rachels.haven's Journal

[rachels.haven]

Husband is feeling mostly better. Hand foot and mouth if you get it as an adult is bad. I still haven't gotten it.
Our plan for getting out of here is
1)job offer first so work will move us (not the goats, but the rest of us)
2)get a place
3)move the goats and the not goats
4)better express how complicated this all is.

 

[Bruce]

I think you should plan NOT to get the HFM!!!!

 

[rachels.haven]

Here,
step A, which comes before 1) Avoid getting HFM

 

[rachels.haven]

DH has a new job coming now. Slower paced but still within the company. He turned in his 2 weeks yesterday and as a result he gets to meet with all the boss and their boss' (all of which he has been here longer than) so they can try to make him stay. Things are going to be interesting when he leaves because as each person has quit in the last few months he's gotten their responsibilities in addition to his own and as they hired new people they just left him with the people who have quit's jobs so he's become 3 or 4 engineers in addition to himself. The managers and directors are about to have all that go away and end their easy good thing. Maybe I'll get my husband back and he'll get himself back. He's been so tired and burnt out he hasn't even had the energy to go out on his bike or play piano. I'm beyond mailing male ducklings at this point from all the blatant crappery that has been put out there to try and make him stay. DH calls it the "bad boyfriend breakup" gauntlet. His last boss and team did not do this to him because they respected his decisions and went out to lunch and threw him a party instead. Good man, good team. Stark difference.

I bathed Bailey today in preparation for her yearly vet visit. She is now cloud white with fawn ears and a fawn back spot (my favorite colors). No more mats. I do need to fix her sani cut but after the stress of being groomed I decided not to push my luck and get sat on. I made her day and took her on a mile long walk afterward. Good 120lbs cloud dog.

Bald face hornets and yellow jackets have taken over the doe house during the day. I've only managed to muck half. I also learned about what a moderate allergic reaction when stung is. I'm pretty sure it was the bald faced hornet. That was NOTHING like a bumble or honey bee like I've been stung by before. A 4" bulleye around the sting site felt like it was burning in fire and was HOT to the touch for 2 days. I even got hives. Now my shoulder and wrist on that arm are achy, but that's going away slowly. What a nasty critter. The doe house will get shoveled but I think I'm going to have to wait for a cold day and do it when the sun is not on the doe shed. Those days are coming.

Pending negative tests I'm bringing in two more dwarf does to expand the herd from a lady who breeds for LOOOONG extended lactations. These AGS girls will not look as nice as show goats, but my bucks can adjust that in their offspring and they can hopefully add milk.

No does are getting bred this year until we are moved and have appropriate shelter for them all. The lamanchas may get a dry year if I can't figure out how to get cidrs and pg600 to bring them into heat if we miss the season. That is fine, I guess.

I got a hoof boss. It arrived in the mail yesterday. I'm dying to try it.

My ducks are molting, so no new eggs, but we are fine with that as we have a carton and a half in the fridge.

Pepper the Poodle and Moses the doodle are doing well. Pepper is growing and Moses appears to have become a handsome adult although he has become so jealous of any other dog that when we give attention (or maintenance like a bath) to any other dog besides him he screams and howls like we are nailing his feet to the ground. Poor teenage Moe. I feel bad for him, but I'd feel worse for Pepper and Bailey if Moses got his way and we only loved on or cared for him. I hope he grows out of it. He lives in a multiple dog house, and every single critter here gets individual attention and love, even if there is screaming going on in the background. Silly dog. I guess for him it all started with only him in the house (maybe he wasn't aware that while he was inside in his pen or crate playing feeder toy games I groomed and took care of his outdoor playmate and things were still okay?). After the walk today I brought Bailey in for a drink and when he saw the leash and her on it he had the biggest tantrum yet (I can't walk more than Bailey with the stroller in tow). The other dogs ignore him. My guess is that they find it annoying or embarrassing. We ignore him for the most part after telling him off. He even screamed through Bailey's bath from the house despite it taking place being across the field. I'm pretty sure Bailey would have loved to trade him. He's a very well mannered, amazing with kids, sweet dog beside that but I'm beginning to wonder if he wishes he were with a different family in a single dog home with only visits from playmates. *guilt*

Anyway, that's the update. Things appear to maybe be getting better. We're trying to get out of here before snow flies. I have no hay and nowhere to store it as even our garage is molding things this year.

 

[Bruce]

Bald face hornets

Those are supposed to be horrible and I guess your experience attests to that! Can you spray hornet killer in there?

 

[rachels.haven]

Those are supposed to be horrible and I guess your experience attests to that! Can you spray hornet killer in there?

I can't find any nest even if I go poking around at night with a flashlight. They don't seem to be inside at night when I'd typically spray them. I'm going to keep looking though. I've had a couple of goats stung already.

 

[Larsen Poultry Ranch]

I can't find any nest even if I go poking around at night with a flashlight. They don't seem to be inside at night when I'd typically spray them. I'm going to keep looking though. I've had a couple of goats stung already.

Can you put out a camera to try and see where they disappear to in the barn? Or is there some type of bait you can put out? Maybe contact an exterminator to see if they have suggestions for finding the nest or even a quote for removing them for you?

 

[rachels.haven]

Can you put out a camera to try and see where they disappear to in the barn? Or is there some type of bait you can put out? Maybe contact an exterminator to see if they have suggestions for finding the nest or even a quote for removing them for you?

I'm going to keep looking, but they will be dead at the first day we go into the 30's and we're already hitting the 40's at night. This is their last hurrah for the season.

 

[Larsen Poultry Ranch]

40s!!? Wow! We are finally dropping into the upper 50s at night here, but days are still going back up to 80s or even 90s.

 

[Bruce]

I would guess your Auburn lows don't get anywhere near Rachel's I don't think it often got much below the 50's growing up South of L.A..