I. Hate. Bugs. (it's that simple)

The flies are bad this year on the farm. 

They swarm on the horse all day long. 

The goats, too. 

Fly strips get covered up within an hour. 

We keep a fan rolling in the barn during the day. 

Flies don't like wind. 

The goats and horse often come to stand in front of this during the hottest part of the day. 

The chickens, I believe, are helping with fly control, though. 

A neighbor told me that her family's horse had a leg that became swollen from fly bites. 

That it looked like it's leg had a black sock on it, but it was just covered in flies. 

Gives me the heebie jeebies just to think of that!

So, I guess our bad fly situation could be worse than it is. 

I'll say it again...the chickens are helping. 

"How do chickens help with fly control" 

you ask?

Simple. 

Horse eats grass. 

Horse poops. 

Flies go right to poop. 

Lay eggs in poop. 

Chicken sees flies on poop. 

Runs to poop very quickly. 

Scratches through poop (remember, it's just grass y'all!). 

Chickens eat flies. 

Eat fly larva. 

Voila!

Chicken fly control. 

But there's another much worse problem this year. 

Worse than those *dirty, poo on their feet, landing in my lunch as I eat on the pool deck, buzzing past my face* flies. 

Mosquitos. 

God damn mosquitos!

I went out today to hose the horse down with the water hose. 

She gets hot and sweaty grazing in the pasture all day and enjoys a hose down. 

It's like washing a Mini Cooper really. 

But, oh my god!

I was attacked by Mosquitos the entire time. 

Biting my legs. 

My arms. 

My stomach through my shirt. 

My face and neck were attacked. 

It was the quickest Mini Cooper wash down ever. 

I ran for my life!

I ran to save my blood from larval poisoning and my skin from instant welts. 

I ran for the safety of the pool and jumped in. 

The mosquitos don't go to the pool. 

Why are there so many mosquitos?

We abide by the 3 laws of a mosquito-free environment. 

1.  No standing water

2.  No standing water 

3.  No standing water

We have a large water trough, but a frog and many fish live in it. 

They have one job. 

To eat mosquito larva in there. 

The mosquitos seem to be in higher concentrations near the barn. 

I'm wondering if the pond behind the house has water in it this year and that's the problem. 

Some years it's bone dry. 

Most years it's that way. 

I'm not going to go back there to find out, though. 

I may come crawling out of the woods with two less pints of blood. 

I can see how malaria is so hard to prevent in certain areas of the world. 

I worry that the bug world is going to take over the planet soon. 

And I'll be sequestered in my house until a deep freeze hits.

Last week I was in Chicago. 

And while I do enjoy the country life, I also enjoy the city. 

One of the biggest reasons being...no mosquitos. 

I. 

Hate. 

Bugs. 

But like warm weather. 

Chad and I have wondered if there's a warm tropical location that we can live in that doesn't have bugs. 

Does the desert have mosquitos?

Could I get used to a dry heat?

So many questions. 

So many bug bites...

Blood, Pain, Love

Thursday didn't go as I had planned. 

Not that I had had BIG plans for the day. 

It was the first day of Easter break for the kids. 

They were to spend the night with grandma and grandpa Wednesday night. 

At ten, I would pick them up. 

The mall would be our destination where I would proceed to spend my birthday money on some new pants and hopefully a black swimsuit top. 

We would then meet cousins at our favorite pizza place for lunch. 

Then head home where I would put some poultry in the crockpot for lime chicken tacos that we would consume for dinner. 

It didn't happen. 

Wednesday.

11:37 pm. 

My lovely deep slumber was obliterated by the overhead light coming on and the shifting of the bed as my husband sat on the edge putting his socks on. 

"Didn't you hear the phone ringing?"

"Umm, why would I hear the phone ringing?  I'm sleeping."

"Well, your mom has been calling. Gigi is throwing up, has an earache, and wants to come home."

Crikey...I wanted to go to the mall tomorrow. 

He left and I rolled back over trying to sleep for two more minutes. 

Because my parents only live two minutes away. 

Before I could snooze off they had returned. 

She seemed fine in the morning, but definitely had the look of a virus about her. 

No mall. 

No lunch with cousins. 

So, I decided to make a banana cake with the overripe fruit that was staring at me from the counter. 

Gigi sat on the couch watching movies while I fetched her stuff. 

Around lunchtime I headed to the barnyard. 

The water trough was getting low and the rain we had been promised by the local weatherman hadn't come. 

So I needed to pull the hose out to it and fill it up. 

The goats were in a very playful mood.

Racing through the stall. 

Head butting one another. 

As I sat and watched the water level rise in the big drinking bowl, I saw the blood. 

Blood on Tulip's head. 

Blood on Yogurt's head. 

Her horn!

What had happened to Tulip's horn?

Our unicorn was broken.

Somehow, in her playful romp with her sister, Tulip had broken off her horn. 

The only horn she had. 

She and her sister were de-horned as babies, but one of hers grew back. 

Our unicorn was now just a goat.  

I called the vet.  

Told them the situation and they said bring her in. 

Part of her horn was still attached so it was dangling from her head. 

And a bloody stump was showing. 

I managed to get the rest of the horn off. 

I had called both my dad and husband to come help with her. 

My dad got ahold of her and I pulled it off. 

It was hollow. 

It was as if I had tore my fingernail off and the bloody underlay was present. 

That's what was happening to Tulip. 

Buttercup was very curious about what was going on. 

At first she was looking into the barn with her entire head over the Dutch door. 

But she soon became nervous. 

And only peered in. 

We had transported the other goat to our vet once when she was younger. 

Usually the vet comes to us. 

Our farm vet is 30 minutes away and we were going to try to get Tulip to them.

In our dog crate. 

That we hoped she would fit into. 

That we hoped she would go into. 

So instead of a leisurely day of shopping and lunch, my husband and I were loading a bloody goat in a dog crate into the back of the minivan.

She was a good goat all the way there.

Upon getting out of the crate in the large animal room of the clinic, she became nervous. 

And the blood began to spurt out of her head. 

And Gigi started to cry.

Zoe walked to the window to look out at the gravel parking lot. 

The vet and her assistant got the bleeding under control. 

Bandaged up her head and gave her two injections. 

One for pain and an antibiotic. 

At this point Tulip was exhausted and done with everything. 

She let out a few horrible loud screams which made Gigi cry again. 

They suggested we separate Tulip from Buttercup and Yogurt for a few days. 

They were afraid they would bother her bandage, try to eat it off. 

Gigi wanted McDonalds.  

So, with a goat in the back of the car we headed to those nasty golden arches. 

There goes my taco dinner. 

When we got Tulip back to the barn, her sister and friend steered clear from her.  

She looked funny. 

She smelled funny. 

No one was going to eat that bandage off. 

Separation wouldn't be necessary. 

Our goats are our pets.

We don't milk them or plan to eat them. 

Their sole purpose has been to be companions for our pony. 

A pony who came to our home because a girl with cancer wished for her. 

So, if one is sick or hurt we treat them with compassion and help with their pain.

And on Thursday that meant forgoing my trip to get new clothes and instead hauling a goat 30 minutes away to get her injured head treated. 

Because this goat means a lot to us. 

She was brought here to help heal our daughter. 

Gigi is feeling better. 

I'll go to the mall tomorrow. 

Three Dogs And A Goat

This is my cousin's dog. 

His name is Eisen. 

I love him. 

And his three legs. 

I realized I didn't take any other photos on Thursday except for the ones I took about Willie  eating trees (see previous post). 

So here's Willie again. 

He has a few nicknames...

Wilford

Willy Wonka

Willster

Stupid 

Friday Gigi decided that the dogs needed their teeth brushed. 

I actually have dog toothpaste. 

It's poultry flavored. 

Yum!

Lola was way more cooperative than Willie. 

Future dentist?

Saturday we needed to trim the goats hooves. 

We just plop them onto Chad's lap and I cut away. 

I think "real" goat folks have a stand that the goat can walk onto and then you can tie the goat up and trim their hooves that way. 

We ain't got no stand. 

We have Chad's lap. 

It was so much easier for him when these two goats were babies. 

7 Days

A few things from the last 7 days...

On Tuesday I witnessed our hermit crab Rascal remove his body from one shell to another and it was the most hideous thing I've ever seen.

His body that's encased within the shell is large, bulbous, white, and kinda wet.

I barfed in my mouth a bit and want a cat to scratch my eyes out.

On Monday Zoe had her monthly blood draw to make sure the leukemia is staying away.

It's still staying away (Yay!) and Dr. Niebrugge said she can come every two months for blood draws now (Double Yay!)

On Sunday we were in Columbus.

In Ohio, ya know.

And upon the recommendation of our dear friend Z, we had some ice cream.

But ice cream that takes your taste buds to a new and exciting place.

Where pistachios and honey intermingle.

And where goat cheese makes a cheesecakey flavor in your cup.

Brambleberry crisp enters your mouth and you let out a deep and satisfied sigh.

A place called Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams.

On Saturday we explored The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium with Chad's cousin Melissa and her family.

We saw koalas, elephants, manatees, okapi, gorillas, stingrays, moose, and polar bears.

It was a perfect day weather-wise and company-wise.

On Friday we drove through two bad rain storms and a dust storm.

For a few minutes, I thought I had time traveled back to the 1930's and I was a victim of The Great Dust Bowl.

That dust-dirt was some scary stuff.

Last Thursday...I don't remember last Thursday.

Wednesday of last week the horse vet came to give Buttercup her spring shots.

She got three shots and did the "bugged-out-eyes pony look" for each one.

Oh, and I had to follow the goats around to get a poo sample for the vet to check.

Update: Day 8...we have to make an emergency run to Petsmart this morning because Rascal has no shell! Jesse booted him out of his and he's hiding under the log tunnel in the crabitat and he's naked and vulnerable.

Ewwwwww.

Toes & Hooves

Feet.
I like feet.
Most people don't like feet and feel as strongly against them as they do child molesters.
Not me.
Feet take the brunt of our weight every single day.
And you can dress them up or hide them.
They need to be celebrated really.
Is there a National Foot Day?
Probably.
I took photos of my kids' pudgy and sweet feet when they were infants.
I get to gaze at those new toes every time I walk down the main hallway of my home.
To remember the newness of them both, their uniqueness and their softness.

I have new feet to deal with these days.
Not as cute, but equally as fascinating to me.
Dog and cat feet are easy.
Trim the nails so they don't rip your arm apart at any given time.
Willie had an inch long thorn stuck in his paw a while back.
Holy Hurt Bat Dog!
Or Bad Dog as we normally call him.
Then there are the goat and pony feet.
If a horse has bad feet, they are done for.
All it really takes for a pony or horse to go downhill is one bad foot.
We have the farrier come out to see Buttercup Luck.
She was just here last week.
She trims up the hooves, files them down.
Cleans out all of the gunk that gets in there.
I do a gunk clean out myself, but don't trim them.
By the way, do you know how bad it hurts to have a large pony step on your foot when you are working on her?
I can say not as bad as having an elephant step on you, but I think it's a close second.
Trimming hooves, I leave that to a professional.
Buttercup had shoes on her front feet when we got her, but the farrier said she doesn't need them.
We ride her on grass pastures and they aren't necessary for that.
We do go slow over rocks we encounter near the stream, though.

Now the goats, they are a different story.
I trim those myself.
Chad holds onto the goat.
I trim a hoof.
Chad gets scratched by the goat as it flails around.
I trim another hoof.
Chad looses hold of the goat, goat runs away he and chases her around the barn.
I trim another hoof when she is re-caught.
Chad lets out a big moan.
I finish with the final hoof.
And that's just one goat.
Truth be told, that's really just how it is to trim Yogurt's hooves.
Tulip is much easier.
She just tries to eat Chad's sleeve as he's holding her.
We will be performing goat hoof trimming on Sunday.
Wish Chad luck.

Milked Bugs

Things have gotten pretty buggy and milky around here.
I'll get to the buggy first, milky second.

Both girls this week have had a note sent home with them regarding the one thing every parent with a child in "public" school, be it parochial or state funded, fears the most.
Head lice.
You always know who the unfortunate kid is because your kid spouts out "so and so left school early" or "what's her name hasn't been at school for days!"
So, I've been looking through their hair since Wednesday.
Zoe's is easy.
Her hair is still very thin and hasn't grown for who knows how long.
Stupid chemo.
But Gigi.
Geesh.
It's like a gnarled up bird's nest that rats have taken over.
And that's after she's brushed it!

Of course since then, I can't stop scratching my own head.
I did find something odd on Gigi's head however.
A patch of very dry scalp smack dab in the middle of her head up on top.
I've been oiling her up.
But my head is still itchy.

I've also been scratching all over my body because yesterday I found something horrible on Willie.
A flea.
What?!
It's November!
In Illinois!
I am cuckoo about putting flea preventative on the animals. 
I begin in the Spring and end usually in October. 
I did start earlier this year because it was unseasonably warm in March.
I should have remembered that and kept it up for October and November, but I've never had to do that before. 
It was in the 70's a few weekends ago and I was shaking in my boots about it for this very reason...fleas.

He had been scratching a lot so I gave him a bath and voila!  
A few fleas!
AAACCKKKK!
Are you kidding me?!
The jokes on me I guess.
Mother Nature and her friend Global Warming are working against my sanity and my wallet.
I had to buy flea meds yesterday for seven cats and two dogs and get it on everyone asap.
I'm scratching from head to toe now.
Lice in my head, fleas on my body.
scratch, scratch, scritch, scritch, shiver...

Now on to the milk.
We have two female goats.
No male goats to be seen for miles around here.
We saw that Yogurt had a swollen teat, udder, boobie thing.
The veterinarian was coming out here on Thursday anyway to give the barn critters their shots.
I would have her take a look at it.
Dr. Stacey took a look underneath Yogurt, gave her nipple a squeeze and lo and behold, out came milk!
False pregnancy.
Say what?!
Common in goats, her milk should dry up in a few months.
Holy Moley.
Can anything stranger happen around here?
Poor Yogurt, I hope she isn't really expecting a new baby.
It's a rather draining process (no pun intended) to have someone suckling at you , so she's better off without a new lamb.

Winter Warlock Comes

Winter's coming.
I'm not going to let this weekend and it's 70 degree temps fool me.
The week will show us temperatures in the 30's and 40's.
The earth is freezing up more.
The ground cover is gone.
Nothing to really nosh on outside anymore.

The hayloft seeks more sustenance.
Only one half is full, we need the other half delivered soon.

The barn gets colder and more cavern like in the winter.
It's dark at 5:30 now.
A opossum joined Chad in the barn the other night when he was closing up...looking for a warm place to bunk down.

The cats curl up on the hay bales.

The heated water buckets are doing their job.

Winter is coming.

I couldn't imagine living without seasons.
Without witnessing the earth going to sleep to be awoken again in the spring.
To hear the snowy silence that winter warlock spreads over the wood.

The Future Came In

There is always one moment in childhood when the

door opens and lets the future in. 

~Graham Greene, The Power and the Glory 

If it weren't for Zoe and her love of horses.

If it weren't for Zoe and her diagnosis.

If it weren't for Zoe and her dreams.

We wouldn't have our farm fulfilled as it is now.

The future came through our door the day she saw her pony. 

Flop. For Now.

The fish experiment has become a flop...

Never say, "oops."

Always say, "Ah, interesting."

~Author Unknown

Fish Farm

We are trying an experiment on the farm.
We have an old concrete water trough for the horse to drink out of.
It's as old as our house I believe.
It was full of murky, green, smelly water when we moved in.
There was two feet of leaves, tree limbs and walnuts in it.
Every year, though, frogs would lay their eggs in it and we would be able to witness that mysterious tadpole transformation. 


Zoe at the water trough in 2008   



But, it was time to clean it out when we got the horse and the goats.
We couldn't have them drinking from it.
So, last year Chad drained it and scrubbed it and now it's a brand new watering hole for the animals.
It still got algae in it, though.
So, upon researching things, I decided to go the old fashion way of the farms of yesteryear and I have bought four goldfish.
Many "old timers" put fish into their water troughs to keep them clean. 
Many got their fish from area ponds. 
I used Walmart as there is not a pond nearby.

FYI- it's not easy to take a picture of fish in water 

I'm hoping the goldfish will...
1* eat the algae thus keeping the water clean for the horse to drink from.
2* provide entertainment for the kids and the cats
3* not die and make me feel bad, but live and help me so I can keep this a "green" farm
4* not get sucked up into the horse's mouth when she's parched.

Goldfish are 28 cents a piece at the mega store.
We bought some fish food, too.
We will supplement that with the algae.
Fingers and fins are crossed...

  

Hiking Tulip

There once was a family who decided upon,

a ramble in the woods one fine winter morn.

Two goats went a bleating, they wanted to come, too.

Only one saw it fit to jump a fence to join.

The other stayed home, saddened and stewed. 

So mother, father, grandpa, and girl took

their dog and their goat for a stroll in the wood.

It pays to be fit, to not be so fat.

If only the other could stop eating to see that.

Tulip - jumping goat and hiker extraordinaire



Dale Evans

I swear that this kid is the reincarnation of Dale Evans.

Maybe even Lucy Mulhall.  Lucille Mulhall 1885-1940

She is a "natural" on the horse.

Doesn't shy away from her at all.

Doesn't get bothered by the horse poo smell.

She has great form and finesse while riding.

She even will stand with her thumbs tucked into her front waistband, one cowgirl boot up on a rock or other incline and with cowgirl hat on, peer off into the distance. 

I wonder what she's thinking...

"gosh, these trees are beautiful in the morning"

"i could stay out here amongst nature until the end of time"

"i really could use a glass of chocolate milk"

The latter is probably it... 

Purpose and Work

Things are busy on the farm.  

The horse is a poop machine.
She's much worse than Gigi ever was.
Buttercup Luck will lay down and she doesn't care who or what is in her way.  
When she lays in the poo and turn a different color than her regular somewhat glossy white, it's time for mama to give her a bath.
That was definitely a first for me.
It was sort of like washing the car, but this car was moving around...YES, I had her tied up, but still, she's a mover. 
Luckily not a shaker, like the dog is. 

My "before" picture...

And my "after" shot.

Not too shabby, huh?

Everyone has been busy working in the barn, not just me. 

 Zoe gets up every morning to help feed the animals.  

Chad has become an excellent stall mucker-outer. 

Gigi corrals kittens up quite well.

And the cats are learning their purpose.

Popcorn and his first mouse...way to go Mr. Mouser!  

                                    

FYI- we did not let him eat the mouse.

Cheshire Farm Grows

She's here!

Buttercup Luck.

Zoe's Make A Wish dream has come true.

Something she's wanted since she was about 3 years old.

Something large that poops a lot and is much more complicated to take care of than a cat, goat or human child!

Yowzers.  

Charlie and Frances, along with their nephew Sam, brought Zoe her pony.  The pony was given to Sam when he was nine years old.  He's now a freshman in high school.  Too busy for a pony.  We are lucky that Charlie and Frances live 10 minutes away from us.  They have already been over once to give us some pointers and to see how things are going.  They are great people.  Frances told us that, as of yesterday,  Charlie hadn't stopped crying.  He misses his sweet pony.  Charlie is retired and takes care of all of their horses at their ranch.  He's good people. 

Check out this awesome saddle that Zoe got.  It's the saddle that fits Buttercup Luck and has been used with her for many years.  It's so silvery and sassy and I just love it.  It's a western saddle.  Zoe's a cowgirl through and through.  None of that "proper English riding" stuff over here. 

Zoe has been getting up at the butt crack of dawn to get out to the barn. 
Butt crack.
Today it was 4am.
Really? 
She came into my room and said that there was a cricket in her closet and she was scared.  I asked if it was chirping loudly and that's why she was scared and she said no. 
She climbed into bed next to me and it was then that I noticed she was wearing jeans and a long sleeved western shirt. 
She only stayed for a minute, then went back to her bed. 
At 6am she came bounding back in to our room with her cowgirl hat on, her boots and belt on and she was ready to go. 
Wow...

Buttercup Luck has been adjusting okay.  She paws at the ground a lot and paces in her stall.  She's not used to being in a pasture all day so we have to wean her onto it.  Frances said she will literally eat herself to death if we don't do it gradually.  When she is out she can tend to scarf the grass down instead of doing the nibbling thing.  She's just excited.   

She's used to living with other horses.  It's going to take some time for her to get used to being with goats and cats.  She wants to see the goats.  She's trying to figure them out.  They are terrified of her.  They are only 5 months old.  They have never seen a horse.  They must think that she's some sort of giant mutant goat and they are boggled.   

Yesterday Tulip the goat decided she had enough of the horse.  Shortly after I took this picture I went back into the house.  I was looking out of the kitchen window and saw Tulip jump over the fence.  Only she didn't make it.  Instead she was hanging upside down by one foot and screaming.  I did my best Jackie Joyner-Kersee moves and sprinted across the yard to her.  She seems okay.  The goat vet thinks it was just sprained.  She's walking around on it more today.  My dad says a limping goat can be a good thing...takes a bit of her "jump" out of her for awhile.     

Day two seems to be going a bit more smoothly...knocking on wood.
I'll keep you updated.
I'm exhausted and need some more coffee. 

Wishes

When you wish upon a star
Makes no difference who you are
Anything your heart desires
Will come to you

Song lyrics by Leigh Harline and Ned Washington
For Walt Disney's Pinocchio, 1940