GRAND CHILDREN ViSIT!!

Bananas are eaten...

 

With Grampa

And now, watching an old star trek show

awaiting the birth of babies on the farm...

This is the male sheep...he is kept from the 4 females we have, until his services are needed. Here he is begging food from me...after all it is feeding time and it is winter so he is very dependent on us for food right now!







































Here is one of the older mothers, who we think will be having babies soon, by her appearance...

















This is one of the 'daughters' from last year, who is not expecting...as far as we can tell, but she too will be a part of the herd to have more babies by next winter....










and here is one of the other daughters from last winters babies, she will be one to have babies next year....













here are all four 'women' of our little herd, two are the older sheep, who are expecting, and the more fuzzy ones, are the daughters from last year, and they are not expecting....but will be by next year!













Here is one of the mommies that is expecting!














Another photo of one of the mommies...















one of the female goats...
















One of the younger goats...













And here is Sally, she is expecting too! soon we will have baby goats and baby sheep!

A very Hard job-both physically and emotionally....

This photo of our horse was taken this past summer, she was 9 years old-
We have raised her since she was about a year old, the children use to camp out in the barn in the straw with her when she was a baby. They trained her and she was ridden bare back, but never had a saddle on her or a bridle. We just never purchased one, and thus never trained her to that. She was a strong willed horse, but was friendly and had a great life here on our farm. We were going to train her to pull a wagon and a buggy this spring...but now that will not happen. Our horse had to be put down. At feeding time Scott discovered a lard cut on her back leg, and artery was cut thru. There is no sign of how it happened, the goats -some have horns, but there was no blood or fur on any of the horns, the cow, no blood on him, no nails sticking out anywhere that she could have caught it on. Nothing.
She was loosing a lot of blood, we got a turniquate on it, and finally got a vet out here after calling our normal vet, and he could not come out-had nothing medical to give her. He suggested a vet in another town-over in coldwater, I called her-the emergency line, and she would not return my call. I would not recommend any one that will not return a call, even in courtesy when it is an emergency.  Even if your not a regular client, hey, if you advertise to call in emergency then answer your stupid phone or quit advertising that way! Very frustrating. Why advertise that you will go on emergency calls and then not return calls?
Finally got a hold of a vet in LaGrange who agreed to come out and try to save her. She was bleeding now for 2 hours. the artery was not bleeding as bad, but still bleeding, and she was getting so weak. She was leaning on us for support. The vet arrived, got the artery tied off, but it was still bleeding. Just not as bad. He had assessed her, and was not sure she would make it. He gave her 3 bags of Lactated ringers, but she was still very weak. She would not walk at all, just would back up. Her gums were white, that did mean that she had lost way too much blood. The vet tried to help us get her to walk to the barn, where it would be warmer, but she went down, and I was pretty sure I heard her leg 'snap' when she went down. I kind of think she had fallen before and that is when the injury occurred, maybe fell on her leg hard, I don't know. Any way, when the vet heard that, he said we need to put her down.

I am so glad that it worked out that way, rather than her having this happen later after we did evening chores, and then finding her in the morning...that would have been much harder on us. And if Scott would have had to put her down, rather than the vet, I just do not think he could have done that. It would have meant that he would have had to shoot her. I do not know how (emotionally speaking) that people would have done that years ago, before the less harsh way via a direct artery access-and the medicine the vet gives.
Anyway, Our dog Draco howled for days after this. (he usually howls in the evening each day-but he howled almost all day for days).

We called around, and could not find anyone to help bury her. So we had to dig the hole our self. Scott used the tractor and the post hole digger, then we did the rest by hand. that was s deep hole and a big one. I do not ever want to do that again...but that is part of life...death...



Getting ready....
















The 'hat' that would keep you warm but none of us would wear it!













The "coffee' to keep them warm (I do not drink coffee)
















The other hat 'on the hand post hold digger'...















the massive size of the hole...see the 3 shovels...
















Breaking up the soil using the tractor and the post hole digger on the tractor...






























taking a break...

Winter Sits In @ The Keeslars Home

The warmth of the fire place gives a continuous glow as it does its job to heat our home.

It is now winter, and we have had a lot of snow already.

I do not mind winter, the snow covers the stuff we did not get done and I do not have to worry about any of that until spring again.


Here is our out door dining room table as
it sits until it is time to use it again in warmer weather.








the snow on the fence provides a beautiful thing to look at...
















Here is my herb garden...it was in a biblical rest last summer...and it now rests under the snow, sleeping quietly until spring when the wonderful tender green shoots of healing herbs will break thru the musty warming soil...This year we will re work this garden...pulling it out of its year long sabbatical.


This is the west side of our yard, where my tipi sits ...notice the snow up all around the bottom of the tipi. I will go out some day soon and enjoy the quiet peacefulness that its sanctuary provides. Sounds are muffled by snow, it is a peaceful place to sit quietly...listening to YHWH

Also on the west side of the property is the grand children's play area...all toys sit unused and in a winter slumber until the spring

Grandchildren Visit...

The grand children came to visit for the night. They attended church with us, then today spent time playing inside (not too much outside today...'mom and dad...you forgot their gloves and stuff!) Here is Zachary with his lap top he built...see the outside and the inside here!



















Notice the computer buttons on his 'key board'...












Here is Adreana's computer....












And Logan's computer too...












And Here are all three of them...just playing around!















They had a tea party too...with a special tea set their great grandma gave to them that their daddy and aunts and uncles use to play with. We had herbal tea sweetened slightly with some honey, and then cookies too. Yes they drank the tea. Funny, they do not like it when we make it for their glass, but for a tea party...well it is just better I guess.