GRAND CHILDREN WEEK, garden, goats and sheep!

Photos will come later---------


All week we had grand children here -first were the older 3.  They came to hour house last weekend, and I took them home on Thursday.  We went bowling, and spent time swimming and relaxing as much as we could.  Watched the meerkats re-runs on Netflix, went out to eat once-(did not have meerkats ) and gram-pa took them for a tractor ride...in the lift on the tractor!  They saw a newborn deer....hiding and sleeping in the woods, gram-pa said it was brand new....and he wished he had a camera along  (silly, you have one on your phone-I reminded him later) 


Then today, the other 2 grand children were over to visit.   We went out side, even though it was not a very sunny day-spent time on grandma's play ground, and then a wagon ride.  I went back to the woods -giving them a ride in the wagon, then up to the front yard, all around-the yard-circling...circling...then stopped under the mulberry tree so they could pick mulberries and eat them-and turn purple!  Then grandma watched them do cartwheels for awhile-as we waited for gram-pa to come home so they could show him how they do cartwheels.  After each cartwheel (only about 25 each child) grandma had to say "yeah! "  and clap a lot! They would say "grandma----say yeah! "  If I forgot to say that!


Grandma also watched the neighbor mow while watching the grand kids do cartwheels- because the neighbor keeps mowing into the keeslar mail box, trying to tip it over.  


Grandma just put rocks down beside the base of the mailbox so maybe he would stop doing that.


  Funny thing is, he kept waiting to mow that area (along the property line) until I was gone-but I would not leave.  I love frustrating people sometimes like that.  


 He usually mows that area first, then does all the rest of the yard-but today-I was out watching so he mowed in a different order....ha funny.  He has to be doing it on purpose- but I wonder why?  I think he is just plain mean.  He has always been untrustworthy as a neighbor-  he shot our dog, his grand son shot at me and our dog while we were walking on the road...his son shot towards our sons direction while out hunting, not paying attention to anyone who might have been in the area-


They-as a family who handles guns-- are not safe. duh! They are members of the NRA---I think the son even owns a gun shop--- but they are not safe. 


  So he keeps mowing into the fence-trying to knock it over.  Why do people have to be so mean?  Today though, he waves to me like he is trying to be friendly.  Ok, I  wave... but think-meanie.


Tonight we go out to eat, nice meal with our second son, his wife and their children.  Scott and I drove home slowly, enjoying the quiet evening as Sabbath begins-even holding hands as he drives....talking as we take back roads, we even went out of our way to get home!!!  We are doing the 'old person' thing of driving around on back roads as we look at the fields and peoples homes....(wow!  Never thought I would turn into my parents!)   But-Peaceful.


Passed 4 buggies driving close in a row.  Went past the first buggy and heard a auto horn honk.  It was rather quiet-but did hear one, then after the last buggy, heard another car horn, louder-we laughed.  I told Scott we should pull over and I would get out and stand in the middle of the road to stop all of those teen Amish kids, telling them   "turn over your horns.  Do your parents know you have auto horns?  Does your bishop know? now hand them over and I will not tell anyone"  You have to know about the Amish to find this funny, esp in this area of Michigan where they are more old order --unlike their Indiana (Shipshewana) cuzins, who are not so old order---so this group is not allowed to have fancy things like car horns that other Amish children might be allowed to have!  


Still peaceful evening.....


Then we came home to see all of the sheep, goats and the cow out---eating my garden!  ALL of my peppers, cabbage, lettuce and on and on!  Thank you GOD that the tomatoes survived!  I am very frustrated!  Scott says the gate was unlocked, but why would someone go into the yard and unlock just that one?  No the grand children were not out there, not at all.  None of the other gates were unlocked-so that is just weird.  It is a chain lock, so the animals can not unlock this one, others, yes, but not this one.  Sigh.


All animals ran back into the yard, (the fenced area where my garden is!)  Oh yes, lets run to the other garden since you have ruined the first one!  (they could have ate some of the cilantro that I have an over abundance of-but nooooo, just the peppers, lettuce and cabbage....) 


We have had a terrible rabbit problem this year, and I thought that SOMEONE (cough-scott-cough)  needs to go out there and shoot all of those fuzzy little bunnies that are the culprits... those fuzzy little rat / bunnies who were eating my cabbage, peppers and such, but now maybe they (the rabbits) will go somewhere else since the goats, sheep, and cow ate them down all the way! Sorry, no more food here for you rat rabbits!


sigh.

BOB GETS A NEW HOME and DRACO GETS THINNER!

Bob, a goat who has captured our hearts and frustrated us at the same time, has been moved to his new home this past week.

He is now residing at my sisters home.  If you have not read about Bob, read his stories here ...

Bob in the beginning

Bob on the farm 

Bob 

So Bob was to become food or he had to go to someones home.  Bob just could not become food, he has too big of a personality....a frustrating one, but a personality never the less!  I would often come home and bob was out...he would cry, run towards the fence where the other goats were, crying as if saying: help me farmers wife, I am outside the fence and dont know how to get back in!  Once when I got home, he was waiting by the driveway-his usual spot to wait for us when he wanted put back into the barn yard, I had a lot of stuff to carry in and couldn't take him to the barnyard right then, so went to the back door, with all my packages and Bob in tow, and knocked on the door, Scott opened the door and in walked
Bob.  I said-you have a visitor...

We were not really sure where Bob was getting out of the fence at, no other sheep or goats were getting out, (thankfully). One day Scott and I looked out of the front window and saw
Bob-out front in the yard, and I said, I will go 'herd' him into the pasture...but I am using the riding lawn mower.  Scott just snickered.  I got the lawn mower, with a wagon still hooked up onto it, so no quick turns, but away I went.  Out to the front -down the driveway, around the front yard, towards Bob.  Bob took one look at the lawnmower coming towards him and cried and ran!  So around the next corner of the fence, down the lane we went towards the back woods.  Bob would cry out, stop and look at me and then cry and run a bit more, stop and look cry out and run some more, stop and look (yes, Bob I am still in pursuit) so that is the way it went.  Eventually Bob out ran the lawnmower,  (if I did not have a wagon behind me I would have caught him I am sure) he went around the back corner of the fence by the woods and ran to his 'door in the fence' and went into the pasture.  Scott was out side up by the house and saw-which was good, now we knew where he was getting out!  That area got fixed, but Bob still got out.  Must be a second door somewhere in the fence. 

So bob was going to my sisters house...he will eat and clean the fence row up, and bug (cough) I mean-- allow others to enjoy his company.

Bob in the truck before we leave for his new home

Bob -we  have arrived, and he is a little stressed (and yes he is tied so he did not stand up then fall and break any legs)

Bob in his new home

Bob in his new home

The other thing we had to get done this week (among many other things) is brush out our dog-Draco.  Draco has enough fur that in the winter he can lay out in the snow, with snow falling on him and the snow does not melt.  This is because he has such thick fur.....so we brushed him out, and this is just some of the fur (that fuzzy stuff at the base of the fur) that come out...I only worked for about an hour on this, but to totally groom him would take about 6-8 hours.  He gets tired of the brushing actually....

the photo does not show all the fur, there is a lot more all over!

BUSY WEEK ON THE FARM- Sheep day and more!

Our sheep sheerer -Zach Danberry

This past week we have been very busy around here! 

the original 4 boxes, with new mulch in 3 of the 4

 First the garden boxes-4 more were built up by the house, and 2 more by the other 4 that I have done in a previous year and location.  This past early spring, we scored a great deal at a lumber yard, purchasing a pile of out door lumber, metal siding and a variety of  lumber for about 1/3 of the normal price.  So that meant the original cost to build more garden boxes was reduced greatly!  I love deals!  Then came filling them. 


 We would either need to rent a digger (a back hoe or a skid loader like machine) or I could purchase a load of top soil to be delivered, or buy it by the bag-at $1.27 a bag and needing about 40 bags for each box.  Not something I could do at all...so again, depending on GOD who works out all details....just like the sale for the lumber,  HE provided free mulch --the good stuff -with no toxic yard scraps (where people have used toxic products then trim stuff and send it to be mulched)

And there was enough to fill all of the boxes, refresh the first 4 boxes and also start another small garden spot that we will keep tilled and it will also be our  spot for asparagus, strawberries, raspberries, horseradish, and melons.

The next thing was Sheep day.  Once a year we hire a young man to come in and sheer our sheep.  The wool is not really worth much, but we do save it-if we an find a way to clean it it would work to stuff for pillows and stuff like that! Dont like to waste anything!


When we do this, we open it up for the home school community to come with their children.  It is a chance to learn a little about sheep, and their care.


This year we had a nice turn out of students and parents.  

My youngest two grandchildren

The children watching and waiting for the sheep 'show'

the sheep, watching and waiting to be sheered

Next year, we hope to provide a stew of Lamb!