This n That

For those that have asked, Petro (the buckling) is doing wonderfully. His eyesight is back to normal. He is eating, drinking, getting into as much trouble as possible so can safely say he is over the poisoning. Baby (turkey that thinks she is a dog) still has a little sniffle. She is back to eating, chasing chickens, drinking from the garden hose and all her other strange habits. I still have the heat lamp on for her and had to go out in the rain storm today to make sure she was in out of the rain (she was). I am still giving her antibiotics but no longer have to wipe her runny nose. I was asked if she was going to be Thanksgiving dinner.... NO. Well she might be invited to Thanksgiving dinner but only as a guest. Fred and Tessa our bourbon red turkey are not going to be eaten either. I am a big softy and just can't eat my animal family. Except Porkchop and Dotty. Those pigs were raised to be put in the freezer so I didn't get attached. At the moment I have a bunny that has a hurt back and a chick with a deformed leg that most people would just put down that I am caring for. If they have the desire to live then I feel the need to help as much as I can. Tiny Tim hatched from her shell not able to stand because her foot was turned up against her thigh. We tried making a brace, taping, etc but she wouldn't let anything stay on and peck and fight till she got it off. And except for hopping around on one foot she is a normal little chicken. She has her own pen and scolds me when I go out to feed until I feed her. She loves attention. Honey Bunny hurt her back somehow and could barely move her hind legs for a couple of days. Moved her to a smaller cage with nice soft bedding and lots of treats and she is now almost back to her normal self. A few more days and she will go back to her regular cage. Sometimes no matter how hard you try a member of your animal family dies. But then there are the times when both you and the animal seem to do just the right thing and they live. Those times are what gets you through all the other. I am very blessed. Don't forget to count your blessings... even those little ones!

Thanks To Facebook

My bed was late getting made. My laundry was late getting folded. My dishes were late getting done. My floors were late getting swept and mopped. All my normal morning indoor chores were put on hold for just a little while. Thanks to facebook I was able to message with my grandson Q. He is home with a viral infection. He can't talk above a whisper but he could type. We  caught up on each others news and football. We talked about family and the farm. It wasn't a deep discussion, but it was a chance to just "talk" without interruptions or in a rush to be somewhere. Just Q and I chatting like we use to do in the little cabin. Sure miss having grands around to talk and laugh with in person. But thank you facebook for giving me a way to stay in touch with my grands. Makes me feel like I am still a part of their lives. Get well soon BBF Q!

Bring It On Mother Nature!

Stove and chimney cleaned and ready. Wood is cut, split, and stacked. All that cold, icy, windy, snowy weather that you have kept from me for years bring it.... I am so ready for you! I know its wishful thinking but I sure would love to have a cold, snowy winter this year without having to move north to get it. Hopefully it will at least be cold enough to keep a fire in the stove and the kettle hot for tea.

Had a rough couple of days with Petro. Actually thought he wouldn't make it through one night but he is well and back to mischief. We have made a pet out of him and let him follow us around while we work outside. While splitting wood the other day he played around the stacks of wood and nibbled on fallen leaves. He also found a dogwood branch that had fallen and ate some dogwood berries before we could get to him . Got most of them out of his mouth and thought he would be okay. The next morning when I went out to feed I found him hiding behind a tree weak and blind. We put him in a dog kennel on the back porch and I started doctoring him. Made a mixture of: 1 pint of water, 1 tsp ginger, 1/2 tsp. of baking soda, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp. molasses, 1 TBS epsom salts. Gave him a couple ounces every hour and inbetween gave him warm sugar water to drink to help flush the poison out. That night he got really bad and couldn't even stand. I brought him into the house and made a bed on the living room floor and stayed with him all night. He was calm as long as someone was with him. The next morning after more of the concoction and warm sugar water he was standing and passing gas. Really, really, bad and loud gas for a long time. The rest of that day he ate a little hay drank more warm sugar water. (He wouldn't drink pedilyte however you spell it that I usually give goats that need nourishment but can't eat )  By that evening he was seeing just a little bit and walking around the back porch. The next morning he was crying for his bottle and following me everywhere leaving little pellet trails and peeing everywhere. He is now back in the pen and acting like nothing was ever wrong. He gave me a few more gray hairs and now has to be watched like a hawk when he is out of his pen but back to his mischief making and being spoiled. The photo above is a couple months old as he is now 3 months old and lots bigger. I couldn't find a recent one in my files.

Now I am doctoring Baby (the turkey that thinks she is a dog). She didn't get in out of the rain the other night and now has the sniffles. She now has a heat lamp and a warm place to sleep where the other turkeys can't bother her. I went out today to clean her nose (nostrils on her beak) and found somehow she had gotten them full of dirt and even small pieces of feathers. Took me about 10 minutes to clean her nose. She was running around eating everything in sight after that so guess she was happy she could breathe better. When I went out right before dark to check on her she held her head up while I checked and wiped her nose. She is such a spoiled thing!

As always, its never boring around the homestead. Don't forget to count your blessings! Even the tiny ones.

Q Learns a Lesson

As I have bragged before my grandson Q plays football.( number 28)

He is even a captain of MMS Panthers.

He lives and breathes football. He is so into football that he has been letting his school work slide a little. My daughter Megan told Q that if he didn't catch up his school work and stop getting into trouble from not having his homework she was going to go spend the day with him at school. Q laughed it off thinking his mom would never do anything like that. Megan let it go for a week and he still hadn't caught up on all his school work. Being the mom that she is she took the day off work (she works in a very busy doctors office so it wasn't easy) and went to school. She went by the office to let them know what she would be doing and then opened the door of Q's first class. She told the teacher she was Q's mom and was there to hang out with him all day. From what I was told Q was wanting the floor to open and swallow him up. After class he told his mom to go home but she told him he was there for the day. She went to every class.  Guess you know Q got all his work caught up and has been doing his homework every evening with no more problems. Teachers, Coaches, and Megan are happy. Q is just making sure she doesn't have reason to embarrass him like that again. He now knows when mom says something she means it. I just love it! Megan was my wild child growing up. The one that challenged me the most and I just love that she is now dealing with things from a mom's point of view (and doing a great job I might add). Wild Child, I am very proud of you. You rock!

A Little Squirrelly Around Here

Yesterday I was carrying some things into the house and pushed the screen door to the back porch to stay open. Of course I forgot to close it. Later I went out on the back porch to get something and scared a squirrel that was stealing sunflower seeds from the bag I had opened to fill birdfeeders. Well Mr. Squirrel just couldn't run back out the open screen door. No, he had to run into the house! He ran all around the kitchen knocking things off counters with Rusty all excited right behind him barking. He then ran down the hall into the guest room where he decided to hide behind a speaker.

I tried, really I did to get him to come out  from behind there and go back outside. He wouldn't budge. So I left him there until William got home a couple hours later. I closed all the doors to other rooms and left the back door open. William moved the speaker and shooed him out of the room. Mr. Squirrel ran down the hall past the open back door to freedom and straight between my feet. I screamed like a girl while jumping up on the counter out of the way. William was busy laughing but thank goodness Rusty came to the rescue and went over to sniff Mr. Squirrel and scared him out the door. He still didn't go out the open screen door but hid under the parakeet cage.

Finally after having a crazy lady take a picture of him he ran out the screen door, up on the banister and straight up the oak tree. He didn't stop until he was several trees away. I have a feeling he won't be trying to steal anymore of my sunflower seeds. Or at least for a long while. Like I always say.. it's never boring around the homestead! Don't forget to count those blessings... even the squirrelly ones.

Fall Preview

Mother Nature has given us a little preview of what her fall is going to be like. This weekend has been wonderful! Rainy and chilly Friday and Friday night. Today was a little rainy this morning but windy and chilly the rest of the day. Not quite cool enough for a fire but cool enough to light the oil lamps and enjoy cups of hot chocolate and hot tea in the evening while reading the many books that have waited all summer for me to pick up. Tonight as I sit here with oil lamps burning in each room there is a sense of peace settled over the homestead. The goats are all snuggled down in their straw bedding. The chickens are snuggled together on their roosting poles. The turkey are having happy dreams. The rabbits are sleeping peacefully in their beds. The ducks and geese are quietly walking around their pens. The pigs are snoring as Bella and Tinker lay quietly while guarding the homestead. Everyone and everything at Hidden Haven have enjoyed this preview and look forward to welcoming fall with open arms when it arrives to stay.  Don't forget to count your blessings!

Happy Days Are Here Again!

Buttons, Hayley, Blackie, Precious, Gerda, and Little D are very happy (and so am I). The last 19 goats I have been taking care of since December have gone to a new home!! My girls have their home back and seem to be very relaxed and content. Feeding this afternoon was fantastic! No shoving,stepping on feet, head butting or any other bad manner act. The girls each went to their own feeder and took their time savoring each bite. Usually its like going into a boxing ring trying to feed grain. Did I tell you the girls and I are very happy??? As for the boys pen, Andy and Petro have it all to themselves. Trouble, Cotton, Cotton Jr, Oreo, Thor, and Mini Me went with the others to their new home. After tomorrow when Susie and her piglets go to their new home things will be back to a nice, happy, normal around here. Feedings will be easier and quicker and my sweeties can get lots more loving. Poor Bella and Tinker aren't sure what happened to all the goats they have been guarding but seem very happy to have Hillary and Snowball gone. Those two always rammed Bella and Tinker when they weren't looking. Knocking the breath out of them. Yep, things are happy and content around the homestead. Now if we could just do something about those dang acorns! Don't forget to count those blessings... no matter how small.