Winter Fun ?

Winter is here. Yesterday we spent all day cutting firewood and cleaning the stinky duck pen. PEW, they are as nasty as pigs.

We have been trying to get everything ready for winter, but still are far behind. Haven't even got the storm windows on yet.

Fern's HAPPY face.

The goaty girls are fascinated with the snow. Peaches has a nice thick coat and isn't bothered too much by the cold, but Fern has a very thin coat and does a lot of shivering out in the cold wind. I guess I will have to make her a blanket coat to use when she is outside.

It was nice enough yesterday to let all of the animals out, there were patches of grass for them to feed in. Since the leaves have fallen from the trees the girls have been eating grass too. The ducks were also liking the snow for a little while but then their feet must have got cold and they all went back inside. The poor turkeys were confused and trying to mate. Evidently they can't tell the beginning of winter from the end. The terrorists (our Guineas) were everywhere and for the first time since the young ones were born, didn't bother the other animals. They also went in last night without any coaxing, another first. It normally takes at least half an hour of chasing to get them inside, and thats not until it gets dark. Last night they went in while it was still light out. We didn't even have to chase the chickens inside, so everyone must have been looking forward to the warmth of the coop. I know we were more than ready to get in out of the cold.

Two weeks ago Wifey had a little accident with the golf cart and sprained her knee. She was going too fast and turned too tight and fell off the cart. It is doing better now, but for a few days all she could do was hobble from her chair to the bathroom and back. I on the other hand had been bragging that it had been a long time since I had fallen. So Monday I fell four times, twice my leg gave out, then I forgot about the trailer hitch on the truck sticking out so far and then got my finger caught in the collar of a hungry goat. I was trying to hold the goats back so Wifey could pour feed into their pan. Peaches may be small but she is VERY powerful. Her Boer goat lineage insures that all 80 pounds of her is all muscle. She twisted around so fast twice and was pulling so hard that I thought for sure she had broken my finger. She knocked me off my feet and Wifey was hollering that I was choking her. My poor finger was twisted in that collar so tight that Lynn had to undo the collar to get us free from one another. It is still swollen and sore.

 Note to self: NEVER get between a goat and her food. And keep your fingers out of the collar.