FergusonK's journal - Goodbye Java Jewel.

[Ferguson K]

Today marks our second day without my beloved side kick, Karma. He was let out for a restroom break Friday night before the storms and hasn't turned back up. I believe he's dead. Possibly stolen, but, death is more likely.

Any dog wandering through the wrong yard out here winds up that way. The property behind us has some rambunxious teenagers/early twenties kids that are always out back firing rounds. I believe a stray bullet may have found my boy.

Possibly even a logging truck. They've been logging the acreage north of us.

Who knows.

All I know is that Karma not showing up for ANY meal time can not be good. He's not a dog to get lost. I fear the worst. Especially with all of these rains.

Guess I'll start calling shelters Monday that are within 30 miles, because you never know.

Come home Karma dog.

 

[Southern by choice]

hope you find him.

 

[Latestarter]

That sooooooooooo sucks! The not knowing is the worst part. I truly hope that he's OK and you find him but as you said, and you'd know best, it would seem unlikely

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Hoping for the best.

 

[goatgurl]

i sure hope karma makes it back home. loosing a good friend is hard

 

[Baymule]

Crossing fingers that you get your dog back. We have fenced in our place, gate across the front (PITA to open and close) but we let our house dogs out and don't worry about them. We have been going outside with them since we moved in February and it is nice to be able to just let them out. Our fear was that they would wander off, get stolen, shot or lost. I really hope you get Karma back.

 

[Ferguson K]

Finally online using a COMPUTER!!! Maybe there won't be as many typos.... Maybe.

It's been busy here the last few weeks. We had to scrounge together a new buck pen and a quarantine pen all in the same week. The buck pen we had we tore down to steal supplies from while the girls were having visitation rights. All does bred, sayeth the bucks, so the bucks must go!

On top of this, we have three new arrivals. Three little does brought down from North Texas. Taystee, Karma, and Little Red. Here is their arrival story:

Sunday morning my husband and I woke up and started our journey. It was raining, slightly, and we knew the weather was going to be bad. It also occurred to us that due to our busy schedules we hadn't built the new goat hut for their temporary pen. That's fine, it's only supposed to drizzle. We can do it when we get back. Once we got the cages loaded it started raining a little harder. We wrapped our transport cages in tarp to keep the girls as dry as possible on the drive home. Worked wonderfully!

Met with the previous owners, exchanged details on the goats, laughed about personalities, and headed for home. That's when the skies came unglued! Rain came at us from every angle, making it hard to see, making me a slightly nervous new momma. I pulled over and switched with my husband ( who had just driven the six hours there ) to allow him to safely navigate us in the rain. Rain makes me nervous on roads. I've been in a very bad wreck because of hydroplaning and never quite got over it. So now I'm gasping and air stomping my breaks every time we slide a little on the wet roads. I'm fussing at him telling him to slow down ( we were doing a whopping 50 in a 75 ) I'm telling him he needs to pay attention to the road. All in all? Making things worse. My husband, lord bless him, just smiled and kept driving. Allowing me to have a minor crisis all to myself. I kept leaning over the seat to check out the back window on the does. Of course they were fine!

Got home, had a buyer waiting at my front gate. I forgot all about her! She hadn't been here long. Walked her over to the buck pens, it had finally quit raining and we were having a conversation about ways to keep him healthy and sound entering his first breeding season with her. ( She had come to purchase Uno. ) Decided to cut the price for her and keep him a few more days. I promised to get his hooves done and get his CDT up to date before he left. We shook hands and she went on her way excited to bring home her new herd sire!

The rain started back up.

Great.

Now we're trying to throw together a quick pen in the pouring rain, water levels rising all around us. The place we decided to put the pen is now flooding. Also great.

Husband gets great idea to build the goats an "arc!" Off he runs through the mud and the yuck to the house, leaving me wondering what we just got ourselves into. Meanwhile, the three new does are screaming in the truck. HAY! Did you forget us? We've been cramped up in here ALL DAY!

Our goats are screaming at us because it's raining. Apparently goats melt in the rain.

Our horses are screaming at us because, well, it's feeding time! Food bringer the food is late!

Husband rounds the corner carrying, of all things, a load of bricks. Leveling bricks for the house. He's going to place these bricks down and lay plywood on top to give the girls an area to get up out of the rain. Perfect! Two trips with bricks later, one wife fumbling with plywood in the rain, and three unloaded goats later we're done. Mini arcs built. Dog house in place for wind protection. Should we water them? One glance at the sky tells us they'll be fine until morning.

All goats now settled into their new pens. Chaos is slowly ending. We fed as quickly as possible, topped off any feeders for the quail, and ran for the house. I started on supper and let my husband get the first shower. After all... how many husbands will drive all over the state to make their wife happy? How many husbands will break out the hammer and nails, tarps, bricks, plywood, everything... in the pouring rain? Feed and water every afternoon when their wives are caught up with work?

Mine! That's enough for me.

Finally clean! Finally full. Time for bed. Welcome to the herd girls!

The last few weeks at work have also been crazy. We're short staffed and everyone is working triple over time. Me especially. I've been opening AND closing at work in order to ensure the team has enough help at the store. Taking turns rotating off days with my only other key carrier ( two key carriers down does not make life fun. ) My poor husband has had to pick up the slack with the animals. We have ten goats, three horses, 1000 quail, chickens, ducks, guineas, pigs, dogs, cats... NOT a one man job! Not unless you're super John. Super John can get it done so his wife can take care of keeping the store afloat! He's even fussed minimally. I can't believe it.

Yesterday I worked 5AM to 9 PM. Called in a Manager from another store to help out at mine today so I can get some PTO and bonding time in with the new goats. Pictures of those girls will come with time. After I got the building opened up and running I left for home. Spent the rest of my morning separating the bucks, something we meant to do Sunday, and checking the new does over for any ailments. Nothing out of the ordinary. Although the bucks don't like being crammed back into their tiny pen. Maybe if I'm off again on Sunday I'll work on getting their pasture fence back up. The rest of the day I will be working on kidding sheds and napping. Mostly napping. Pictures to come!

 

[Ferguson K]

Here's some of our goats:

Poppy and Lilly

Aelia

Prudence

The young bucks

Aelia

Dually

 

[Latestarter]

Holy cow... Made me exhausted just reading it! Glad it all sorta worked out, though it sounds like there's always something else screaming to be done...

Edit to say you have very pretty/handsome animals!

 

[Ferguson K]

Thank you! We only have ten goats, but, I plan on expanding eventually. Most of them are bottle babies and very VERY spoiled. The three new does need to learn some manners. Had to pop Taystee for eating my shirt and jumping on me earlier. Gave her a nose bop. She will learn. I'm about to head out with my camera and introduce the new girls to the herd. Hoping to get some pictures. I'd keep them in the pen another week or two but we have more rain coming and that pen is a swamp. I don't want them getting sick when they're healthy goats from a healthy herd.