Here we go again!

But this time there are tornado watches all around. My friend's weather warning thing went off a few times already this morning. We are flooded again. I have to cross a creek again to get to the goat barn. Just another crazy January day here on the farm. It pours rain then stops. It's SO HOT and I have windows open. I am sweating.

And I am having to go out to the barn to check on Abby. I do believe the old girl is in ketosis. I was thinking she was in labor. But no kids or even any real sign of kidding. So I read about ketosis and it's her. So I am drenching her with all kinds of good things and giving her B Complex shots and lots of warm molasses water. Even put lavender EO all over the stall to calm her. I sure hope she pulls through this. She did this last year too. She'll be 11 in a few weeks. So I don't think she'll be doing this again, if she makes it. I'll do all I can for her though. She's my favorite doe, even though she's the biggest bully. I do love her.

There goes some thunder. And it's very dark.

Are you lookin' at me?

I was in the bedroom making my bed and looked up. Bout got scared to death! There's John Henry looking at me through the window! Silly boy.

Fresh raw cow milk

This is not goat milk. I sure wish it was. But look at that cream! Nearly half the jug is cream. This is from my friend's Jersey cows. She has 2 that she's milking now. I have to get milk from her while I am waiting on goats to kid. Which shouldn't be too much longer, but it seems like some of them like being as big as an airplane.

Farm exercises and cold fresh air.

There is no better way I know of to wake up in the morning than good farm exercises and cold air hitting me in the face. Especially after sleeping to nearly 10 am. Because I took Benedryl earlier this morning. Because my eyes were running like crazy and I was  sneezing. I have to get up at 6 so I can get my grand daughter ready for school and on the bus at 6:40 and it's still dark outside, so I go back to bed til daylight. I am not one of those dark-thirty farmers who does everything in the early before daylight hours. Not me. But I am an early-bird and like to get most things done before noon.

So my feet hit the floor running when I saw the time. Good grief! Pull on my dirty farm pants and boots and go outside. It's cold out there! But by the time I am done, I am sweating and jacket-less. I have hay in the house-barn next door, so grab the 2 wheel wheelbarrow with only one working tire, go next door for hay. Feed sheep while over there. I had already checked on new momma and kids. Gave her a shot of Banamine because her udder is still hard. And rub her udder down with coconut oil mixed with peppermint EO. Babies are sleeping and look fine. Trudy looks like she wants to go outside. So out she goes. Then acts like she's forgetting something, so goes back in a few times. Babies still sleeping. So out she goes again with the rest of the does. With no kids yet.

Get the hay. Feed the sheep. Go back struggling to get the wheelbarrow up the slippery path to the garage. Take hay to does and bucks. Also have already fed dogs and cats before all this. Then go check the nest boxes for eggs. 4 of them, still a bit warm. Back to the house for coffee. I love that stuff!

Next I am headed to town. Then I have got to go get my truck and get it loaded with 37 bales of the hay I bartered fro a half a lamb. There are 4 bales left of the 180 bales I had gotten last year. 180 bales. And it's almost the end of Jan. Those 4 will last til the 1st of Feb. But we're supposed to get some pretty heavy storms starting Wed. SO I need to be prepared to feed lots of hay in the barns.

So I am woke up now and ready for more. I hope y'all have a great week.

(The reason I am taking Benedryl is becaues I am snuggling with these new kids. I have to kiss them and smell them and all. Then my eyes itch so I do all that and next thing I know, my eyes are all puffy and swollen. I do this with kittens and baby lambs too. I have to wash my hands really good after each snuggle session. But sometimes I forget or can't. And for some reason, these new Benedryl pills just knock me out, even though they say non-drowsy formula. Well, they aren't.)

I am SO allergic to goats!

New kids on the farm!

I was thinking Trudy might have her kids last night. Full moon and goo. So I put her in the back stall for the night, just in case. Went to check on her later last night and found these 2 little cuties. They are definetely Boer crosses. The white one is the buck. He's probably twice as big as the little doe. Both have elf ears.

Trudy's a good momma. But her udder is so hard. The kids are getting milk because I have seen poop and saw them pee. I hope Trudy doesn't have mastitis. Her udder isn't hot, just hard, like a grapefruit. I'll go get some more hot water with peppermint EO. If anyone knows something else to do, please let me know. I do not want to bottle feed kids!

Good friends and family

 Last week we were almost out of wood. I called a friend up the road to see if they had any to sell. She said she's ask her husband. So he called and said he'd meet me near their house and I could ride with him in his truck since I didn't have my truck. So off we went out into the cow field to their wood shed. It's got wood that they use for their camp kids in the summer. Another friend came to help load. We got a small truckload. We went to my house and got it unloaded and stacked in the wood shed. It lasted about a week. And it was free!

My husband came home Wed. for the day while waiting on his truck to get loaded. Our friend up on the mountain had some more wood he was giving us again. Back in the fall he had several stacks that we got. So we went on up and found 2 more good sized stacks, all cut and ready for the wood stove. We got our long bed truck loaded down with all that wood. And it was free too.

Also last fall, my friend up the road before our house called and said she was having an Ash tree cut down and did I want it? Of course. She had some guys there cutting it and they loaded it all up in my truck for me. Some of it was really big too. The son-in-law came one day and split all that. Didn't even ask him. They just came out one day and he grabbed the ax and started splitting wood. So my daughters and grand daughters started stacking it in the wood shed. It filled up fast. He likes splitting wood apparently.

So far we have not paid a cent for fire wood. We have an old maple tree that needs cut down. I hope we can get to that in the next few weeks. I like this new wood heater. I can fill my yellow farm wagon up with wood and it lasts at least 3 days. And the house stays at least 70 degrees, give or take a few degrees. Very nice warm heat too.

Then a few days ago, another friend called. he works at a semi truck wash in Ringgold. Said there was a truck with some corn flour they had to clean out and he got 4 55 gallon  barrels of it and could I use it for my animals? Well, I called my friend who has 2 Jersey cows she milks to see if she could use some. So she took 2 of them and I took 2. He delivered them and put them where we wanted them. Now I need some pigs.

I am so thankful for friends and family.