Food Fight

Bunny (the Easter goat)  is still getting a bottle twice a day but staying with the herd.  Sometimes however, she is with just the dogs.  I guess we don't have to worry about a coyote getting her.

Bumble and Bea continue to be the sweetest, nicest dogs except at feeding time.  We pour the food out in two separate piles but Bumble aways comes over and growls at Bea until Bea leaves and goes to the other pile.  This may go on the entire time they are eating or may only occure once.

One time Bumble inhaled a piece of food while she was growling.  There was considerable hacking and gagging during which time I thought "if she passes out I can help but I'm not sticking my hand down her throat while she's growling like that."  She was finally able to clear it out on her own.  I don't think I want to get in the middle of these two dogs and their food.

District Qualifying Clinic

Usually our 4-H district only has one horse show to qualify at to attend the State Horse Show in September.  This year however, there were 2 shows and 2 clinics scheduled.  The first show was in April and it poured down rain.  The second show isn't until the end of June.  Because of V and E's busy summer schedules I thought it would be good to go to the clinic this past weekend in case we weren't able to get to the show in June.  

There was s showmanship portion that started at 11:00.   It was raining for that part but fortunately stopped before V and E started riding.

 E took the reining clinic which was from 2-5.  It was a lot of sitting while they tried different maneuvers one at a time for the instructor to critique.  He said E had a very well trained horse.

 Can't you just see the speed she's working with in the large fast circle?  They worked on pivoting, side passing, loping off straight and a small pattern.

 V's lesson was more concentrated in the 4:30 - 5:30 time slot.  There were only 2 others in the ring with her and Hank in Training Level Dressage.  This was her first time with a dressage instructor.  It was nice to see her ride and do what the instructor said without any "I can't" or "I'm tired."    She rode very well and Hank tried his best to be a dressage horse.  The instructor could tell how he was just trying to figure out what V wanted so he could do it.

J got a little tired waiting and found a comfortable piece of ground.  This wasn't nearly as stressful as a horse show.   I think everyone enjoyed the day and learned a little something.

Bee Swarm II

What has eagle eye J spotted now?

 Would you believe another swarm of bees!

 We were told we must have a very strong queen.

 Our bee man didn't have another hive ready so he sent some else that had lost their bees over the winter.

 Same procedure as before but these were a little higher up.  The bees are looking for a place to go and are happy to go in the box.

We were then told that bees not counting the hive sell for $75.  That's $150 we've given away in the last 2 weeks.  Guess I'll be reading up on beekeeping so maybe we'll be ready if they swarm again.  Beekeeper #2 said there was a saying "a swarm in May is worth a load of hay but a swarm in June just let them go."   I'm not so sure he got the wording right on that second part.

Monkey Goats

Goats love to climb and this tree affords the perfect opportunity for them to pretend to be monkeys.

 Once one gets brave it's not long before there are followers.

 The black headed one in front though isn't brave enough yet to get over that next hurdle.

 There was a small traffic jam when he tried to reverse.

Now we'll be having to check the trees to find everyone.

Breaking Ground

The grader finally showed up.  Well, the second grader anyway.  The first one promised to come out "in a week or two."  After the first week he said next week.  After the second week he said defiantly not next week but maybe the next.  When I tried to pin him down he said get someone else.  

 Everyone is concerned with the view.  J said,  "do you want to just sit in the house and look outside or do you want to get out an do something?"   I don't think it will block much and if the building looks nice what's the problem?

 Looks like we'll be getting out to do something.

 He's moving the topsoil off first, it's only about 3" deep then grading the area.

It's a bit scary to have such a big change.

Bee Swarm

J went to get something from under the house when he noticed this on a Cypress branch. 

 The bee's have swarmed.  We called the man that gave us the hive and his first question was "how high up are they?"  He is getting older and doesn't like to climb ladders any more.  When J said they were on the ground he said he would be right over.

 After getting his gear on he took a new hive over to the swarm,

 shook the branch they were on,

 and started sweeping them into the hive.

 While he was here he went ahead and took out the mite medicine he had put in last fall in our hive.

Once the queen goes in the rest of the bees follow.  He left the hive here until evening then came back to get it.  He said he had lost several of his hives this winter due to the cold weather.  Our hive must have been healthy in order to have swarmed. He added a super to our hive so maybe this fall we'll finally get some of our own honey.

The Prom

Back in February V planned to go the the prom with her then boyfriend Chas.  After we bought her dress, Chas called it quits.  V then went through several boys until she found Dakota who seemed to want to go to the prom.  He is from a different school so there will be 2 proms.

 His school's prom was yesterday.

 V spent hours getting ready.  The weather was perfect.

 Another couple (cousin Laura), came to the house for dinner, then off to the prom.

 It took 2 1/2 hours at the saloon, a couple hundred bobby pins, and a can of hair cement.

 Isn't it beautiful.

She went all out and had her nails professionally done too.
All of this and he was too tired to dance and left the prom at 11:00 and didn't even go to the after prom activities like they had planned.   Needless to say, V was a bit angry.  They are suppose to go the V's prom this coming week but I'm not holding my breath.  I told her she may need a back up.  I think it would be nice if she would just go with a friend and have fun instead of  putting so much pressure on an iffy relationship.  Can anyone else give her advice?