Small things...

Sometimes I have trouble coming up with things to write about in the winter. The days seem much the same... short, dark and cold. I don't mind this in the way that many people do, but I often feel that I lack things of interest to write about.  The last few days have been particularly cold, and that makes me worry about my animals. And a worried mind does not lend itself towards creative writing tasks well. However, several people have asked me to come up with a post, and that encouraged me enough to propel me into looking through my pictures of the last week to see what I had that might be compelling enough to share.

The first is an antique store find. I have an antique dressing table where I put my make up on (Chris calls this, "Gilding the lily.")  and try to beat my hair into submission each morning. I had a small, tilt top mirror that was very useful but jarringly modern looking. It just didn't go with the antique it sat upon.  Last weekend we poked around a wonderful antique store, and Rachel spied this gem.

  And at under $20 it was a steal! It's silver plated, and was pretty grungy, but I polished it up a bit and voila... my dressing table is now more pleasing. 

Sometimes I catch of glimpse of something so surreal that I wander about the rest of the day, amazed. This happened this morning. I had only been out of bed a few moments, and wasn't fully awake, but was looking out the window as my brain caught up with my body. We had a dusting of snow last night, and I saw a small tell-tale tunnel  there. Voles, also known as "meadow mice," often leave tunnels in the snow, they fascinate me. This particular tunnel caught my interest because it went from under the heated livestock water bucket, for about 4 feet. Then there was a gap of about 3 feet, then the tunnel resumed. "How did that happen?" I wondered. How did the tunnel stop, then resume at a long distance? Did the vole take a gargantuan leap? As my groggy brain was grappling with this question, a crow swooped down and in a breath taking moment, snatched the very vole whose tunnel I was puzzling over out from its chilly channel, and swooped it up, up into the branch of a dead tree, where he devoured it in 30 seconds flat. 

When I went out to take care of the animals, I checked out the scene of the 'crime.'  First I solved the mystery of the tunnel gap. Where the first tunnel ended, there was a row of wee, tiny, vole footprints over the snows surface. Perhaps the wind had blown the snow too shallow just there for burrowing. Next, the tunnel resumed, took a hard left, and the photo tells the rest of the story... early light, crow foot prints where they landed in the snow, and the imprint of an outstretched wing, where it landed, hard, and plucked the little mammal from it's lair.  

And then there is this.
In the cold and wind I have been feeding the goats and donkeys in the shed more often. And, to be honest, I've been feeding them more than is really necessary. I do this because animals like these stay warm in part by their digestive process, and I want to make sure they have plenty of food to digest so they don't get cold.  The donkeys wasted a good bit of hay, tearing it from the rack and tossing it on the floor.  When I cleaned their donkey dorm, and put the litter out on the manure pile, they suddenly found the very hay they had tossed to be delectable. They spent the better part of a day out there, picking individual blades of hay out of the refuse, and looking very happy.

Oh, in case you are wondering, the goats LOVE their new coats. They stand very still when I put them on, and when I slide a hand between goat and coat, the air is very warm. 

One more small thing to complete this post.  I offered to buy Rachel a new puppy for her upcoming 30th birthday. A litter of pugs was born, not far from here, on solstice.  We've been to see them twice now, once when they were three weeks old, looking for all the world like kissable baked potatoes with legs, and then again when they were 5 weeks old, resembling tiny, squirmy, caricatures of adult pugs. Rachel and Evans picked a fine little girl and she will be coming to brighten all of our lives shortly after Valentines Day. We are so excited! 

The winter days may seem to be much the same, but when I look back at the pictures I snap, I see that there are snippets of interest and wonder dispersed between the cold and dark. In my world, the common thread seems to involve antiques and animals. 

Nor'easter...

The snow began to fall around 7:00 PM last night. The temperatures are in the single digits, so the snow is light and dry. When I woke this morning it didn't look like much had fallen, but once I was booted up and outside, I could see that 10 inches or more had accumulated.

There were no takers for the bird bath, but a steady line of hungry birds were on hand to clean up big scoops of seed.

I gave all the animals food and water. The goats and donkeys had not set foot outside their house. They still had food left over from last night, but were happy to have baby carrots and a few oat cookies. The wind cut right through my warm clothes, and I was well chilled by the time I got done. Luckily I'd planned ahead and had a cup of hot tea waiting. Chris was up and cooking breakfast, so I thawed by the fire.

Once we were fed and I was warm, we both geared up and went out. I shoveled the steps, the deck, the little walkway from the house to the garage.  Chris manned the snow blower and cleared the driveway and paths, then made paths for me to get to each animal house.


The wind blew the snow back at him, and he came in looking like this...

A hot coffee, hot shower and dry clothes were in order.

The snow has turned to some icy mix, and the wind is whistling around the corners of this old house. But a fire is glowing in the stove and we are safe and cozy, watching the world through rattling windows until it's time to go out again.

January storm...

The first big snow storm of the season is upon us. They are predicting 18" of snow will fall, starting tonight and coming down all day tomorrow.  Getting ready for a storm is a little different when you have livestock. Today we went to the feed store and stocked up on rabbit pellets, chicken food, goat food and shavings. We went to a different store and filled the back of the truck with hay bales. We stopped at a friends house and grabbed a few bales of straw. She had a truck load delivered and I reserved some, because it makes for warmer bedding than shavings. I was waiting for really cold weather, and it's here.

Earlier in the week I cleaned out both chicken coops and the rabbit hutch, then today we stripped all the soiled bedding out of the goat cozy and donkey dorm.  We put down fresh shavings, and I piled half a bale of straw in the corner of the goat room where they like to snuggle up. I filled the hay racks, and we scrubbed the heated water tub and filled it to the brim. We also filled three 5 gallon containers with fresh water for the animals in case we lose power.

Most people rush to the store and buy bread and milk before a storm. We buy animal feed and spend hours making sure they will be safe and secure in no matter the weather.

It's been cold for a week, low single digits. The goats have been shivery in the morning, and that makes me sad. I have had goat coats in the past, and decided I needed to order more. A search on line lead me to a woman who makes custom coats, and they sounded very nice. There were 30 colors to choose from, and I thought my goats would look best in a fabric called "tapestry." There was only a tiny postage stamp picture, with a wish and a prayer, I chose that and hoped it would be pretty.

 I carefully measured my goats, from the base of their neck to the base of their tail, and around the widest part of their belly. I took the measurements from Spirit, and ordered both coats the same size, because Bliss will soon be as big as her mama.  The coats were delivered Friday. I could hardly wait to open the box, and when I did I was delighted. The fabric is water repellent, the floral pattern quite lovely. The coats are lined with a nice quilted nylon, similar to what one might find in a human jacket. Wide Velcro lined bands fasten the coat snugly at the chest, and in two places under the belly. The coats even have nice little gussets over the hips to make them fit snugly. I also ordered a special underlayer of fleece. It is made like a wide tube to fit over the goats mid section, and then held in place with the over coat. When I slid my hand under the layers this afternoon, my girls were toasty. Tonight, in the storm, they will snuggle into their bed of straw and be cozy goats. The only down side to the wonderful new coats is that the donkeys are now terrified of the goats. The same goats they snuggle with, eat with, hang out with, now they won't get closer than 10 feet to them, because of those very, VERY scary coats.

Meanwhile, the donkeys have been feeling frisky. Their thick, wooly, hair keeps them snug. I asked my vet if they might need coats, and she assured me they were fine, as long as they had plenty of hay to eat in the cold weather.  Their digestive process helps keep them warm.

Sarah's hoof does not seem to bother her at all, and the two have been playing. When donkeys play they bite each other on the neck, run and buck, chase and twist, kick and rear. It's adorable to see, and helps me know that they are well and happy. 

After a recent Facebook picture of the donkeys brought a rash of comments about their weight, I have cut down their feed quite dramatically. They are not pleased with me, and make their complaints known, loudly, by braying at me to demand more grub. Notice Sarah sporting her stylish leather boot. Every three days I take it off, remove the soft bandage under it, and squirt medication up into her hoof. She stands like an angel for the process. I rebandage, fasten her boot back on, and give her a cookie.

The snow has begun to fall. Soon I will walk out with the dogs as they take their last evening stroll. I'll peek in on the animals, watch the snow come down, and listen to the special silence that is the hallmark a snow storm. Then I will rest well, knowing everyone is safe and secure, bedded down and well fed. Tomorrow there will be snow to move, pictures to take, and hours of rest, as the weather forces us to stop our normal routine and dance to the rhythm of the storm.

Cold...

The thermometer read 3 degrees this morning when I went out to take care of the animals. The cats were making use of their new heated hut. They ate a good breakfast then went out to explore. Clack snuck into the house at one point, and nabbed the bed in front of the wood stove. He looked quite content there.

Soon he asked to be let out again, and happily spent the day dashing around with his brother.

Rachel and I went to the local volunteer fire department for the morning. They were holding their annual rabies vaccination clinic. This is a fund raiser for the department, and a wonderful service where people can get a low cost vaccine for their pet. We have gone the last two years and trimmed nails for a $10 donation to the department, as well. Today we happily raised $210 in just two hours. We met some nice people and saw a lot of interesting dogs. 

After the clinic I put on warm clothes, braced myself, and headed outside with Bravo. We checked on all the animals, filling up water containers and topping off food bowls. The donkey dorm was not as springtime fresh as I like, so I shoveled and swept. Soon I didn't notice how cold it was.  The goats "helped," poking their naughty noses into my pockets looking for treats. A thick layer of clean shavings was spread around. Next I took Sarah's boot and bandage off her hoof, and spread the special medication on. A new bandage was applied, and her little boot put back on. She seemed quite happy, and soon she and Abraham were running back and forth through the snow, playing. I was warm from my exertions, so Bravo and I began walking around the pasture. 

Bravo danced and played. I admired the unblemished sheet of white on the meadow. In a moment I heard a thundering sound. I turned around and saw donkeys and goats barreling in my direction. They have not set foot on the fresh snow of the pasture in days. But since I was out there, they came gamboling along for a stroll.  Soon I had a donkey on either side of me, nodding their heads companionably, walking where I walked. The goats reared and twisted and butted heads, staying close. I tried to get a picture or video, but it was so cold my phone camera just shut down. 

I handed out snacks for all, and after our companionable romp, they all tucked into the clean shed. 

Bravo and I settled down in the warm house, checking another cold winter day off the calendar. 

Winter woes...

A few inches of snow fell yesterday, then in the evening temperatures rose and it rained. When I went out to do chores, the back yard and entire pasture were glare ice.  I have aggressive ice grips on my boots, but still walked very carefully. Spirit goat was very unsure about walking to the milk stand, but with some encouragement, and slow going, she got there and back. The poor donkeys didn't want to set foot out of their shed, and I couldn't blame them.  Hard, slick soled feet on top of wet ice would be a dangerous combination. They couldn't reach their hay rack or their water tub. I didn't have a lot of time, but I quickly scooped all the bedding out of their room, and put it into my trusty two wheeled cart.  Then I walked towards the hay rack, tossing a fork full of shavings every few feet, to create a little bit of grippy surface on top of the ice. They figured out what I as doing in a twinkling.

Sarah, above, would walk only as far as I had spread the shavings, then wait for me to come and toss another fork full on the ice.  I made a trail to the hay rack and the donkeys tried it out. Then I turned and walked to the water bucket, and the little guys followed along, checking out my activity every step of the way.  They took a big drink, then ambled back to the shed.

If you look at he picture above, you can see that Sarah has a little boot on her left rear foot.
Several of you have asked how she is doing. The farrier was here three days ago, and cut a good deal more of the front of her infected hoof off. The White Line disease had reached almost to where her hoof joined her leg. I wasn't really sure what I was looking at that was under where the hoof had been removed, and to be honest, it made me feel a little squeamish. Our veterinarian came the next day, and said it all looked pretty good. I got brave and asked, "What am I looking at under where her hoof was?"  She gave me a sideways glance and replied, "Actually, that is bone." I was right to feel squeamy! Poor little girl. The vet said, "It's going to be a long haul. It will take 6 months or so for that hoof to regrow, but she's going to be ok, and she's not in pain. She's a happy donkey."

The doctor brought a boot for Sarah to wear to protect her foot as it heals. Actually, she brought two. One more expensive, soft and squishy. The other hard and not as nicely made. Of course I wanted the squishy one, but sadly it was too big.  The other one fits perfectly. I cut some padding to slip inside and make the bottom more comfortable. We will try to get the better one in her size. A girl's gotta have nice boots! In case you are wondering, they look something like this, below. Stout Velcro holds it snugly to her foot. After the first moment or two, she has paid no attention at all to it, but I suspect she wishes it came in designer colors!

The donkeys seem to be bored, there is not much to do with all the snow and ice on the ground, and they are not getting as many visitors as they normally do.  Chris nicely bought a special treat to distract them. It's a hard ball, about the size of a softball. It is made of seeds and grains, and compressed with something sweet. It's as hard as a block of wood.  The instructions are to hang it, about eye level, where the donkeys cannot press it against a wall. I slung a rope up over the rafter, and they watched with great interest. As soon as I was done, they tested it out, pronto.  They nibble and lick, and the ball swings and sways.  Soon both of their heads were covered with the sticky sweetener, but they didn't care.  They have spent hours playing with it, but have barely made a dent in it. It's a nice distraction these long, dull days.

It was dusk when I hung it, so the picture isn't very good, but you can see that the donkeys are quite entertained. And that is only fair...

because they certainly entertain ME!