rachels.haven's Journal

[rachels.haven]

I took Bailey off her MSM supplement as an experiment because it contains green tea extract which in turn contains caffeine. I figured that if I'm having trouble with a dog's actions and it could cost them their life, they should probably not be caffeinated on a daily basis. She's suddenly less unmanageable but she also suddenly seems to be aging in rapid motion and everything is harder for her and even her face seems to be more lax and melted and she's often confused again. She will still try to eat you like a shark on blood, but she's a lot slower-decaf shark. She's still guarding the fence line but in the last few days she's not coming out of the barn as much and guarding less and less. I don't think she can jump anymore (I don't trust it though after what I've seen her do). I suspect I'd be fine just letting her be, but she's probably not going to be with us too much longer. The other day I had to turn her out of the buck pen because the coyotes were nuts with all the local farmers talking about it on fb and Riker needed immediate help. Thing is, she's only half a dog's help right now and that's been shrinking. She was more firepower the day I let her out. Oh well. I guess now she's going to get old.
If she can not be dangerous and can hang in there we could really use her help getting moved and the new property guarded with Riker. The last few days have made me doubt she's going to make it the month or so until then. Lots of feelings-lots of "why now?" too. I guess it's never a convenient time to get old.

 

[Baymule]

 

[rachels.haven]

...and then Dan found a very tiny feral kitten on our property. Now we have a new kitten.
I gotta get out of here before Dan finds any more of the feral cats the neighbor feeds.

BARN KITTEN. (Just in case Dan can read this)

 

[Baymule]

Sometimes the hits just keep coming and you wonder if it’s ever going to stop. I had to put Paris down one month to the day after BJ died. BJ was her person. She loved him so much and didn’t understand where her beloved went. She was old, tired and done. A lot of turmoil and grief followed me around for way too long. A week before closing on the new farm, I had to put Trip down, he was eat up with cancer. He never got to see the new farm. I lost sheep that I loved, sheep that BJ and I bought together, each loss was like losing him all over again. Each loss ripped my heart out and it’s not over yet. I have dogs and sheep that we shared and I dread the day when they leave.

Life moves forward. I’m on a new farm that I love, I’ve made new friends, expanded my flock, each birth is a celebration. There are some girls out there that have the Golden Ticket. They will never be sold.

Life is changing for you yet again. Another move, hopefully this time a much better one for the family. Bailey won’t be going with you. Her time is done. Cry, grieve, Bailey will always occupy that special place in your heart. She has taught you so much just as Paris and Trip taught me. Bailey will make the move with you on the knowledge you now have. Bailey will be there with you when you bring home a new puppy. Bailey will be there, helping you train the puppy, every step of the way. Bailey will live on.

 

[rachels.haven]

We're getting our 2" of rain today and of course everything is flooding...as we do. I've put off chores since everything is stable and taken the little guy to Kroger for a fruit bowl and am waiting on him to wake up and the rain to take a break.
He's not feeling like waking up and the rain is not taking any breaks so I may just buckle him back in and drive home for the garage in a few minutes.
Dan's kitten only weighs 14 oz but has all its teeth. I think it's probably around 5-6 weeks old but small. And it is eating canned food and goat milk and is already demanding Dan all the time. He's allergic and will eventually start reacting but right now it's a little ray of sunshine in his life for now I guess.The teachers at his school are not acting like professional educators at the moment so he needs it. It's hard for the boys who are just kids. I don't think tcap results are coming back good and this school is going to get it, whatever the state politicians decide IT is. Dan has already been told by a teacher that he will never amount to anything in life (he's 9) and Aiden has been saying his teacher has been being "mean and nasty" and he's terrified of drawing attention to himself right now (and in the brief conversation I've had with her I agree, she is taking stuff out on everyone and is even being unpleasant to us adults).

Just 16 more days and I get to figure out how to transition my kids from a failing school to a new one. We're trying to get ready for a move while the kids trash the house like usual.

Last night while I was milking and DH wasn't watching the three year old took the used paint brush and took it out back and painted the driveway (I told the man not to leave paint stuff down...BOYS. interior paint will come off). Then the tyke decided that driving trucks through the guinea pig cage and litter was more fun...and then trying to run the litter down the sink to clean the truck off and then I came back inside and took control back again. (No really, Dear, you have to WATCH him).

I'll work on getting a cvi for the goats in a week. With all this rain I'm worried about hoof rot. Cvi must say they don't have it and if it rains a lot we get hoof wall separation in a few of the adults that goes away when it's dry again and I trim it out. I'm not sure if that is hoof rot or not but I feel it's close.

 

[Baymule]

The ones that get wall separation, treat them now and maybe it won’t show up.

 

[rachels.haven]

The ones that get wall separation, treat them now and maybe it won’t show up.

I've been going through and cutting out the pockets so they can't trap debris and facilitating growing out like I usually do and it works. Nobody goes lame and the pocket growth is halted and it gradually grows out. Am I supposed to be doing something else in addition?

 

[Baymule]

Maybe a foot bath? Just to be on the safe side so there’s no glitch on the health exam.

 

[rachels.haven]

The Tennessee mud has expanded, swollen up, turned to slime, and is washing away in today's rain and floods and taking our roads and culverts with it so the county emergency management is asking people to stay put and not travel tonight and tomorrow. No school tomorrow! We also did not personally get hit by any tornadoes, but I did get to see three of them off in the distance and we had to shelter in TSC break room from a different set of tornadoes at one point earlier in the day when I went out for kitten wormer and food with the little men after school. Impromptu party with strangers.

My kids are grateful they were not on the bus. The busses did not get the kids home until after 5. It wasn't clear if the school busses went back to school with the kids or they just were sitting ducks, but they were not allowed to be driving around until a break came.

We're still on a tornado watch tonight and things are acting a little spicy (and my yard is a 6" deep river of water flowing down to the creek at the back of the property), so I will not be able to milk tonight. My goats love me, but not enough to stop through the driving rain and wind and the flood and go be milked in the flooded shop. Wrong kind of foot bath. Tomorrow I'll probably be sweeping and blowing the water out of the shop again, just like I did today after I got back with Shaun from his fruit bowl outing.

I'll be working on this goat foot thing.

 

[Weldman]

Seems the whole country is getting flooded, don't worry we are still in a drought everyone. Still need to push an agenda and keep those emergency funds flowing.