Baymule’s Journal

[Baymule]

Um, you don't seem to understand the concept of "do nothing"!

I damn sure don’t! Neither does @Ridgetop. We are both hell on wheels!

 

[Baymule]

Can't do a like on the post with all the awful looking wet stuff... Hears hoping that the wet moves out and that tomorrow will be drier and some sun for everyone.

Going to be partly sunny today, my poor babies sure need it! Fencing party with me, @Ridgetop , her DH and @Hideaway Pines and her DH! BYH fun!

 

[farmerjan]

So, you all got the fencing done and are so good, fast and efficient at it that you are going to become traveling fence builders and take it on the road????
Hope you all have a great day... waiting to get a report...

 

[Baymule]

YES! We are SO good at fencing we are going to travel the country! We are going to stand outside of feed stores holding signs that read;

WILL BUILD FENCE FOR KNEE REPLACEMENT SURGERY

Maybe a surgeon with a gentleman’s farm will come along and put us to work!

We ran a string for a nice straight line. We pounded T-posts in. I sure know how to show visitors a good time! We built a H brace to hang the 16’ gate on.

@Hideaway Pines and her husband came Sunday morning and ran wire. She said he had enough tools to be his own Home Depot and she wasn’t kidding. Neatly laid out in the back of his truck was everything anybody would need for building fence, planning to build fence or even thinking about building fence. I immediately got tool envy! I especially liked his fence stretcher bar.

@Hideaway Pines and her DH were a whirlwind of highly efficient activity, that man knows his stuff. I got a feeling you could drop him out of an airplane in the wilderness with a screwdriver and a hand saw, come back 6 months later and he’d have a shopping mall built! Mostly we just stayed out of his way. He did an excellent job, even if he was slightly hampered by the bumbling efforts of 3 gimpy legged apprentices, 2 of which were puzzled by those confounded T-post clips and those cute little tools that were supposed to make it easy.

Under the tutelage of a VERY patient Fence Building Professor, we got the wire strung and the gate hung. Then we came inside for homemade chili topped with grated cheese, chopped onion and Fritos. We visited and had a great time.

It was so much fun to get to meet each other and have a BYH party. I deeply appreciate all the help given!

 

[Hideaway Pines]

I am so glad we delayed our plans one day, the weather was not warm, but it was not raining so we were thankful for that. It was fun to meet everyone and to help out with the fence. My DH is a work horse for sure and enjoys helping others. I hope your critters are able to get out in that new space soon, I know you had a few things to close up before releasing them, but glad we were able to help. Loved meeting all your beautiful animals, they are precious!! We are considering getting a lamb after seeing yours, but we have to stay on track to get our pigs by the end of the week. We are building their home this week; it will be secure and dry.

 

[messybun]

@Ridgetop, her DH and I moved sheep and dogs today. The dogs were so excited to see me! They got lots of hugs and they whined with excitement. The sheep BAA-BAAed, I think they were glad to see me too. It was cold, Texas had another ice storm a couple of days ago, that shut things down because we are idiots and cannot drive on ice and snow.

Ridgetop's husband was hooked up to the stock trailer, I was hooked to the flatbed. We loaded the sheep working equipment on the flatbed and a few other things. We loaded the remainder of the feed, a bag of dog food and small items in the back of @Ridgetop's truck. Then we loaded sheep.

Miranda slipped on a patch of ice inside the gate of the trailer. Ridgetop was behind her and heard Miranda's leg snap. Miranda broke her leg. Ridgetop immediately went into crisis mode and gathered up some things to splint Miranda's leg, to help keep it from breaking any worse, but it already punctured her skin. I called the vet, they said he was in surgery, but he would take her, bring her in. We had Ringo and his girls loaded in the front of the trailer with the divider closed. Ridgetop said to unload the other sheep so they wouldn't step on Miranda, then her DH pulled the trailer forward so we could get her out. During this crisis, the new farm owner showed up with her mom, 2 of her daughters and the oldest daughter's boyfriend. @Farmer.Rexi recoiled in horror at the thought and said, "Anybody but Miranda" but Miranda it was. I was in the trailer with Miranda, keeping her calm, she was trembling and in shock. The boyfriend picked her up and put her in the back of Robert's truck, it has a camper shell on it, and we went to the vet.

3 Vet techs picked her up and put her in a pen. There was nothing else I could do, Robert took me back. The sheep were all loaded, the dogs were worried and it was time to load them. Trip and Carson happily jumped in the back seat. Sentry and Sheba were scared. The camper shell was on the truck so I could transport them. Farmer.Rexie picked up the back end, I picked up the front end and we got them both in the truck.

On the way to Groveton, the vet called and the news was not good. He said the leg was splintered and fragmented. With the skin punctured, it could get infected. It would require surgery to try to fix it, months of recovery, massive infection could set in and he would not recommend it. He recommended euthanasia and I agreed. Trying to fix her would only bring more misery on her and I couldn't do that.

Miranda Lambert, 8 year old ewe, foundation ewe to my flock, is gone. I have 5 of her daughters and several of her granddaughters. They are precious to me.

I am deeply saddened. Miranda was my special girl. I couldn't break down and grieve her, I had a truck to drive and other sheep and dogs to unload and get settled in. Ridgetop and I were outside until after dark, taking care of the sheep, lambs and dogs. I'll probably pick a day next week to sit down, hug my dogs and cry for Miranda.

That sounds like an absolutely miserable day. I am so sorry. I know she had a good life with you, and you did the best for her all the way to the end.

 

[Baymule]

That sounds like an absolutely miserable day. I am so sorry. I know she had a good life with you, and you did the best for her all the way to the end.

I only wish Miranda could have been saved. The cost to her would have been too great for her to bear, in pain, misery and not knowing why. She was a gift, a true gift. She lives on in her descendants.

 

[Baymule]

I am so glad we delayed our plans one day, the weather was not warm, but it was not raining so we were thankful for that. It was fun to meet everyone and to help out with the fence. My DH is a work horse for sure and enjoys helping others. I hope your critters are able to get out in that new space soon, I know you had a few things to close up before releasing them, but glad we were able to help. Loved meeting all your beautiful animals, they are precious!! We are considering getting a lamb after seeing yours, but we have to stay on track to get our pigs by the end of the week. We are building their home this week; it will be secure and dry.

Yay for pigs! Bacon, sausage, pork chops, YUMMY! Country style ribs come off the shoulder, cut in strips, just so you know.

Can’t get just one lamb, they get lonely, you need 3. LOL Of course I would never enable you for MORE sheep!

It was fun to get us all together and make it happen.

 

[Baymule]

I went to Lufkin today. First stop, feed store. Then Tractor Supply, Harbor Freight, Home Depot, Sam’s Club, Walmart and the post office to mail off a bill. Got home about 45 minutes ago.

I got to go modify a pallet, make it shorter to fit in the crowded portable building we moved down here. Then I can stack sheep feed on it. Got to get the feed trash cans for sheep and dogs, out of the stock trailer and put them in the portable building. Then I can unload truck. Only got 500 pounds of feed and 100 pounds of dog food. I have to see what’s going to fit. Chris, that worked on the house for a month, is coming at 4:30 to meet the dogs, feed dogs and sheep, and hopefully the dogs will like him. I want to go visit grandkids at spring break, then bring them home. Having someone to take care of animals will take the worry off me.

Lunch break is over, got to go unload feed.

 

[Senile_Texas_Aggie]

That looked like a great job on the fence! It always is good to have others provide a helping hand.