Ridgetop - our place and how we muddle along

[Ridgetop]

Played bridge today then went out for late lunch/early supper. Won't eat again tonight! Maybe not tomorrow either. Got to make cookie dough tonight. Was going to freeze a bunch of leftover food from birthday party but apparently it has been eaten. I hate waste.

Tomorrow DS1 and I will remove trailer gate and back trailer up to corral. We need to move Sage into other corral and begin feeding in the trailer hoping he will eventually lose his fear and actually step into the trailer. I am leery about drugging hm before getting him into the trailer and driving him 3 hours north. That will be a last-ditch effort. Once he is back in Nipomo we can take apart the horse corral and load those pieces for Texas.

DS1 put the old hitch back together on the gooseneck. Now we need to take it to the trailer place to have the new coupler cut to fit. Then we will remove the 3 cabinets from the shed, wrap them in tarps, and load them in the trailer ready for another trip to Texas. Once they are loaded, we will also load some more corral pieces, and possibly some furniture. DH or I and DS1 will make the trip to Texas to unload, then return. Another quick turnaround trip. When back there we will need to move the remaining corral pieces out of the side barn so DH can clean it out with Baby Bota. Need to bring back some pallets for the hay bales to sit on.

This long trip to the Philippines by DS2 and DDIL2 is messing up our move.

 

[SecretHavenFarm]

Hi Mary!! Look at me! My first ever post on BackYardHerds! I wanted to jump on and let you know, that dormoseden gel is different than when the vet comes out and sedates a horse. I have a tube, and told Marv I would mail it down to you. It is just enough sedative to take the stress away, and he will be safe making the trailer ride. When Tiffany came to get him, she pulled on his halter and I used my lunge whip from the back and he went in.
Marv’s butt rope may work perfectly with the Dormosedan! You just give it to him under the tongue about an hour before you want to load him. I promised Marv I would cook yall dinner when you brought Sage back up!

 

[Ridgetop]

Where are your BYH posts about your Boer goats? We have a lot of goat people on BYH. Post pix too!

We will take the gate out of the trailer so it won't clank and scare Sage as he sticks his head in to eat hay. We are going to chuck the wheels and leave the trailer attached to the truck for more stability. Then every couple days we will increase distance he has to stretch to reach alfalfa. Between getting him used to eating in the trailer, and the Dormoseden gel, we may be able to get him loaded and up to you in January.

Keep posting on here!

 

[Mini Horses]

I like it!! Another goat & horse person

 

[murphysranch]

I looked up that Granada Hills invasion. The fella who was invading was recently on trail for murder. And the residents were on camera saying that the invasions were occurring every day, so it was a good thing one of them got killed. Serves the dude right....JMO

 

[Baymule]

Welcome @KLRobbins ! ! I’m glad to have you join the fun! I’m @Ridgetop’s Phone-A-Friend in Texas! LOL

 

[Ridgetop]

A few exhausting days with the grandchildren. Annabel was here today and DS2 and DDIL2 went out to do errands before their trip to Philippines tomorrow night. Wild! However, I picked up all the small toys scattered all over the family room floor. Then DS1 and I folded up the tent type play structures and put them away. Stil didn't get the Christmas cookie dough made, so will do that on Monday or Tuesday. I will put the Christmas tree up as soon as the kids leave tomorrow. Their flight leaves from LAX at 10:30-11:00 pm and they want to be at the airport at 5:30-6:30 pm. DH is driving them to the airport with their luggage. Love them but can't wait for some quiet time without toys everywhere.

I moved the brown truck out of the way and today DS1 hitched the black truck to the 16' stock trailer ready to move it to the horse corral. He still needs to take the interior gate out, then we will move the horse into the other corral and attach the open end of the trailer to the corral panels ready to feed in the trailer. Hope it works.

DS1 also put the old receiver back into the gooseneck hitch ready to pull it to the trailer place with the new receiver. The trailer place will cut and fit the new receiver into the hitch. It is supposed to rain Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

Also have to go to PS right after Christmas if we go at all since the condo is rented January 1 for 3 months. If we can't get there then we won't be able to go at all. After that we will remove the cabinets from the tool shed, wrap them in plastic tarps, and load them in the trailer. I am not sure which trailer we will take back to Texas since DS1 insists he can pull the gooseneck and I am leery about him doing it since a gooseneck turns differently. Maybe DH can take him out and give him some lessons with the turning ratio. I might have DH drive the gooseneck with DS1, and both of them to unload. Or take the small trailer . . . . ?

I ordered some cold weather marking crayons that should be arriving tomorrow. The mild temp ones are very faint and the hot one is not showing at all. Either that or the rams are not breeding any ewes.

Kris sent me a house to look at if anyone is interested in moving to Decatur, TX. 3800 sf. Large formal dining room, formal living room, family room, game room, study, 4 huge bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms. 11 acres on private road near Decatur. Some pasture and some wooded. He says it will probably come down another $50K or more.

https://krisfranksrealty.com/IDX/444-Private-Road-4476-4476-Decatur-TX-
76234/431899444_NTREIS/0005606

I would have loved to buy a house that size 10-15 years ago. Now though, my little house in Yantis looks so inviting and cozy. Plus, we have finally fenced our place, put in a new (2 years ago) septic and new HVAC, and have a lot more acreage. With a few additions - hay barn, generator, and new well - will be perfect.
I think our small place now is just right for us. I am apparently more Prime than I thought. LOL
Also, less expense to redo stuff on a smaller house. That big place doesn't need anything done to it, but eventually when it does, it will be pricey to do.

DH and I had an appointment with our eye doctor in January - made it 3-4 months ago. Dr. just cancelled it and rescheduled for JUNE 2024! I need to talk to DH and see if he will agree to see another doctor there.

My good knee is bothering me more and more. I have an appointment for it in January with x-rays with the same surgeon. If I have to have another replacement or partial replacement, I will still move and just return to have it done.

 

[Ridgetop]

Was looking up heat lamps for the Texas barn just now for winter weather. Premier has a "Thermocube" which is a double outlet gizmo that plugs into the outlet and will turn the heat lamp on at 35 degrees or lower and off at 45 degrees. No trudging to the barn in freezing cold or rain to turn on and off the heat lamps.

After reading all the reviews for both the regular heat lamps and the carbon fiber heat lamps to determine which would be best for my winter lambing pens, I remembered THE BARN DOES NOT HAVE ELECTRICITY YET!
DUH!

Combined with the lack of electricity and remembering that the sheep won't be lambing until April or May - there is no point to buy any heat lamps yet! Sometimes I plan a little too far in advance!

 

[Baymule]

In Snowmeggdon of February 2021, I had 15 newborn lambs, 1 born during the storm. I did not use a heat lamp. It got down to -6F degrees! I tossed down plenty of hay twice daily for the sheep and dogs to snuggle in. Remember my “barn” was just a lean to roof off the side of a portable building? Three sides open? I blocked the wind on one side with cardboard and all sheep, lambs and dogs were perfectly ok.

You have a bodacious barn! I have serious barn envy! I really don’t think you will need heat lamps. If you have lambs in January or February, just deep bed and litter, they will be fine. I no longer want lambs in January or February. Add July and August to that list.

 

[Ridgetop]

DS2, DDIL2, Robert and Nicholas left Sunday evening at 6:00 m for LAX to catch their 11:30 PM flight to the Philippines. They arrived safely and posted a picture of DS2 and the 2 boys under a big Welcome! banner her relatives had made. Robert was fussy before they left and DH, DS1, and I were glad not to be flying with them, but both boys fell asleep during the long ride to the airport. They woke up full of vinegar and we felt more pity for their parents and grandmother who had to keep them amused during the 3and a half hour wait to board, and the 18 hour flight.
DDIL2 had been packing suitcases for 6 days in the living room as she sorted out clothes, diapers and toys to take. They were allowed to take 2 cases each, but she decided she could fit it all in 3 suitcases, and several carry-ons. When she finally declared the suitcases finished DS2 had to weigh them on the scale. Each suitcase could only weigh up to a certain amount of lbs. As he labored to hoist the final suitcase on to the scale, his biceps bulged and sweat popped out on his face. that case weighed 78 lbs. DDIL2 did another round of repacking.

We couldn't understand why she did not use the additional suitcases I loaned her until DH returned from picking the airport. They had decided to take the pickup truck since her mom would have "some" boxes to take.
According to DH, they were lucky to fit all the boxes and suitcases in the truck bed and it is a standard 8' bed! DDIL2's mom was flying with them, and her dad drove her mom and more luggage to the airport. Once they arrived, he commandeered several baggage carts and a porter to assist with the luggage. While DDIL2 and her mom rode herd on 2 active toddlers, they managed to get all the luggage checked in, and made their way to the gate. I had given DDIL2 a harness and leash for Nichlas, but I hopefully they strapped him into the travel stroller and used the harness and leash for Robert. Her dad will be flying to the Philippines in another week. DDIL2 will be returning in 3 weeks. DDIL2 and her mother and the boys will return the end of February.

As soon as the truck pulled out of the driveway, I made 3 batches of different types of cookie dough. I don't have enough room in the freezer to freeze them in tins like I normally do so will bake them on Saturday. I have to make the 4th kind then too. Normally I freeze them in flat film tins my FIL gave me years ago but since the freezers are full of DSIL2's diet food packages, forget that!

When he got home from the airport, I had DH remove all the large play equipment to the nursery. Yesterday morning I cleaned the family room and spent the day boxing up the boys' toys. They were piled haphazardly on the storage shelves I had brought up from the shed a couple months ago. I used 2 sizes of my new plastic see-through storage boxes I bought for Texas, sorted the toys, and stacked the boxes on the shelves. I would have liked to buy them another set of the big heavy-duty shelves for a Christmas gift, but DH had already bought them a Costco membership and I bought them a new mattress pad and sheets since we are leaving our king-size bed for them. Once I sorted out the different toys and stacked the boxes it worked. Of course, once they get their Christmas toys from the family, they will need a new set of storage shelves anyway. DS2 can buy them.

While I was cleaning up the family room and sorting toys, DH and DS1 took the gooseneck to get the new hitch receiver cut to fit. It will be ready on Thursday because a couple of the lights have stopped working - probably the horses messing with it on the field. That is why DS1 decided to fence off the large area between the barn and house - so the animals can't chew the trailer wiring, etc. Good thinking on his part since the trailer was just rewired by the seller and everything was working on the trip home. While at the trailer place DH found that our truck sits so high due to the 4WD that the trailer will ride at a slant. It would ride fine attached to a regular 2WD truck. Since it is aluminum, it would be easy to tow with a standard truck, even the newer 150's. No problem though.

I had DH take DS1 with hm so he could drive the truck with the gooseneck. DS1 did not believe me that you had to pull a gooseneck a little differently from a standard hitch. He complained that he could pull it with no problems but 30' down the road from our gate he got stuck in the shrubbery along the neighbor's fence. He had to back up to clear it and didn't back up enough the first time. He was still encased in shrubbery when I went inside, shaking my head and laughing at his problems. DH said he was about to tell him that he had to swing wide on that curve when DS1 tangled with the bushes. Apparently, DS1 then said, "D#@*, I see what you were talking about". Second time he just said "S*@#!" The hitch will be cut to size, and the lights repaired for pick up on Thursday.

Once they were safely fl) on their way, I finished cleaning ready for putting up the Christmas tree. Putting up the Christmas tree with toddlers loose was not something I was long forward to, so I decided to wait. Normally. I put up all the Christmas decorations on Thanksgiving weekend. This year I decided to decorate sparsely. One problem was the toddlers, the other problem was that a lot of the furniture I draped garlands on and put the Nativity set on are in Texas. LOL I also only used about half the ornaments on the tree. Usually, you can't see the tree for all the ornaments. Ehen ai take it down this year I plan to sort out the ornaments belonging to the different kids and give them a box full. Our tree in Texas will be smaller and maybe only big enough to set on the buffet. I wot need as many of the ornaments, and most of them were bought each year for the children to commemorate stuff they did or were interested in during the year. They have names and dates on them. Others were bought on our trips - a lot of tourist gift stores now are selling Christmas ornaments year-round. We stopped buying souvenirs and buy small Christmas ornaments instead. Much easier to pack, and nice memories when we hang them on the tree.

When DS1 and DH got home DS1 moved Sage into the other corral and he and DH backed the 16' stock trailer up to the opening. DS1 had already removed the interior gate to stop it clanging when Sage leaned in to get his hay. That noise makes some animals nervous about loading and Sage is not trailer trained. I was posted in the large corral to prevent Sage from escaping while they backed the trailer up. Then DS1 put a large tub in the trailer about a third of the way in for his hay. When he left Sage was leaning in to get his hay. We will feed him there for a couple days then gradually move the tub forward, hoping to lure him into stepping up into the trailer eventually. I am hoping we can get him into the trailer in a month. Slowly, slowly, then with the calming meds hopefully we can load him to go back to Nipomo.