Sissy Stays

It was a close call Friday when J hauled off the goats. 

 Sissy showed up.  This is very dangerous because I'm not too sure J cares much for Sissy.

 She jumped right in the trailer.

 Had a look around.

And decided to stay.

This is more to her liking. (and could be why J doesn't like her).   When I turned the nannies back out I tried to get Sissy to go with them but she has a mind of her own and stayed with her cattle friends instead.

Pear Sauce and then Some

It's that time again.  Yes, PEAR SAUCE TIME.  No apples again on our trees this year and the pears aren't as abundant as the last two years but there are still plenty, more that J can eat raw.  

 We still have sauce left over from last year so J wasn't having to count containers to limit himself until this year's crop was ready.

 But hating to see them go to waste, I'm making more sauce.  Of course, it starts with a bucket of pears.

 Peeled and cook just like for applesauce.  But a little different is the fact that pears seem to have a much higher water content.  So, to keep from having the sauce too runny I've been draining a lot of the liquid off and pouring it out.  That is until the last batch last year when I saved some with the idea of maybe using it in a punch at Christmas.  Well, that never happened and it was still in the freezer.  Then a friend came over for a first time riding lesson and she saw the jars of sauce.  She said she use to drink pear juice until it got too expensive to buy. WHAT?  You buy the stuff I've been pouring out?  I gave her what I had in the freezer and

am now bottling the juice.  I drain it before I add the sugar and it is still very sweet.  I'm now drinking it myself (it is very good, the taste of the pears without the yucky gritty part), but J still won't touch it.  Looks like this bottle might run over $4.00.  Who knew?

Fridays Fences #52 and The Big Goat Roundup

Another twofer, but sorry fence lookers, yours are at the end.  

 We started literally at the crack of dawn this morning.

 It was time for the Big Goat Roundup.

 Through years of experience we have discovered that a plastic bag on a stick seems to be the best way to really get the goats moving.

 So it was off the hill, into the barn lot,

 then into the barn.

 J separated out the nannies.  We ended up keeping 40 adult nannies, 2 little ones and a late born billy.  I'm not sure how to count Sissy, she absolutely won't stay with the goat herd.

 Through the fence, here's the kid crop for this year.  58 total sold with an average weight of 67 pounds.

Poor Emma was so overcome with excitement (sorry you can't hear the high pitched whining) that we had to banish her from the process.
For more of or through a fence pictures click HERE.

Early Weaning

Because the late summer here was so dry we don't have much fall grass.  To try and help the situation J decided to wean the bigger steer calves and all of the calves off of the first calf heifers. 

 He had the temporary fence in place, the 4-wheeler, and a little hay on the tractor to help encourage the cows to come.

 This deep hollow is where most of them were hanging out.

 J has them trained pretty well to come when he calls.

 Then it was the game of  'follow the tractor'.

 I brought up the rear on the 4-wheeler.

 Emma was giving Sissy lessons on helping.

 She was learning how to stand in the gate hole to thwart our sorting efforts.  Luckily, the cows didn't pay much attention to her and she soon gave up.

We sorted out a good group of calves to be dewormed and started on feed.  They are now through with the bawling stage and even though they have stayed on the farm and not mixed with any other cattle, have now started coughing.  It's always something.

Wet Ride

Our saddle club had a trail ride/cook out on Saturday.  V decided to come home from school to ride with us.

 She was in very good spirits at the beginning of the ride.  Thumper was being good as gold.

After 15 minutes of lunging Jessica was being good too.

 I rode Otoelene on this her second group trail ride.  There were 9 total riding.

 Then it started to rain.  I had rain ponchos but since I hadn't practiced with one on Otoelene I skipped putting it on.  V didn't want to put one on either and she started to freeze.

 Our ride was cut short because no one wanted to ride in the rain.  We did go by this interesting section call "the caves'.

 You can tell by V's posture her attitude had changed.  She left and  J and I waited out the rain.  When it stopped, us and another couple went on another ride that was much more pleasant without the rain.  Otoelene was great, going over numerous logs, fallen trees, rocks and rivers.  She is really turning in to something special.

Yard Ornament V

Who can pass up clearance items in Lowe's garden section?  Not me. 

 I found this trellis half off and had to have it.  Surely there would be a place in the yard to put it.  This spot between the garage doors looked perfect.  

 Perfect that is until I realized that there was two feet of gravel and there was no way I was getting the base of the trellis pushed through that.

So I am trying it out here, next to the front patio.  So far I'm happy with it.  Maybe I'll do some seasonal changes with the hanging part.

Garden Surprises

The biggest garden surprise is that we have anything in the garden at all after how dry it has been here.  

 I still have some peppers coming on not to mention plenty of tommy toes.

 I don't know how this cucumber hid for so long.  I've been watering them like a flood but they have finally about disappeared.

Then there was this guy.  A different sort of surprise.
What's growing in your neck of the woods?