About Me

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I am a 42 year old woman that is about as happy and content as one person can be. My husband of 21 years and our 15 year old daughter live on five and a half acres out in the country. We moved from the city four years ago and never looked back. I homeschool our daughter. We also love our animals. Our daughter has a miniature horse and two rabbits. We also have a border collie, two cats (again), two pot belly pigs, four peafowl, three emus, 2 llamas and an undetermined number of chickens, lets just say ohhh about 200. I have many breeds, from layers to fancy chickens. I love poultry shows, I love fowl in general as I have come to find out through having more than just chickens. Chickens will always be my first love though. I do show some of my birds occasionally.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

What Was I Thinking?

I should know better than to try to plan to get certain things done. A whole detailed list made out and I have only gotten a fraction of it done. Why? Because we have had the remnants of Fay here for days and days. I have almost forgotten what the sun looks like it has been so long since I have seen it. The weather experts keep saying that we need the rain. I say okay, but not all at once. August is usually a dry month. I had to lay down a thick path of hay through the chicken pen just to walk through there to get the eggs yesterday. What a mushy mess of mud.

I did however manage to do some things indoors. I got a lot of cleaning done that needed to be done. Shelby is now trained on how to clean her bathroom, toilet scrubbing and all. She is doing this for an increase in allowance. That and I really need the help keeping up with things around here. If she can keep her upstairs clean that takes a load off of me. She is so funny. She asked me if she was always going to have to clean a bathroom, even when she was moved out one day on her own. LOL! I said well, yeah, who else is going to do it? She said, "How about I pay you to come do it?" LOLLLL! I told her no but thanks. She will get used to it. She is old enough to handle these new chores, and she is getting paid for it on top of that, so its not that bad. I told her it IS her mess. No one else uses her bathroom and bedrooms. She still thinks its gross...lol. Just a part of growing up. Sometimes you got to do stuff you don't like to do.

The goats, lordy those goats. Remember the contraption I had rigged up to keep them out. You wouldn't believe what they did! First, they stood on top of that little cage and bent the piece of fence down that it was attached to and got in anyway. SO...I attached the netting TO the fencing after bending it back into place. There was NO WAY for them to get in now.

WRONG!

They jumped up on the little cage and then...get this...they jumped up ON TOP of the netting I have stretched across the entire top of the main chicken pen! So I have these goofballs running around on top of this netting, and it is holding them at first. Then Troy gets too close to the part that is attached tothe back of the garage (stapled) and falls through! Well, he seems pretty happy about this development and goes RIGHT over to the chicken food and starts eating. I wanted to kill them both. I was furious! How come I can't outsmart a couple of GOATS???

Well now they are penned thanks to thier shennanigans. I have two fenced sections for Derby. One has a gate to close off half of it. That is where they are now. They have all that they need over there without getting into trouble. All the comforts without giving me a headache.

You know how you drive by a pasture on a country road...and you see all these animals grazing happily on grass?

That doesnt happen here. Here, its a rare occurance. Seems like everyone wants to eat everything but the grass! Only when I let the horse out to eat for a couple of hours will everyone go out and graze with him. Then it looks like a serene calm country picture. OH well, nothing is ever normal here, I have accepted that. ;)

Now if Eddie will just stop sticking his head through their new quarters fence...and getting it stuck, we will be alright. Troy is smarter. He hasnt done it ONCE. Eddie does it at least once a day. At first he would do it every hour or so. Let me tell you, its not easy to get a goats head unstuck from a fence hole. You have to think about the horns. Not to mention for some reason the second you PUSH to get their head through, they PUSH back! Crazy.

So I will tell you what I have gotten done outside. Which isnt much. I have plans to do a little more today. We will see if I can get it done. I did make a list, so lets see what happens.

I...

Unwrapped the protective fencing and posts from around the poor pitiful Japanese Maple tree out in the goats area. The horse had made mincemeat out of it recently and the goats were in the process of finishing it off. After cutting all of the fencing loose and pulling up the posts (now bent or uprooted) I went ahead and cut the little almost dead looking tree down. I wouldn't give the goats the satisfaction of finishing it off for me. After I cutitdown they both stood at the stump and pondered for quite some time. I had taken their toy away and they didn't quite know how to feel about it.

AND THATS ALL! Pitiful huh? Thats all I got done of the little this and that stuff that needs doing around here! The house is clean on the inside though I must say.

So whats on the list for today...regular chores inside first. You know, laundry, dishes, picking up, making beds. I bet I dont get all this done...but here is my extra chores list on top of feeding, watering, cleaning the house...

Clean out the cat pen

Clean the porch

Cut down HUGE poke weed by air conditioners

restaple (AGAIN) the wire to the fence I made to keep Derby away from the stairs (he eats them).

Pick up patio area

Weedwhack patio edge

water all my plants

Now placing bets on how many things I actually get done...this after I get done inside, feed and water. Don't forget I still have to cook supper too. ;)

I wouldn't trade it for anything though. I get to STAY HOME. I don't have to go OUT and WORK...and thats priceless these days.

Everyone have a good Wednesday, I miss you all. I am not deleting my alerts though. I still have every one, and I will come to visit, I promise. :) XOXOXOXOX

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Can you set up a very large fan and blow some of that rain our way???  We need it, desperately at that point.  My big farm pond is getting lower by the day :(
It's so discouraging when we have our plans made only to see them fall apart.  Sounds like the goats are giving you a good run in the creativity department.  LOL, welcome to the world of goats.  Ours always used to get their horns caught on the mesh around the chicken pen.  All of our animals graze in peace & harmony....know why???  They are all so old!!!!
xxx
Lisa

Anonymous said...

you don't need to work outside of the house... you have your hands full around there... good luck with all you have still to do.... oh by the way do you hire out???  my house needs a good cleaning...LOL... have a great week.
Kelly~

Anonymous said...

I have plenty to do around here too but it doesn't involve animals so I tend to twitter my time away instead.  I need to move to a farm where I have to be busy all day.  Wish I lived closer, I'd come help you...Linda in Washington state

Anonymous said...

Kelly I feel worn out just reading about the things you have to do and the things you have done ~ hope you get some time for yourself :o) ~ Glad Shelby is helping out ~ Ally x

Anonymous said...

Goodness gracious!!  Jus think what else you'd got done if it hadn't rained.  LOL  You would be a walking zombie.....LOL

Hollie

Anonymous said...

Good Lawdy,  you tire me out just reading about all your work.  All those animals and all their needs, I can't even imagine.  You are one of a kind.              Marlene

Anonymous said...

You outwork two men!  You amaze me. You'd make me look like I'm standing still.

Don't take this personally but I think your goat is retarded, lol.  It pushes back... I think I'd push on the back of his head and see if he'd push back and pull himself out of it then.  Wow, what a pitb!

Shelby is so funny.  If everything is so gross and she is the one who has to clean it, she'll make less mess and appreciate you much more.  She is growing up fast though.

And yes, we'll definitely get together, when we can co-ordinate our schedule. Let me know.  I'm still coughing an hacking.  Everybody else has gotten over this.  It has fatigued me more than them I think.  Dirk's back at work.  Katie was fine in three days.  I sound like a smoker. Will you head up to Rome this weekend? I'm going to the Pow Wow there.  Maybe you can meet me there.

I didn't think to call you yesterday and I wish I had.  This other lady I sat with.. well... I'll save it for GF talk later on.

Nelishia
http://journals.aol.com/nelishianatl/Prayingandbelieving/
Private Journal

Anonymous said...

LOL at Shelby!  "DO I HAVE TO CLEAN TOILETS LATER?"  HEHE silly girl!  Wait till she has MEN who pee all over on the floor AROUND the toilet and you have to get the toothbrushes out to get them clean!  UGH!  MEN!  

So looks like you have A LOT on your plate there!  I keep telling hubby that I NEED my bantam coop soon!  The more I think of it the more I want to keep the D'uccles in the house and just keep Kelly separate and just let him play with the big girls.  I have some bantam cochin eggs coming towards the end of Sept :D  They are blue's...I can't wait!  They are from the Judy Gantt line.  VERY fluffy VERY nice breeder/show birds.  Cory and I are also hitting a chicken show Oct 3rd I think it is!  I have a lady who is selling me very nice show silkies...they are about 3 months old right now and she said they look fabulous.  They will go in with the bantams.  Then I'm done :D  I still want that silver laced Polish :(  I still feel SOO bad.  I miss that little baby so much!

Anonymous said...

so, you going to eat that Poke weed?

I know people that NEVER outsmarted their goats.....  And they don't have them anymore....they got tired of losing!

Have a great day,
Tina

Anonymous said...

Sounds like a good time to get things done in the house. hehehe To funny about Shelby. Tell to put a plug in fragrance in there and it will smell so good while she is cleaning the bathroom. lol It will be good for her to learn before she moves out. lol How about a little strip of electric fence for the goats. lol To think that my husband has been wanting some small goats to eat the weeds. Too funny!  Too funny, but yet not funny, about the heads getting caught in the fence. I would be going crazy! lol I would be so happy to have the inside of the house finished. I got many things done on outside and inside is waiting until I have time. :-( I took my time this time! Just kept a steady pace and did it right! Garage looks great when I go in there and look at it. I still have a shop to do (my side!) but I can use a heater if it gets into fall. Hope you get all the things finished before winter. Blessings, Janie

Anonymous said...

Hopefully you can get your daughter in the habit of cleaning up after herself before she is in the teenage angst stage. Skye was a hellion when it came to her room. Now that she has her own home she wouldn't know it the way she keeps it clean.

I know it wasn't funny, but I was laughing at the antics of the goats. Never a dull moment around is there...

Hope your able to get your chores done, and somehow find some "me" time to yourself hon. (Hugs)Indigo

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