A Man and his Land

Okay, you have to admit that's pretty cool.

Jim, Dad, Grandpa...walking through the field with his dog and, of course, the goats.

We, or I guess, I, have been trying to 'sack out' my goat Mocha. Basically what that is is getting him used to being handled. Being used to having people touch his sides, his legs and his feet. Well, he ain't havin' any of it!!! He loves his back scratched and his head rubbed and that's about it. Should be interesting when the farrier comes cause Decaf Mocha is a big ass goat!This would be his @#$#@$ off look...and I did...

On another note this would be one of the many flowers I took from the old place.
Perty, ain't it?
Now my old girls don't lay a lot but when they do and that's about 1 - 3 eggs a day, they are huge!!! I took 2 to make scrambled eggs this morning and could have fed 3 people! Seriously, God, screwed up because it should have been the hens that crowed, not the rooster! Any woman who can pass that deserves to crow!!!
We are having trouble with critters trying to eat the old girls though. If it's not the eagles, it's the mink and if it's not the mink it's the raccoons. Turns into quite a game though. Cracks me up. My how our lives have changes! Lately it's been figuring out how to keep the ravens out. They steal the eggs! They actually land on the fence, drop down into the pen and just walk right into the hen house. We have a mom & dad and 3 young. The adults take the eggs no problem but for a while the youngsters weren't gentle enough and would break the eggs but now they've got it down to a science. Luckily for me Doc and Diane were here and Di said to try putting up a piece of netting in the doorway so the girls could get into lay but the ravens might be afraid to go in because they wouldn't be able to fly out. Worked like a charm.

There's a new post coming to a computer near you...maybe

THE FARM

I've heard a rumor that Danny Usher doesn't like chickens. Well, let me tell you, my chickens are cool. They are much like myself (especially one). They have no more eggs, they're a little spacey and one seriously limps when she gets up in the a.m. And, did any of you know that chickens can jump? They can't fly but they can jump and for God's sake don't go into the pen in flip flops and painted toe nails...it's just not good (ask Darcee). The worst part is, yes, I love those old girls and no one is making stew out of them.

Then there are the goats, they are so much fun. This is mine, he's Mocha and quite big. A mix of a bunch of goats (I know so much).

And this is Bucky (with a B) and he is Darcee's. Apparently Darce got a little more goat than I did, which I mentioned a while back. Uncle Bob made a platform for them with two ramps and they just love it. The game is to get up there, rear up and then try to knock the other goat or person off, too funny. I will try to get pictures when I get a sec.

Oh, and this is a rainbowAnd this is Mitzy. I got her today from the SPCA and she is sitting, paddling away on my lap as I type this. She is twelve years old and someone gave her up. Her back was so matted that they had to shave her so she has a reverse mohawk. She had a large tumour under her neck that turned out to be another matt that had gone inside like an ingrown hair. And then there are her poor little ears. This is a result of unattended ear mites. Just heart breaking and hopefully not 'bank' breaking. She had been an inside cat and she is just so sweet. I'll give it a week or so before I introduce her to Oz but hopefully they will get along.
We, or I, had a very scarey incident today. Darcee had warned me that neighbors down the way have a cat killing dog and I was so worried that Oz would get out because he has absolutely no fear of anything being an inside cat. What I didn't know was the dog hates other dogs too. I was painting the coop (the coop, too funny...) and someone comes walking down the beach and Will runs to the edge of the property and barks hoping someone will pet him or better yet, a dog will play with him and the next thing I know this bloody dog attacks him. And I mean ATTACK. Will is so gentle and so fearful and this thing has him by the throat and is just ripping at him. Will is yelping or for a better word, screaming. The young women walking the two dogs has no control. I ran from the pen yelling and the attack dog took off into Chris and Darcee's yard. Will just ran to me and shook and hugged against my legs, he was so scared. He wasn't torn but he so sore and so nervous to go outside. It just really pisses me off. The girl was saying, "I'm so sorry. He hates other dogs." Well, put him on a bloody leash!!! Anyway, kind of a crappy way to get welcomed to the neighborhood but I'm phoning tomorrow and they either keep it on a leash and out of peoples yards or I'm reporting them.

Yes, a New Post!!!

Since the last post we've been to Ottawa and Quebec City and then back to continue moving in and it's all been amazing. We could only fit in 2 days with Luke, Kyle and Linds but it was wonderful. The parents look fantastic and that little boy is just incredible. I do now really know why we have our babies in our 20's and early 30's...2 days with Luke and I was exhausted AND he wasn't feeling well! I can't imagine what he's like when he's 100%! Just kidding but he really does NEVER stop unless it's nap time. He is so cute though and such a ham, I just loved being with him.

We had the most amazing rooms on this trip. We stayed at the Fairmont's in both cities but we didn't get into the one in Ottawa until 1:00 am and we were beat. Jim had upgrade coupons that he'd mentioned and I heard the girl at the desk say we've given you a lovely 'suite'...We headed up and Jim said, "Well, it won't be much because it's only on the 2nd floor." We walk up to our door and there is a sign that says 'Prime Minister's Suite' and we both go, "Yeh, right." We open the door and I started to laugh. The damn place was almost as big as the old house! Full dining room, full kitchen, living room, huge bedroom, writing room (seriously), and on and on. The coolest refrigerator/freezer in the kitchen. It was really something. And sooooo old. It wasn't until the next day that I realized that all the amazing doors and stonework were actually plastic. Looked great though. The funniest part was it was 2 days later that we found a 2nd bathroom!
The kitchen was really so old. There was a door for the maids to come in and prepare dinner or whatever. There was a dumb-waiter...it must be such a great place for a wedding or reception. Very well done. We both loved it. We were only in it to sleep but what the heck.So on to Quebec City and another awesome room at the Hotel Frontenac...
This time we got the Alfred Hitchcock RoomVery cool. Up in one of the turrets, 4 very, tiny, little windows that had sheers on that didn't pull back. So, you could always find our room from the outside...we were the one with the curtains tied in a knot. Why? Because the views were absolutely stunning!! We had a great time and would go back in a heart beat.And of course, you gotta love the guy trying to make a few extra bucks.
This fellow was very good. He played every day and we could even hear him from our room which was so nice. There must have been another reason that he was still on the streets as he was truly very talented.