could ever wish to meet.
Grumpy is the wrong word, I think nasty is more suitable!
I gave up taking her to the groomers because they can't do her head and face. (She bites) I do her myself and have the scars to show for it!
My hands and fingers have been a bit painful for a while and I can't hold on to as well I used to. With out a good strong grip on her the battle is lost before it begins!
I called the vet about my predicament and they said part of their training is handling aggressive dogs. They said to bring her in and they would do the best that they could with her.
I could hear the commotion from the waiting room. The receptionist went back to check on her for me. She came back laughing and said 4 technicians were trying to hold her down. She was wrapped in a towel and fighting for all she was worth! That was just trying to get a muzzle on her. LOL
They did a great job and her legs, feet and body but no way could they get any where near her face or ears. They figure she would have won even if it were 4 Rottweilers holding her down.
The only way I will be able to get her done properly will be to let them sedate her, at a cost of around $200...Retched little dog.